Walk About Day

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Thursday, 17th April, 2008:
Today was walk about day. Roberta made us a hearty breakfast then we headed off for The Forts Walk. Aussie’s call them Walks not Hikes. This walk follows a road built during WWII to facilitate the building of a sea/air watch station and gun battery used to protect Cleveland Bay. We were told by locals that koalas and Rock Wallabies can often be seen on this walk but we didn’t see any. We did see many varieties of butterflies, yellow, red, black, and blue. They were too fast and shy to photograph. The forest trees are very diverse and beautiful. There was a constant sweet aroma from all the flowering trees and shrubs.

The first half of the walk was a gradual climb towards the site where several buildings used to be that supported the fort. The second half was another story. The climb was steep but the views kept getting better and better. On the way up, we were able to see smaller bays that are normally hidden. Once on top, we could see ocean about 300 degrees around. Quite a sight! We were able to go inside the two control/sighting stations and imagined what it was like for those who spent days and nights looking at the sea wondering if the enemy would soon show up.
While we were looking, two young men in their early 20’s from the UK made their way to the top. We chatted for a little bit about where they had been etc. Oh to be young again……..

We made our way back down the loop which was steaper going down. To help, the builders of the trail…oh, I mean walk….placed hundreds of granite stones for stairs. When we got back to the car, the two guys showed up just in time for us to give them a lift to Half Moon Bay in Rocko! We stopped the Moke, said our good byes and they were off to the next adventure. A dip in the pool afterwards was a great end to the day.

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