The Allure of Exploring
Nov 20 '03
The Bottom Line get out and see a bit of your local natural surrounds - you might be amazed at what you find!
If there is one thing which is very easy to do in this country, indeed this state, then that would be to get off the beaten track. And sometimes, there’s nothing more fun and interesting to do exactly that. It’s really something of an adventure to go for a stroll somewhere that few people have been before, by yourself and with only the surrounds to keep you company.
I’ve had no trouble whatsoever doing that of late, exploring the hills and mountains of central Victoria, where there are innumerable river valleys and interesting gorges, or the grandiose spurs and great views over the ranges which can be had when driving over the tops of the mountains. It’s quite amazing some of the things you’ll find when you do a bit of looking around – spectacular cascades located off mostly disused logging roads, or indeed roads which aren’t even open.
This is the beauty of living in a mostly uncrowded country – there is always space if and when you need it, and all it takes is an hours’ drive from your front door to give you all the solitude you could ask for, and all in some of the most enticing settings you could hope to find. The only thing which might shatter the tranquillity will be the laughter of a kookaburra, or the chatter of a cockatoo or some other of the many parrots which roam around in the forests of the ranges. Or, on rare occasions, another person come to privilege themselves.
This probably sounds a bit like a travel advertisement, and in some ways it is, but it is a very general advertisement, an invitation more than anything – I’ve been very spoilt of late, because in my adventurings I’ve visited some of the most beautiful spots that I’ve laid eyes on, whilst keeping it all to myself, and I suppose I ought to be charitable and attempt to share some of this bounty with others. Unfortunately, few people from my state or indeed my country will ever read this – but those do, I certainly implore you to take a day every now and again and explore. All it’s taken me to find unspoiled tracts of wilderness is $20 worth of petrol and a one hour drive.
As you might be able to tell, this isn’t a specific description of anywhere in particular that I’ve been, but a general view of what you might find away from the hurly-burly of the city and the constant noise and smell, not to mention the general feeling of being crowded. I write this in my bedroom overlooking a small backyard, surrounded on every other side by other peoples’ houses. But if I leave this congested environment and head for the hills, there is such a wide variety of places to visit that one can easily keep occupied for many a day.
There is so much to see that, unfortunately, I’m not likely to ever get around to visiting all of the places that I would wish to see, even to places not so far from the urban jungle. Barely two hours away is the closest section of the Alpine National Park, an area notorious for its inaccessibility and spectacular ruggedness. To think that a reasonably short drive away, there is an area of such lovely remoteness, waiting to be explored, is something much more interesting and inspiring than keeping to these brick’n’mortar abodes, tapping away at keys.
It is indeed inspiring on those days when I can get out of here and experience first-hand places like that – gorges and gullies that have likely never seen the tread of another human foot, like that which I found in Kinglake National Park, the slender grace of the sky-piercing Mountain Ash, which exist in numberless multitudes in the valleys of the ranges, or the visceral pleasure of the molten rumble of great volumes of water tumbling over a cliff, crashing onto rocks below. These things are far more fascinating and beautiful than anything I can think of in the landscape surrounding me.
I find it something of a shame that so few people can find the inspiration and enthusiasm to take a few days every now and then and take a look around at the grandeur that surrounds them. Why everyone is so happy to stick with the tried and true paths, the mundane and routine, is something I can’t really understand. There is so much out there waiting to be seen, willing for the tread of other human feet. Two days ago, one of the most spectacular things I have seen in my life was something I found off a logging track – and if that’s not going from the sublime to the ridiculous, then I don’t know what is!
If there’s one thing that I’ve found this year, it is that there is more beauty and natural extravagance than one person can take in by themselves – so it would be very nice indeed if I made someone give a little bit of thought to that, to go out and do a little bit of their own exploring. It’s been something of a revelation for me, and I certainly anticipate many more natural revelations – it is more than worth your while to step outside, beyond the familiar confines of the home and the office, and venture into the unknown. I hope that anyone reading this will enjoy initiating their own adventurous side, and if not – you don’t know what you’re missing out on!
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Epinions.com ID:
copernicus
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Location: Hopefully taking photos somewhere
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About Me:
planning to write more soon...that's the idea anyway!
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