Travelling Pathetically - Monitors plus a Sphinx

 After my reptile laden triumph around Greys Point I cast about for something slightly more strenuous and came up with a walking track to Bobbin Head from North Turramurra.  For those who don't know Bobbin Head is essentially a car park for boats (boat park?) in Kuringai National Park because nothing says back to nature like covering every piece of flat water with pleasure boats.  North Turramurra peters out reluctantly into bushland and if one abandons the last road one can plunge into the untamed bush and head towards that symbol of the wild, a marina.  Of course the term "untamed bush" is a relative term, relatively inaccurate in this case.  I'm not saying its the most tamed bush I've ever seen but the loop walk I was doing didn't actually involve using a machete to hack your way through the unyielding wilderness. You did have to get past a sphinx in order to start your walk though.  Alternatively you can drive to Bobbin Head as a road snakes through to allow boat owners to access their charges.  Not owning a boat I decided that walking was for me.  Well, catching a bus, the metro, another bus and then walking a kilometre or so brought me to my start point.  After that walking was for me once I had sneaked past the sphinx.

About the sphinx, see photo below.  It sits in a little bit of manicured parkland just inside the national park boundaries ferociously guarding the firetrails and bush tracks I would be walking along.  Apparently Parks & Wildlife are serious about protecting their interests.

A small but definite sphinx

The sphinx might need a little explanation so here it is.  At the end of the First World War a soldier (and former stonemason) by the name of William Shirley returned suffering from tuberculosis.  He was hospitalised just on the edge of what is now the national park.  Feeling the need to occupy his hours while he (to put it bluntly) died he carved possibly the most unique memorial to his fellow soldiers who had died in battle.  It is apparently a one eightieth copy of the sphinx at Giza which Shirley had seen while training in Egypt.  Although I don't recall the original having quite such a cheery grin.  It took him a while as he was only permitted to work a couple of hours each day (strangely inhaling stone dust isn't good for tuberculosis sufferers) but nevertheless he completed it although sadly he was too ill to attend the dedication and died shortly afterwards.  

Having answered the requisite riddle I set out on my journey.  The first part was along a firetrail which I never particularly like because it is essentially just walking down a dirt road with trees on either side.  My trail map app promised me that it would develop into a proper bush track in the fullness of time so I persevered.  

A solid wall of noise hit me as I set forth.  Cicadas were going nuts and the volume had to be heard to be believed.  I saw very few birds that day which I attribute to the fact that the cicadas had dragged them all down an alley and beaten them to death.  I did notice that the cicada noise dipped slightly as I approached, if they were trying to pretend they weren't there they were doing a lousy job of it.

A firetrail, hardly inspiring

I plodded along the fire trail trying to pretend I was enjoying myself.  The sun was shining and I was going slightly deaf from the relentless cicada assault.  Still I did manage to snap an entrant into the Clare McIntyre Memorial Fungus awards as below.

A long way from water but going strong

A fungus photo always cheers me up.  In some ways its disturbing to be so easy to please, in another it's a blessing.  With refreshed eyes I gazed around at the bush lurking discreetly on either side of the fire trail.  A portion of the bush moved slightly so I looked a little closer.  A decent sized lizard was sunning itself by the side of the trail, taking advantage of the uninterrupted access to the sun that the fire trail provided.

Quite a handsome devil really

I pushed my luck trying to get a little closer and he decided to sunbathe somewhere else

With the lizard having slowly but effectively made itself scarce I was reduced to photographing trees and another fungus entrant.

This is a tree

and this is an albino fungus, note the subtle differences

I had been going gradually but definitely upward which was odd because water is usually downward.  Of course the ascent had been cunningly contrived so that there would be a subsequent descent in order to approach the water followed by yet another ascent to get back to my starting point.  In order to encourage me along attractive views of the as yet distant water were provided to ensure that I didn't just turn around and slink back to the sphinx in shame.

There's a marina down there but fortunately the trees are hiding most of it

The day had turned grey and overcast while remaining hot and I started to get a little nervous about the possibility of rain.  The fire trail started heading in a pleasingly downward direction and I looked forward to getting up close and personal with whatever water was playing host to a bunch of boats.  Along the way I took a photo of the cutest fungus I ever did see.

A little flowery fungus

Finally I was able to abandon the fire trail for a more traditional bush track which promised to lead me towards the water.  Just to prove that point views of boats under which there was, presumably, water started presenting themselves as I headed down.  The cicadas roared enthusiastically as I padded along and I was started to fear I might come out of this walk seriously deaf.

Where there are boats there is usually water

I finally made it down to water level and walked along what I believe is Cowan Creek.  If you follow the creek along far enough you will hit the Hawkesbury River, at least you will if you travel in the right direction.  My path was in the opposite direction and I busied myself taking photos of the creek while skillfully excluding any boats.

And here is the aforementioned water

 The title of this blog entry implied monitors and believe me I don't intend to disappoint.  Well no more than I usually disappoint my nearest and dearest.  The path followed the creek edge, in fact in some of the soggier bits its entirely possible that the path was the creek edge.  As I walked along the creek edge I almost walked into a monitor.  It too was walking down the path alongside the creek.  It was travelling in the same direction as I was so I got a bunch of photos of the back of a monitor.

The back of a monitor

The same back of the same monitor

Finally it realised that I was walking faster that it was and somewhat reluctantly conceded me the path enabling me to take a side on photo as well.

The side of the same monitor

Quite giddy on a surfeit of monitor photos I continued on along delighted to be away from the fire trail.

This is more like it

I paused long enough to take an atmospheric photo of the creekside, considering its width I think it could successfully apply for river status but apparently I don't make those decisions.

This is apparently a creek

With my photo taken I hustled along.  Although I didn't know it I had a date with another monitor.

Yes, this handsome fellow

Incidentally I don't know why I assigned a masculine gender to this particular monitor, just another instance of the patriarchy at work I suppose.  This monitor was strolling through the bush beside the path tongue flickering, presumably looking for food.  Either that or she was telling me what she thought of me for misgendering her.  I took a bunch of blurry photos trying to get one with the tongue out which I finally managed to achieve.  Apparently this was all she wanted as with that photo taken she turned her back on me and rapidly moved out of camera shot.

I've never seen a yellow tongue on a monitor before

With my monitor cup running over I headed back towards the sphinx which hadn't changed particularly much in the time I was away.  With my walk completed I left the national park and made my way to somewhere an uber driver might be able to pick me up without running over monitors on the way.  As mentioned there was very little in the way of bird life, not even the ubiquitous brush turkey put in an appearance.  Apparently to redress this oversight a brush turkey hastily dashed out from the bush and disported itself on the pavement next to a rather well frequented road for the sole purpose of getting me to take a photo of it.

Thanks for the consideration

I thanked the brush turkey profusely and made my way home.  The photos taken the brush turkey promptly took itself off back to the bush with a sense of relief.