I’m
currently trying to write up a bit of a tutorial for the joining of the squares
of my neon willow blanket. I’m not experienced at writing tutorials, so this
taking a while and turning out pretty long-winded!
I
thought I should come back to it with a fresh mind another time, so I thought I
would turn to an entirely different subject: The Hill!
I
have mentioned Castle Hill on here before, it is a Townsville landmark, and it
attracts lots of people who are keen on their fitness, as they tackle the
various paths to the top, or maybe run up the road route. I’ve even seen ladies
running while pushing buggies up the hill – now that is impressive!
Normally
I am hiking up it as fast as I can, with no stops apart from very occasional brief
pauses for breath if I absolutely need them. This time, I was taking a different
friend up there to show her the route, and were doing it with a bit more enjoyment
in mind and our cameras in hand.
The Hill up ahead |
The
route that I go up begins at the road, but then turns off onto a trail heading
steeply up the side. The track covers rough ground, but is well-maintained, and
affords wonderful views. From some directions you can see Magnetic Island
sitting serenely out to sea. I love looking out to the island and day-dreaming
about the koalas!
Other
views look out over the town’s port, a less pretty vista. The sun is rising in
this photo – people who know me well will be amazed to find that I am ever up
early enough to see the sun rising!
There
is wildlife on the Hill too, and on this most recent trip up there I heard a rustling
in the undergrowth. Venomous snakes are an issue in Queensland, so I was
worried about what might be causing the rustling. A quick check (from a safe distance!) didn’t reveal
scales though, but rather spines!!
I
got to watch it snuffling around while desperately trying to dig my camera out
of the pouch. Of course, it had hidden it’s little face by the time I managed
to get the camera on and pointed in the right direction, but I was still very
excited: I had seen my first echidna!!!!!
I
watched the little guy for quite a while, but then I needed to carry on. The
rest meant that, for a change, I got to enjoy the scenery of the path as I carried
on.
I love the tropical foliage
The
last section of this path is a set of seemingly never-ending steps. My legs
burn and I struggle for breath as I walk up them, but I am determined to make
it to the top without stopping again!
We've come a long way... |
Once
at the top of the path, I normally turn downhill on the road to jog back to the
bottom as normally the Hill is tackled for fitness training. This time I turned
uphill on the road, for the short walk to the car park at the top.
Here
there is a mister to cool you down, but it was so humid anyway that the mister
made no difference.
We
took in the views from the top instead:
I live over in that direction somewhere! |
The view over Cape Pallarenda |
This
monument is to Robert Towns, for whom Townsville was named after he founded it in 1865.
Angry skies brewing! |
There
are a few plantings up here too, with what for me is the Flowery Trinity of Tropicalness: Hibiscus, Frangipani and Bougainvillea.
Then
it was time to head back down the road, and the threatening skies release their
rain just in time to make it impossible for my camera to focus on this tree
full of sulphur crested cockatoos.
So that’s Castle Hill, all the more exciting
to me now for having seen an echidna!
I’ll
just leave you with these beautiful frangipani flowers that we saw in a garden
at the bottom, just because they are so pretty :)
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