Welcome to 2025 and a gentle introduction to the new year.
We are currently on holidays in Queensland for a few weeks and spending time with family and friends.
Today we went for a drive to take in some sights and included a short walk at Mapleton Falls National Park. It was a delight to spend some time enveloped by nothing more than silence and the beautiful surroundings.
I hope you are having a pleasant start to 2025.
Our move from Queensland to here has been a complete turnaround in several ways. We have gone from 1.5 acres of sub-tropical rainforest to 1/4 acre in a relatively dry area of regional Victoria.
As if those changes weren’t enough, we used to be 8km from town so it was a 16km round trip for even the simplest chore. We are now 1.4km from the centre of town and it is a safe and easy walk to most areas.
Today has been a classic example. GMan and I have each gone out twice yet the car has not left the garage. I walked to the hairdresser this morning then went to a volunteer training session for the Folk Festival where we are volunteering this weekend. Meanwhile, GMan has been assisting with the set-up for the festival and went into town this morning and again this afternoon.
I expect that we will both spend quite a bit of time walking to and fro over the next 4 days.
I cannot believe that I have lived here for 14 years and never walked along this section of the Obi Obi trail which runs from the Showgrounds to the centre of Maleny.
Although it is only 680m in length (according to the information board) it seems like a million miles from anywhere.
Here are a couple of views from my walk on Monday.
I was aware that the walk was there but it was not until I decided to walk that way to get to the gym which is at the Showgrounds that I discovered this hidden gem so close to the centre of town.
It is an easy and relaxing walk which I will incorporate into my routine more often in the future.
This morning we went to Baroon Pocket Dam. The southern, or Maleny side where we went is only about 5 minutes drive from the centre of Maleny. We took a short walk on a circuit overlooking the lake. It is easy to overlook some of the spectacular natural scenery on our doorstep so I took these photos to remind us of how lucky we are. We travel halfway around the world to see views like these and here it all is in our own backyard. We took the camera, stainless steel water bottles, home-made muffins and apples in a backpack for our excursion. So for next to no cost or environmental impact we had a lovely morning walk.
Here is one of the lake…..
And another….
Nesting box
Bunya pine – a local species
We have decided to discover a new place in our local area each weekend. There are some hidden treasures nearby.
What natural attractions do you have on your doorstep?
organised castle 