Another Picnic

After our motorcycle ride and picnic we decided to have another picnic the following weekend, but where?

After much deliberation we headed out towards Trunkey Creek.  This time we took the ute, rather than a bike.  

Of course we had to find some little dirt roads.

There was water in the causeways, which is always nice to see.  It really has been a wonderful spring, rain wise.

We didn't stop in Trunkey Creek, rather our destination was just a little further along at Grove Creek Falls.  Mick suggested this, as the waterfall should be running well.

Yep, it really was looking good.  The water was nice and clear, but plenty was going over the falls.  Last time we were here there was barely a trickle, as it was in the drought.  Quite some years ago, a group of us camped at Abercrombie Caves, just a few kilometres upstream from here.  That was also in a dry time.  We all walked along the creek and sat on the rocks at the top of the waterfall.

This tree, growing in the rocks intrigued me.

We found a nice pleasant place to sit and enjoy our picnic.

We generally visit here at this time of year, as we like to attend the Trunkey Creek Show.  Coincidentally, it would have been on that particular day if things were normal, as would the Bathurst 1000 car races.

As usual, when we are out and about I keep my eyes open for wild flowers. I was rewarded with heaps in the open woodland between the carpark and the water falls.  They were all tiny.

I had seen larger fringed lilies before, but not these tiny ones, on the top left.

I was rather excited to find the little pink spider orchid (top right), as I had only ever seen them once before, in the Pilliga Scrub last spring.

I always like to find the little rock fern tucked into crevices.  You can see below the sort of place you find then, along with a few of the other flowers we saw. 

There were more flowers, but not successfully photographed.

Mick also saw a rather large goanna, but it shot up a tree and into a hollow branch, so I missed seeing it.

After lunch, we continued on our way on minor roads and ended up in the area where Mick grew up on a farm.

Not far from where he lived is this little bridge.

It was built in the late 50s or early 60s by the local men, including Mick's Dad.

We took a few photos, as there was a sign announcing that there would be about half a million dollars spent on this bridge as part of the "Fixing Country Bridges Program", with an expected completion date of the end of 2022.  It will be interesting to see what they do.  This bridge may be very different by then.

Finally, as we were driving along an echidna crossed the road.  It was very busy digging itself into the ground as I went over to take a photo.  They are an incredible little creature.

So, another very pleasant day out, enjoying the quiet places in our district and enjoying the perfect weather.  We are pleased we went when we did, as the following day the weather returned to very wintry conditions.