A top bush experience near you

A top bush experience near you

Sometimes we just need our eyes opened to the beauty that is near us.

Lane Cove River, adjoining my local patch of bush

A colleague who has lived in Earlwood for a while recently expressed great surprise and wonder at something he'd only just discovered on a weekend walk. A little wander down a bush track near his house revealed a whole natural world he didn't know about, with cavelets, cliffs on which to rock-climb, and some lovely trails that wound through the bush.
Girrahween Park, which winds along Wolli Creek, is indeed a little local treasure, and well known to some in the rock-climbing community who even have a guide to the cliffs there.
My local bit of bush, the Field of Mars Reserve near Ryde, is a cracking little nature reserve that I enjoy all year round.
Getting to know a local bit of bushland is such a pleasure because you get to know it intimately, can get there with no cost and no time, and can watch it change through the seasons and in all weathers. I've been in it in torrential storms, when the tracks are knee-deep rivers, and on hot summer days when the colourful native bees have been buzzing. I've wandered through it at night, and seen owls, tawny frogmouths, possums and frogs, and I've enjoyed the huge range of fungi and tiny wildflowers throughout the year.
The other advantage of getting to know your local patch of bush is then working out what the habitat connects to. Certainly in Sydney, most little patches of bush aren't that far from another, and another. Today I walked for over three hours with my son, from Cherrybrook back to Ryde, and 95% of our walk was in the bush.

Cascades near Thornleigh

We passed convict artworks engraved in the stone, and the bush was buzzing with birds: treecreepers, flycatchers, wattle birds, parrots of all colours and sizes, kookaburras and bellbirds. We passed cascades and waterfalls, ferny glades and towering gum forests.

Convict "graffiti" in upper Lane Cove Valley

There is another loop I can do, where by crossing over two roads, I can run for more than an hour, almost completely in the bush. I can link up several tracks and head in almost any direction, in the bush. Two weeks ago, I took a long loop along the Lane Cove River (little tracks go on  both sides) and was reminded how beautiful it is. What a blessing to have so much gorgeous nature on my doorstep.

Lush ferny glade near home. Local treasure.

Yes, I still adore going to the Blue Mountains, or Royal National Park, or Ku-ring-gai National Park, or wider afield, but I think sometimes our eyes need to be opened to the treasures in front of us.
Of course, not every part of Sydney is as fortunate, but even in places such as Auburn, I've scooted along a little track between houses and a creek, and discovered an albino blue-tongued lizard. Most places in Sydney aren't that far from a large reserve such as Centennial Park, or Bicentennial Park at Homebush, or Royal National Park, or another national park.
Winter unfortunately seems to be a time when many people go into a temporary torpor, but it's actually a perfect time to be out walking and enjoying life. If you want more encouragement, read the brilliant Michael Moore's blog on why he walks. Alternately, if you do want something a little more challenging, you can read my recommendation for 10 wonderful winter walks, or grab a copy of Top Walks in NSW.
But the easiest thing is just to head out from your place to your nearest bit of bushland, and see where it leads you.
Blessings
www.kensbigbackyard.com.au