PRIEST GULLY WALK

 When it has been raining my walking buddies and I take a different walk from that in the Daisy Hill Forest. We do the Priest Gully walk because it is a concrete path and a lot safer underfoot than the muddy slippery trails in the forest. We have had more rain than usual for this time of the year so we have mostly been walking in this park. I'm just happy that I can walk with them again after being in pain most of last year. Now dosed up on pain killers I am pain free.

We turn right when leaving the village and walk along the street for about 200 metres and then turn into the bushland following a little creek , which is discoloured due to all the rain.

Joan and Maureen

Joan and Helen (they hate me taking their photo.

Noisy Miner

Wattle 

We love the weekends when Sonya and family come to visit and make us lunch.We had rosti, egg, sauerkraut and salmon while the others had salmon, cream cheese, capers and dill bagels.

Fox and Banjo

BEAUTIFUL NATURE CLOSE BY

We have been lucky to have light rain for the last few days after a long dry spell. On our first morning walk since the rain we noticed how clean the trees looked and there was even a trickle of water in the little creek that our footpath follows. We were surprised to see a koala too. The koalas in our area are dwindling in numbers due to their habitat being destroyed by urbanisation and also because they have the disease, chlamydia.  This morning we walked through Exillis Park and along Priest Gully. This area is a few hundred metres from our village.

The Koala was on the ground but ran up the nearest tree as we walked by and then he kept an eye on us as we tried to get a good photo in between the trees. This tree is a Paper Bark (Melaleuca). Koalas don't eat their leaves they only eat certain species of Eucalypt leaves. However, during the day they will sleep in any type of tree. They are nocturnal and hunt for the right trees at night. That is why it is unusual to spot them during the day.

Illawarra Flame Tree making a red carpet.

My walking buddies, Helen, Joan and Maureen. We solve the world's problems as we walk and talk. They need loads of convincing to get into one of my photos.

An unknown tree making a yellow carpet.

Back in the village the flowering gum tree is happy to see the rain.

The Kangaroo Paw is also looking good after the rain.

THE FOREST ANIMALS ARE THIRSTY AND HUNGRY

We haven't had rain for months. The forest grass is dying and the creeks are drying up. The wallabies are coming into the suburbs to find water and green grass. Here are a few in the dry forest.

The bird is trying to get water from the tap.

Just a little water left in this creek.