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barbarajoy | profile | all galleries >> Melbourne Outdoors tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Melbourne Outdoors

Summer in Melbourne. Opportunities abound around the city to enjoy free open air activities - beaches, cycle paths, walking trails and parklands.

The Kokoda Trail Memorial Walk, in the Dandenong Ranges National Park, is one of the most popular fitness walks close to the city. Only a 3km round walk but involving a steep climb up the thousand steps, built as a tribute to the gruelling 96km Kokoda Trail through the Owen Stanley Range in New Guinea, the site of Australian World War Two battles.

The Melbourne walk seems the equivalent of the popular Noosa National Park walk in Queensland. On any day and at any time there is a steady flow of walkers of all ages and levels of fitness toiling steadily or racing single mindedly up the track from the picnic area to the start of the steps and then up to the top to rest before the descent to the bottom.

Tall mountain ash and an understory of cool temperate messmate, grey box, stringybark, blanket bush, wattles, tree ferns, epiphytes and bracken, the intermittent calls of kookaburras, cockatoos, rosellas, bellbirds, currawongs in the fresh mountain air combine to create a pleasant and exhilarating exercise. We hear snatches of conversation as walkers approach and pass, admire the super fit and empathise with the strugglers, note the babies being carried in slings and back-packs, pause to rest and take in the surrounds and the view and glow with satisfaction when we reach our car for the trip home.

With our recently acquired new bicycles we are discovering bike paths close to home and will eventually venture further afield.

Sunday bike ride along The Esplanade to The Sandbar, Middle Park, in the late winter sun.

Start of the walk
Start of the walk		 Sunlight on forest
Sunlight on forest		 Descriptive memorial sign at the start of the walk
Descriptive memorial sign at the start of the walk		 Directions along the track
Directions along the track		 Walkers on the path to the steps
Walkers on the path to the steps
Bushland and fresh air
Bushland and fresh air		 Walkers gathering around the base of the steps
Walkers gathering around the base of the steps		 Limbering up
Limbering up		 The steps at the start and another plaque
The steps at the start and another plaque		 Water bottles left to collect on return
Water bottles left to collect on return
Barb in the shadows
Barb in the shadows		 Barb climbing
Barb climbing		 Female lyrebird seen scratching by the track
Female lyrebird seen scratching by the track		 Imita Ridge, one of many plaques along the track
Imita Ridge, one of many plaques along the track		 Memorial to the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels of the New Guinea WWII campaign
Memorial to the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels of the New Guinea WWII campaign
Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels memorial detail
Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels memorial detail		 Tree ferns of two varieties
Tree ferns of two varieties		 Moss on old mountain ash
Moss on old mountain ash		 Philip on the walking track
Philip on the walking track		 Last few steps
Last few steps
Resting at the top
Resting at the top		 Triumph car owners picnic at the picnic grounds along the parking area
Triumph car owners picnic at the picnic grounds along the parking area		 Triumph cars proudly displayed
Triumph cars proudly displayed		 Triumph classic
Triumph classic		 Triumphs again
Triumphs again
Cafe in the picnic grounds
Cafe in the picnic grounds		 Philip admires a car
Philip admires a car		 Elwood canal, early morning
Elwood canal, early morning		 Elwood Canal and road bridge
Elwood Canal and road bridge		 Elwood Canal walking and cycle path
Elwood Canal walking and cycle path
St Kilda foreshore
St Kilda foreshore		 St Kilda Pier view
St Kilda Pier view		 St Kilda Pier and lone cyclist
St Kilda Pier and lone cyclist		 Melbourne, view from St Kilda pier
Melbourne, view from St Kilda pier		 View between the palms
View between the palms
My bike
My bike		 With my new bike
With my new bike		 Cyclists on the bike path at Elwood
Cyclists on the bike path at Elwood		 Philip and his bike
Philip and his bike		 Barb and her bike
Barb and her bike
Philip rides home along the Elwood Canal bike path
Philip rides home along the Elwood Canal bike path		 Brighton bike path.
Brighton bike path.		 Brighton reflections
Brighton reflections		 Still morning, Brighton
Still morning, Brighton		 Brighton walkers
Brighton walkers
Bike Path towards Middle Brighton Baths
Bike Path towards Middle Brighton Baths		 Morning view, Brighton beach
Morning view, Brighton beach		 Brighton Pier
Brighton Pier		 Dendy Beach Bathing Boxes
Dendy Beach Bathing Boxes		 The Sandbar, Middle Park, August 2011
The Sandbar, Middle Park, August 2011
The Sandbar, Middle Park, August 2011
The Sandbar, Middle Park, August 2011		 Middle Park jetty
Middle Park jetty		 Along The Esplanade, Middle Park
Along The Esplanade, Middle Park		 No, it's not mine!
No, it's not mine!		 We'll go this way
We'll go this way

comment | share
Bracciodiferro PM reply 27-Aug-2011 12:46
Excellent work.Voted
Paolo
Liz 25-Feb-2011 06:51
Hi Barb and Philip,
Very impressed to see you both riding bikes.
Photos are wonderful.
Take care.
Liz
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