RETURN TO THE RAINFOREST
Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:22 pm
RETURN TO THE RAINFOREST
© Jeff Thorpe 22 June 2019
Not the best of memories does O’Reilly’s hold for me,
cos on the Border Track there is where I stuffed my knee,
Lamington Classic, ‘97, from Binna Burra running well
until a tree root trip made that a race from hell.
Sort of did the splits, which I’d never done before
and ever since the left knee’s been giving me what for.
So, with some trepidation I set out there the other day
along with two friends to brush the ghosts away,
not exactly getting back up on the horse
for from running there has been an unconcealed divorce,
bushwalking though at our age is a handy substitute
for fitness it’s become our golden parachute.
A crisp eleven degrees as we alighted from the car
to tackle Morans Falls track, really not that far,
just over six km return, so the map did tell
we were “hot to trot”, expectation hard to quell,
we’d never walked this trail before, everything was new
except the vibrant rain forest, sheer delight to wander through.
Booyongs, figs and brush box lined the gradual descent
to the falls lookout , a hike with no lament,
and after recent rain, the falls were fairly gushing
eighty metres down the cliff face, to creek bottom rushing,
two hundred metres further on, panorama filled our eyes
Morans Gorge before us, daubed with variegated skies.
Reluctantly we prised ourselves from this wondrous sight
to head toward the treetop walk, bathed in dappled light,
a brief stop on the way for willy lea by all three,
our bladders not as tight as once they used to be
them’s the breaks, I guess, surrendering to age
but, at least the three of us were all on the same page.
The treetop walk arguably an O’Reilly’s top attraction,
literally looping through high branches yet causing no impaction,
sets the heart a pumping for those afraid of heights,
some prefer terra firma from which to view their sights,
this was not the first time on the treetop walk for me
but, I think for my mates, both were glad they’d had a wee.
On to the kiosk for lunch, surprised to come across
a full sized Stinson aircraft, like a beached albatross,
resplendent on display on the guesthouse green,
part of O’Reilly’s history though, imbued in the family gene
from 1937, a crashed Stinson Bernard O’Reilly found
and rescued the two survivors, a feat which did astound.
Cobwebs all swept aside, this place now holds no fear,
on an enjoyment scale, days like this sound an all clear,
O’Reilly’s at Green Mountains in Lamington National Park
a place where the beauty of the bush ignites a spark,
get out there and lap it up, there’s so much to see,
bears out the statement “the best things in life are free”.
© Jeff Thorpe 22 June 2019
Not the best of memories does O’Reilly’s hold for me,
cos on the Border Track there is where I stuffed my knee,
Lamington Classic, ‘97, from Binna Burra running well
until a tree root trip made that a race from hell.
Sort of did the splits, which I’d never done before
and ever since the left knee’s been giving me what for.
So, with some trepidation I set out there the other day
along with two friends to brush the ghosts away,
not exactly getting back up on the horse
for from running there has been an unconcealed divorce,
bushwalking though at our age is a handy substitute
for fitness it’s become our golden parachute.
A crisp eleven degrees as we alighted from the car
to tackle Morans Falls track, really not that far,
just over six km return, so the map did tell
we were “hot to trot”, expectation hard to quell,
we’d never walked this trail before, everything was new
except the vibrant rain forest, sheer delight to wander through.
Booyongs, figs and brush box lined the gradual descent
to the falls lookout , a hike with no lament,
and after recent rain, the falls were fairly gushing
eighty metres down the cliff face, to creek bottom rushing,
two hundred metres further on, panorama filled our eyes
Morans Gorge before us, daubed with variegated skies.
Reluctantly we prised ourselves from this wondrous sight
to head toward the treetop walk, bathed in dappled light,
a brief stop on the way for willy lea by all three,
our bladders not as tight as once they used to be
them’s the breaks, I guess, surrendering to age
but, at least the three of us were all on the same page.
The treetop walk arguably an O’Reilly’s top attraction,
literally looping through high branches yet causing no impaction,
sets the heart a pumping for those afraid of heights,
some prefer terra firma from which to view their sights,
this was not the first time on the treetop walk for me
but, I think for my mates, both were glad they’d had a wee.
On to the kiosk for lunch, surprised to come across
a full sized Stinson aircraft, like a beached albatross,
resplendent on display on the guesthouse green,
part of O’Reilly’s history though, imbued in the family gene
from 1937, a crashed Stinson Bernard O’Reilly found
and rescued the two survivors, a feat which did astound.
Cobwebs all swept aside, this place now holds no fear,
on an enjoyment scale, days like this sound an all clear,
O’Reilly’s at Green Mountains in Lamington National Park
a place where the beauty of the bush ignites a spark,
get out there and lap it up, there’s so much to see,
bears out the statement “the best things in life are free”.