Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park lies along the coast and borders the northern end of the Sydney metro area. The Park's website describes it best:
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is where the Hawkesbury River meets the sea: a tight cluster of secretive, winding creeks, sheltered beaches, hidden coves and wide expanses of deep blue water. You'll find heathlands on the sandstone ridges, dense forests on the slopes, and mangroves on the tidal mudflats.This wonderful little gem is less than an hour from downtown Sydney:
And we had it all to ourselves for quite some time. That's probably due to the fact that there are heaps (as they say here) of great beaches in the area that don't require a steep hike to reach.
On the hike, I was really struck by the foreignness of the vegetation and the landscape. It was a good reminder of just how far from home we are.
One thing was similar to home, though. Play this brief (20 sec) video and you will hear how loud the cicadas are, something I'm well-familiar with from my time in the South. You will also notice that the trees have been burned by, but survived, a forest fire. These burns were probably from the big fires that swept through Ku-ring-gai Chase in 1994. Apparently, these trees are adapted to survive forest fires. Pretty cool. We could benefit from those in the Northwest.
But the highlight of the trip was definitely this fella.
He was near the trail as we approached, but he scrambled up the tree when we were about 30 meters out -- scaring the living hell out of me. He stayed on the tree, which was only about 10 meters off the trail, as we passed by. He stayed perfectly still, but followed us with his eyes as we passed. I thought it was very good of him to stay so still and allow us to pass with his back to us.
Isn't he well-camouflaged on that tree? I can only imagine what Salem and Lola's reaction would have been.
He (or she) is a Lace Monitor (or Goanna), about average size at approximately 4 feet long. They are, of course, native to Australia. They are not aggressive toward humans, but they do have a venomous bite. They mostly eat Australian Brushturkey eggs and carrion. They are smaller cousins to the Komodo Dragon and one of many species of monitor lizards here.
Very cool.
On the hike, I was really struck by the foreignness of the vegetation and the landscape. It was a good reminder of just how far from home we are.
One thing was similar to home, though. Play this brief (20 sec) video and you will hear how loud the cicadas are, something I'm well-familiar with from my time in the South. You will also notice that the trees have been burned by, but survived, a forest fire. These burns were probably from the big fires that swept through Ku-ring-gai Chase in 1994. Apparently, these trees are adapted to survive forest fires. Pretty cool. We could benefit from those in the Northwest.
But the highlight of the trip was definitely this fella.
He was near the trail as we approached, but he scrambled up the tree when we were about 30 meters out -- scaring the living hell out of me. He stayed on the tree, which was only about 10 meters off the trail, as we passed by. He stayed perfectly still, but followed us with his eyes as we passed. I thought it was very good of him to stay so still and allow us to pass with his back to us.
Isn't he well-camouflaged on that tree? I can only imagine what Salem and Lola's reaction would have been.
He (or she) is a Lace Monitor (or Goanna), about average size at approximately 4 feet long. They are, of course, native to Australia. They are not aggressive toward humans, but they do have a venomous bite. They mostly eat Australian Brushturkey eggs and carrion. They are smaller cousins to the Komodo Dragon and one of many species of monitor lizards here.
Very cool.
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