As Diana, Eduardo, and I drove along the Steve Irwin Highway, we made our way toward Kondalilla National Park. It's hard to believe I'm back in Australia, where my travels all started nearly 10 years ago! In less than two weeks I'll be 30. Australia is a place, much like Norfolk and New Zealand, that has always been dear to my heart. We passed through the cute town of Montville, founded in 1887, and I spotted the Poet's Cafe. I just knew I had to stand in front of it on our way back. It was wet and slightly dreary as we parked the car and began our walk. "Kondalilla" comes from an Aboriginal word meaning "rushing water" in which we'd spot Kondalilla Falls after an unsuccessful geocaching mission. Australian names have always fascinated me. In Year 3 we did an assignment on Australian names, and "bimbimbie" means "many birds" for example. Even though we got rained on for a bit I really enjoyed the walk as we walked for several kilometres through the rainforest. The landscape makes me feel like I'm still in New Zealand. There before us was Kondalilla Falls.
The hike was a bit longer than we expected, and there were several walks that we could have possibly done but we didn't bring lunch with us and it was raining a fair bit. On the way back I'd find the geocache! After we sang, danced, and hiked through the rain, my poetic self had to stand in front of the Poet's Cafe.
Australia was my first big journey, and 10 years later I still love her just the same!
