There’s been a lot of rain about in the last week, mostly at night time, which for us has been a stroke of luck. But here in Quorn it is not when it rains that matters so much, but whether or not they get decent drinking water…and for some reason, that is not happening. We use tap water for drinking, but it is nearly undrinkable. It is my only complaint but obviously I have strong support.

So, it is off to the “Dutchman’s Stern”, a name that baffled me, so I checked it out. It was simple – there is a vessel in Holland that has a similar shape to this mountain, thus the name. So I’m guessing there is no other Dutch connection in this, but, the shape similarity. I’m sure at least one of our good Dutch friends will further inform us of this when they read our blog.

No matter the answer, this walk was great. And it started with the signs. It is the first time that we have had no confusion with what the signs are saying (sorry, another complaint). When I think of the Dutch, I think of good and efficient organisers, and wondering if there is a connection there?

Lining the open spaces at the base of the mountain, were families of kangaroos who looked up tiredly as we walked past. Many would simply continue eating or sleeping while the other more anxious ones hopped, what they thought, was a safe distance away. There were scores of them and it caused me to wonder whether they would be on the present culling program. This week we couldn’t do a certain walk because shooters will be killing goats and foxes in that area of the park.

Some days earlier I talked of that magnificent ‘Australian Grass Tree” and how we saw so many of them on one of our walks last week. But today they were in even greater proliferation in all shapes and sizes, some burnt, others were new growth. They lined the pathways, congregated on the cliff edges, and spread throughout the whole mountain. 

A young Queensland couple passed us on the lower slopes where the Blue Gums dominated. We saw the older Victorian couple on the upper slopes amongst the beautiful She Oaks and Sugar Gums. Then after, when the six of us gathered on the summit, we chatted as we gazed out on the Northern Cypress Pines nestling on the cliff faces.

We soon left on our separate ways in a saudade (Portuguese) sort of way – sad to say goodbye but glad to have met them in the first place.