Will you come to Freycinet with me?

[shapeofthings]

Yesterday... it was only yesterday but it feels half a world away. Yesterday we went to Freycinet, rocky peninsula half-way up the eastern coast; a world of pink feldspar peaks and turquoise bays. Yesterday I fell into a paradise of rock, sand and sea.

We'd spent the night in Swansea, in a little cabin by the beach (my friend playdoe_man and me). The afternoon before was rainy and I delighted in racing through the shallows in the rain, ankle-length skirt billowing out in the sea, the smell of rain, salt and sand so evocative of childhood: the camping trips in Easter with inevitable rain.

But Sunday, she dawned in style, the sunlight slipping past the curtain edge waking me at half-past five, summoning me back to the beach to bask in her beauty. The day was going to be spectacular, I couldn't wait to hit the road.

Heading back, I hammered on the other door til playdoe_man emerged, sleepy-eyed and grumpy, and threw the day at him. Time to go, Allan, time to go. By 7 am we were finally on the road. Freycinet: an hour along the road, a different world.

Park the car, put on your pack and head off on your way:
The sun is high and we're climbing the trail to Wineglass Bay.
Through the saddle of Mt. Amos, down toward the waters blue,
Abruptly reach the stunning beach and let your senses go askew.

Stop a while to drink the view, dip your toes into the sea,
watch for whales in the bay (none, alas), ponder what this life can be.
Follow the trail through the wetlands, bracken ferns and eucalyptus,
Watch the wallabies peering at you as you walk across the isthmus.

Stumble down the crumbling dunes, this time on the western shore,
To the golden sands of Hazards Beach, and turquoise seas once more.
Gaze across Great Oyster Bay to the distant central highland peaks
While hooded plovers race the tide in bobbing-headed streaks.

Before you turn and head for home, find yourself the perfect place
To sit and give your whole self up to a Freycinet state of grace,
A place of pink and orange rock, of bright and flawless sea,
Of quietness and pause-for-thought, of ancient sanctity.

Complete the Hazards Circuit loop, four hours time has passed
The rain clouds stream across the bay, the weather closing fast.
Bless the early morning start that gave us time to roam,
Put down the packs, get in the car, it's time to head back home.