03_Friday
Our weekend getaway in the Blue Mountains amounted to one of the best weekends I’ve had. (How do they keep getting better? Not sure but I’ll take it.) We started bright and early Friday morning, having to be at the train station by 7:30 AM, mind you we normally get up around 9 and we had to take a train to get to the right station, so we were up about 5 AM. You may not be aware of my sociability at 5Am but imagine poking an old bear. So we made it to the station and took a two hour train ride or so to Faulconbridge. Perfect time for a nap.
Once there, we met an aboriginal man by the name of Evan Yana Muru who was taking us on a walkabout through the bush and aboriginal country. Now when I say walkabout , I mean we started on a gravel path, then took a turn into the forest and almost immediately had to climb straight down a hill, then continued along winding paths, through a river at one point, over rocks, under rocks, up, down, side to side, man this path is steep, oh my, my knees are killing me. A few people fell into small rivers or streams, somebody got their foot stuck in mud and almost lost a shoe. We were really in the middle of the bush.
Natural Caves_Walkabout
I must admit, I was quite skeptical when we first met him, and even more so when we hiked to our first destination and put Eucalyptus leaves in our noses, but as the day went on, I understood more and more. The point of the walk was to learn about Aboriginal Heritage while rediscovering our own personal connections to nature. When we first met Evan, he told us to “Walk gently”, meaning be aware of where you’re walking, how you step, and taking measures to avoid hurting the earth. This idea can also be translated to design in terms of designing buildings that “walk gently” on the earth, leaving a small footprint, sustainable materials, etc.
The other focus of the walk was to strengthen our own connections to the dreamtime, meaning “the spirit of all things”, a force that connects all living things, people to nature, people to people, etc. I don’t imagine anyone reading this who wasn’t there with us can truly comprehend how powerful the day was for me, but if you really focus on the moment at hand and living in the present, the idea of the dreamtime can become a moving experience. The aboriginal people lived every day focused on the dreamtime, always maintaining a spiritual connection to country, something that most people today probably can’t fully grasp.
Serene waterfall_Walkabout
Walking through the forest, Evan showed us Aboriginal rock carvings, caves the people had used as temporary shelter and even homes, a few rituals they had, and explained a lot about nature and the history of the aboriginal culture. We saw streams, rock walls, Aboriginal meeting grounds and campsites, and even learned a basic dance, one for men and one for women. Overall the day amounted to about 8 hours of hiking through dense forest, a lot of new information and a rediscovery of the world we live in each and every day. It was a very intense spiritual day, connecting with nature and trying to really align my thoughts with those of the Aboriginal people.
Needless to say, that was a pretty strenuous, exhausting day. We went to a pub with Evan for a drink and some dinner, then took a train out to Katoomba, where our hostel was for the weekend. We weren’t sure where the hostel was or where we were once we actually got there (I seem to have trouble finding hostels) but we just kept walking down the main street and found it. This hostel was really awesome, very clean, large kitchen and common areas, friendly staff. I think it was better than most hotels (except for the whole bunk bed thing). So Gina and I split a cheesecake and a bottle of wine (we need our energy for tomorrow…) and the others played Monopoly and we went to bed.
Dr. Seuss Trees
04_Saturday
Saturday, we got up whenever and hung out for a few at the hostel, then broke into groups of whoever wanting to do whatever. My group went on a slightly less strenuous than yesterday nature hike again, this time on a public path with railings and a much lower chance of death around every bend. This hike took us sorta through the woods, but mostly along the top ledge of a cliff with spectacular views of the Blue Mountains, ending at our destination of the Three Sisters, three separate rock formations all in a row. They were nice to look at, but very commercialized and touristy with a large paved lookout area, heaps of people, even a gift shop.
Blue Mountains
From there we headed back towards town, stopping for hot chocolate and cookies and such in a small cabin looking house that’s only identifier was a large sign that said “chocolate”. Can’t go wrong there. We walked back to the main road in Katoomba where half the group went to take naps. (for once, I’m not the one going to take a nap, gotta have priorities) Being the Blue Mountains and a little mountain town, the main street was full of mountain outfitters and outdoor type stores. Clearly, I need to go in every single one of them. And I did. I didn’t actually buy anything, but I definitely needed to go in each one just to make sure. We also went into a hattery, famous for their Indiana Jones style hats. Rather amusing, nice hats but very pricey.
The stairs we didn't climb down, treacherous
That afternoon, we went to another book launch for Adrian, this one more a discussion format between her and a professor at Western Sydney University. It was nice to hear his thoughts on the book and her responses to them. Then some questions from the audience, small quarrel with her own father who was in the audience, then we left to get food. Gina, Jenna, and Emily made dinner while Andrew and I had some wine. (How life always ought to be) Then we ate dinner, drank some more wine, and had a friendly “discussion” about sustainability and what actions we may take in the future.
Three Sisters
05_Sunday
Sunday, we got up fairly early and packed our things to check out of the hostel. We took a train to Wentworth Falls where we again met with Nick from Constructive Dialogue. He has a house in the Mountains that he designed for his parents and happened to be staying at for the weekend, so he kindly agreed to show us around a bit. We met him in town outside the station and he led us on a path through the woods to get to his house. It’s difficult to explain the house and we didn’t take pictures, but every wall in the house has at least one opening, window or door, that slides open, completely disappearing from view from within the house. The focus of the house is on bringing nature in and maintaining the relationship to the site upon which it is situated. Ask me to draw you a plan of it or sketch it sometime, it was fantastic. After showing us around, we sat on his deck drinking tea and eating scones that he purchased while we were in town by the station. It was another spectacular morning.
Then we walked back through the woods to catch a train home to Newtown and work on our studio projects. Oh did I mention we have a presentation tomorrow that none of us have started? Yep, we’re presenting our ideas to some local artists, and don’t have anything done yet.
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