trees speak out

ancient forest spirits

whisper from distant times

protect our future

These trees are in the Gariwerd National park in Western Victoria in Australia. This is an ancient mountain range formed millions of years ago through geological upheaval. The forests are also ancient and regenerate after regular fires usually caused by lightning but occasionally by humans. For thousands of years, we are not sure how many, but possibly 30-40,000 at least, Indigenous Australians lived within these ranges and respected the flora and fauna. There are many thousands of years old rock art galleries sharing the culture of the Indigenous people throughout Gariwerd. Rock art sites are still occasionally discovered by current scientists that indicates the wild nature of some sections of this area . The haiku in this Haibun is a response to
RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #273 Forest&Whisper go to https://ronovanwrites.com/2019/09/30/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-273-forestwhisper/#comments and see lots of other haiku responses to this challenge from Ronovan.

bush blossom

 

bush setting

explosions of colour

gifts of spring

free feedtime 

nectar everywhere

careful choice.

Recently we visited the Grampians / Gariwerd National Park North West of Melbourne for the annual first weekend in October Spring native wildflowers exhibitions. At Pomonal the local members of the Society for Growing Australian Native Plants display flowering specimens cut  from local bush gardens. These plants represent the Spring flowering plants of Southern Australia. At Halls Gap the Friends of Grampians/Gariwerd National Park display the range of flowering plants found across the park. Rangers collect specimens in the days before this weekend from the park and the friends prepare the display.

We have now regularly visited these displays across the last 12 years and always look forward to the concentrated displays of colour and the aroma of nectar. Because Maggie was with us we could not get out into the tracks of the park looking for flowering plants in their  natural environments.

These 3 images are from open gardens at the Pomonal display.

cursing cockie

empty plate

such imprecations 

for more cake

The Sulphur crested Cockatoos at Brambuk Indigenous Centre near Halls Gap in Gariwerd (Grampians) National Park insist on sharing food on the outside terrace with visitors. Anyone who ignores their advances is quickly abused and intimidated, the trick is to drip feed them crumbs while you enjoy the food and ambience of the setting. This particular Cockie walked around the table and had to be pushed away while I ate my cake. Upon cleaning up the crumbs he picked up the spoon with his beak and threw it upon the decking screeching something unpleasant in Cockie speak. I thought this was an ideal photo sequence with an added haiku after seeing Ronovan’s Post, Word of the week Imprecation at   https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2017/04/16/word-of-the-week-imprecation/

 

ancestors

mountain mist

calling for spirits

from the past

When we recently visited Gariwerd/Grampians National Park most of our planned walking days looked like this. The atmosphere  was so different and the ancient connections of the original Indigenous people became  more of a presence on these days. One  looks for the old people to wander out of the mist and continue along on their pathways as they did right here for thousands and thousands of years until the British arrived in the 1830’s.

sharing beauty

delicate

petals reaching out 

from the heart

This beautiful flower and its siblings  caught our eye in a nursery garden at Pomonal recently when we visited Gariwerd/Grampians national park.

There was some debate when Jill asked for ID help online with Isopogon Cone Bush and Granite Petrophile offered. It seems to be the latter and is native to Western Australia.

This is my contribution to Ronovan Writes weekly Haiku challenge  to visit at https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2016/10/24/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-120-heartpetals/

flowering naturally

shades of red

native spring flowers

sharing life

Bottlebrush

 Eucalyptus

Grevillea

Waratah

 Jill and I visited  the  Grampians/Gariwerd region recently, particularly Pomonal and Halls Gap to see the special displays, visit open gardens and look in the wild for specimens to photo. Here is a small selection of current flowering native plants we saw in the first two  but not in the National Park.  The weather did not co-operate for the latter part of the plan. The colours, variety and perfumes are amazing.

natural partnership

blossom calls

nectar messages

bees fly in

Banksia

Native Hibiscus

Xanthorrhoea (Grass Tree)

White and yellow colours also dominated the range of flowering native plants in the gardens we visited as well as in Gariwerd/Grampians National park when Jill and I recently visited.

bunjil

bunjils shelter

ancient beginnings

sacred site

Bunjil’s shelter is located on a rocky outcrop looking across a valley to the Northern Grampians/Gariwerd National Park. The story of Bunjil seen here with two Dingoes is the creation story of the Indigenous people from this land. There are other rock art sites in Gariwerd the richest collection in Victoria, they are at the foothills or higher up , Bunjil’s site is very sacred and special to Indigenous Australians because of the story told and its position looking across to the mountains. The exact age of this art and the other works is not known, probably some thousands of years is a reasonable guess. Europeans painted over part of Bunjil’s story many decades ago, today it is protected behind a metal cage.

 

Mystery 2.

imagine views

hiding beneath clouds

mysterious

Recently we spent some days in The Grampians/Gariwerd National Park. Most days rain fell, winds blew and clouds dominated the scenery. The birds still performed and wildflowers were blooming however views from lookouts presented new perspectives. This image is from Boroka Lookout and it certainly made us look much more closely at the macro views.

This is my contribution to the 52 week PHOTO CHALLENGE, with MYSTERY this weeks word challenging a talented group of photographers from across the globe. Visit this challenge at https://daffodilwild.wordpress.com/photo-challenge/ and find this weeks sharing on Wild Daffodil’s Home page.

on gariwerd’s roof

watched by stones 

high in the mountain 

river begins

Another glimpse of the environment around Venus Pool in Gariwerd, (The Grampians) a national park in Western Victoria. Many streams have their beginnings up on the peaks of this mountain range, some flow east, some West and some into the central valley. This little rivulet ends up flowing down through Halls Gap far below.

The Haiku and images are my double challenges contribution to; RonovanWrites Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge#112 River & Stone. Visit at https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/ronovanwrites-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-112-riverstone/ where many creative haiku can be read .

And secondly to the 52 week PHOTO CHALLENGE, with ROOF this weeks word challenging a talented group of photographers from across the globe. Visit this challenge at https://daffodilwild.wordpress.com/photo-challenge/ and find this weeks sharing on Wild Daffodil’s Home page.