In the Forest

By the sacred grove, where the waters flow

We will come and go, in the forest                 In the summer rain, we will meet again

We will learn the code of the ancient ones

In the forest.

Van Morrison

45 minutes NW of Coonabarrabran, along a picturesque road, is Baradine. Just 45 minutes! And to think for all those years we had tunnel vision and just pointed the car northbound, driving through that endless 100km stretch of straight road, with trees on either side, blocking any distant view. Oh, the folly of our ways. What we found hidden inside those trees was surely the mother of surprises. But before you head off into the deep, dark woods, stop at the Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre in Baradine. It's fantastic. Armed with a bounty of information to satisfy any interests, follow the maps and be prepared.

SCULPTURES IN THE SCRUB

The road to Sculptures in the Scrub. Corrugated in places, pot-holed and bulldust.
Great driving Bill. 

                                                                                 

Campsite...all alone until nightfall when headlights in the distance approached.
Eerily, the car cruised down into the trees. Tell-tale tapping of pegs being buried into the ground told us we had company for the night. Be prepared for flight. But in the light of a sunny morning we discovered fellow travellers from Inverloch. How small is this world!

                                                       Some of the sculptures

Sculptures in the Scrub walking track, in Timallallie National Park, takes in the award-winning Sculptures in the Scrub, a project that was four years in the making.

Each sculpture is the result of an artist collaborating with local Aboriginal Elders and young people on a piece that tells a story of local Aboriginal history and culture. Take some time to look at these works - you’ll find some information about the artist’s background and the methods used to create the sculpture, along with its deeper meaning.

(from National Parks NSW)




Tell me your story
I am interested
You know this land well
It is a part of who you are
So help me understand
The land
And all that dwells here

I can see it is home
Cared for naturally
Accepting abundance with scarcity
As is the way of Nature
Shrinking and streaming
Spirit land
To all who dwell here.
Shirley