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Suburban Bushwalks

Dominique D'Silva

I’ve found it especially refreshing to go out in the elements after being stuck in the house doing work all day. Luckily, there is bushland near my house, and although I previously was not big on bushwalking, I am every bit thankful for it now.

After the 20-minute walk through roads, avenues and side streets, my brother and I arrive at the beginning of the trail. I notice the transition from suburbia to nature as the concrete path becomes more and more engulfed in dirt with every step. After a very steep and winding track, we find ourselves in a valley of sorts, where the air is damp and cooling and the trees create a sky high canopy. This would be especially refreshing in Summer. Here, there is also a creek which is quite still and muddy.

Continuing on, the rest of the way is uphill, although covering a long distance, so it’s not too bad. We start the incline, hearing more and more chirping sounds as we continue. Our path trajectory is suddenly intersected by the flight of a small, but speedy bird, that just dodges us. They are very good at jumpscaring walkers like this. Further on, the chirps turn into screeches. Looking up, I see that the cockatoos are going absolutely crazy — a group of them fly in all different directions, screeching at the top of their lungs. It feels like a storm was coming, except for the fact that the sky did not have a speck of gray.

As we reach the end of the track, the sun begins to leak its golden rays through the shield of trees above us, signalling we should start heading back home. This is my favourite time of day. I find the whole experience to be healing in a sense — a good way to recover from lockdown life.