A WATER HEN
Diving for food in the hot midday sun. The hottest day we have experienced this year to date. We never suffer from the extreme temperatures that occur in the rest of the State as are high in the mountains and usually experience cool breezes but today was an exceptionally hot one....
I sat here at the water hole contemplating.....A death by drowning here last summer and a resting place in the early days of Australian settlement. The spot is called "Bullockys Rest", as the bullock teams hauling logs would rest under the shade of the trees.
This tree would have a tale or two. Aquainted myself with two old trees today, this Australian tree and a London plane tree planted in 1870, on the side of the mountain beside the rail tracks.
The local historians and authorities decided to preserve the watering hole permanently and officially two years ago with a dedication and speeches.
A local still keeps a bullock team which is special seeing those steers pull the timber wagon.
2 Comments:
What beautiful orange legs the hen has! The old gnarled Aussie tree looks like a tough old thing that only Australia could produce.
Diane, I have yet to look up the exact identification of the "water hen", which along with the orange legs had huge feet. I would imagine that tree has seen a lot of history pass by as is on the bank of the billabong.
Kind regards,
Elizabeth
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