Tarra Warackel and the Old Port trail

A wooded walk which hugs McMillan Bay, Corner Inlet and is ringed with Mangrove swamps and salt marsh - and silence



Through quiet coastal scrub we wandered the Old Port Trail with not a soul in sight. This is the place first settled in the region after it was ‘discovered’ and opened up in 1841 by white settlers. Discovered? But this of course is the cradle of the Gunaikurnai, the people of this land. Borun, the pelican, discovered it. He was the first of the Gunaikurnai who came down from the mountains in the north to the deep inlets near Tarra Warackel (Port Albert). 

We followed the flight of a white bellied sea eagle this morning. Magnificent creature. She was taking a break from eating this octopus - yum. 

It must have been mermaids washing day. 
She took to the air but left me a gift.

It’s a gentle place, quiet and that day overcast and a bit damp but that enhanced a vague feeling of other-worldliness.

Gorgeous greenhood orchid - a Nodding greenhood I think.

There was a veritable forest of these little beauties. Look at that face. 

This is a different species which we returned the next day to photograph. I believe it’s a Tall greenhood (Pterostylis longifolia)

Dear little pixie cup lichen



Various wattles leaned out over the track 

I call these Christmas bells but they’re not, I believe they’re native fuchsia (Correa reflexa)

Love these seed pods

Grasses draw me closer but it’s hard photographing them (I’ve trashed so many pix)

Watching these moving in the breeze is mesmerising (I videoed it but I’ll save you that)

The bush was punctuated with tall grass trees in flower. Stately.

This I love - reindeer or snow lichen. We saw this in Iceland and Canada as well as in Tassie.



We made a bit of a dash for the car under lowering but rather spectacular skies.