Heights, Fear - The Otway Fly

How are you with heights? I'm OK, but then suddenly I'm not OK. Walking amongst the tree tops of a rainforest is exquisitely beautiful, I'm at once joyous and overwhelmed, lofty terrain makes my head spin. I'm happier on the ground, feet in the mud. I could walk this steel platform with relative ease - but  all the while I'm looking forward to getting to the end. I'm looking and admiring with haste. The conversation in my head "Ooh lovely tree ferns.... is it over yet?... all looks perfectly safe... although that guy died building one of these in WA, what's that pretty bird call? what's that creaking sound? ". I once read that a fear of heights is actually a fear of jumping, I think there's something in that, a lack of trust in my ability to have control of myself.  I was also terrified of getting my car license, I put it off for years and it took me a long time to feel ok about driving. Slightly nutty, but that's the thing about fear, it's not always entirely rational.

These huge Mountain Ash were swaying in the wind, it is amazing to see how much a tree moves at canopy level. These are the tallest hardwood trees in the world, and they are remarkably straight, an unfortunate characteristics in a timber hungry world.

image source http://www.otwayfly.com

Whilst I was coping with the board walk, climbing the Otway Fly tower messed with me, and I had to have a bit of a sit down.  Sometimes you face your fears and are not glad for it, that's a very forced grin. I don't like towers.

 Of course the kids were fine, even making this cantilever swing, for some extra thrills.

 Actually I think my own little freak out was giving the middle Bowerbird the heebie jeebies, as much as I hate to share my phobias, they do pick up on our fears.

I was so pleased to be back on the ground finding mossy beards. 

Heebie Jeebies - Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five

Great quote from Peter Helliar "There's no courage without fear".  I highly recommend listening to this inspiration bomb put out by Big Hearted Business.
http://bigheartedbusiness.clarebowditch.com/?bomb=inspiration-bomb-pete-helliar
I'm needing a little courage of my own this week, but more about that later.

Prehistoric Walk, The Otway Fly

The Otway Fly

Prehistoric Path

Touring the Great Ocean Road and the Otways

If you go down to the woods today, 

You're sure of a big surprise
If you go down to the woods today, 

You'd better go in disguise.

 

 

 If you go down to the woods today, You'd better not go alone.

It's lovely down in the woods today,  But safer to stay at home.

  

There was much joy in finding dinosaurs in a Cretaceous like setting of Myrtle Beech (Nothofagus cunninghamii), fungi, moss and ferns.  The lush rainforest brought history to life. The Bowerbirds ran ahead peering around corners and looking up above, searching for the next toothy smile. The dinosaurs are weathered and falling apart, but I think that added to their charm. like a deserted theme park.