… It’s just a 20 minute car drive from Adelaide, the Steem capital of Australia – Belair National Park
I love the great outdoors and for a number of years I have been exploring all the hiking tracks around the outskirts of Adelaide South Australia.
Most Steemians know Adelaide from the #mallsballers as Adelaide is highly regarded by many as the Steem capital of Australia. I could rave on about Adelaide but this post is specifically about Belair National Park; Here is a quick map how to get there from the Adelaide CBD.
I often go up on a Sunday, the roads are nice and quiet and it’s incredibly scenic.
Today’s post is about my most recent walk and focuses on the plants and animals that live in the park.
Since I was young I have been exploring outback Australia often spending school holidays out hiking and camping and discovering new places. I love seeking out wild animals, I can track a magnitude of different creatures, some common examples in Australia are Emu’s, Koala’s, lizards, Snakes, Kangaroo’s you name it! And best of all, you can spot them all in this one national park.
Today’s post is about the waterful hike, it’s a loop hike that’s approx. 8 KM, but I make it a bit longer by walking in from across the railroad. It takes approx. 2.5 hours to complete and I’d suggest it’s a moderate difficulty hike (meaning if your not fit, you could do it, but reserve about 3.5 hours and be prepared to be challenged). Here's a quick recap and highlights on last Sundays walk (picture all taken on my iphone6).
One of the key points of the waterfall hike is Echo tunnel.
Coming out the other side is good, can see where your going again :)
...the other side of Echo tunnel is like emerging into another world, this time of year is particularly beautiful - even Skye dog is impressed!
The track is pretty easy to follow and well defined, you occasionally come across another hiker, but on a Sunday its normally all to yourself
Whats that over in the bushes - yep, normally see at least a few Kangeroo's on this hike. These are wild Kangeroo's they tolerate humans but will hop off if you attempt to get to close.
For a good part of the track you are hiking up hill....the city seems so far behind!
Hey watch out Skye! that edge looks dangerous...
Oh...it's not the edge you should be worried about, remember what I told you about approaching snakes - we don't!. This Eastern Brown Snake is the 2nd most poisonous land snake on the planet, if it bit Skye she would be toast in minutes, for me I'd have a good 30 mins if I didn't treat properly.
Good find Skye! but not fully grown yet only 1.5 metres...lets keep looking.
Yep that's a fully grown Koala alright Skye dog - nice find :)..Interesting stretch
On the way back down there are plenty of wild flowers to see.
Some of the birds are pretty amazing here as well. Look at these guy's munching on some pine cones.
I'm curious to see how well Steemit goes displaying all the photo's and gif's
I hope you enjoyed walking with me and Skye Doge in Belair National Park.
Have a great day
Wow! Loved this! What an awesome walk @lordnigel Thanks for sharing this sweet post @lyndsaybowes --what a treat!!! Keep walking & Steeming friends 😍🌅
Thanks for checking it out - Steem on!!! :)
Damn the wildlife there is amazing. Every I go its just trees and bush. So cool.
I can't think of a time I haven't come across an animal on a hike there (but I've spent most of my life spotting animals and spot them most places)- think we are pretty lucky living here in Adelaide
My sister lives right near there. I've been there a tonne of times. :)
She is lucky living so close to such a great park...fortunately its pretty quick drive no matter where you live in Adelaide - love it!
Absolutely, we're hoping to move near Morialta National Park when we move back over that way.
howdy from Texas sir lordnigel! haha! I love Skye, he looks like a great dog! Wow thanks for taking us with you on this wonderful hike, very interesting with beautiful sites except that Eastern Brown snake. What would have happened if you'd gotten bitten by one?
..well, that one was about 3/4 grown. Its venom is deadly so I would have backed away with Skye dog, attempting everything I could do not to get bitten again..One strike would be bad enough, two strikes wouldn't help.. Once I knew it was safe I would put Skye dog down, get out my mobile and call for help.
I'd then remove my shirt, grabbing a nearby stick split my leg. Spinning the shirt round and round tight as I could above the bite (presumably on my leg). I would then just lied there until more people came along and/or a chopper came in to pick me up. Then just wait for approx 1 hour to get rescued. It's possible they might send Ambo/rescue people with exact anti-venom as I'm clear on the snake.
In theory as I have not moved my leg much and constricted the blood flow I might have very little symptoms Vs. if i tried to hike out myself, in which case I wouldn't make it back to my car..I would be dead on the trip back (its so important not to move if bitten by a Australian land snake).
Thanks for visting my post and your question.
Cheers
howdy again sir lordnigel! wow, that is an amazing description of what to do and how to act if one is bitten by one of those snakes, thank you sir! may you never have to to what you just described!
Same to you friend; I expect it would be a horrible experience.
It’s like you were at the zoo 😂 Stunning to be able to observe all these animals from so close!
Haha thank you. I'm pretty sure I could take tourists out for a small fee :)
I don't really like zoo's - don't get me wrong I think they have a place, i.e. teaching people that animals even exist and showing kids that we actually do share this planet with other interesting creatures..but I personally always go to find them in whats left in the wilds and see them behaving naturally and being happy vs. visit at zoo's if I can help it Still occasionally visit some of the good zoos prefer the big ones like Monarto, where the animals are less anxious/unhappy and have more space.
Same for me. Don’t like the zoos at all :) yours is much better and I would choose it over a zoo visit.
What a walk you had, it must have been quite an ingesting one. The view there seem really nice, especially the one you took from up the hill (did I get it right). How did feel being in that tunnel? I am sure it was really dark inside....
It's incredible that you knew there are dangerous snakes out there but you still went out on this hike, you must have had you eyes out looking for them so you don't fall into their "trap". Did you freak out when you saw that same?
I love the wild flowers, they look beautiful.
Thanks for your comment - It's really not that dangerous, like there are snakes around every corner or whatever hehe. This time of year the snakes are coming out of their holes and getting the sun, they like to breed now I reakon as its typical they start to appear at this time of the year - for this reason I normally don't take my doggo :)
It really is incredible in the Adelaide hills, not all Australian bush is desert, we are lucky here.
Hehheheheh😃 i actually though it so. I was like there you are talking about snakes and boom! A snake appears...😂😂😅
Ooh... So its there time to come out and have some "fun" heheheh! I see. Okay, maybe not fun😃... I hope their fun doesn't come at the expense of someone. Glad you spotted it early...😊 lets keep that dog safe...😊
Hahhahah! Yes, you are. I will love to see you explore more of it.
This is amazing, you'll have to take us there one day, but lets make it winter when the snakes aren't about.
Exactly, I won't take doggo's up there now I know they are out again - bit too risky.
Certainly, next time your in Adelaide make it the last Thursday of the month and come to the Steemit meeting as well - good free coffee is served :)
What an awesome experience. I think I went there once while geocaching, but I can't remember.
I do need to re-visit it at some point. The Koala footage is cool. Little known fact: I have never seen a snake in person outside of the zoo. I'd definitely keep my distance from one if I did see it.
If you have never seen a snake in the wild, then must do more hiking :) - I bet they have been around, I sometimes deliberately look for them, spotting them comes with training and experience.
I'll stick to the city for the time being. Apparently there are snakes around where I work due to the warmer weather, but I will keep my eyes peeled. Much like snow, people talk about it, and I know it exists, just never seen it myself.
Looks like an awesome walk! Did you have to duck to go through the tunnel and is it the only way through? :D
I really like Echo tunnel during the summer one side is very dry, but when you come out the other side its very green and different, it's an amazing transformation, like coming out into a secret garden.
If you walk in the center of the tunnel you don't have to duck, the first few times I went through I used the iphone torch, but now just straight through - fear conquered :)
I don't usually have to duck through things anyway, I just assume everyone is taller than me and might have to ;D
That is really cool, was that done deliberately? Is the tunnel a shortcut through a tougher hike?
Yay for conquered fears XD Hope there's no spiders or bats that live in there XD
Haha yeah I'm just short enough to get away without ducking with some things - has to be some advantage to being short.
Going through the tunnel is officially part of the waterfall hike; I often see people reach the tunnel look in and turn back...it's not that bad once you have been through a few times - what a fantastic paradise to explore the other side if you can overcome the fear :)
Australia in general is unique continent with its nature and animals. That is real adventure to have a walk in outskirts. Your dog, seems to be happy to be outside, I am wondering what he does when he sees the animals is he barking, approaching them or just looking. Kangaroo looks really relaxed and not much bothered by your company. I heard a lot of snakes in Australia and that there are many poisonous so people must be really careful and know what is what. I like those parrots on the ground, very unusual to see them free in the wood. Thank you for such wonderful trip and beautiful pictures :)
Thanks for your comment, I'm pleased you enjoyed my post.
I have two dogs, one is very barky and brave, he stays home on these walks.
The other Skye dog (featured here) is a bit scared of everything and tends to just run and hide behind my legs, probably because she is so small - sometimes she barks but generally only at birds that swoop. So I'm lucky she doesn't bark at the animals at all, and the park permits dogs as long as they are on a lead.
Excellent post. Love getting out into Belair when I'm back in Adelaide. It's not so remote and far away when you live up in the hills already either.
And especially good when you like driving the windy roads :)
Cheers mate.
..they also have some fantastic picnic spots, with BBQ, streams, grass and shady trees.
Might suggest to @mattclarke an annual Adelaide Steemit Xmas event or something.
My brother-in-law's 40th was at one of the tennis courts in Belair. great area to have a meal outside with friends and/or family and plenty of space to wander. No idea when I'll be back in the city, but hopefully before Christmas.
They have heaps of courts to choose from, I believe you can hire your BBQ and court at the same time; or just go during off peak and enjoy for free
Hopefully you can time the next visit and come along to a Steemit meet :)
Duck pond is a big hit for parents with prams I notice as well
I was hoping to get to the one while I was in town last time, but the timing of my mum's decline made that completely imposible. And then I'd left town by the time the next one came around. I will get to another one at some point I'm sure
Sorry to hear about - look forward to a chat when you can make one, I try to make them all.
Oh... if you make three you could be eligible for all sorts of comps and prizes as well :)
Good call. The last bbq was October in Bonython Park.
Belair works too. We were married at the country club there.
.
Fantastic spot to make some good memories.
Rained on my wedding day as well :)
What a nice trek with your lovely doggo! I'm glad that you captured it all with your iPhone :D.
I especially like the animations that you showed in this post, though the snake is pretty scary.
Congratulations for your curie vote ^_^.
Thank you so much - where would we be without Curie?
hehe, yeah the photo of the snake was a bit scary, certainly startled me more then Skye as I nearly stepped on it; doggo was smart and went the other way quick :)
Hi lordnigel,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
I have a question :) How do you react when you see such snake and you know how dangerous it is? I see that you were quite close so I just wonder if it wasn't too dangerous.. I'm pretty sure how I would react. I would start screaming, jumping up and down, then running away and at the end I would probably faint, lol. (just to explain - we don't have this kind of snakes in Switzerland, so this is why I'm asking)
Besides that, it seems to be a great hike! Kangaroos, koala, parrots, mountains, flowers, cool! It looks like an amazing park.
Thank you for taking us with you on your adventure!
The truth is I really don't like snakes or large spiders, they scare me a bit as well.
When I see a snake I
-freeze
-identify the snake, if its dangerous like this one - this is a Eastern Brown (sometimes called common brown) and is deadly!
-I don't mess about I take myself, anyone else around me to safety by slowly backing away. This will normally result in the snake taking a striking posture if you are close, like this one did...sometimes they hiss as well - they aren't going to strike, they just get scared to suddenly see a human near them.
-you simply backup away a little more, if you have a doggo, straight under the arm :)
-when you are far enough away the snake will just attempt to flee.
-If your dog is under your arm and the snake is long like in the pic, sure you can film with your I-phone up relatively close, the snake coils its gonna defend so just don't take you eyes off it..if you lose sight, back far away.
This type of snake kills many people every year, but only because people have stepped on them and then the snake has defended.
If bitten you simply need to get a few meters away from the snake, then tie off your wound and don't move and send for help..Allot of people don't realise this, but snake venum doesn't spread quickly you could lie for days and not die. With this snake if it bit you would be dead in 30 mins if you tried to run and get help...but lie there, no worries, you might not even feel sick for hours.
Fear is good..it protects you and makes you slowly back off, it teaches us respect. Most people run from fear itself; I'm the analyst type that likes to think why I'm afraid in the moment and see what can be done to conquer that fear safely - if it gets too much always have an escape route :)
Wow! You really took time to answer me. Thank you so much! I see that you must have met a lot of snakes in your life. I'm glad that you know what to do and how to react. And I'm also glad that you shared those tips with me. I will try to memorize them.
I always look where I walk so that I don't step on any small animal, especially in a forest. When I want to enjoy the surroundings, I stop and look, but generally my head is down on the ground.
It sounds horrible that many people die every year but well it's not what these snakes want of course. As you said, they are just protecting themselves. And this is their natural reaction. They don't know better.
I admire that you take your time to analyze in such a situation. The reaction of many people would be very different.
THANK YOU again for getting back to me!
Your part of the world sounds very beautiful, I love forests and I like to travel and hope to go to Switzerland at least once. Australia has many dangerous snakes, but I've come across snakes eveywhere I travel, yet never bitten once. As you said being aware is the important thing - if you never get bitten, doesn't matter if they are dangerous or not - walk through the wilderness like your a guest in someones house, respectfully :)
Happy Steeming!
I've been lucky and I've seen snakes just twice in my life. There really don't seem to be many of them in Europe. Or they hide somewhere far away from people :)
When you come to Switzerland, let me know. I will be happy to take you around :)
Thankyou - so kind, the Steemit community is great this way. Same offer applies if you come to Adelaide :)
I'll let you know if I would ever come there :)
I had friends that came across a brown snake they claim it chased them while they were walking on a dirt road. luckily someone in a car saw what was happening and ran the snake over. This didn't kill the snake but it was enough to send the snake in the opposite direction. Snakes don't normally chase people and apart from this case running over them is not a good idea as often they can get caught up under the car and you could take them home with you. I've had a few in my back yard. A couple of times I've found the cat sitting very still having a staring competition with one. The snake has it's reared up and is also keeping very still. Quite scary I've had to pull the cat away risking myself getting bitten. I did read a story in the paper once about a cat and snake staring at each other for days apparently the snake died I think from dehydration.
CrickeY! the ultimate stare off! hehe
Yeah the Australian Common brown is a very aggressive/grumpy snakes as far as snakes go. If you tick them off or follow them, they will hiss and coil to strike where most others will just slide away very quickly, bit like those King Browns we grew up with - those guys tend to just flee vs. get all up tight...but thats just my observations.
awesome post bro. I just love the Nature you've captured !! :))
Thanks bro, I will take a better camera next time - but pretty impressed with the little iphone as well :)