I had a short break after my afternoon adventure. Sometimes I’m scared in the dark. You always hear you shouldn’t be walking around parks and forests in the dark and here I was, walking into the forest at sunset. It wasn’t fully dark yet, but the trees didn’t let any light through and I was using my torch. Suddenly some sort of bush rat crosses the path in front of me and I jump. He froze when my light hit him.
Then I leave the ‘rat’ and follow the steps down. Then I hear some rustling in the bushes. I turned around and shine my light, just in time to see a black shadow moving. It seemed to be the size of a dog. Spooky. Hero that I am I rushed further down, my eyes pointed at my feet so I wouldn’t be afraid of my own shadow.
As I descend it gets darker. After some wooden stairs I arrive at a platform. It isn’t fully dark yet, but I already see some dots of light. This is where the glow worms live, Glow work Glenn. It was dead quiet in the forest. I heard a waterfall that I’d passed. It was a bit strange to stand in the middle of the forest, waiting for darkness. As soon as it’s dark the worms light up like a sky full of stars. They are trying to attract bugs and gather a nice dinner. It was like the cave was full of Christmas decoration.
It was a bit creepy all by myself, so I made my way back in no time. The dog-like creature scared me again and the hostel owner told me it had probably been a wombat. The sky was magnificent this evening. When I came back in the hostel the owner had waited for my return. She wanted to make sure her only guest was alright. She also told me that not too long ago, a father and son had to be rescued in the part where I’d gone wrong this afternoon. I was so glad I managed to get myself out!
My last day in Bundanoon starts and ends with rain. I rented a bicycle at Ye Old Bicycle Shoppe and cycled around the area in the morning. The start was a bit rocky. I crossed the train tracks and rode uphill, away from Bundanoon. It got so steep I had to walk bits of it. At the other side of the hill I raced down and then… there is a sign that says the road is closed. Since I had no idea how to go from there, I turned around.
Attempt two brought me to Exeter via the main road. The cars are passing me at super speed, but at least there are no gigantic hills or road blocks. I would have missed Exeter if there wasn’t a train station. Apart from a few houses there was a gallery, an antique shop and a building where I ate a delicious piece of pie with a cup of tea. It was a super friendly and cozy place. One side was a shop and the other a small café. In the middle of the building was a counter which also housed the post office. The walls were filled with books that were also for sale.
When I got back on my bike it started to rain again. I was over it by this time and raced back to Bundanoon. I cut my visit short and took a bus and two trains to get back to Sydney. Bundanoon turned out to be different from what I’d expected, but I wouldn’t have want to miss it.