Yesterday I took the day off work and decided to make the 30 minute drive into the Royal National Park for a hike (more commonly known here as a bushwalk). I used Garie Beach as my starting point to walk a section of the Coast track, a 26 kilometre stretch along the coastline of the park. I probably only walked 5k or so, but saw a lot along the way.
Setting off on my hike, I was already able to see some beautiful bits of coastline.
Within the first 15 minutes, I came upon a strange little village of huts gathered near Little Garie Beach. One of them was a community hall/chapel, and had some information about the shacks posted outside. Apparently people used to build private residences in the park during the depression, and paid a small fee to the government to stay there. Many have been demolished since then (usually when the owner passed away), but those that remain are now heritage listed. It's a beautiful little spot, but very isolated and not accessible by road. Each shack had rainwater tanks outside for collecting water, and solar panels on the roof for electricity, so I suppose you would have everything you really need there - except for human interaction! The coast track went right through the middle of the little village and onward up a large hill.
The community hall
Here is a view of the village from above.
The view from the top was worth the sweaty walk up.
Along with plenty of birds I couldn't identify, these little lizards were everywhere!
I haven't been on too many hikes while in Australia. I got really spoiled living in the Pacific Northwest - I remember one time I walked to the top of Mt. Si after a half day of teaching - but here there just isn't much in the way of mountains or alpine lakes. Another problem is that nobody seems to maintain the trails, so sometimes I'll be going along nicely only to have a trail meander off into a giant mud puddle or patch of shrubs. On the plus side, Australia does have some of the most beautiful beaches and coastline I have ever seen.
Here is a bit more information I found about the shacks:
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/travel/destinations/2012/11/beach-heritage-shacks-of-royal-national-park/
