Bunya Mountains Chalet Walking Week-end

In mid-Spring they answered Bunya Mountains’ winter beckon

Packed gear to meet all the contingencies they could reckon

Enjoyed mutual company travelling over the Divide

Drank coffee, sipped wine, then nothing could hide

De-stressing effects of unpack woodchop lunch and relax

After Chalet Jemas welcoming resident magpie attacks!!

Others arrived chose beds, shared news, BBQ dinner talk

Then followed dark paths fireflies on Fishers Lookout walk

Lit Downs townships replaced cloud covered stars overhead

Limited their awe to mere mortals creations instead

Walkers hands clasped warmed without benefit of a fire

Each went to their bed some slept some dreamt of desire

Bird-song chorused a dawn-lit sky uplifting the sun

They walked the Scenic Circuit anticlockwise for fun

Birds foraged forest floors and great barred frogs barked

Bunya pine trees moss covered draped in vines hung arced

Host tree image mimicking strangler-figs walked through

A predicted rainforest wallaby cross-track hopped on cue

Breakfast consumed walking Burton’s Well to Mt Kiangarow

Saw butterflies, bees feeding on grass-trees spear-blooms now

Overlooked Bell township scrub paddocks grazed and ploughed

Saw Burtons Well, camp-sites, hot water donkey not cowed

Lunched on the veranda with natural entertainment of class

Wallabies, scrub turkeys chased round Chalet Jemas grass

With enthusiasm that mist and rain could not kill

We beat magpie swoops and walked up Jemas Hill

Returned to the veranda to talk reminisce and relax

Fed Arnotts mimicking rosellas on crackers in stacks

Wine and warm fire-place induced a booking failure

So we had ‘buffet dinner’ at home in casual regalia

Discussion resolved all problems of the world

While tongues of fire warmed licked and whirled

Marshmallows rotated centres melted outers toasted

Bedtime for all, fire-warmed against storm outside-hosted

Sleepers formed endless toilet queues to sit stand perform

Then slipped back into bed huddled and tried to get warm

Dawn walk through elephant –like forests of bunyas clouded in mist

Stopped stood close-by one leg in the herd in the hope of being missed

Watched scrub turkeys amorously trodden then tending the mound

Moved felled prostrate great barred frog streamside from hard ground

A timeless intimate forest moment shared then we were gone