A bit of a rainy afternoon so we headed of to Lake Samsonvale for a walk and an explore.
From what I could tell from my google planning preparation, it looked as though there was a walk around the foreshores of the lake. I know it's not probably a good thing to expect too much when heading to a new place, but the promise of a lakeside walk had me imagining a lot of beauty. I didn't realize setting out that Lake Samsonvale is another name for North Pine Dam and is man made.
Desolate beauty.
I think that on the way to the lake, I was recalling another lake on the way up to Whistler in Canada, and was starting to imagine a gorgeous lakeside walk. So we arrived and hmmm... well... what can I say... the winter grass is nearly dead with lack of water here at present, combine that with the dead trees in the lake, and the steel blue skies echoed in the water, were all giving the area a decidedly eerie feel. In one of the areas smashed beer bottles embedded in the clay soil near the water, were not adding to the ambience. Reading the 'what not was allowed at the Lake sign' ie: no dogs no horses... I think they'd be better off banning some of the humans from the site. I don't see animals causing that kind of problem. There were however, excellent barbeque and rest area facilities around the lake and maybe on a clear day after some rain, it might be a nicer experience.
But just about the time when we couldn't see the wood for the dead trees and were about to head back to the car, the most beautiful swans glided into view. We watched them for quite a while entraced.
About the time when I was starting to get used to the area, one of them waded out of the water and headed towards me onshore. My overactive imagination recalled that scene from the AAMI commercial. You know the one where the swans create havoc with the cars on the road? . We headed back to the car, despite Kevin's assurance that it was just used to tourists, and probably after bread - that's similar to what he said just before the bush turkey tried to drag me away by my little toe - but that's another story.
A concerning ABC report and video on North Pine Dam
