I will first admit, I am completely biased about Australia. I believe it to be one of the most beautiful and interesting places on Earth. From the dry centre and west to the thick vegetation of the eastern coast- from the humid tropics to the timid temperate eucalypts of the southeast- you can find the most unusual and spectacular forms- both biotic and abiotic. Currently, I live in the middle, on the southern coast of South Australia, in the little capital city of Adelaide. For the most, I was shocked at first, at the dryness of S.A. after growing up in the cool, wet, temperate climate of the southeast of Victoria. But I’ve grown to enjoy the brown dirt and weird rock formations around my home city. Hallett Cove, for me, is a bus ride into the city, followed by a train trip out and to the southern suburbs. My love for the sensation of escape has always driven me to explore and find wonderful places. After a short walk from the train station I found the beach of Hallett Cove as well as a low, hilly rise which faced the ocean with dark, lined rock formations. The need within me to hunt isolation drove me through the conservation park of the rolling hills. There, I found silence. It wasn’t the sterile silence you find in a dark room in the middle of the night- which is often only accompanied by ones own heart beat. No. This was the natural silence which was hushed by a gentle breeze through the long golden grass, dried by another harsh Australian summer. The rocks are easily the attraction of this place, I soon realized. Limestone walls imprinted by ancient shells and scrapped, cut and broken by glacier movement millions of years prior, lay all around the upper landscape. Below the darker, harder rock, twisted and shaped the cliff face and shoreline. This all would have to stop anyone with an interest in geology, to take a closer look. Luckily, for those basically ignorant to geology- such as myself, there were plenty of signs along the way with detailed information, including photograph of a nearby scene and a description of what one should be looking for. I was soon drawn back to the scene. Later, I returned and found massive waves crashing into the rocks, spraying salt sprays up the cliff face. Each and every day, the conservation park of Hallett Cove is different. Each sunset an individual. It is a paradise for the photographer- regardless of their professional knowledge. The day worn on as I travelled along the path. I stopped numerous times to take a picture both from the path and away from the path (some places- such as near the cliff edge, would cause many people to cringe with nerves). It was only at the other entrance that I found a sign which warned that Brown snakes frequented the area. If I had known that earlier, I would not have been such an “off-roader”. As mentioned, I have returned many times, and will continue to do so. This strip of coastline is protected from humanities obsessed hand- always attempting to “beautify” (an act I strongly question- what is wrong with Australia’s lack of similarity to England?)- which means it is a place of solitude and natural beauty. Natural Australian beauty. I suggest to anyone who has an geological interest, a need for escape or simply enjoys a relatively mild hike, to go to Hallett Cove beach, find the conservation park and just walk. You will enjoy yourself a great amount and will always- at any time of the day- find something that is incredibly photographable. I hope you find both a day of mild, calm weather and another when the wild soul of this land flares itself in an amazing act of beauty. I am sure, like myself, you will find yourself returning as often as possible.

T.C.Lubcke © 2003