The Camden Haven River is fringed with magnificent mangrove forests that bridge the strip between the tidal waterway, with its many oyster beds, and the land.
Some of the mangrove trees are larger than I knew they grew. This one seemed to have a hollow, low down, perhaps where a branch had broken off. Then a swift movement made me grab the phone… no real camera with me.
A bird had flown up and into that hole. It reappeared and sat on top of the entry. Zooming in… a kingfisher?
The park that runs beside the river is full of sculptures, trees that have formed their own shapes, like these two that have grown together to become one and then branched to three to reach the sky.
Some of the figs are mighty, spreading and shady, with swirling, sinuous branches.
Their intricate complications begin at their toes.
In a different sort of Park, Sea Acres at Port Macquarie, I saw a different sort of bird, an owl, Ninox, carved from wood into a seat with embracing wings.
It has the teacher’s spot, facing a wider education space along the walkway, with carved timber entry posts.
But Port Macquarie is identified not by its remnant coastal rainforest, but by its many tall pine trees, planted long ago, dominating the skyline. As I walk under them, I look down, and find their trimmed roots forming different sculptures yet again.
Truly, Nature makes Art everywhere, if we but look…