‘Mum, I don’t know why, but nature seems so musical.’

The innate nature of children to connect with their world and articulate what they see and feel so beautifully. It is such a shame we lose these qualities in the seriousness of adulthood, forever searching for bigger and better adventures and sometimes failing to see what is right under our noses. The world wide lockdown is, of course, not a situation I would choose for myself. I would rather be out searching for the new and exotic and wonderous! But it has forced me to accept, in a way, what I cannot change and try to appreciate where I am right now. Even if it is not where I would rather be.

Belair National Park in the Adelaide Hills is special little slice of nature. Full of native flora and fauna. It is not uncommon to round the corner on a walking trail and come face-to-face with a crowd or emus or a family of kangaroos. Koalas are also common sights high up in the trees. Even many of the ducks found in the lake are native species (so I am told by my nature-expert in-laws). If hiking on pristine trails is not enough for you there are great picnic spots, a fun adventure playground, tennis courts for hire and even an old railway tunnel to explore.

Andy and I used to spend most Sundays in the park, him running, me cycling to keep up, as he trained for the run leg of Ironman triathlon. Andy’s parents have spent years volunteering as Friends of the Park. It was a nice tradition to be able pass over a love of the park to the next generation. Layla and Etienne had a ball feeding the ducks, running along the paths, searching for fairies amongst the toadstools, playing in the fort, climbing through the tunnels, looking for animals in the bushes and floating leaves down the creek.

Feeding the ducks
With a special mix of bird seed of course! Gone are the days of feeding ducks stale bread, which is turns out is not at all healthy for them.

Nature trails
A short but adventurous hike from the adventure playground to the little dam is a fun way for the kids to get some extra exercise and feel like they are getting into the thick of nature.

Adventure playground
The adventure playground has long been a popular spot for kids in Adelaide to go for a bit of old fashioned fun. I remember playing there when I was a child! There are tunnels for exploring, a fort for pretend play and even a little cubby house inside a tree.