World War II Cow Paddocks

Huffing and puffing Gum bends over beneath the square green sign. It marks World War II Cow Paddocks. Gum’s nut knuckles press against his knees as he sucks in large breaths. The sprint away from the creeping, stretching, clawing fingers of the Weed Feet, Morning Glory, on the bridge was a little too close for comfort. He stopped to smell the flowers and was wrenched from the bridge. Fred wasn’t wrong!

Before he gets a chance to say anything, a small Willie Wagtail lands beside you. “That was close,” she says, wiggling long tail feathers.

Gum nods. He stretches, looks across the cricket pitch to the distant climbing frame, and then to his right toward the Eucalyptus Grove.

“It sure was fun to watch.” She tittered. “At one stage I thought I might have to help!”

Gum looks annoyed. “We didn’t need it, thanks.”

Ignoring him, the Wagtail says, “What are you doing?”

“If you must know,” Gum says. “We’re looking for our friends.”

“Seen ’em,” she says, hopping delicately and shaking her tail. “One’s a cool, stalk of Mulberry. The other has a head on him like a Midyim Berry. I seen ’em.” She insists. “Can show you if you like.”

“No thanks,” Gum says. “We’ve had our quota of crazy birds for the day.”

“Suit yourself,” the Wagtail says sweetly. “I’m heading to the old stump. If you change your mind…” In short bursts, the small bird lights between the trees. She’s zig-zagging, in a direct line between the square green ‘Paddock’ sign and the track marked like roads for rolling Ferris wheels, and the Eucalypt Grove beyond. Not quite half way toward the Ferris Wheel track, on right hand side, there’s a woody grove, with a rough track cut through it and wizened tree stump, she looks like she’s heading straight for it.

Gum sits with his back against the smooth bark of a Grey Gum. He crosses his arms.

What do you think? Should you follow Willy Wagtail?

Good. I hoped you’d say that. Lead the way, Gum will follow. He’s just being grumpy.

 

Around 2 minutes – 200m walk from the square green sign directly in line with the Gazebo placed at the centre of the bicycle tracks, the stump is on the walker’s right hand side in the cutting in the long grass running through the copse of trees.