Monday, June 29, 2020

Crudo

Kathy is about to be married. She is 40 and her future husband is 69. This short novel covers three months of the Northern Hemisphere summer of 2017 when uncertainty reigned with Brexit, Trump, threat of nuclear war with North Korea, rise of Fascism, climate change debates .... Kathy's hopes, fears and insecurities are interspersed with  reports of world and local events constantly being reported on social media of all kinds.

Olivia Laing has created aspects of Kathy based on herown  life experiences but also on the experiences of the punk writer Kathy Acker (1947-1997). Sometimes the book is written in the first person or in the third person, often making the reader uncertain of which aspect of the character, Kathy, is currently involved. The book is largely written as a stream of consciousness. Sections of the book read fluently however other sections are confusing (in my opinion). I suspect that more than one reading of the book would be required to fully appreciate it. Crudo means 'raw' in Italian (often referring to raw fish) which explains the picture on the cover of the edition of the book that I read. Raw adequately describes Kathy's feelings about contemporary life and love in this book.

Crudo won the James Tait Black prize in 2019.

Olivia Laing splits James Tait Black prize win with fellow short listees - The Guardian 19 August 2019

Crudo by Olvia Laing review - a shimmering experimental novel - Guardian 18 June 2018

Kathy Acker - Britannica.com

Sunday, June 28, 2020

The James Tait Black Prize

The James Tait Black prize has been awarded to a book of fiction since 1919. Awards are also made for a biographical works and since 2013 there has also been an award for drama. The James Tait Black prizes are awarded by the University of Edinburgh's School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. Staff and post grad students choose the winners of the prize, sometimes from 400 entries. The awards are made for books published the previous year.

In January 2019 I did a Future Learn course, How to read a novel, which was run by the University of Edinburgh. Among other titles, we looked at the four works of fiction shortlisted for the 2018 James Tait Black Award.

The winner of the award that year was a collection of short stories - Attrib. and other stories by Eley Williams.
The other titles on the short list were:
First Love by Gwendoline Riley
American War: a novel by Omar El Akkad
White Tears by Hari Kunzru

The winner of the award for a book published in 2019 was Crudo by Olivia Laing.
The other titles listed on the shortlist were:
Heads of Coloured People by Nafrissa Thompson-Spores
Murmur by Will Eaves
Sight by Jessie Greengrass

The winner of the Fiction Award announced in August 2020 was Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann.
Other items on the shortlist for the 2020 award:
Girl by Edna O'Brien
Travellers by Helon Habila
Sudden Traveler: stories by Sarah Hall

So far the awards have introduced me to books that I would not normally encounter and it has been interesting, and sometimes challenging, to read a collection of different fiction compared with my normal choices.

Some of the novels are definitely relevant for our life in 2020. When watching CNN on TV, fictional events portrayed in American War often come to mind. Issues discussed in White Tears in regard to music are also very relevant today especially with the Black Lives Matter movement.

I am gradually reading the books shortlisted for recent awards and will add reviews for them to this blog.

The winner of the Fiction Award announced in August 2021 was Lote by Shola von Reinhold.
Other items on the shortlist for the 2021 award:
The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
A Children's Bible by Lydia Millet
 
The winner of the Fiction Award announced in August 2022 was A Shock by Keith Ridgway.
Other items on the shortlist for the 2022 award:
English Magic by Uschi Gatward
Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
Memorial by Bryan Washington
 
The winner of the Fiction Award announced in July 2023 was Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.
Other items on the shortlist for the 2023 award: 
Bitter Orange Tree by Jokha Alharthi and translated by Marilyn Booth 
After Sappho by Selby Wynn SchwartzBolia by Pajtim Statovci
Bolla by Pajtim Statovci, translated from Finnish by David Hackston

Who did you tell?

Astrid has returned to Flinstead to live with her mother. She has nowhere else to go. Astrid is a recovering alcoholic and is struggling to restart her life. But she has a past that still haunts her and she soon realises that someone else also knows of this past.

English author, Lesley Kara has written an often chilling novel portraying Astrid's emotions as she endeavours to resist the urge to have just one drink. Life looks as it may improve when she meets Josh but how can she explain to him what she is really like? Then the threatening mail concerning her past begins to arrive and Astrid realises that she is being stalked. How can she live a normal life when the past continues to consume her?

Friday, June 26, 2020

The Drop-off

One of the rituals of having children or grandchildren at primary school is dropping them off at school in the morning and collecting them each afternoon. After a while it is not usual for groups of parents to regularly congregate at these times, sometimes forming a group that may last for the duration for the child's time at school.

One such group is the focus of The Drop-off by Fiona Harris and Mike McLeish. Lizzie, Megan and Sam catch up each morning for a chat and a coffee after taking their children to Bayview Primary School. The novel provides an often amusing look at the challenges of parenting young children and of relationships in general. Each of the main characters is facing a difficult situation in their lives but through friendship they support each other. Apart from depositing and collecting school children these parents have little to do with the school until circumstances suddenly change and they find themselves helping organise the school concert.

The concept for this book began with the Drop Off web series created by the authors, a series of short films about Lizzie, Sam, Megan and Dave. Some of the plotlines of these films have been incorporated into this novel.

The Drop Off - series
or search for thedropoffshow on Facebook.

Monday, June 22, 2020

The Weekend

This is the story of four women, friends for many years, who regularly meet and share experiences. In The Weekend Charlotte Wood recounts the experiences of three of the women, Jude (a former restauranteer), Wendy (a writer) and Adele (an actress) when they arrange to spend a weekend one Christmas clearing out the beach house of the fourth member of the group, Sylvie, who died eleven months ago.

The remaining members of the group, now in their early 70s, are all struggling with a variety of issues which they endeavour to keep from other members of the group. The physical absence of Sylvie affects them all in different ways however her prescence is still to be found in the house from time to time.

This is a book about secrets, relationships and aging as these older women attempt to face the challenges that life presents. Some of these themes also appear in the Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green.

The book was listed on the Stella Prize Shortlist 2020 - The Weekend

Monday, June 15, 2020

COVID-19 Musings - Medical Care

To obtain medical care was one of the four reasons people were allowed to leave home during COVID-19 lockdown. As in much of our life, procedures are often conducted differently compared with life prior to COVID-19.

Visiting the GP
We booked to visit our doctor in order to have the annual flu injections and to obtain prescription renewals.
When we arrived at the clinic the carpark was almost empty. The normal entrance to the clinic was closed and there were directions to another entrance to the building where we were greeted by a woman wearing protective gear including a mask. She took our temperature before we were allowed to enter the building. Our appointment was late in the morning so we had the waiting room to ourselves. The staff at the desk worked behind screens and there were marks on the floor where we were required to stand when we gave our names and said who we wanted to see.

When we entered the doctor's surgery it was hard to recognise the man, who has been our doctor for 38 years, due to all the protective clothing he was sensibly wearing. He gave us our injections and my new script and as we were leaving we asked him how he was finding these challenging times. Not surprisingly 'Challenging' was the response. We then returned to our car via the designated exit.

Visiting the Pharmacy
We always take our prescriptions for medication to a small local pharmacy. The entrance and exit to the shop is marked and at the desk there are marks indicating where where to stand while waiting. The staff wear masks.

There is a large pharmacy at Knox City where we occasionally purchase non-perscription items. Although we do not go there often we observe what is happening as it is opposite the supermarket.
At one stage customers were met at the door by a staff member wearing protective clothing who took the customers' temperature before they could enter the store. This practice only lasted for a week or so and now a staff member stands at the door squirting hand sanitiser onto people's hands. Inside the store there are screens and marks on floor indicating where cutomers should stand if they want to see a pharmacist or are waiting for a prescription to be filled. There are also screens and floor markings at the check-out counter.

Visiting the Pathologist
I am meant to have blood tests every two months. A blood test was due shortly after the lockdown commenced and I was reluctant to go to a pathologist at that time so I missed having the test. However I had to have a test at the beginning of May as I had a specialist appointment.

Fortunately the day that I had the blood test the weather was very cold and few people were out. I also knew that there were usually not many people in the waiting room around lunchtime which was when I went. I was the only one there so the plan worked - this time.

Having the actual blood test was no different from other blood tests I have had with staff not seeming to take any extra precautions.

Visiting the Specialist
Several days before my visit I received a phone call reminding me of the appointment and requesting that when I arrived at the medical centre I was to phone a number to let them know I had arrived. When we made the call I was told that the receptionist would ring me when the doctor was ready to see me. Eventually I was allowed inside the medical centre, but first I had to complete a full page form stating that I was not experiencing a list of symptoms and confirming that I had not recently been overseas. I was then allowed to see the doctor who was waiting for me. The rest of the visit was the same as normal.

Other Doctor's Appoinments
Some doctors have been conducting medical appointments via telephone or via computer.

COVID-19 Testing Station
Specific Mobile COVID-19 Testing Stations have been set up in different parts of the state, quite often at shopping centres. Currently there is a testing station at Knox City. Getting Tested for COVID-19.
The Victorian Government recommends that anyone with specific symptons should be tested. Testing is currently only available to people with the following symptoms, however mild: fever, chills or sweats, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, and loss of sense of smell

The mobile testing stations are drive through sites with tests carried out in people's cars. A swab is taken from the back of the throat and the nose. After a test the person is expected to return home and self isolate until they results are known.

Last month there was a mobile testing site at Knox City for two weeks. When we were leaving the centre one day there was a long queue of cars trailing through the back carpark and then up to the area in another carpark where the tests were taking place. The testing station has recently returned and this time it is in a covered carpark. We had not noticed any protracted queues like the last month until today when there was a long row of cars leading to the carpark. Perhaps there has been publicity that the testing station has returned. This time the testing center has remained at Knox City and each day there are long queues of cars in the back car park waiting to enter the testing centre.

In November the testing station moved down Stud Road to the Swinburne campus. At the beginning of the 2021 academic year the testing station once again moved, this time to the Trash and Treasure market site in Mountain Highway, Wantirna.

Saturday, June 13, 2020

COVID-19 Musings - Community Organisations

Community Organisations
Community organisations also interact with their members online.

The Royal Historical Society of Victoria (RHSV) held its AGM via Zoom.
The lockdown and restrictions as a result of COVID-19 have caused community organisations to rethink how they can still connect with members and provide services in a different way.

The RHSV Bookclub, held monthly, is now a Zoom Bookclub
The podcasts of previous meetings have been available via the website for sometime but with the lockdown these have been publicised more widely.
This page on the RHSV website contains a range of ideas and activities that people may like to investigate during the lockdown including turning photos into jigsaws using Jigsaw Planet or trying some of the writing exercises from the RHSV History Writers Group.

Community Group Activities
Computer programs such as FaceTime and Zoom and Skype allow groups of people to interact online at one time. This is proving to be an excellent way for groups of people to stay connected.

Due to the lockdown, our local cricket club is holding its seniors Presentation Night this year via Facebook. The coach, captains of the teams, committee members and some life members etc have recorded their part of the proceedings which will be included in the online presentation at the end of the month.

Many groups are experimenting with ways to keep their participants involved while in isolation.

Dance studios, including Studi-O Dance School, are including online dance demonstrations on their websites for students to practise.

Girl Guides Victoria  is using  technology to run regular meetings of guide groups via Zoom. and have also produced a series of Guiding in Your Pocket guides showing activities that girls can try.
The local cub / scouts group also meets via Zoom sessions.

A number of family history research groups have also arranged online get togethers.

See also all posts relating to COVID-19 including:
COVID-19 Musings - Staying Connected

COVID-19 Musings - Books and Reading

Week 15 of the State Library of Victoria #SLV Memory Bank asks how people in Melbourne are filling in their time during our second Lockdown.

Lockdown Content:
Whether your preferred content amplifies the outside world or diverts you from it, we'd love to know what's got your attention.

This week: tell us about the books you're reading and sites you're bookmarking, the shows you're binge-watching and music playlists you're creating, the podcasts you're queueing and online festivals you're attending.

An earlier post, Stay at Home, listed many of my activities including online jigsaw puzzles, doing Future Learn courses and, of course reading and book related activities.

This lockdown as a result of COVID-19 restrictions has provided me with more time for reading. 

Libraries still worked to provide services to members, although it was not possible to be open to the public, by promoting their online services as well as finding new ways to continue activities online including activities and sessions for children and adults.
 
Author Talks
Libraries are not the only organisations to be making author talks available online.

Since the beginning of April Dymocks has set up a collection of author talks - Chapter One.
There is now a wide range of author talks and virtual book launches that can be watched via Youtube or Facebook. (I have found that on my computer the sound is sometimes out of sync with the video on Facebook but watching the same clip on Youtube was OK.)
Better Reading also has made a number of author talks available online on Facebook plus some podcasts.
There is also a weekly session - What are You Reading? - where recent books are discussed and readers provide titles of books that they are reading.

Courses
During June Dervla McTiernan is running a series of workshops - #Writing  Studio - each Friday on Facebook for Better Reading.
Each session runs for half an hour covering the topics: Session One Ideas, Session 2 Characters, Session Three Structure & Outlining and Session Four Self Editing - Getting Published. Worksheets for each session are available from Better Reading as well as Delvra McTiernan's website.

During the past couple of months I have also participated in some literature based online courses on Future Learn:
Shakespeare in Print and Performance (Kings College London),

Penshurst Place and the Sidney Family of Writers (Lancaster University) and
Understanding English Dictionaries (Coventry University).

Consequently I have enjoyed having the time to explore more about books and reading.

See also all posts relating to COVID-19 including
COVID-19 Musings - Libraries
COVID-19 Musings - Stay at Home
Future Learn website

Friday, June 12, 2020

Five on a Treasure Island

This first book in the Enid Blyton Famous Five series was published in 1942 and has been read by millions of children throughout the world since then.

I read many books from this series when I was at primary school in the 1950s and when in grade five we all took a favouite book to school to go in the class library for the year my selection was a book from this series. A number of the other children also added Famous Five books to the classroom library which gave us the chance to read other titles. This was my introduction to libraries as there was no library in the school and no public library in our area until many years later.

This year my eight year old grandson has been reading Five on a Treasure Island with me. He always reads to me after school but with the lockdown due to COVID-19 these sessions stopped. We had read two Secret Seven books so when his father called in I gave him another title in the Secret Seven series plus a copy of Five on a Treasure Island, mainly for my ten year old grand-daughter to read. A few days later my son rang to say that Aiden had decided to read the Famous Five book and, as I had another copy of the same book at home, perhaps we could trial reading sessions via the computer.
Several times a week, depending on Aiden's mood and any distractions that may be occurring around him, Aiden and I would share reading part of a chapter of the book. Prep to Grade 2 students returned to school on 26 May so from the second week Aiden bounds into our house for a reading session. He perches on a stool near my desk, finds where we are up to and then calls for me to hurry up.

What is the attraction of this book? Aiden persisted with reading the introductory chapters but his interest piqued once the real action of the story began. The story is about three siblings, Julian, Dick and Anne, who visit their counsin, George (do not call me Georgina) and her dog, Timmy, whose house is near the beach. The visiting children are excited when they discover that there is a small island nearby with the remains of an old castle with dungeons. There is also an old shipwreck which can be viewed under the water. During a storm the wreck emerges on nearby rocks and when the children explore it they locate a treasure map. The children must locate the treasure before anyone else does.

In these reading sessions, with larger books, Aiden and I share the reading. He will read a couple of pages and then it is my turn to do some reading before he continues. Earlier this week Aiden became so involved with his reading that he read the whole chapter himself (around ten pages). Needless to say he was very pleased with himself. He has also checked the book and noticed that there are no illustrations and proudly told me that this is the first book that he has read with no pictures.

There have also been discussions about the names of the children - whether Julian is a boy or a girl, for instance - and how different names are popular at different times and in different countries. The structure of chapter books has also been discussed with the initial chapters, especially in a series, introducing the characters and where they live - then the adventure begins and the story often becomes more exciting as the book continues.

With only a chapter or two to go the excitement is mounting, especially as Aiden has checked the chapter headings. What will we read next? That is the next decision, and there are many possibilities on our bookshelves, but this exercise has proved to Aiden that he can read 'big' chapter books with no pictures and enjoy them.

Aiden has also told me that he prefers to read sitting next to me instead of reading to a face on the computer.

Aiden's ten year old sister has also started reading the book at home. Hopefully she will enjoy the story too and be encouraged to read more books.

(November 2020) Since originally writing this post Aiden has also read Five go adventuring again and Five go off to camp.He is now reading the BFG by Roald Dahl. 
After reading this book his sister asked to have reading sessions with me again and we have read the first two Harry Potter books together and she is now reading the third book on her own. We are currently reading Mister Monday by Garth Nix.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

The Bluffs

The Bluffs, a great debut novel from Australian author, Kyle Perry, is set in the Great Western Tiers in northern Tasmania. The mountains have a foreboding reputation especially since the separate disappearance of five girls thirty years previously. Added to this tension is the legend of the Hungry Man said to haunt the mountains.

When Detective Con Badenhorst arrives in the area to oversee the search for four teenage girls missing on a school hiking excursion, it soon becomes obvious that something more sinister has occurred.

This book is more than just a crime novel. As the plot unfolds Limestone Creek is clearly a community of secrets complicated by small town politics and police corruption. Additionally, social media appears to be affecting the lives of young people and the town as a whole. The demons faced by many of the characters plus the dark presence of the surrounding mountains affect attempts to solve the mystery of the missing girls.

A multitude of twists and turns keep the reader in the dark until the end making this novel a great addition to the excellent expanding genre of Aussie Noir.

Many thanks to Better Reading and Penguin Books for providing me with a proof copy of this book to review. #BRPreview

Sunday, June 7, 2020

True North: the story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack

Many, many years ago I read the book, Kings in Grass Castles, by Mary Durack - the story of the establishment of a pastoral dynasty in the Kimberley region of northern Australia.  In True North Brenda Niall provides us with the story of two members of the third generation of the Durack family in Australia, Mary (1913-1994) and Elizabeth (1915-2000).

Fortunately much of the family correspondence has been kept and the author had access to the family papers when writing her book. Much of the story is therefore told using excepts from this correspondence.

Mary Durack wrote two of a planned three family histories - Kings in Grass Castles (pub. 1959) and Sons in the Saddle (1983). Brenda Niall's book, through recording the stories of Mary and Elizabeth, to a large extent provides the final chapters of the involvement of the Durack family with the land. Their properties were sold in 1950.

The Durack family company owned four properties in northern Australia - Ivanhoe Station and Argyle Downs in Western Australia plus Auvergne and Newry in the Northern Territory.  Argle Downs was flooded as part of the Ord River Scheme and the creation of Lake Argyle. The Argyle Homestead Museum at Kununarra is a recreation of the Argle Downs homestead now under the lake.

In the early 1930s Mary and Elizabeth spent many months on the two Western Australian properties. It was during this time that they came to know the Aborigines working and living on the properties and established life long friendships with some of the Aboriginal women. It was at this time that Mary and Elizabeth began to work together producing children's books and, for one year, a comic strip in the Sydney Telegraph.

Over the years Mary devoted her life to writing books (fiction and non-fiction), plays and poetry as well as helping others with their writing. She had some success but always felt that her work may have been considered more credible if she had been a man and not the daughter of a well known pastoralist. Elizabeth continued to paint and sometimes write and overtime her experience of living with Aborigines began increasingly to influence her work. She also noted that Australian male artists were taken more seriously that female artists. It was a sign of the times in which these women lived.

Both Mary and Elizabeth were concerned with Aboriginal rights especially when many groups were told to leave the properties where they had spent most of their lives and to move to settlements in new towns.

True North is therefore the story of two talented women struggling to improve their craft and receive acknowledgement of thir work in a wider community. It is also the story of the treatment of Aboriginal communities in outback Australia plus their relationahips with some members of the white community. The book therefore covers many aspects of life in Australia during the twentieth century.

Further information:
Dame Mary Gertrude Durack - ADB
Dame Mary Durack - Gifted witer and patron of the arts - City of Nedlands

Elizabeth Durack - official website

Monday, June 1, 2020

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (6)

Communication of Ducks!

On Friday we took our grand-daughter for a walk on the Dandenong Creek Trail starting from Wantirna Road. (More information on this section of the trail)
It was a cool but sunny day and she wanted to see the ducks.
We found a group of ducks plus some moorhens near the St David's Drive entrance to the trail.
Ducks usually congregate at this section of the creek especially as they know that passers-by might feed them. There were a number of other children also watching the ducks when we were there.
A white cockatoo in a nearby tree observed the passing parade.
A little further on two moorhens checked us out.

On the way back we stopped once more to watch the ducks. Before we arrived we heard a loud splash but the ducks were swimming around as normal when we arrived. Suddenly there was another splash as all the ducks disappeared under water at the same time. There was no obvious sign as to what instigated the dive but this manoeuvre was repeated about six times while we were there. Other passers-by stopped to watch and no-one had seen this behaviour before. Comments were made about synchronised duck diving!
When we went for another walk by this section of the creek on Sunday, ducks were in the same area swimming around contentedly.
Further along towards the footbridge near Armstrong Road we came across another group of ducks. A few were the brown ducks that normally frequent the creek but most of the ducks were a different breed that we had not seen in this area of the creek before.
We crossed the bridge and walked back on the other side of the creek. The ducks were still there but swimming in two groups. Suddenly one group of ducks took to the air and flew down the creek past the bridge. A few seconds later the second group did the same.

It would be interesting to know how ducks communicate so that they all respond to a situation, either diving sumultaneously or suddenly taking flight, at the same time.

See also other posts related to this topic:
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Walking on Shared Paths
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (1)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (2)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (3)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (4)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (5)

See also all pots relating to COVID-19

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (5)

Shepherds Bush

On the last Saturday in Autumn we decided to continue our exploration of the Dandenong Creek Trail by exploring Shepherds Bush.
Photo - Visit Shepherds Bush
We parked the car in carpark on High Street Road at the entrance to Shepherds Bush and then started exploring the path that included two boardwalks.
This was a most enjoyable walk through the bush.
The path ran next to the Dandenong Creek
providing many good views of the creek in a bush setting.
As with many of our recent walks it is often hard to believe that we are walking in an area in the suburbs of Melbourne. Because this path is narrow in places and unmade it is mainly used by pedestrians with few bikes encountered on this section of our walk. Cyclists use another of the paths in the park.
Shepherds Bush - Google Maps
Once through the bush we came to the main trail which ran beside farmland. A group of egrets was in one of the paddocks. A little further on we came to a gate leading to a conservation area and a path around the lake in Jells Park.
We used to visit Jells Park on many occasions when our sons were youunger so it was a little like deja vu looking across the lake observing the many people enjoying the green park.
A little further on we on a tree on small covered with egrets on a island
Returning to the car we decided to take the bush path rather than the main trail. This proved to be a good decision as shortly after entering the path there was a commotion overhead as a flock of black cockatoos flew between the nearby trees. The Dandenong Trail through Shepherds Bush was another enjoyable walk.

See also other posts related to this topic:
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Walking on Shared Paths
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (1)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (2)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (3)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (4)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (6)

See also all posts relating to COVID-19

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (4)

Bushy Park
Recently we walked along the Kooma Park boardwalk and then crossed Burwood Highway (near Morack Road) at the lights to follow the Dandenong Creek Trail to Bushy Park.
Trail to Bushy Park - Google Maps
The trail took us past the skateboard ramp and the motorcross club as we skirted the Whitehorse Recycling and Waste Centre. Much of the walk was through bush until we came to open land near the entrance to Bushy Park. We shall explore Bushy Park on another occasion and also some of the smaller tracks we passed during the walk. The Dandenong Creek Trail through Bushy Park leads to Jells Park.
EastLink Trail to Blind Creek - Google Maps
On another occasion we left the Wantirna Reserve carpark and walked down Mountain Highway to Burwood Highway where we crossed at the lights. We then walked to the entrance of the EastLink Trail which we followed towards High Street Road. After crossing High Street Road we continued to follow the track past the Knox Waste Transfer Station and then branched off onto the Blind Creek path for a while before returning to the car.

Continuing along the EastLink Trail also leads to Jells Park. There are many paths for us to still explore.

NB: Today (26 May) was a perfect autumn day with bright blue sky and plenty of sunshine so we decided to drive to the entrance of Bushy Park Wetlands in High Street Road and walk back towards we entered the park two weeks ago. A short walk into the park took us past the wetlands.
A path led to the bird hide where we found a number of enthusiastic water birds including a variety of ducks and Eurasian coots. As soon as we approached the hide the birds enthusiastically swam towards us.
We then followed the path through the open parkland, passing some cattle grazing in a nearby paddock. When we arrived at the path leading to Burwood Highway we decided to climb the steps of a small steep hill. At the top there is a good view of the surrounding area. Following a path from the hill led to another track that we followed back to the main path near the recycling depot.

After a short walk back towards Bushy Park we turned right and walked down steps to another path which we followed until eventually coming to a small bridge, once again on the main track. Several other paths also lead back to the main track. Back in Bushy Park we strolled back to where we had parked the car.

Reference:
Bushy Park Wetlands and Dandenong Creek Trail - Tracks, trails and coasts near Melbourne
Burwood Walks No. 14 - Bushy Park Wetlands - Burwood Bulletin

See also other posts related to this topic:
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Walking on Shared Paths
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (1)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (2)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (3)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (5)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (6)

See also all posts relating to COVID-19