Looking back at 2022 and the beautiful places visited

New Years Day 2023 is a good time to reflect on some of the beautiful places I has the opportunity to visit.

Beautiful places in Australia, Europe and the UK and in Morocco.

It’s hard to believe that Australia still had its borders closed this time last year.

So January 2022 started with friends in Queensland as part of a road trip 1,900 km north from Melbourne. A PCR test had been needed to get into Queensland to celebrate the New Year

The travel highlight of February was the Snowy Mountains National Park in New South Wales. The Alps of Australia for some camping and trail riding.

Toward the end of February, Australia’s international borders re-opened and the possibility of international travel became real again. April

March offered an opportunity to explore the Snowy River National Park, the famous McKillops Bridge that spans a small gorge cut by the Snowy River as it makes its way to the sea at Marlo.

In April I headed up to the beautiful beaches of Northern New South Wales to catch up with some friends and catch some late Australian Summer before flying to England.

I had been touring my BMW adventure bike most of summer, so it was a good chance to riding the Mighty Moto Guzzi Breva before collecting its English Sister!

I’d swapped Australian late summer for England’s April showers. But in April I had May on my mind. May was for Morocco a dream trip that became the victim of the pandemic in 2020.

So May was just Morocco. Could have been many months what a trip.

It was back to the Iberian Peninsula in June. Spain and Portugal.

July I was back in the UK for the summer heat wave and a bit of culture.

August it was back to the Continent landing in Brittany to commence my trek to Mandelo del Lario for the Moto Guzzi 100th anniversary celebration. So August was France.

September 1, I crossed into Italy.

October was back to England and flying back to Australia.

Back home in October and November there was a chance to revisit some of my favourite places and with lots of rain a chance to chase waterfalls.

December is a blog in print.

And now it’s 2023!

Happy New Year peace and good will to all.

A visit to Kinglake National Park, Victoria, Australia

The Kinglake National Park is a short day trip from Melbourne and in many ways is a remarkable example of forest regeneration.

Up until 1927 the forest at Kinglake was logged to supply timber for a growing Melbourne. Then in 2009 the Black Friday Bushfires decimated the forest and many of the surrounding villages. The forest still bares the scars of the fires as it continues to regenerate.

Scars like the burnt out trunks of the trees that didn’t survive, and the still blackened wood showing under the moss and fungi of those that did.

It was a cold and misty morning in the hills. Only 7c when I got there but the was still signs of spring.

And after all the recent rain the creeks and waterfalls were running strong.

It was a bumpy dirty ride down the muddy tracks on the might Breva on a cold morning but certainly worth it.

The signs of Spring are around.

The Noon Flowers are in full bloom at the salt Marsh in the Jawbone Reserve.

Also the water birds are returning to the mangroves and mudflats to feed and breed. The wet conditions in inland Australia may mean that some birds may not come to the coast but stay in the inland wetland. But it was great to see some arrivals like;