The Bunya Pine is an ancient tree, a living fossil from the age of the dinosaurs
These magnificent trees are very rare and found in only a couple areas of Queensland.
The Bunya Mountains lay west of Brisbane, the capital city Queensland
In an area called the Scenic Rim
The road to the Bunya Mountains takes you through the Somerset Region
An area with an interesting history and some great riding roads.
The historic town of Marburg has some very beautifully restore light timber framed buildings typical of Queenland early construction
The hotel is beautiful, well restored good food and a cold beer.
There is the old seminary which is now a winery, reception centre and accommodation is another insight into the early days of local European settlement
The Bunya Pine in the seminary grounds a reminder that this is the right track to the Bunya mountains
Coomba Waterhole is virtually at the base of Bunya Mountain a nice stop off .
The area had recently been burnt in bushfires and the fire tolerant Balga Grass Trees were flourishing as part of the regeneration.
The Bunya Mountain was declared a National Park in 1901 and there are beautiful walks through the forest
The Bunya pines grow higher than the forest canopy, which is mainly eucalypts. These eucalypts grow to about 45 metres high buy Bunya Pines of over 60 metres have been recorded
When you look across to the forest from the mountain lookout. You can see the Bunya Pines sticking their prehistoric heads out above the forest canopy.
Bunya Mountain is a rare and beautiful place to visit
The internal borders on the eastern seaboard of Australia finally started to open as the community transmission of Covid 19 is eliminated.
It was time to load up the mighty Moto Guzzi Breva and hit the road.
Time to visit dear friends interstate that I hadn’t seen a long while
First stop was the lovely old town of Carcoar,and the lovely camping spot on the banks of the dam
From Lithgow through to Singleton the Bell Line of Road and the Putty Road is a spectacular ride across the top of the Blue Mountains.
The Blue Mountains were badly burnt in the terrible Australian bushfires last summer, but it was great to see some regeneration.
Off the Blue Mountains it was the backroads to the beautiful Pacific coastline north of Sydney.
Rattling over the old timber bridges that are distinctive part of the NSW backroads.
On the way from the mountains to the coast.
On the northern NSW coast mountains and the sea come together and on a hot summer day there is the ocean or a run up the Waterfall Way for a freshwater dip.
To Dangar falls in Dorrigo.
A route enjoyed by many beautiful bikes.
And at the bottom of the Waterfall Way is Urunga.
Where the Kalang River flows into the Pacific Ocean.
And the big old hotel offers a cold beer, a comfy room and a good meal.
The panorama from the Bunjil lookout at Maude north of Geelong takes in a valley in the Barabool Hills where the Moorabool river has cuts its path
Bunjil the Eagle is the dream time creator of the lands and the people that traditionally inhabited the land now known as Victoria Australia
Bunjil is depicted as a Wedge Tailed Eagle, Australia’s largest bird of prey
A majestic bird in flight
The lookout Bunjil Lookout is shaped like an eagle its powerful bill in front and the huge wingspan behind
Many decades ago the air over the Barabool hills would be full of soaring wedge tailed eagles but after years of European settlement the great bird is listed ad threatened in Australia
I parked my Moto Guzzi in front of the look out
The emblem of Moto Guzzi is the eagle, a mythical eagle inspired possibly by the Golden Eagles that live in the mountains that surround Lake Como, the home of Moto Guzzi.
And looking at the two emblems together I could not help but think of how eagles have inspired us through the ages from the Dreamtime of the oldest culture on earth to the modern machine age
And despite this inspiration, this fascination the awe which these mighty birds install in us
We don’t treasure them, but have hunted eagles over centuries, destroyed their habitat and threatened the beautiful birds that are so inspirational.
The old gold mining town of Steiglitz is an interesting stop to look at an old settlement village
And in contrast to the indigenous names of Barabool and Morrabool the is the sister villages of Maude, Meredith and Elaine the run from south to north through the hills.
A stop in Geelong for a coffee and the view over the bay that was created in the dreamtime by Bunjil the Eagle.
On the Umbrial Pass in the Stelvio Region of the Italian Alps
There is a memorial to the to the Italian Aviators of WW1
And at the crown of the monument is the Golden Eagle in flight
Carlo Guzzi and his co-founders of Moto Guzzi were veterans of the Italian WW1 airforce.
And maybe that is their affinity with the eagle and how it found its way to being the emblem of the Moto Guzzi motorcycle.
