The Walks

Meet and Greet

Introductions to place and each other, more about Shinrin- yoku and practicalities of the 3-hour walk.

Tuning the Senses

Beginning with gentle warm-ups to loosen tight muscles and become more aware of how we are in our body. Tuning each of the senses: our smell and taste, sight, touch and hearing to awaken them to the subtle aromas, rich nuances of colours, shapes, and movement of leaves dancing in the breeze, textures of tree trunks and earth under our feet and variety of bird calls and sounds surrounding us.

Quiet Aware Walking

Slow gentle walking exploring the surroundings deeply through our senses, awakens our curiosity and deepens our connection with the natural world.

Sit Spot

There will be also time to sit, relax and breathe in the healing atmosphere of the Cotter River and observe the rippling water as it swirls around the smooth rocks, enjoy the fleeting forms of the dragonflies as they skim across the water, be gifted with sighting the Azure Kingfisher perched on a nearby tree branch of a majestic Casuarina tree that or simply enjoy the feel of the cool breeze caressing your skin.

Breathe

We are air breathers, every second of our lives. Our body is designed to draw the atmosphere deep into our central cavity our chest and distribute it around our bodies

Air enters the bloodstream through the alveoli that carry the planet’s atmosphere into our bloodstream… and carry the waste carbon dioxide out.

Air connects us with all living beings, the trees, and other plants around us, and the birds, bees, and butterflies. We all need the air and exchange it constantly. The ocean of air that envelops Earth is unique in the solar system and our breath is a part of life’s breath, the exchange of carbon dioxide that we breathe out for the oxygen emitted by the plant world. Let’s take time to take some slow deep breaths and be aware of how important the element of air is, and breathe deeply the healing aerosols emitted by the trees.

Walks with different experiences:

The Cotter Bend and Weston Park

The Cotter Bend: Meeting Canberra’s Water Catchment rich with biodiversity

The extensive water catchment was a significant factor in the choice of Canberra as the national capital with 480 square kilometres being reserved within the ACT as the catchment area of the Cotter River. The Cotter River together with the Queanbeyan River is one of the two rivers providing drinking water to the Canberra and Queanbeyan region.

The Cotter Bend is where Paddy’s River, meets the Cotter River. Paddy’s River rises north of Mount Tennent near Tharwa, and the Cotter River rises on the eastern slopes of the Brindabella Ranges in the southwest of the ACT in Namadgi National Park. A beautiful sandy beach and broad pool mark the meeting of the two rivers, their water clear and sparkling in the sunshine. [1]

At Casuarina Sands, a few hundred meters downstream, they meet with the mighty Murrumbidgee River, an important river within the Murray- Darling basin.

Enjoy sitting on the grassy bank shaded by the immense ancient Casuarina trees. Be still and listen to the sounds of the burbling water flowing over the smooth river stones. Listen to the calls of the variety of amazing variety of small birds. Nearby you catch sight of the Azure Kingfisher, sitting so still and watchful on a branch overhanging the rippling river, its blazing orange breast stunning in the dappled sunlight. A movement on the trunk of the Casuarina tree catches your eye and to your surprise, an Australian Water Dragon has scuttled up the trunk to a fork and is watching you intently. Another bird not often seen, the Olive-Backed Oriole returns to her nest overhanging the river, with food for her nestlings. The variety of wildlife here is astounding, particularly in the early morning.

Come and join us in exploring this wondrous spot more deeply.

[1]Cotter River Wikipedia

Weston Park

Weston Park is an ideal Forest Therapy site as it has many of the Pine and Cypress species which have been researched for the therapeutic effects of Forest Therapy.

Weston Park contains Yarralumla Nursery, the ACT Government’s nursery for plant propagation for the Canberra streetscapes. Hobday’s Cottage, now the Oaks Brasserie & Café was once the Chief Nurseryman’s house and the plantings were the earliest examples of plantings to determine the best species for the Canberra climate and Forestry Industry. Thomas Weston, after whom the park is named, followed by Alexander Bruce, John Hobday, and Lindsay Pryor, among others were key in establishing Canberra’s landscape.

Overall Weston Park has a variety of landscapes having large shade trees and open grass spaces, edged with the beautifully planted English Garden. This has a very wide range of exotic trees and shrubs including many Cypress, Juniper, and Pine species including Western Yellow pine and a towering 30 metre high Californian Redwood tree and Ponderosa Pines. Many of the trees in this area were planted in the 1960s. Scattered throughout the paths are groves of rhododendrons, azaleas, and bulbs which make it ideal for Quiet Aware Walking. This area is alive with scents, and an incredible variety of bark and leaf colours and textures.

Weston Park is part of a wildlife and open space corridor through the city, important for some migratory species. It links in with other Canberra Nature Reserves through the urban heart of Canberra from the lower Molonglo river corridor to the Majura/ Kowen district in the south.

There is an ideal Sit Spot amongst the Eucalypts with their long brown crispy bark dangling from their branches which also has a bench to sit on if preferred. The vista is spectacular looking towards the National Library far in the distance. It is a quiet and peaceful spot.