Real life places that inspired John Marsden for The Tomorrow Series: Mt Howitt, Victoria
The views are fantastic. You can drive almost up on to it at one point, near Mt Martin, on an old logging track that’s hard to find now, it’s so overgrown. Hell is what’s on the other side of Tailor’s, a cauldron of boulders and trees and blackberries and feral dogs and wombats and undergrowth. It’s a wild place, and I didn’t know anyone who’d been there, though I’d stood on the edge and looked down at it quite often. For one thing I couldn’t see how you’d get in there. The cliffs all around it are spectacular, hundreds of metres high in places.
[...] It was about half past two when we got to the top. Fi had ridden the last couple of k’s, but we were all relieved to get out of the Landie and stretch our bones. We came out on the south side of a knoll near Mt Martin. That was the end of the vehicle track: from then on it was shanks’s pony. But for the time being we wandered around and admired the view.
- Tomorrow, When The War Began | Chapter 1
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
My last blog entry discussed my arthritis during the Australia hike – here, I want to talk about falling in love with the Australian Alps.
I have always feel the mountains calling. I love the scenery, the clean air, the rush I feel when I look around and see the landscape stretching to the horizon.
Keep reading for beetles and millipedes and gum trees galore!
When we began on our hike, I actually experienced a bit of culture shock. The trails Ness and I took surprised me. They were little more than animal paths in some places! It was definitely different than the trails I grew up hiking in the Northeastern US, though I am always pleasantly surprised when I don’t have to worry about twisting my ankles on rocky sections (PA Appalachian Trail, I’m looking at you!).
It was still chilly outside and in some places, there was still snow on the ground! I was enchanted looking at snowflakes hanging off of spiderwebs like crystallized dewdrops.
The gum trees were beautiful, their branches reaching up to the blue sky. It seemed like they were calling to the heavens. Some of them had bark the colors of zebra stripes.
I was hoping to see Australian animals on the hike, but I doubted I would. I really wanted to catch a glimpse of a wombat but they chose to mock me instead by leaving droppings all over the footpaths!
What I did really enjoy was the insects crawling around. We would stop to gaze at the vivid blue beetles, their deep blue wings glittering aqua in the light.
I discovered millipedes all over Mt. Howitt. I’d stop to examine them in the blustering wind. In lieu of wombats, millipedes became my entertainment.
And then there was the scenery. I was falling in love with the Australian mountains, gazing at the landscape, completely awestruck. The hills around me were bright and green but as they stretched on, they turned into a gentle blue. It seemed like they had been carved into the sky.
I remember being taken aback at how deeply these mountains resonated with me. I was so excited to see the location of my favorite books, it didn’t occur to me that I would be so deeply affected by the landscape. I was rendered breathless many times, and it wasn’t just because I was out of shape!
When I’m really down these days, one thing I do to cheer myself up is to reflect on some of my favorite memories. They’re like a security blanket. When I feel anxious or depressed, these memories immediately soothe me!
This hike in particular was not easy. My arthritis had a lot to teach me and the lesson I learned makes me smile.
Read more about hiking and arthritis after the cut!
One of my favorite memories is a life goal I accomplished when I went for a hike around Mt. Howitt. The route was inspired by John Marsden’s Tomorrow When the War Began series. I wanted to hike the very mountains the characters do.
There were things that stopped me from investing in a hike like that. I’ve had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) my entire life and I knew it would be extremely difficult for me. But I knew that as time went on, difficult would become impossible. So I decided to seize the day.
I found an amazing female guide, Ness, to help me through the hike. I was upfront about my physical issues and Ness was extremely understanding and accommodated me by breaking the hike up into smaller, easier sections with lots of rest breaks.
That didn’t stop my body from rebelling. My hips froze. Walking up any stairs or hills took everything in me just to get up the next step. My knees creaked on the downhill stretches. My fingers cramped as I held onto ski poles to guide me.
I was embarrassed and apologetic about my arthritic reaction, mortified that I could not keep up. But Ness was understanding and sympathetic. She told me to stop apologizing for what I couldn’t control. She pointed out that my hips were literally moving as much as they could. It was not my fault and it did not mean I was weak.
I thought back to all the hikes I’d done, from elementary school on. All the group situations where I had judged myself for not pushing myself harder, for not being as quick as the others, for being unable to move when others were able to run ahead.
I forgave myself for all of those times when I’d felt weak and inadequate. And it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
That revelation that I was doing my best despite my limitations freed me! I smiled big and wide because despite the pain, I was free from the guilt and embarrassment that had plagued me for so long.
With a weight lifted off my shoulders, I traced my way to Crosscut Saw and the basin of Terrible Hollow. Ness and I sat down at the edge of Terrible Hollow to eat some Ellie Linton-approved Iced VoVos.
That hike wasn’t easy but I don’t associate it with pain. All I can remember is falling in love with the Australian bush. Wandering between the old gum trees was enchanting. It was just rolling into springtime, so buds were beginning to bloom on the branches, bringing new life into the world. And the mountains! The mountains seemed to stretch on forever into the blue horizon.
That hike is my happy place. It’s one of my favorite memories and this is the place I go to when I need a smile. It’s a great memory to turn to and I’m so grateful for it right now, especially.
