A sandy patch

This morning there were no pressing commitments, and the house work could wait, so I headed out to Inverleigh Flora and Fauna Reserve about 30 km west of Geelong. The Reserve used to be a Common (for firewood and grazing) but it now has a Friends group, and is a very interesting 1000 ha patch of natural vegetation. There are plants here that are not found anywhere else, and the birds like the mix of trees, shrubs and open space.

The Inverleigh Golf Course runs along one boundary, and they must have installed this opening for the kangaroos. Judging by the worn track it must be effective. It's one way of protecting the fence. Pity we can't use the same method at the farm - the sheep would love the escape route.

I was slowly driving along one track listening for birds, and not taking too much notice of the track itself, and suddenly found myself in a predicament. Bogged in the sand.

I put leaves and sticks behind the wheels and tried backing out. No good, I only dug myself in deeper. With images from the film Japanese Story in my mind, I had to decide what to do. Should I ring a friend, or the RACV? Ended up ringing a friend who drove out from Geelong and rescued me. (Thanks Dick.) Mobile phones are great when they work. It certainly saved me a long walk. A sandy soil is great for Australian plants but I'll have to respect it more in the future.