Tranquility is defined as “a state of being tranquil/calm” Synonyms are “peaceful, calm, quiet, still, serene..”

When I think of tranquility I think of a walk in the forest and water. There is something about water that calms the soul and makes things right. Of course, getting to the water often means walking through a forest.

For this month’s Share Six blog I am going to head back to my unedited Australia pics and the hike we took in the Toorongo Falls in Noojee.  The day started out with a lot of mist and a definite chill in the air. The forest area itself is was damp but the chill did not last long. For some reason when people create hikes they always take you to the highest point so that you can go back down to the waterfall. Of course, then you have to hike back out. I am unfit for sure. I am also convinced I am an undiagnosed asthmatic when I am hiking. My lungs were dying lol along with my legs. In addition I had an issue on this trip of tightness in the back of my knee during this Australia trip. But we persevered and it was an wonderful feeling when we got to the falls.

Our drive from Jen and Kevin’s home was about 2 hours. I am not sure what direction we went in but it was good to take in all the small towns along the way and see a bit more of the countryside during our visit. The mist was the first part of the trip and was pretty neat to see

As we entered the forest to begin our hike the light shining through the trees was just spectacular, and really took my breath away. Of course, the rest of the hike kept it away as well.

The view looking up was incredible. But it was the hike itself that really spoke to me. Past babbling brooks and gurgling channels, we continued to climb up to a fork in the pathway, where we then proceeded to go down to the waterfalls.

Most times it’s a pain in the butt hiking with heavy lens. I’m constantly carrying a 70-300mm zoom lens and a 24-70mm lens. I left the 16-40mm at their house. Between the two it is a heavy load, however, when you arrive at your location, it is so worthwhile. These falls were worth the wait. It was good to rest, catch my breath and stop and take in the beauty of the falls. Our first view of the falls was from a higher elevation and I was able to see the full length of the falls.

I am not a big fan of people leaving their mark in nature. I understand the desire behind it, but I’m not crazy about it.

It was good to rest, catch my breath and stop and take in the beauty of the falls. There was this roar in your ears as the water fell over the rocks to the bottom.

Of course on the flip side you have to hike back up the hill to get to the path going out. There was something about the image below that spoke to me – even though you may be broken, still life will blossom.

Still it was good to be able to stop at the side of the rippling water and just be silent for a while and take in the beauty of the surroundings.

It was definitely worth the hike, despite the lack of breath and the issue I had with my knee that drove me crazy throughout the vacation. I was super grateful that Jen and Kevin decided to show us some of the scenery and the countryside. I need to take some time now to go back to the photo’s I still have not edited and get with the program. There are some beautiful images from the Great Ocean Road.

This is a circle blog and as I mentioned, we have some very talented artists in the group. Take some time to follow the links and see what they have for you this month. My incredibly talented friend Liz of  It’s Still Life Photography by Elizabeth Willson is up next. I can’t wait to see what she has to share. You can see more of her work by clicking on her Facebook page and Instagram page. Definitely check out her incredible art.

Until next time..

Stay well