Day 24: A Hidden Gem

Photo prompt: A hidden gem.

Just off the main thoroughfare in our area, an artery into the city, there is a quiet park that has become dear to us. It has a lawn for picnics and barbecues, a sports field, and a playground that seems to have sprung directly from the earth...

...musical instruments are part of the landscaping...

...and the place where they used to burn the city's trash now makes cappuccinos.

Tucked away behind the park is an extensive network of walking and cycling paths. They are perfect for, say, a stroll with a pram. 

Most of it is paved, but you can go "off road" for more adventure.

At the start of the trails, wild animals roar.

They really do roar when you walk by. It's pretty cute, but scared the heck out of Hushpuppy for awhile.

Gum trees soar...

...banksia holds steady

...and spiders do their worst.

 My hidden gem along the path behind the park is easy to walk past, even if you do happen by it.

It doesn't look like much, but the stone steps carved into amphitheatre style across the path tell you there might be something to it. It's called Henry Lawson cave. Henry Lawson (1867 - 1922) was one of Australia's greatest poets and short story writers. He lived in this area for a time. There is a plaque tacked a tree that you have to look hard to find, which tells the story of how this cave came to be named after Lawson. "After sessions at the Crows Nest hotel, exchanging spoken verses for a drink, Henry would make his way to the cave for temporary retirement from society."

I love that.

They hold poetry readings here from time to time, but mostly it sits, tucked away, welcoming picnic-ers (though I've never seen any there) and perhaps future literary geniuses hiding out from civilization.