Mangarove trail and St Kilda Playground
Hi guys. Today I'm taking you with me on another trip. We're gonna visit and explore nlce trail, with mangrove trees, so trees growing in swamps. If we're lucky we may even see some crabs. If not, I'll just show you really cool landscapes. So let's go. Come with me!
We're at the door. Have a look. There's a gate here.
Usually it was open, but as COVID got in, we need this magnetic key. When we use this key, the guys in the kiosk make a list of all the people who pass through. So they can count how many people visit this trail. Now I'm gonna show you how this key works. Hania wants so much to help me, so... here you are, Hania. Well, we've reached the entrance.
It took us about a minute. Let's see. We are here. Where did we park our car? Somewhere here. - Here. - Right? We parked here.
We used the magnetic card here. We walked here. And now, we will walk here, along the trail to this place here. The other part is now closed. It's being renovated. So ok, let's get in.
Just as everyone does. We also have our card, if we wish to apply it. This time Zosia will do it.
Open the door. And we're getting in. We're in. Here we can have a look around. Look how pretty! Wonderful photos.
What's the matter with the mangrove forest? I'm going to unveil it. Someone once said that mangroves live life on the edge. These botanical amphibians grow with one foot on land and one in the sea. They occupy a zone of desiccating heat, choking mud, and salt levels that would kill an ordinary plant within hours.
Yet the forests mangroves form are among the most complex ecosystems on Earth. Birds roost in the canopy, shellfish attach themselves to the roots, and countless snakes come here to hunt. Mangroves are paradise for tiny fish; a food source for crabs, and a nectar source for bats and honeybees. You can even find kangaroos in search for food. Guys, we are in front of the entrance. Take a look at the board saying that we can enter.
And the trail of 500m begins. So... let's go! We're lucky to have very nice weather.
You can tell that the water is getting warmer because it starts to bloom. And a kind of slime appears in the water. When we were here earlier it was very clean and clear. Well, not crystal clear though, as it is always muddy. So the water is brown.
But now we can tell something's going on in it. And it's because the water is getting warmer. And look at this stuff sticking out of the water! They look like fingers sticking out.
And they actually call them the fingers! Water fingers. The protruding fingers. These plants are also literally landbuilders. The plants' interlocking roots stop sediments from coursing out to sea. While their trunks and branches diminish the harmful effects of waves. Despite their strategic importance, mangroves are under threat.
Many factories producing salt by evaporation of sea water have chosen these areas, which is not beneficial for the life of the mangroves. The dying shrubs are clearly visible from above. Calls for mangrove conservation gained a significant hearing following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Where mangrove forests were intact, they served as natural breakwaters, dissipating the energy of the waves, mitigating property damage, perhaps saving lives. That's why it's important to spread the existence of mangroves and to spread knowledge about their value. Have a look! There are lots and lots of the protruding... fingers!
And here the landscape changes sligtly, the trees are higher, as if we were entering a forest! A scary forest, right? Let's go. That's what it looks like. They have found a bench. We will find them sitting there soon. And we're gonna join them! Have a look. Now we have to run away, as the mosquitoes are everywhere.
So, well... This area is very damp, shaded, just perfect for the mosquitoes! We have to chase them away! If not mosquitoes, then flies! So, come to Australia! Australia is beautiful! On the way you can take a walk. And nothing happens if one mosquito, or two, bite you. That's right.
We're coming out into the sunshine, it should be better here. You see that funny hut? You can go through. And here the board says that we can encounter crabs like these! So, let's go.
You see, the tide can be high here. Previously we were here at a different time, and the water was all over the place, everywhere. And now, we have the low tide and no water.
And it looks really, really scary. So, let's go! We're on our way back. You can hide from the sun here. It really provides coolness. You can feel the cooler air here.
Ok, time to get up and continue our return. We're having really great time! Something different, something new. Something for everyone. After the return from the trail we will have to give back the magnetic key to the kiosk. Maybe we'll have an ice cream and coffee there. And then I'll show you the playground.
See you in a moment. Ok, one last look. It looks like that. And we're heading from here, along the marina, there! In the distance you can see a tower. And a roof visible from here is the Cafe, where we're gonna return the key.
To exit we have to go around. To leave we need to open this gate. There's no need to use the magnetic key. Just like that. Let's close it. We are at the entrance. There are toilets here.
One can use it if need be. We will use the toilet in a moment. In the meantime I'll show you the marina. We need to press the key to go out. Great! We say goodbye to the gate. And see you.
Ok, let's take a seat and we're leaving. We'll be at the Cafe in a minute! Now we're in front of the Cafe. We need to return this key here. Here you can buy anything you need. There' everything that you need for fishing on one side.
There are nice photos of men with their trophy. We're heading to the other side. Here is where we return the key.
And we can buy something in the Cafe. They'll prepare coffee for us, we'll have a seat and take a rest for a while. We already get the coffee.
We're sipping the coffee and relaxing. We are hiding in the shade. There's a nice place to sit outside but unfortunatelly it's very hot. So we are here. Now we're on the playground. There's everything here as you can see.
But most of all, we want to see this pirate ship. Look how scary it is! It settled down on the terrible swamps. No, really it's because of the ebb. It looks like swamps because the water level fell down.
There are some mangrove trees, similar to the ones we saw before. And here is Zosia, admiring the view. Have a look at this warning. You can come across a snake here! You need to be careful, watch your steps. Obviously we don't want to encounter such a scamp.
Now we're heading towards our second spot. Towards that castle! We're at the top. Here is an entrance to this slide. Admiring these wonderful views! OK, we did it and it was very nice. It wasn't that scary.
Everything is recorded. So we're going to the next one. Let's have some more fun! Hania has gone down the slide. Watch out! Zosia is coming! Look around. There are also other slides, this thingy, on which you can slide down.
A zipline. Here barbecue parties can be organised. Many people organise kid's birthday parties here. There are so many things to do here and you can spend here the whole day! We have a blanket as we're going to that slide there. And to speed up when sliding down we've taken blankets with us. We will be like missiles.
We'll start up there. At the very top. And we'll go down, down, down the slide. Look at the amazing views from this hill.
Everything can be seen, all the attractions of the playground. We're gonna take out our blankets and slide down! Girls, wait! I'll give you the blanket. Ready to set off? We're sliding down! Ready? Off we go! Look how far the ebb has gone! And tiny crabs are all over the place. We're at the top waiting to slide down on this slide. We're brave, we're prepaded.
We have our blankets. We're gonna slide down! It's our turn soon. Sit down and hold on tight. It was great! Not bad. Another one is coming! You see? Well, we're gonna try this one now. We're gonna sit down all together.
That was really cool! Next time we'll push and gain even more speed. Ok, let's do it again! We're at the top again. You see, we love it! Are you ready? Ok, girls, let's sit down. Be careful with the cable. Our time is up. We have to go home.
But it was a lot of fun. We highly recommend you to come here, have some fun, feel like a child. And well, thank you all for spending such a great day with me. I hope you also enjoyed everything: both the trail that we did initially and the playground here. I invite you to watch next episodes.
See you! Bye!
2021-01-25 06:46
