Normal service was resumed today. Light winds, sunshine and temperatures around 25 degrees C. So, we decided to head just north of Coffs Harbour to do a walk from Emerald Beach to Moonee Creek. We saw Emerald Beach a couple of days ago, but we headed further on this time to Look At Me Now headland. Yes, it really is called that …. It might seem a more appropriate name for some areas of Essex (!), but for some reason, this is what they chose to name the headland.
In fact it is significant to the local Gumbaynggirr people – the first residents here. It is an important mythological site and to them it is a powerful place. Evidence of the Aboriginal heritage and its people are still visible on the headland in the form of middens, campsites, ceremonial sites and areas where stone axes were ground. Beyond the headland is Moonee Beach and Moonee Creek and the name Moonee comes from ‘Munim-Munim’, which is the Gumbaynggirr name for the area. It means ‘rocky’, which reflects the original significance of this place for axe-making.
The headland is also well-known for its population of Eastern Grey Kangaroos. The Latin name for them is Macropus giganteus which means gigantic large-foot. Seems kinda appropriate! Apparently the red kangaroos from the semi-arid inland region can be larger, but these still looked pretty big to me. A fully grown male can weigh around 66kg and stand around 2 metres tall, so you don’t want to argue with them. Not least because they can outrun you quite easily travelling at around 35 mph at full speed. They can also jump over you if necessary as they can jump over 6 foot in the air with each step/bounce. However, there was little action today as they were all just lounging around eating.
Once we had walked past them we dropped down to Moonee Beach and spent about 45 minutes heading down towards Moonee Creek. The length of the beach was deceptive and once we had walked around 2 miles along it we decided to turn round and head back. The beach was stunningly beautiful and we had it more or less to ourselves. The only things to slightly marr the view were a small dead baby turtle and a dead kangaroo about half way along the beach – otherwise it was lovely.
On the way back we stopped for a couple of minutes to drink some water, only to be buzzed by a white-tailed sea eagle. They are apparently common in these parts along with ospreys and brahminy kites.
