I love exploring the neighbourhood parks and a funny thing happened at a small neighbourhood park the other day. I was searching for a geocache. You may know that a geocache is a buried container that is hidden for searchers to find using a GPS unit. This one was partly buried under a bush at the back of a planted area near a children's playground.
So ....... picture this.
I am lurking around the empty playground trying to pretend I am on the phone while I use the GPS to work out which bush I need to look under. True to form my GPS takes me back and forth and I have to do some searching of my own. It is obvious by the trampled areas in the planting that others have done the same thing. Just as I am about to give up rummaging around in the undergrowth, I find the cache and crouch down to sign the logbook and take a photo. 
All done, I come out of the bushy undergrowth to find a neighbour has been taking an interest in my activity and is sitting on a chair on her lawn and eyeing me suspiciously. I try to smile and wave but she seems unimpressed, as she takes out her mobile phone, presumably to report something.
How bizarre.
At the next cache in the same neighbourhood, a young boy comes over and tells me that the neighbourhood knows about the cache in their park. He says that one of the neighbours thought it was drugs. They took apart the small trinkets in the cache and called the police to check the container and area for drugs.
I wonder if it is a coincidence that there were police in the street as I went out for a walk this morning. I sure hope so.

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Park Photos

Australia has some beautiful neighbourhood parks so I thought I would show you a few of my favourite photos.

The trees are gorgeous and provide some much needed shade in this park in Mudgee, New South wales.



A path through the bush makes this a wonderful spot for a walk.
This is one of many wild neighbourhood parks that make you feel miles from anywhere.



I love the way the councils have shady seats and often free barbecues in neighbourhood parks. this one is minutes from the motorway and overlooks the Brisbane River near Ipswich, Queensland.



Another well planned park which is the centre of a new suburb.



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