The Bushwalk Bingo

A story about slowing down, noticing nature and bushwalking safely.

On Sunday, Dan’s family went for a bushwalk. His mother had printed a bingo card with twelve things to spot. “Birds’ nest, spiderweb, red leaf, mushroom,” she read. “The first one to fill a row wins.” Dan was determined.

They put on hats and sunscreen, and filled their water bottles. “We will stay on the track,” said his father, “and we will stay together.” At the start of the path, he pointed to a signpost with a map. “It is a loop,” he said. “One hour.”

The bush was quiet and cool. The gum trees rose tall and silver, and the ground was covered with crunchy leaves. Dan spotted the first item almost at once. “A red leaf!” he whispered, and he put a cross on the card.

A little further, they found a spiderweb stretched between two twigs, glittering with dew. It was a perfect wheel, with a tiny brown spider in the middle. Dan took a photo, and ticked his card.

His sister, Elle, found a mushroom, orange and round, growing at the foot of a log. “Do not touch it,” said their mother. “Some mushrooms are not safe.” Elle looked from a distance, and drew it in the margin of her card.

They stopped on a rock for a drink and a piece of fruit. A kookaburra landed on a branch above them, and watched. “That is not on the card,” said Dan, “but it should be.” He added it in pencil.

A little later, Elle spotted a bird’s nest in the fork of a small tree. It was a neat round cup of grass and bark, with three tiny speckled eggs. They did not touch it, and they tiptoed away, so the parent could come back.

By the end, Dan had filled a whole row, and Elle had filled two. They shook hands. “It is a draw,” said their father. They walked back to the car with sandy shoes and tired legs. Dan did not mind. He had noticed more in one hour than in a month.

That night, he wrote the stars of the walk on his card. “Next week, we need a new bingo,” he said. His mother laughed. “I will print one for the beach.”

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