Autumn on Mount Dandenong

This year would be the last chance for me to experience the full cycle of seasons in Melbourne. So the moment autumn poked her bright face, I grabbed every single opportunity to be connected with this glorious Mother Nature showing up at every corner in the city. Being able to watch the transformation of colours and shapes of this natural heaven always gave me that aaah feeling I badly needed. I thought then that I had had enough of autumn in Melbourne, until that day when I secretly entered into the deep wood on Mount Dandenong.

It was so foggy and wet on Mount Dandenong that morning. This 633-metre tall mountain looked like a fairy-tale labyrinth filled with all sorts of cute characters. Located only 35 km east of Melbourne city, I took the earliest train from Flinders Station, got off at Belgrave station and hopped on a bus to Sherbrooke Road. From this point on, I was left alone with nature and was transported to a different world filled with magic. I could hardly name these mesmerizing creatures since I was not a trained botanist, but I was certain they all shared the same name – Angelina Jolie.

Each time I saw these sexy and beautiful autumn leaves falling and seducing me like showers of gold, I felt like I was being reborn again. So abundant under my feet, I suddenly felt a pang of guilt for admiring their beautiful death. How pitiful. There was no one cheering and acknowledging their graceful falls. Aren’t they supposed to be treated with dignity like human souls? Angelina Jolie might agree with me, right?

My heart stopped when I finally arrived at the Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens. For a moment, I thought I had just seen a copy of paradise. Honestly, this was the most gorgeous foliage of season I had ever seen in my life. The dream-like kaleidoscope of silhouettes and contours made me feel as though I were part of an artist’s impression in a delicate painting. Things seemed to be eternal here. I was mesmerized beyond songs and poetry. Even Angelina Jolie couldn’t compete with this beauty. Sorry, babe.

So it’s true, the existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect. I’m drowning.