Social media has the ability to inform us of technology, of places that we may never see and extend our reach from the local to the exciting foreign destination…
But social media also tips you off of places that you can explore in your own city or suburb. Taking a walk uncovers all sorts of surprises in your local area.
On saturday, I took a walk in my suburb. I had been tipped off by mention of a bridge that was a part of the old Cooma road. After checking its location on google maps, or at least the street that was mentioned, I ventured out. I have to confess, I didn’t know what to expect, I didn’t expect to find it, as I had never seen it before. It is hidden from the road, it is hidden in plain view as no-one looks for it unless they know its there. The mystery bridge runs parallel to an existing used bridge, that many people travel over every day on the way to and from the snow, on their way home to Burra, Michelago, or Cooma.
Unsurprisingly, the one group of people who have found it are the taggers. There are patches where the bridge has been painted, covering art that might have been worth leaving, but now lost in time and visibility. After all, this is a bridge to nowhere, no cars cross it, barred by gates at both ends, it is solitary and rusting.
Framing the stream that runs under it, a rocky and wild rambling water course that becomes sterile and uniform when it reaches the concrete of the storm water drain, it creates a totally different image for the photographer. Now that I have found it, I wonder what it will look like in spring, in summer and autumn, as I am only seeing it in winter, where it is barren of color.
Where else are there places to explore, armed with a camera? Where have you been, discovering a place that Canberrans would love to see, but don’t even know it is there? Would you share with others so that they can see what you have seen? Or will people find these places in plain view by way of an off the cuff comment in a social media discussion?
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