A group of retired men in Sutherland Shire continue to live up to their unofficial club motto, “Never too old”.
The members of Cronulla Men’s Probus Club say they “just want to have fun”.
The Leader reported a year ago on their activities, which included indoor go-karting and whitewater rafting.
The latest adventure, for a group aged between 65 and 75, was a Tarzan-type challenge on the four-stage course at Illawarra Fly, where they swung though the rain forest tree tops, suspended from a cable by a webbed harness.
Activities leader Gary Daniels said first impressions it might not prove too hard were quickly dispelled.
“There are four stages, three harness runs and a very high, wobbly and narrow cable bridge to be crossed on foot that they don’t tell you is there,” he said.
“Once the fear of being high above the valley floor is overcome, you must start each harness glide with a big take-off to gather the momentum to make a successful landing at the other end.
“Making that landing, pulling yourself up onto the platform, is actually the hardest part.”
Another adventurer, John Picken, having survived a tricky landing, admitted, “I should not have taken the dare to hang upside down during that last stage”.
“As a boy I would watch Tarzan movies and wondered what it would be like, swinging from tree to tree.
“Now I know. It’s exhilarating. I should have tried this years ago.”
The Illawarra Fly is located 90 minutes south of Sutherland at the top of the Illawarra escarpment, north-west of Jamberoo.
“The easy drive down the coast is scenic and there are no traffic lights once past Heathcote – the drive itself is well worth the journey,” Mr Daniels said.
“There is also an elevated steel platform walk in the rain forest treetops for those not prepared to be suspended from a skinny-looking cable 20 metres up in the air.
“But our scenic viewing was cut short on a beautiful sunny afternoon by the threat of being caught on the edge of the escarpment by some fantastic thunderstorm cell clouds heading our way.”
Cronulla Probus also offers other activities for over-55 retired or semi-retired men and partners.
Visit: cronullaprobus@gmail.com or call Gary Daniels on 0413 739 015.