Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk : Facing a Fear of Heights

Travelling to America over Christmas taught me something about myself that I hadn’t realised before. I’m starting to become a statistic. My natural fear of heights is morphing into an irrational fear and vertigo. I experienced this at its worst on the ferris wheel in Santa Monica which ended in my tears and Miss N calmly whispering to me that it was okay as she rubbed my back up and down until the ride stopped (the mortification!!!)

The fear of heights is one of the most common phobias. Whilst most adults experience some anxiety when faced with height, around 5% of the population experience panic attacks and have great difficulty resolving this in a situation requiring those around to help. I’m determined to work through this and face my fear so it doesn’t become something that will affect our travels.

Last weekend I suggested that we all travel down to Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk – www.illawarrafly.com in the beautiful Southern Highlands. The walk is 1.5km long suggesting it is quite relaxing. The steel walkway features two cantilevered arms and a central tower which is raised around 50 metres from the floor. With a gorgeous view over the rainforest canopy and right across to the Pacific ocean it promises a breathtaking experience.

It was exciting to walk out onto the first arm of the walk. We all laughed and we commented that we were getting higher and higher. I was doing it! I wasn’t scared. We turned left and started walking out to the first lookout. This arm swayed. It bounced a little up and down with our weight and we were only half way out. I turned and ran right back in to the centre footing. The kids turned back and looked at me. “what are you doing mum?” I told them to keep going as I tried to regulate my breathing. In and out. In and out.

At this point my inner voice was telling me to head back to the dirt path. Let the family go ahead, it said. I fought it and continued to the Knights Tower in the centre of the Tree Top Walk. The spiral staircase looked high but it also appeared quite stable. The rest of the family went first. I followed, breathing deeply. At the top I leaned against the inner bannister for a few minutes until I felt safe. What a magnificent view. I was still a little scared, the slight sway didn’t help, but the view distracted me. I was so excited to make it.

My legs continued to shake throughout the rest of the walk but I was able to experience each section and talk about what we could see with the kids. I held tightly to each handrail but continued forward. When we hit the dirt track I was overwhelmed with a sense of achievement. I had faced my fear. I had moved through it. The adrenaline felt great.

On our walk back to the cafe were able to explore the bush a little more. We found a variety of moss which the kids gently felt with their fingers. Large vines were wound around a tree trunk which reminded us of Tarzan. We used this to climb a metre or so high. We were disappointed to miss both the resident wombat and jabberwookie, but we did find their hideouts.

Illawarra Fly is open every day from 9.00am – 5.00pm (last admission at 4.15pm). A family ticket is $64.00 (or free if you have a Merlin Pass). Last December the Zipline tour opened which looks like fun (although I don’t think I should do it….yet!).