According to maze masters website 'a maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route.
Mazes have a long history, the famous Cretan Labyrinth being the oldest and the most famous one. It was where the king kept a minotaur. Hedge mazes have been planted since the 16th Century in Britain. This is when gardens became places for games and fun for the noble families.
The original hedges at the Bellingham Maze are of Cypress Tree, but they are now being replaced with the native Australian plants for better sustainability.
I can just imagine the start of it. About 20 years ago, somebody at Sunshine Coast, who was fond of British mazes and puzzles had a bright idea of starting a tourism business. You can clearly see that the place has been developed with love and compassion for the environment. It is a nice Australian adaptation of the European mazes.
There is a very curious water fall to walk through at the entrance, a tropical garden, plenty of purposefully designed puzzles to solve, a friendly cafe to rest you feet at, have a 'cuppa' and discuss some serious or frivolous problem solving issues. The large aviary is a nice addition, displaying local birds.
The maze itself is good fun. It will take a while to solve. At the same time, the visitor can look for how many gnomes are hiding in the maze. Your reward is finding the secret fountain in the middle. And then you have to find your way out, or, you could find the 'give up gate' like my friend did.
It is possible for a family or a group to spend a whole day at the
Bellingham Maze solving puzzles, playing around, drinking tea, walking in the forest, looking for birds and visiting the Snow White House. Apparently, she even shows up at the house herself. The place calls for a peaceful and friendly day amongst the busy time during holiday or weekend fun. There is a natural feel to it! That is it's charm. I would definitely classify this attraction as a compassionate place to visit.
We dragged a wheelchair along the corridors of the maze with some effort, but it worked and provided lots of fun and entertainment to try to get through the openings. Finding our way back was a 'piece of cake' as our 'tracker' just followed the previous wheel tracks in the gravel. Very clever of her, I thought. I am certainly looking forward to taking my family there another time and seeing how the new Australian type of maze will look like.
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