Untying the knot to Australia
I thought to take this opportunity to say my final goodbyes to Australia. We’re finally leaving, with one day spare to Albert’s visa. We’re at the end of our one year stay in my mother country. We’re heading back to Europe, taking a long four month trip across South East Asia to get there.
An Overview of the Last Year
We’ve done a lot this year, and been through some amazing landscapes. I couldn’t help but want to sum up 2008 while casting a nostalgic look back to ghost gums and koalas.
Snakes
I’ve never seen a snake before this year, and now we’ve counted 10 in a year. Pythons, green tree snakes, red bellied black snakes and the brown snake. It did mark my meeting with the earth mother, there’s no doubt about that.
Aussie Trees
One of the things I think of the most when I’m away, is the smell of the Aussie bush. There’s nothing like it around the world. The dry heat and the eucalypts. A sudden heavy odour of pollen from flowers that to human eyes blend into their environment rather than make a grand song and dance. I’ve hugged trees, patted them, felt the earth’s energy flowing through them, felt blessed by them and am thankful. Housing all kinds of insects, animals and giving shade to a myriad of beasts. Not to mention the oxygen thing.
Jett
Jett’s truly developed into a confident and self assured little man. He hasn’t been sick once since we left Europe, even in our trip to India. He’s learnt to swim like a fish and dance hip hop with one of Australia’s leading ball room dancers. We’ve been told we simply must keep him dancing. His English is good, but he doesn’t seem to want to lose his Germanic accent.
Albert
Albert never really cared about coming to Australia. Its not been one of his big destinations. I think he was impressed with the size and variety of the landscape and he’s happy to have come. His English has improved also, but he insists on saying ‘gwhat’ instead of ‘what’ and ‘teoretically’ instead of theoretically. Can’t put a good horse down, so they say.
Highlights
We’ve just been to Sydney for the New Year, and to Uluru. Honestly, it was spectacular – both. But the most impressive experience for me, was the dashing of my old rivalry with New South Wales. I was born in Victoria and have lived a chunk of my life in Queensland, so I had a natural, irrational and undiscovered antagonism towards New South Wales.
And then I discovered the glorious beaches, the Hunter valley, the Blue Mountains and glittering Sydney. New South Wales is the jewel of Australia. It really is. Australia is enormous, but New South Wales, for its size and diversity, should be the number one destination of anyone who has a shortage of time to see Aus.
So again, I say, thanks for all the fish, and see you all at the other end of the universe.
