A Heartbeat in The Desert – The Hermannsburg Mission
When the Lutheran missionaries of the Hermannsburg Mission touched the heart of the outback, they were not the first or the last to do so. The heartbeat of this desert has pulsed for millennia and continues today. It is as old as the sunsets on the MacDonnell Ranges when the sun is like fire and the sky bleeds the scarlet of Sturt's desert peas. The history of Central Australia is made by the experiences of one person layered over another’s, marked by the red earth and open sky.
Located 125 kilometers from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia, the Hermannsburg Mission buildings are solid, white-washed stone. Their outer walls are as pale as the trunks of ghost gums and they stand on land known as Ntaria to its traditional owners. The missionaries entered the landscape in the late nineteenth century at an important but brutal time in history. The land was rapidly being colonized and pastoralists were staking ownership of large stations to run livestock and make a profit. In their wake, significant numbers of people were left dispossessed.
The missionaries faced the hardship of
failed crops and drought. They despaired in their efforts to make converts,
finding this more difficult than they expected, although they came to Central
Australia with the intention of winning souls. The isolation brought its own
challenges. The missionaries did not know what influence they would leave
behind, just as we do not completely know ours.
History tells us that the mission, which lasted well into the twentieth century, contributed markedly to the Central Desert community. Today, the Hermannsburg mission buildings are a popular tourist destination for travelers, linked to Alice Springs by a completely sealed road. The community of Hermannsburg is still called home by many recent arrivals, in addition to those whose connection pre-dates the European exploration and discovery of Australia. The church and tannery are still standing, as are the schoolroom and living quarters. We can read about the hopes and dreams of the missionaries as we walk through the tourist precinct. We read of their struggles and disappointments. To a certain extent, we hear their voices, although many from the same era are lost to time.
Life in the desert continues now that the
original world of the Hermannsburg Mission has long passed away. Our history is shared, and so is our future. Our view of the desert might not be the same as what
future generations see. We are adding our own layers to history. Our stories are
new, but they will grow old at some point, and the people who come after us
will create their own unique layers over this land. These stories have many
authors, but in the end, they all play out on the ancient soil of Central Australia.