Central Australia - The Land Before Time
The landscape of Central Australia is timeless: the blue sky, red earth, rock formations, and vegetation have existed in cycles for millennia. Ghost gums reach towards an ancient sky, and the earth retains its secrets. This land has seen multiple changes as eras rise and fall, yet it remains. People - and viruses - hover over the soils of the Central Desert, but they don’t last forever.
Regardless of where we find ourselves –
inside or outside – the land waits for us. It has been the sustenance of people
since before time existed. These past days have seen many people cloistered at
home, longing to go out into the world, yet isolated to preserve safety. This
is not the first time disaster has passed through these skies. It will not be
the final. And we know that at this moment if we hold on, we will see this
through.
Blood has spilled on this land before and
yet it has survived. We can draw strength from its constancy. In a time of
extreme uncertainty, few things remain, yet the beautiful scope of the Central
Desert’s geography is steadfast. So much has changed in the last two years; so
much will continue to change. I remember a night earlier in the year when I
watched the early evening sun over Alice Springs and in the dying light, I
walked up to the rocks to watch the glow of sunset touch them like fire. During the lockdown, I drew strength from my memories, knowing and hoping that the
stay-at-home orders would eventually lift, and I’d be free once more. We don’t
know when this season will end, but every morning the sun does rise again.
Winter in the Territory is stunning. The cool air, the wide-open spaces, the company around a campfire. Being out amongst it is a pleasure. Who knows where we might head in the future? But despite whatever keeps us trapped, the beauty outside our homes remains. We make sacrifices to preserve the safety of our future. Once this is achieved, there is no impediment to enjoying the Territory’s cooler weather.
We are just one patch on the continent of
Australia. We may be isolated in Alice Springs, but the landmass of the Great
South Lands ripples from under our feet towards the ocean, transcending
man-made borders. Ultimately, we are together as one. We are still building our
story, our era in this snapshot of time. Let’s leave a story of resilience for
those who come after us. Let’s show them how strong we can be.