After a relaxed Christmas and chilled out New Years, with 99% rainy weather on our boat, we decided to drive into the Outback. Our plans to head to Queensland had been canned due to increased Covid restrictions and border closures. Said and done, the next day we didn’t stop until we were several hundred kilometres West of Sydney, ways past Goulbourn and Canberra that’s also closed to NSW residents at the moment (Jan’21). In Gunning we stopped for some fuel and unexpectedly ended up hanging for a couple of hours by the beautiful riverside which includes the town’s pool (population 600! – very quiet!), facilities, playground and free camping! Had we known…
On we wandered deeper into Wirajiri land until we reached the land of the many crows (Wagga Wagga in language) where we enjoyed a beautiful red outback sunset. After some provisioning the next morning we continued heading West. An unexpected stop at Michael’s Sandhill Artefacts in Narrandera connected us closer to country. Everytime I travel into the Outback some magic grabs me. I meet elders and special creatues and old stories come back to me. It’s a somewhat barren but undescribably magical land.
We learnt more through stories, arts and bushtucker, some jokes and songs, saw a frozen goana and (not frozen) wild Koala which alas has become very rare, and ended up leaving with our very own didgeridoo which the boys have been practicing on ever since.
Ngurra Nayni Balandhu Walan. Together we are strong. Australia is in a very peculiar point in its history where slowly but surely the old ways are being more and more recognised, sought after and revised – and weaved into a new tapestry of One Australia. Still a long way to go but the journey is flowing. Like a journey into the outback, it needs to happen inwards as well as outwards… and so we journey on West into the vast red land and inwards towards more and more oneness. Look after country. Ask country to look after us.Yindyamarra. Respect and honour the land. Tred lightly. Be gentle and polite.
Sailing Yoga Family 