I won’t pretend to be a bush kid. I’d like to be, but I’m not. I’d love to be one of those practical people who can survive in the middle of nowhere for weeks with a hair-dryer, a packet of Gummy Bears and a spork, but I’m hopeless and extremely jealous of practical peoples’ relationship with nature.
As we are waiting in Darwin for a week until the next boat leaves for Dili, we have had the time to explore The Territory. On our first morning in Darwin Tony Fitzgerald, whose house we are staying at, organised an expedition/picnic out to Tjaynera Falls (Sandy Creek) in Litchfield. The Falls are straight out of the ads for the Northern Territory. You even have to drive through a river (well, it was a river to a Southerner) to get there.
Sitting eating barbecued lamb chops with lime (we carried a barbecue plate) in the shadows of a cascading waterfall I toyed with the idea of ‘going bush’. It’s such a romantic dream of many Australians to ‘get away from it all’. As I swam in the pristine freshwater pool and basked in the sun, I started to feel a little stupid that we were busting our guts to drive all over the world when our own backyard is so amazing. Somehwere between jumping off a rock and landing in the water I understood the appeal of Darwin. I understood why so many come up here and have never left. Instead of spending the weekend eating and drinking in trendy bars and cute cafes, you can eat and drink in the wilderness surrounded by flowing falls, blue skies, fresh air and water, and the occasional bullant. Then on returning to Darwin you can do it all over again in the trendy bars and restaurants around town. You feel more natural in the shade of a palm than in the shade of a building. It’s a lifestyle I could easily adopt. And who knows, maybe I’d develop some bush instincts….
