Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

Nangi ngattai, Gurragan malier

Look and listen only, take nothing

After almost one and a half years in Australia, I am well and truly used to the omnipresent Australian sun. Grey and cloudy days are rare here and when they do happen, we usually reduce our needs to a good movie and a big scoop of chips from our local takeaway.

We had been working hard over the last few days, and this time around, the need for fresh air became stronger than the need to be comfortable.  So we made up our minds:  today was going to be koala day! I am going to see the animal for the first time in my life!

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is located about 45 minutes from Canberra centre. It is situated in a beautiful valley surrounded by gently rolling mountains. This morning the humidity and overwhelming greyness unearthed the lush colors of the surrounding grass. Intensive greens are gently touching the morning mist.  It reminds me of a European landscape.  The huge granite boulders, looming high up on the mountain tops, create a romantic and dramatic scene.  If I let my imagination get carried away, I would see them as ruins of a medieval castle. Such sights used to stimulate my girlish imagination.  What a homey feeling…

Wait a second, what castles!? What knights!?  I have just realized that I am looking at an Australian

landscape as the first European painters did. I see everything through eyes that are longing for familiarity. For those artists, eucalyptus trees turned into large oaks and the bush was inhabited by the Greek gods, as in one of my favorite images by McCubbin.  The truth is that talking about knights and castles while entering Tidbinbilla is like trying to find a link between kangaroos and Polish dumplings.

Don’t even think about ingredients!! Let’s get back to reality...

In the language of the Aborigines this place is called Jedbinbilla, which means “a place where boys become men”. Little is known about the initiation rituals of the traditional owners of this land. Knowledge is handed down as part of an oral tradition.  Some people erroneously believe that the lack of written records equates to the simplicity of the message. The only way to learn more is to experience the ritual itself.  It is sacred men’s business, so it’s not for me to tell the story. I will just mention the fact that the education of an Aboriginal male involves three stages: gatherer, hunter and warrior.  First, mothers and grandmothers teach boys about plants. Then after initiation, they become men and learn how to hunt. Finally, they become warriors.

Initiation rites were held in Jedbinbilla Mountains. The oldest traces of the first inhabitants where found at the rock shelter shown in the photograph above. Up until recently, Aborigines had been camping in this shelter for the past 21,000 years. To this day the place is treated with respect.  Aboriginal culture is the oldest continuing culture on Earth, and I am convinced that every step that I follow in their footsteps is a step closer to understanding the nature of Australia.

One of the metal gates, of which there are many in the reserve, was guarding access to the Eucalyptus Forest.  When we walked in my eyes encountered a peculiar sight – a fur ball.  Such a beautiful ball of fur! It was one of those fur balls that you just need to touch and squeeze!  An instinct of Disney’s Elmyra Duff or so-called ‘cute aggression’ came into play.  With panic in my eyes, I started looking for another ball.  Maybe this time it will be a little closer to the fence of the enclosure?  

One of them moved, lazily reaching for a eucalyptus leaf. We were very lucky to observe his (or was it her?) theatrical pauses while chewing. Koalas sleep 20 hours a day.  They spend the rest of their time moving between trees and eating.  Sitting for so long on the eucalyptus branch is not a problem, thanks to their fluffy fur coating, that serves as a soft cushion. Sometimes however, in a deep sleep, koalas fall from the tree (for empathic readers -it usually doesn’t end with any serious injuries), which may be the tragic ending for any passing tourist.

Now the time has come for the real challenge:  finding a wild koala in the forest. There are 20 of them in the Eucalyptus Forest. It’s so hard to spot one that a ranger ties cryptic orange notes close to the path where a koala was recently seen, claiming: "Koala last seen here on 24.04 at 10.30am at about 12 metres height in the third tree to the right of the large tree with the red bark ". Unfortunately, all notes seemed to be out of date the day we visited.  B. promised to find me a koala and left the main path, wandering deep into the bush. And I waited and waited...  After almost an hour, he returned to the main path, excited and waving me to meet him. I found one, he said humbly, bursting with pride.

It took about 15 minutes to reach the site. And there we stood together, smiling and staring at a ball of fur. We had a professional photo session, which was a substitute for our inability to touch him. Then we continued staring and smiling from ear to ear. The koala didn’t even move. 

Check out our photos from Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

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Photos from Tidbinbilla Reserve

Check out  photos from Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve 

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Australia

 

Australia is my home now. It is three things at once – a continent, country and an island the size of 7,692,024 km. That is 24 times bigger than Poland, my home country! It’s inhabited by only 23 million people (so few compared to Poland’s population of 38 million). No wonder we have birds visiting us for breakfast, kangaroos hopping along the road, and huge spiders weaving bedtime stories under our bed.

Australia has one, two or three flags, depending on who you ask. The first is, as the critics say, a colonial relic (vide Kudelka cartoon). Australia is still a constitutional monarchy, accountable to the Queen of England. This dependence has a great advantage – the Queen’s birthday is a work-free public holiday across the nation. Some locals say this is a good enough reason not to become a republic.

The second flag represents the traditional owners of this land, the Australian Aboriginals. This flag was designed in 1971 and approved in 1995, as a national symbol of Australia. The black colour represents the first inhabitants of the continent, red the Australian earth, and the yellow ochre circle in the middle symbolises the sun. The third flag represents the Torres Strait Islander people whose green land is surrounded by the blue sea. The white dhari – the traditional headwear in the middle of the flag represents the peaceful inhabitants. Finally, the white star with five arms represents the five major islands of the Torres Strait.

Out of curiosity, I decided to sit the Australian citizenship test. It turned out that I needed to know the meanings symbolized in the three flags of Australia.

Luckily for me, knowledge of the national anthem wasn't required. I am not the only ignorant one. It seems most Australians only know the first four lines of the hymn. Some prefer to hum the unofficial anthem of “Waltzing Matilda” - a far more colloquial and melodic tune, reflecting the population's penchant for an easy going and carefree lifestyle.

 

I have found my own unique hymn as a result of searching for a more harmonious balance between my Polish nature and the Australian reality that surrounds me. I have adopted one of the best-selling Australian songs of all time, “Eagle Rock” - a retro tune performed by a Melbourne-based band and featuring a white eagle – the national symbol of my home country, Poland.

I am currently living in the capital of Australia. Can you guess where? Scroll to the bottom of this page for the answer... This city was designed down to the minutest detail in accordance with the principles of sacred geometry. It is the realization of a vision of the perfect capital.

Thank you Australia that your capital is so hospitable to us.

Edyta

Canberra - it's location was chosen in 1913 as a compromise to resolve the quarrel between Sydney and Melbourne for the title of the most important city in Australia.

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