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.
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