Out Of Sight Not Out Of Mind

Over the past few weeks I have found it a bit hard to write about Australia. It isn't that I have run out of thing to say, but for some reason I seem to lack motivation. Perhaps it is because I am currently on the other side of the world and feel detached from a place that I have come to consider my home. Last night while watching "The Alice", I was transported to deep in the outback. 

The film is set in the central outback town of Alice Springs. The plot is based on an approaching solar eclipse which can be best observed from the isolated Northern Territory. Characters from all walks of life and from different parts of the world make their journey to the bush for a once in a lifetime experience. 

Overall I found the story line a bit corny, but portrayal of life in the Australian bush and the mesmerizing scenery and landscape brought  to my attention that, even though I may be separated by distance, there are still many stories to be told and pictures to be painted.

Ten Canoes

Last night we watched "Ten Canoes"  by directed by Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr.  Released in 2006, this was the first movie to be filmed in an Australian Aboriginal language.  It follows the tradition of Aboriginal oral history, and a storyteller leads the audience through a tale that includes love, loyalty, duty, history, customs and laws.
The story is not told in the traditional narrative form that we are familiar with, and the never-seen storyteller jokes about this at the beginning and the end of the film. The format is not linear, and several stories are interpolated.  However, the same cast is used for the multiple stories. Confusion is avoided through switches between black &  white and color differentiate the different stories lines.
The story is not action packed, and many may find it a bit slow.  However, the scenery from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory is magnificent. Also, humor is included, though I question if it is authentic to the Aboriginal culture, or included to keep the audience engaged.  I am not sure that I would recommend the film based on the story line, but the presentation and some of the content make viewing this movie worth your time.

Moons of Australia

Full Moons in Australia

The moon has been a re-occuring theme in our lives since our arrival in Australia.

We have been accompanied by a full moon on many of our trips.  At Uluru we witnessed a simultaneous reflecting sunset and full moon rise at one of Australia's most famous icons.  In Tasmania we were able to take a moonlit boardwalk hike at Cradle Mountain. At the Pinnacles, in Western Australia, we saw the full moon set as the sun rose.  In Sydney the round circle in the sky contrasted with the geometric shapes of the Opera house.  At the Flinders Range the full moon was our only company at the deserted Wilkawillina Campground.
In July our attention was drawn to the moon as we celebrated 40 years since the first moon walk.  The actual date of this historical event depends on where you live.  In Australia it was the 21st of of July, whereas in the United States it was on the 20th of July--because of the time zones.  A few weeks prior to the 4 decade anniversary we just happened to rent the Australian film "The Dish".  The story, which takes place in New South Whales, describes of the role that the Parkes Observatory  played in the broadcasting of man's first steps on the moon in 1969.  Prior to viewing the movie I had no idea that Australia played such an important role in the bringing  of Neil Armstrong's "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." down to earth.  Perhaps part of my ignorance is due to the fact that back in 1969 I was only one year old.  My Mom, however, did save a newspaper clipping for posterity's sake. I doubt that I am the only one that did not know this important fact.
The same week as the anniversary of the Lunar Landing, we visited the Moon Plain--a section of desert  that has been named because of it's lunar-like surface.  The Moon Plain is located 15 km north east of Coober Pedy, and is probably best known as the backdrop for Mad Max Beyond Thunder Drome.  It is unlike any other place that I have visited.  As you stand on the crunchy, "spider" cracked surface, gazing across the barren landscape, it is not hard to imagine that you are standing on the moon.

The Moon Plain

Finally, though not directly related to the moon, last June we grieved to loss of the world's most famous Moonwalker, Michael Jackson.

The Breakaways

In her book "Oyster", Janet Turner Hospital, talks about breakaway country as deviant land forms that are headstrong and rebellious. As I read this, I had to wonder if it is possible that author/director Stephan Elliot also held a similar definition for this type of landform. If so, is that why he chose to have the Breakaways Reserve play such an important role in his movie The Adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert? After all, Hospital's descriptive and poetic words--deviant, headstrong, rebellious--are a perfect definition for the main characters in the story.

We rented Pricilla just before our trip to Coober Pedy. Even though the movie did showcase the Breakaways, I felt the Oscar winning costumes took away from the landscape, and it did not prepare me for what I would see when we arrived at the Reserve.

The Breakaways, which were once part of the Stuart Range, are located about 30 kilometers to the north of the Opal Capital of the World. From the vast flat plain of the long-ago sea bottom rises a series of multi-colored hills, mesas and plateaus. The surrounding flat, wide-open space and the bright blue sky accents the stunning colors of the earth: red, yellow, white, grey, orange, brown and black. The contrast of the bright colors with the bleakness of the surrounding landscape is not an image I will soon forget.