Before venturing into The Outback I was under the impression that the middle of Australia was completely flat and dry. I have heard people refer to The Outback as uninhabitable, as if anyone who set foot in this vast dry climate was instantly closer to death. The only natural wonders that anyone seemed to talk about were Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon. So naturally, in my imagination The Red Center consisted of thousands of kilometers of flat, dry earth and shrubbery with Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon plopped right smack in the middle -- the token tourist attractions for all those willing to put up with the barren journey. This, of course is completely inaccurate and now I feel stupid for ever believing it. The Australian Outback is actually quite beautiful. It is full of bright red canyons, flowing gorges, and healthy green gum trees with smooth white trunks. It is home to kangaroos, flocks of beautiful tropical birds called budgireegars, and large intimidating bulls.
The Northern Territory has a half hour time difference from neighboring states. A half hour time difference; that says it all. With a 1,500k radius from any major city, Alice Springs is a safe distance away from the rest of the world. This city is a difficult place to explain. It is full of social problems and people trying to fix them. The segregation and poverty issues attract humanitarians from all walks of life. Yet, as the tourist pampthlets suggest: "Alice is the sort of place where people come for a week and stay for a lifetime." There is a large aborginal population, a large tourist population, and then there is the other population -- the people who are just drawn here. The desert is the perfect place for artists and dreamers, not necessarily people who want to escape, but rather people who want to take their time and not be rushed through life. Time means nothing in Alice Springs.
The dry aridness of the desert works as a protector against environmental destruction and industrialization, leaving the feeling that the views you see and the land you walk upon have not changed for thousands of years. Void of clutter, the natural fung shui of the desert forces you to focus on the minimalist landscape and embrace the open plains.
There is something beautiful about stripping away clutter. Most places are soaked in irrelevance, but in The Outback nothing is irrelevant. The desert's simplicity reflects the simplicity of the traveling lifestyle. When you are backpacking, your things take on a new level of importance. Essentials become more essential and bulky accessories seem as out of place as a highrise in Alice Springs. There are no trinkets, no rubbermaid boxes of storage, no pile of semi-important papers that might be needed sometime in the next decade. There is only a backpack and a journey.
Who are you when you can't hide behind the usual clutter? When you do not have a solid job or address? When you can no longer seek anonymity between city walls and busy streets? When you can no longer define yourself by conventional labels? Out of habit, I always want to say that I am a student, but a student of what? The universe?
Yesterday, I sat down in a book store in Alice Springs and read a childrens' book called Wombat goes Walkabout by Michael Morpurgo and Christian Birmingham. The book is about a wombat who is going through an existential crises. He is trying to find an answer to the everpresent question: who am I and what do I do? On walkabout Wombat meets Kookabura and Kookabura says something like "I can fly what can you do?" Wombat becomes somber and answers "well I just think and dig holes." The situation is repeated with possom who can swing upside down, Wallaby who hops, and Emu who scoots around in circles (I know, I know but it is a kids' book).
Eventually Wombat walks to the top of the hill and spots a fire. Then he digs a big hole and provides refuge for all of the other animals (I know, I know but it is a kids' book). The point is that Wombat finally embraces his true nature. In the upset of the fire, the usual vagueness around self discovery and self definition were stripped away. Somehow, in the naked openness of The Outback, the only definition you need is yourself.
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