Below is the first few paragraphs of Bogong’s Year – a new project I’ve just begun. You can follow it by clicking here or via the Brian tab above – Brian>Current projects>Bogong’s Year. “There are some times when you realise that the passage of time has been less a passage and more a torrential flow. I always like ‘passage’ because it gives the impression, at least in my mind, of some kind of orderly movement. Torrent however raises something quite …
The world’s a truly amazing place. This is something that we need to keep reminding ourselves of. Yes there’s a lot of negative stuff and its east to feel disheartened about various things, including the state of the political process in many countries that had, in the past, shined a light on democracy. But there is also a lot of things happening, randomly, which make us realise that things are much more negotiable especially at a local level. I’ve worked …
On 27th December 2016, I came across a small story in The Age – a story which highlighted the pressures on the AAWT, the pressures on national parks and pressures on the landscapes which support them. This was a story of significant change to what a national park has been understood as in Victoria, and more specifically, what Victoria’s Alpine National Park represents. According to the article (which can be read here), Parks Victoria and Regional Development Victoria have proposed …
For me, local slow travel is one of the great things I do. Here’s some of the reasons why I think it’s the best way to travel (in no particular order): Walking, cycling and paddling allows me to travel IN a landscape, not THROUGH one. I get to meet people. I get to learn about their landscapes. I can contribute economically, socially and sometimes even politically at the local level. Knowing more about the ways people live in their landscapes, …
As Spring continues its attempt to arrive, I have really got back my sense of seasons and seasonality. And they speak of different connections with me and this landscape that I call home. I’m reminded of these connections – my space, seasonality and my experience in this landscape – when I bike, walk or run across them. There is an openness, at least for me. I’m running or riding or walking to various locations and various spots on the local map. …
Recently, for whatever reason, my mind has been turning to the nature of travel in the early 21st century. It was perhaps pricked by the ease I did some research on a Himalayan destination I‘m going to soon, perhaps it was pricked by the tweets on my twitter feed full of information about places, ‘5 best of’ lists and the like which swirl round and find their way to blogs, posts, articles and wherever else. This ease of information no …
I recently put a post up (available here) where I make some points about the importance of taking landscapes as a basis for thinking about sustainable futures. In that post, I’ve highlighted the following: thinking about landscapes actually integrates our thinking and understanding the foundations of landscapes are ecosystems landscapes let us understand the intersection of human values/activities and ecological processes this in turn means that a mosaic of uses, values and ecosystems is important to sustainable futures by understanding this, …
Here in Delhi summer has arrived. The heat can now be felt during the nights as well as the days. There is a steady rise in temperatures and a steady search for shade amongst many. Water from the water bottle next to my bed is getting warmer when I need to drink during the night. Summer’s here. This is something to be expected, but it does make me think about the whole idea of our connections with landscapes and city-scapes, …
Here in Delhi summer is coming. The heat can now be felt during the day as well as nights. There is a steady rise in temperatures and a steady search for shade amongst many. Water from the water bottle next to my bed is getting warmer when I need to drink during the night. It’s coming. This is something to be expected, but it does make me think about the whole idea of our connections with landscapes and city-scapes, as …
Clink, clink, clink I’d hear. The sound of hammer on tent-peg, or maybe rock on tent-peg, depending on how well supported the person’s camping trip was. Occasionally it was ‘ow, ow, ow’ as someone tried to put tent pegs into ground with their hands, fists or feet. This was the life of camping in national parks, sometimes ‘car-camping’ where you bring your camping gear with you in your car, sometimes hiking in with the gear in rucksacks. National parks, slow …