Lake Mungo - even more exciting than before!

And what an experience it was for Wilderists, Cherelynne Carden and Joy Engelman. This time, we were amazed at how green it was..... whilst the ground and grass are brown here in Orange, from West Wyalong out thru Balranald and onto Mungo, 60 mm of rain had fallen in just one month! That is 5 years of rain! Ridiculous! So everywhere was green! Whoa! Where's that desert?

The heavy rain washed the sands back to bedrock and the patterns were fascinating.... making one wonder what other archeological finds have been exposed.

But we weren't disappointed at Lake Mungo.... it was still as serene and as calm and as celestial as ever....

The late afternoon sun backlit the dunes and they glowed as brightly as before in there multitude of colours... taking our breathe away....

And yours truly has been given a space to hang artworks at Mungo Lodge which is just wonderful... to be able to have artworks hung right there at the spot that inspired them! So Cherelyne and Joy took time out to set up the new exhibition "Moods of Mungo" right there on the spot....

along with a few tourist items as well.... bright earth coloured mugs, scarves, prints and more for you to enjoy and to remind you of being out these in this fabulous country ....

Here's a peek!

After arriving, wot?

So now we have rested, had a big bacon and egg breakfast, we start the day with a little demo by me at the Mungo Lodge.... I thought a quick watercolour of some the country we had just driven through the day before.... then the lovely and talented Jane Tonks took those that were willing, for a wander through the bushes to look at the area close up, find the local critters and take note of colour and form.....

(photo courtesy of John Kich)

The scrubby country is alive with colour but you can get lost very quickly if you're not paying attention. There were a lot of strange things to see and a few curious faces.....

The real highlight came that afternoon when 22 of us loaded into the bus and headed out with our guide, Mick for a walk on the dunes in the sunset. No trip to Mungo should go without this wonderful addition to the journey for the knowledge of the history and the finds amongst the dunes can only be found with a guide. It is also not allowed to walk in the dunes without a guide as the area is protected from wandering around willy nilly. The dunes are so fragile that they need to be protected..... so here's a few pics of that afternoon walk....

(photo by John Kich)

It has taken me a few days to settle down after being back out there in that place.... I love it immensely and it was good to go back. No-one can describe the feeling, you just have to go and sit and be in peace!

OMG Wot a week?!

Well our tribe has just returned from the Lake Mungo trip... a journey into the heart of the outback seeking inspiration and connection.... what a serene and beautiful landscape.... gentle and still, it takes quite a while for it to seep into the soul and become available.....

 

In the early morning, we stood  and waited for the sun to rise and warm our bones.... boy, was it chilly!? But well worth the wait! The colours are not apparent until you look through the lens for somehow your eyes don't adjust at first..... the silence beckons you..... it serves both as a welcome change from the freneticism of town life and as a way of meeting nature at her deepest and best.

I snuck out alone on that first morning and sat at the dunes and waited to greet the sun by myself. I needed the moment to ground myself and let Mungo talk to me. This is such a delicate landscape, fragile and not readily accessible. The feeling is akin to being in a an open air cathedral with the heavens making a huge arch above. The wind blows softly and gently touches my cheeks and hair.... this is the home of aboriginal lands, the heart of country and I am blessed to be able to be back here after 30 years... little has changed although I can see changes, small changes on a timeless landscape.

Those ancient dunes contain stories, trace memories of past peoples, a 45 thousand year old story of human occupation. I wonder who were they, what were they like, what did they know to be able to survive... and a deep respect enters my soul.

It is time to return for later I will bring the others back to this special place, a place that has had a firm grip on me for many years now and I will wonder what each of them learns, and discovers from this sacred place.

Bye for now.....