BRAVE WOMEN

In 1977, at 26 years old, Robyn Davidson decided to walk 1,7000 miles across the harsh terrain of Australia. Dubbed the 'Camel -Lady' she spent 9 months, accompanied by her unruly team of camels and her beloved faithful dog Diggity for company. She travelled from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean off the western coast. And what an epic voyage!

The National Geographic sponsored her trip, with the agreement that photographer Rick Smolan was allowed to intermittently document stretches of her travels.

The Book 'Tracks" was published two years later as a memoir of her journey.

This is a gripping account of courage and determination. Robyn Davidson is known to be an introverted, shy person who admits she was quite irritated that Rick Smolan was there periodically to document her travels with his beautifully dramatic photography. However, this union brought about a fantastic adventure within the harsh beauty of the Australian landscape and gave us insight into her empathic view of our indigenous people, their ties to the land and its flora and fauna and how vast and magnificent the Australian Outback is.

This wonderful true adventure  moves us with its simplicity.

She endures sweltering heat, freezing nights, poisonous snakes and rampaging bull camels. It decribes the peeling back of identity and wants to magnify basic needs of any human: survival, appreciation of the planet's beauty and harshness, the very real and warm relationships between human beings and animals. It demonstrates our need to embrace our dreams, no matter how difficult and to live it with passion and compassion. Robyn has written many books of her travels since, and are amzing accounts of how brave and determined women can be.

"Tracks" was made into a movie, and for once the movie does not disappoint. I loved both. 

 The writing of Circles in the Wind was instigated by a visit to a remote hut in Victoria's High Country, which is the cattle country. The novel is fictitious but is inspired by the true story of a young woman who actually occupied the hut in the 1970's. The young woman had previously lived for a year alone on a harsh desolate island, off the south-west coast of Tasmania.

The young woman, Jude is a solitary nature-loving person who feels most at home when alone in the rugged, often harsh Australian bush. She has a love of music and is a creative flautist.  She occupies the hut which is build by ,and on the land of a very well-established family, the Adams. 

The story embraces the growing relationship between her and the then current landowner, Max Adams. Though older than Jude, he dually bewildered and fascinated by her free spirit, her independance and her need to be alone. She in turn learns to trust and respect his own connections with the land and the rhythms of seasons, which are always governed by the needs of his livelihood and the love of droving and caring for his cattle.

Both have deep connections with the land and seasons, are astounded and fascinated by the harshness and sometimes forgiving weather and seasons, their dependance on  the earth and rain, wind and fire. They fall in love and begin a relationship that at times are at odd with each others needs, and is rejected by the community around them, especially Max's son, who is portrayed as selfish and without love or conscience.

Linette's writing is beautifully fluid, and she is able to conjure up feelings and images that describe the cultural clashes of the established, conservative land-owners with the counter-culture or 'hippies" of the 1970's, who shunned convention and searched for new meaning and connections to the land and the natural environment. She emphasises that many who engage in farming and droving often share the same connectedness and wonder of seasons and times. 

The novel contains fragments of poetry and excerpts from her uncle, Jack Treasure who partly inspired but is not the basis of the character of Max. 

The story ends quite dramatically, emaphasising the relation between humans and animals and how many of us lose happiness because of our own imaginary prisons.

Linette's books can be purchased from Bairnsdale Bookshop or Collins bookshop in Bairnsdale Victoria or can be emailed on treas4@activ8.net.au