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Welcome to the Arctic. There are no hills here and no glaciers to pour down frozen mountains. There are only flat plains of broken ice.
Mounds of snow, blown by the wind, thaw and freeze into solid blocks. They stand as sentinels, guarding the polar terrain from inquisition.
The occasional cigar-shaped blob catches my eye on these sheets of ice. Seals, rich with blubber, snooze in the daylight. They are wary, however. Despite the bland surrounds, they keep ears alert for the sound of an approaching nanook. But for now, it is silent.
I feel strange here: lost and waiting for something to happen, even if I’m not sure what. I am hypnotised by it all, and challenged by its stark honesty. This is not a welcoming place.
Under the warmth of the midnight sun, I stare from the bow of the ship and marvel at the surreal majesty of my hostile surrounds. I count myself lucky to have seen what so few will.
The August breeze is cold as they queue for the ferris wheel. She draws her coat a little tighter and nervously reaches for the hand of her date. She has been on this ride many times before, but never with a boy. He pays and she sheepishly smiles as the carriage shifts with their weight.
It circles once, and then again. She peers out over the grounds, above the noise and lights of other rides, and beyond the smells of cattle, horse, and deep-fried, winter fare. It is sanctuary amid the tumult of the Ekka.
The wind picks up and their seat begins to sway. Their ride stops with them at the top. She is unsettled and can feel it creep into the creases around her eyes.
Feeling him move, she turns her head to see if he is equally uncomfortable. He is not and presses forward to bite gently at her bottom lip. She feels her tension dissolve with the soft pressure he applies, and melts. Comfort turns to lust and she hungrily tastes his breath. Their view is forgotten in desire.
A jolt as the wheel begins to move, breaking their kiss. She giggles as her senses return. He sits back with a laconic grin and she snuggles into his shoulder as the wheel continues to turn.
Step step step. You’ve got to be kidding me, right? All the way to the top? What’s up there? What do you mean you’re not going to tell me? Don’t tell me to shut up. Alright, alright. Step step step.
This can’t be worth it. I’m going to have a heart attack. What? Only half way! Someone is going to pay. Step step step. Are we there yet? Geez, I shouldn’t have looked up.
Step step step. Is it going to be this blowy at the top? I’m going to freeze when I stop. Stop pushing me in the back. Okay, okay. I’m moving, I’m moving. They need an elevator. Are you sure this is really necessary?
I’ve lost count. How many steps do you think there is? What do you mean, “you don’t care”? Yeah, yeah - you and what army? Giggle. Cough. Pant. Ugh. Step step step.
Only ten stairs left. Pant. Wheeze. Nearly there. I can see the lighthouse. It looked far more impressive from the bottom. Step step step.
Yay! Made it. Wow! Pounamu green grasses stretch east to west, as far as my eyes can see. Grey-blue waters boil white breakers against the shore to the south. And the sky is the most perfect azure. I’ve never seen so much colour before. If I wasn’t so puffed, it’d be breath-taking.
Bloody hell! Those stairs look even worse from the top looking down. Maybe I should be quiet before someone thumps me.
She is beautiful and not the slightest bit interested in me. From her vantage point atop a boulder, she surveys the paths that lead to her enclosure. As self-absorbed children noisily pass, her lingering gaze betrays her intent. It may not be hunger that drives her, but it is in her nature.
Calmly, she sits and watches the world move around her. And then something catches her eye. I don't know whether it is the platinum blonde of her hair, but the arrival of a young woman has captured her attention She is off.
With her body low, she slinks across the waterfall into the cover of a couple of sparse trees. Even beneath her thick coat of mottled white, I can see her muscles are taut. She is hunting.
There is no time to change lenses and I watch as she comes down the embankment toward the perimeter of her cage. She crouches further as she reaches the electric wire that warns her that this is as far she is allowed. The moat does not look wide enough to prevent her crossing. The metal grid of the cage does not look tall enough to prevent her coming over the top.
Coiled to strike, the object of her focus remains oblivious as she rummages through a handbag. And then she changes her mind. It's as if memory has overhwelmed her instinct and she retreats the way she came. I am sure it is disgust that I can read in her expression as she returns to her perch.
Snow leopards are now my favourite of the big cats.
No longer does it possess the fingerprints of those who lovingly hand-plastered its concrete walls. Cyclones, floods and fire have all conspired to steal the legacy of the family who tended the extensive estate for so many decades. But they are not forgotten.
Memories persist despite the tropical rainforest wrapping its tendrils possessively around pitted walls. Moss colonises the damp, and cloaks the relics in a blanket of green felt. Enough remains exposed to identify the public baths that brought so many in its heyday. Now, it is mostly black bream and eels that frequent its waters.
The park is enigmatic. Instead of the carefree laughter of children playing and splashing, there is only the hushed reverence of tourists treading its well-worn walkways. Towering bamboo and giant kauri trees dominate the paths upon which they have flourished. Against the odds, they have survived. The labours of the Paronella clan have not gone unrewarded.
Despite the dilapidation of most historic buildings in Svalbard, this one is unique. Built by a fortune-seeking Australian in the early years of last century, it is the only two storey building of its kind in the frozen archipelago.
Not only does the failing structure typify the ambitiousness of so many who came to this polar wilderness, but it is a building that bears the scars of climate change. About a third of the way along its length, its spine has been broken. Every board that traverses that vertical has been split by shifting ground.
During summer months, the permafrost has begun to thaw. Melting ice has pushed up bubbles of earth, lifting the house from its stable base. The evidence of this expansion is clear in the large, hexagonal patterns that make the surrounding earth look like a giant beehive.
It is too dangerous to get any closer to the building. It is too dangerous to do anything but circle it from a distance and take photos under the low-ceilinged sky. Is it too dangerous to ignore the unspoken warning of an island adapting to its new seasonality?
It is a comical start. An early morning embarkment with a passenger load of hangovers, heading south along the Birdsville track. Almost as soon as we cross the border from Qld to SA, the grading turns foul. Teeth loosen as we bounce along the barren surface of the Stony Desert. I giggle as those in the back groan and pray for death.
The speed limit is 100 km/hr but I can't get above 80, and bleary eyes warn that the desolate horizon is disappearing in the pale of an approaching sandstorm. And then it happens. Without warning, a tumbleweed - thick and barbarous - dances in front of the car. It punctures a rear tyre and within 200 metres, it has been shredded by the unforgiving road. D'oh!
What is worse, the storm has closed in and now buffets us from all sides. We pull up as close to the side of the road as confidence allows in fear of the soft shoulders of the desert track and we turn to each other with non-plussed grimaces. We cannot wait for it to pass. Throwing long-sleeved shirts over our singlets, we don sunglasses and prepare to brace the storm so we can change the tyre.
The jack is all but useless and we are forced to dig a hole to prop the car up enough to change the wheel. Eventually we do, and when we climb back in, there is much relieved laughing. Red faces and and burnt legs betray how much we have been sandblasted.
I can see only a little way in front of us, but I persist until we reach Mungerannie. There, we enjoy a cleansing ale before setting off for Maree. Pulling into the caravan park just before dusk, we are promptly told we will be lucky if we can find space. We manage.
My set-up is easy and I roll out my swag. And while the others hammer in their tent pegs, I look up and notice the sunset. Grabbing my camera as quickly as I can find it, I abandon them and run across the road to an empty paddock. The sand and dust that scorched our flesh paints the sky in beautiful hues of pink and gold. As my shutter whirrs, I wonder how much of our fleshs makes up that sky and smile.
