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Katoomba walk

  • Katoomba, Australia

    Trip started 16 May 2020
  • 1. Leaving the safety of home. It’s like a blanket now, I never want to leave. My veggie patch is a visible sign of the progress of isolation. My shadow comes with me wherever I go.
    Travelled for a minute
     2. We can complain about the situation, but there is so much beauty in it, especially in this country with this privilege. A good reminder to have perspective.  
    Travelled for 8 minutes
    3.Things operate differently now Doors shut Computers open Connection Disconnection Distance  
    Travelled for a few seconds
    4.It seems so long ago that a walk in this direction meant a trip into the city, a long commute to work. Rail repairs meant replacement buses. Long trips, long days, fatigue. Now I pass without a thought.  
    Travelled for a few seconds
    5.Usually bustling with tourists, rural towns feel safe now apart from the threat of the outsider bringing the virus to our space. Now I see mostly locals, I say hi to folks as we pass on the sidewalk. Cafes serve from takeaway stations in their doorways. Signs note the maximum number of people in those shops that have remained open.  
    Travelled for a few seconds
    6.The streets are quiet The humans wait The virus lingers Stage 1 of what future?  
    Travelled for a few seconds
    7.Street libraries have popped up as a way to feel the sense of community we once had. I am torn. These are both lovely and not. Sharing is beautiful. Not supporting authors means fewer books get printed.  
    Travelled for a few seconds
    8.The view. What remains of council attempts to close the walks.  
     
  • Travelled for 41 minutes
    9.Saturday morning and no one here. The town chooses to fallow.  
    Travelled for a minute
    10.Our biggest attraction boarded up. Tourists hover. I read that last weekend we had groups break through the barriers, disregarding council orders to stay away. I notice small groups this morning. Someone lets their dog poop on the sidewalk and leaves it, giving me a glare as I pass. This space feels in between, unfriendly. A marked difference to the town.
    Travelled for a few seconds
    11.I end my journey here, on a platform tourists are using to see the valley. The three sisters can’t be seen. The clouds roll over like the smoke of earlier in the year. I remember coming here at night to watch the bushfires consume great swathes of precious land. There was fear then. Much greater than the fear of the virus. I think of spending NYE in the heat of the fire, evacuated in a seaside town. People fit like sardines on sports fields, homes, lives, livelihoods lost. I remember the hot grief of that time and breathe in the cold patience of the ViralScape. We move with the seasons, experiencing each with visceral attention. The land speaks.  
  • Trip finished 16 May 2020