City slickers miss out on real life: Attenborough

Well, you posted the link -- what do you think, Mike?

I've thought long and hard about it, as it is one thing to feel you agree with the author, it's a completely different matter to explain yourself.

As you might know, I spend a lot of my time (working life and spare time) in the bush, I visit some of the places Attenborough's visited to film his documentaries on a daily basis. I know what he refers to, because just like him we spend our time going to places looking for wild animals "you go where they are not where they aren't, so I tend perhaps to get a rather too rosy view of how the planet is because I go back to those unspoilt pot spots where wildlife still flourishes"...

Talking to family and friends overseas, I know they can't comprehend the things that are different to their lives, the beauty we see, the way we live. I know I don't take this beauty for granted, I don't think I ever will -- how could I???

I know how very fortunate we (my family and I) are. We live in a World-Heritage listed area, we live on Aboriginal land, my son goes to school here, we have close friends here -- we have experiences, away from our job, that we will forever treasure. These experiences, involving Aboriginal people as well as nature and wildlife observations nobody will ever take away from us!

Just the other day I lead a group of visitors across the East Alligator River to visit Injalak Hill near Oenpelli/Gunbalanya. And while my passengers were still reeling from the night before when the A/C wasn't working in their hotel rooms and the temperatures of the build-up were getting all to much -- and so was the climb up the hill -- I got just as excited as the very first time I saw those birds, when I watched literally hundreds of Brolgas near Red Lily billabong...

The very next day we celebrated the end of our tourist season with a fishing trip to one of Kakadu's tucked away hidden places. One of the places you can only visit with special permission of a Traditional Owner.
Going bush, getting down and dirty -- in a really good way!
I had so been longing for this occasion! Going fishing with my 2 Ganjoks...or even just watching them winning the private little fishing comp against the boys with their high-tech reels, winning hands down!

Plus...the ladies added a couple of Arafura File Snakes to the catch of the day, to be cooked up at dinnertime. Poking around in the mud along the banks of this Kakadu billabong, the ladies can feel the hollows the snakes have formed in the soft mud. Then it's easy to feel around in the mud for the rough, raspy skin of this aquatic snake to grab it and throw it onto the bank.

Yes, I'm fully aware that this isn't anywhere near what any Australian would call their 'every day life'. But for some it is.
And for me to be able to share it every now and then...it keeps me grounded.

When I had a few full-on days in the office, I can't wait to get out there and spend a day with my friend. She's done this stuff all her live, for her it's been a matter of survival to know the bush and be capable to live off the country. For me it certainly isn't, but I love her for sharing her knowledge with me, for showing me a different life -- for showing me the things city slickers will never even dream about!

thank you daluk.