A surface crossing of the Nullarbor Plain belies its desolate name in many ways. This might be one. It’s not the first time I had crossed Australia’s Nullarbor Plain to visit relatives, but it was the first time I chanced upon one of the more unusual aspects of remote Australia — the “unofficial” Australian Central Western Time Zone. Perhaps it’s just whimsy that comes from finding distraction and…

I’ve resided in many different types of Australian settlement in my life, from being born in a regional town to sharing an inner-city row terrace house, to living in a “middle” suburb of privilege and abundance, to living and working in a remote Indigenous community about as far from anywhere…

When Marty McFly goes back to the present* in Back to the Future, Part II, he finds his hometown and its residents strangely unfamiliar. …

I promised friends, former colleagues and family over a month ago I would write about my experiences moving to Wingellina (Irrunytju) to work for Yarnangu in Ngaanyatjarra country. In the 3 weeks since arriving, I’ve been stricken with doubt, though. What insights can I possibly offer at this stage? …

(Yes it’s also neighborhood, for you Americans!) I’ve never felt “home” in the 2.5 years I’ve lived in the little known suburb of Hampton in the better-known Bayside region of Melbourne’s sprawling south-east. Experiences of unapologetic and (sometimes) blind privilege such as that I’ve detailed previously haven’t helped. I’m a…

Hope has played a big role in keeping me alive all of my adult (and some of my adolescent) life. I figure I have the brain of an economist or management accountant (though I am not one and don’t wish to be, so the economists and management accountants reading this…

Last Monday I attended a community meeting which I normally wouldn’t attend. I’m not a “community meeting” sort of person. In fact, I’m not really a “community” sort of person — I’m a bit of a hermit, truth be told. But I attended this community meeting out of sheer indignation…