 |
|
Acacia Ridge - Photo: Otto O'Mallee |
Dust was choking everything. Although no more but a fine, translucent veil, carelessly discarded by the wind, it held the country in an iron grip, firmly imposing a mood of its own. Right now the late afternoon sun should have painted the jagged mountain ridges and meandering creekbeds in vivid, emotional colours. Yet its magic had been broken, its rays rendered powerless by by a flexible, inescapable light mesh of dust.
How can plants survive this onslaught, I wondered? Surely, leaves must find it impossible to do a decent day’s work of food-production with their pores all clogged up and light all blocked out! And what would entice even a single flower bud to unfold its petals into an air thick with “flying sandpaper”?
 |
|
Leafless Cherry Exocarpus aphyllus Photo: Otto OMallee |
Sensing the powdery dust on my lips and feeling its grains in eyes, ears and nose I considered my project. During the coming five weeks I was to study plants in South-Australia’s best spot, the Arkaroola-Mt.-Painter-Wilderness-Area. Notes and photographs had to be taken, drawings to be made. Considerable effort had been put into preparing the trip and only the flexibility of my employer combined with the significant contributions of four major sponsors, Singapore Airlines, Australian Geographic, Arkaroola Pty. Ltd., Flair Travel Ltd, had actually made it possible. But now, wiping the dust off my lips, I pondered whether all this effort had been a futile exercise, falling victim to the random nature of Australia’s semi-arid weather patterns.
“We had a few drops of rain last night, and more persistent rain has been forecast for the next few days. That should wash this dust away!” Raelene seemed to have read my thoughts. The forever cheerful and helpful manageress of Arkaroola Resort and Wilderness Sanctuary knew how to lift my spirits quickly. “Just wait and see. The dust will wash off and everything will spring to life, no worries!”
How right she was. I awoke in the middle of the night to the drumming of heavy raindrops on the corrugated iron roof. What a welcome tune this was! Change would not happen overnight, but it would happen!
View Larger Map
