Australia.
Brilliantly coloured birds perch in trees as the sunset glows blood red, light fading rapidly. A child laughs. The sound echoes eerily throughout the bush, world slowing to the kind of stillness no longer found in cities or suburbs. You hear the faint trickling of water as the river runs its course to the plains, winding across the sunburned back of your country. People lounge in chairs watching the sunset or gather with friends to discuss the trying events of the day. A bushfire rages in the distance, and it casts a radiance of orange over the horizon that is less an omen and more of an expected disruption.
A kookaburra calls out into the evening air, laughing at the curious strangers encroaching upon its space. A dingo paces in the shadows. Light and laughter spills from the nearby pub as the door opens. Cicadas fill the air with the static song of the bush, older than time itself. People who have never met swap stories and share knowledge, revelling for the moment in the feeling of contentment that comes with helping a stranger. Snakes slither through the underbrush on whisper-soft bellies so as not to disturb their prey. A fox darts through the darkness. Murmuring conversations lull young children to sleep. Tourists armed with too-bright flash cameras and impractical footwear determinedly hunt for photos of wildlife, unaware that their bumbling steps have already driven off their only chance of a sighting.905Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhihXFHsRYX
A platypus splashes in the riverbank. Locals sit on their verandas watching the bush spring to life, with the quiet understanding that comes with living in a wild, almost lawless place. Thousands of insects and creatures traverse the area, unseen, unheard, unnoticed. Cars rumble past on the deserted road, headed home after a long night at work. Mining is a tough industry but it is the lifeblood of the town, and by extension the country. A wallaby skirts the outside of the camps, half-hidden in shadow.905Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHow7YLDJ5
This is the land beyond the cities. The place untouched by the ravages of time, forgotten and abandoned. This is home.
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