Travelling home late in the afternoon from a rare trip alone to town , I came across one of my favourite spots, this being a large tract of sandunes/mallee/porcupine (spinifex) and all the assosciated understory, wildlife, and colour.
What it is about these mallee dunescapes which so strongly holds my heart I am not sure- but they are something which always brings me pleasure .The mallee trees are domed- the view of them is a gentle one. There are acacias and grevilleas underneath, which are also as neat and domed in appearance as a topiary of a suburban garden - albeit much more hardy! Porcupine clumps are also rounded-- in all dimensions- being mounds of spikes..and they also grow outwards, making groups of plants into a circular'fairy ring'.
Maybe it is the perennial green and soft contours which are pleasing? Even in the midst of the red and dusty years we have had- the mallee landscape is still green.Whatever it is , this one afternoon, with the sun setting, and in no real hurry, I just turned off the car engine, and wound down the windows-coasting downhill a hundred metres, with a cacophony of crickets/cicadas cheering me on.
I then stopped,and went for a short walk off the road.A grey butcherbird flew onto a tree near me, and she sat there for some time, wondering why I was there ... watching me , and following my every move. There were many small bird noises off in the trees, and then there were two grey kangaroos , startled by my appearance, and bounding off into the sunset, fine red sprays of dust hanging in the cool air.
Why wouldn't anyone love 'the mallee' ? :)
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