When Nature Nurtures

As you rise the crest of road through Carrolls Cutting towards Grampians/Gariwerd from Ararat it’s hard not to audibly exclaim in awe as the mountain range comes into view.

Even as a child I would delight as the landscape opened up to reveal the panorama.

This space holds wonder and power, and demands respect, and like any deep relationship, ours has evolved.

Mother Nature moves differently here; she’s taught me, shaped me, stripped layers from me, and healed me. We interact differently each time, and that’s one of the reasons she will forever have a hold on me.

Our first dances were child like, I was overwhelmed at her vastness as a youngster on camps in town. My priority then being mischief. We mostly remained polite with each other, I could sense the wonder of her but was too young to fully appreciate the depth.

As I grew, her beauty became more apparent, as a young adult she showed me how remarkable she could be as I climbed her sheer cliffs, hiked her undulating trails, and camped in her valleys.

So many days and nights spent exploring, alone and with friends, one thing however stayed true, the deep mark she was making on me.

Each time I arrived within her view I sensed an excitement, and a sadness as I farewelled her and returned to the ‘normal’ day to day.

As one version of myself arrived, so too a changed version would leave, another layer peeled back.

Sometimes the revelation would be light and freeing, she’d have drawn out a strength or understanding within; others would be raw, uncomfortable… which is exactly what a true relationship is, she challenges me.

She’s faced trauma of her own, with seasons and weather, storms and fires. Yet, while those experiences alter her, she offers up an unfaltering determination to revive and renew.

Birth, death, rebirth, a constant evolution.

She’s been there for generations, centuries, and continues, with a softness, and starkness almost juxtaposed in transition… she teaches by simply BEING.

As I reflect on our more recent interactions, while powerful, there’s been a new dynamic at play; Mother Nature has reminded me again that I am a witness to her magnitude; Gariwerd has shown me the reverence she deserves.

She is wild, and cannot be tamed.

For all the times we’ve had disagreements, as can be expected in long running relationships, it is me who is humbled, me who asks for reconciliation… and it is she who listens.

Through all my seasons nature has been the grounding and reconnect, the place where I am most connected to self, and aligned with others who travel similar paths.

Gariwerd is special, it speaks to everyone who is open to hearing her wisdom; she moves me to my core, but she is not mine. So many feel the power in her landscape, she is unique, each life experiencing her in their own way… and that’s what is so special about her;

She is Nature that Nurtures.

• Emily Black.