After a Wet (monsoon) Season that has not been very wet, we’re now awaiting the change of seasons in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Yolgnu indigenous people of East Arnhem Land recognise six distinct seasons in the “Top End” rather than the three seasons that us white fellas interpret as The Wet, The Dry and The Build-up. The Yolgnu live close to the land and know it intimately in a way we can only respect and struggle to understand. To them, this period of ‘after-the-wet-and-not-quite-the-Dry” is known as the season of Mirdawarr when the winds change, floodwaters recede and the fish are plentiful.
I took an early morning drive out to East Point Reserve this week. It is on the west coast near Darwin city. After viewing the beautiful west coast sunset last month, I wanted to see the early morning, east light. I wasn’t disappointed. It was quiet and still, a warm gentle breeze made its way across the cliff face. The delicate and cool east light crept towards the shore line. And I was alone to enjoy it.
At the same time, the dragonflies were swarming. Not just one or two, but swarms – dozens, possibly hundreds. It was a spectacular and almost sacred sight. They swarmed in and around me and a couple landed nearby on a woody shrub. These delicate creatures go through amazing changes in their lives from larvae to nymphs to intricate flying machines. They tell us the Wet is over and the best is yet to come. May it be so.
Dragonfly dawn: the change of seasons in the Northern Territory.
For more on the Yolngu people, have a look at the videos made for, and by them at – 12 Canoes It is a wake-up call to all Australians that this is a culture and heritage we have a responsibility to do whatever we can to help protect and preserve. Catch up on the Weekly Photo Challenge by the Daily Post HERE.
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