By Emily McBurnie
Growing up in Deniliquin, country Australia, certainly had it’s perks; sunshine and warmth almost all year round, wild kangaroos jumping in our backyard and a river you could play in for 8 months of the year. We swung big ropes into the water, or just spent a lazy day lying on a raft, floating from one beach to the other.
We always walked or biked to school and got an extra two weeks off due to it being 40 + degrees in the summer break! No one watched TV (I think there was a PBS channel), all of our spare time was spent outdoors in the garden, we had a veggie patch, nectarine trees, apricot trees, passion fruit vines, and the smell of gum trees was constantly in the air (so little worry for colds!)
Deadly species
After supper we would run in the sprinklers with the neighbors, or climb trees. Of course there was Black, Brown, Red Belly and Tiger snakes in the yard (4 of the world’s most deadliest snakes) oh, and don’t forget the spiders, the Red Back, Funnel Web, White Tail (yes, also deadly) but we were cautious, and most of us only saw one or two each year.
Shearing merino wool
I remember going out to the big merino wool stations twice a year to see sheep being shorn, if you have ever seen a merino, they are about five times the size of a regular sheep with cone like swirled ears, the kids loved to ride them like ponies the merino’s would line up with red, white & blue ribbons on them, standing proud.
I spent a lot of time in the shearing shed, as my grandpa was what they called a “gun shearer” a shearer who could do 100 sheep a day. The smell of the shearing shed on a 40-degree day is still with me, the feeling of lanolin oil in the sheepskin fresh off the sheep.
Looking at stars
At night the sun would go down and being in the outback there were millions upon millions of stars out. We would often 4 wheel motorbike out to a really flat patch and stare at the stars for hours, as we get the southern cross down there, sorry not available in the northern hemisphere.
Goodbye to my country
Sadly, now that I have my own kids, we had to say goodbye to my beloved country. The ozone hole right over Australia forces kids on the beach to wear full length suits, you camp out in a UV protected tent and maybe, if your lucky are allowed to put a toe in the water (watch out for the great white sharks, though)
The drought, which has been going for 7 years, means a lack of water, so no more sprinklers, no more watering the veggie patch and fresh fruit is extremely difficult to find. The decision to move to Canada was not a difficult one. Although, now we have the best of both world’s, enjoying a visit down to the Great Southern Land in the heart of the Toronto Winter.
Penguin Parade
This year, we are taking the girls to the Penguin Parade. On Philip Island , about an hour south of Melbourne, is where thousands of penguins come in to the shore each dusk to burrow, lay eggs and sleep for the night, watching the tiny penguins waddle up the beach is hysterical. Each has their very own special walk. There is a day time wildlife park where you can see the penguins in their burrows, the ones too lazy to go back down to the beach that day. The babies are so tiny and fuzzy, as their feathers have yet to fall out. Once the fur sheds, park rangers put them in sweaters to keep them warm.. Another handy use for the Aussie wool!
Emily McBurnie is a journalist/news anchor who works in film in Toronto. She has two girls, aged 3 and 1 and never misses a day going outdoors with the kids, even in a snowstorm!
