Just a week ago, I was on this incredible island with a history leading as far back as when the continents on earth were still vasts land unbroken and intact. Its termed an island here in Australia but at 123km in length and 22km in width, it’s the size of Singapore that I know and grew up in. It’s the largest sand island in the world and here’s where I found an incredible playground that was introduced to me.
A Tibetan saying went, ‘We only preserve what we love, we only love what we understand, we only understand what we study.’ How true it was, that I stood by the immense beach, and understood that I was standing on sands of time and looking out at a sea that was once land filled with trees so very long ago. I’ve since grown to love this place and guided by Peter Meyer’s book and photographs of Fraser Island, old and new, I marveled at the wonder God’s creation.
I was standing on sand that went 100m below sea levels and deeper in the island are sand dunes that reached 240ms in height. It’s an island on sight and a sandy desert out here! Sand is everywhere, from my waking moments and in the bed with me when I go to sleep. There’s a special place, stonetool sandblow, where if passed by an oblivious passerbys, would only see endless stretches of sand with scraggly branches sticking out of the sand. Kind of like the mangrove swamps we see in Singapore you know, with dry brown things sticking out of the ground, except it’s massive sand dunes out here. But, after an afternoon spent in the stonetool sandblow, watching the nothingness and learning about its past, I soon realize that what I was seeing was a burial cemetery of a rainforest. The scraggly leafless branches sticking out of the sand were skeletal remains of trees that was once a massive rainforest and I was looking at the top of these trees. You see, sandblows are sand dunes that are continuously shifting, blown by southeasterly winds and the sands bury anything in its paths. It’s the natural metamorphosis of this island. What I saw were exhumed trees that a hundred of years ago were buried under tons of sand and as the winds continues on its way, a hundred years later, I was here to see the rainforest slowly uncovering itself. This does put into perspective the 100m of sand that I was standing on. According to the literature, if I were to return to this very spot a few months later, this very tree will once again be covered with sand. The author liked the idea that by capturing pictures of special places on this island, he’s freezing a small moment in time which will never be seen again. And guess what, I liked the idea that this island was living and breathing and MOVING.
I wished I could spend endless months on Fraser Island with a 4WD and a caravan with a tent, fishing rods, camera and my good old hiking boots. Now, with knowledge of some ecology, I think I will find out that the universe is queerer than we suppose.
My waking moments have been spent wondering how different my life would be if I have dared to take ecology as my degree. Would I be able to spend the rest of my life in old worn boots and be able to test nature at its worst and its best. It’s a dream for someday… Reality calls and I’ve got to head back to my electrotherapeutic modalities assignment. Cheers!