You may have noticed that I have a slight obsession with coffee and you wouldn’t be wrong. This can be a challenge as a UK resident as I often need to try a few cups in each area I am in before I find a good coffee blend, a machine that is cleaned properly every day and a barista that knows what they’re doing simultaneously. Incidentally, one of my faves in the UK is UE Roastery. Where they roast, they also have a cafe so it’s not in the best location (an industrial estate) but it is sooooo worth a drive in. They supply to plenty of places in the area but it’s not just about the coffee remember? In my limited experience in Victoria, Australia, you can order a coffee literally anywhere and it’s amazing. Whether you’re in Melbourne, Werribee, Castlemaine, Daylesford, Macedon and stops in between, the coffee is fantastic!
Staying with the food and drink theme, I was very blessed to try some Bush Tucker at the event that I was speaking at last night and my tastebuds have now been introduced to Wattleseed and dried Ooray, goodies provided by local catering company Murnong Mummas. All the food provided was nutritious, sourced from nature’s wisdom, delicious and wholesome and has been sustaining this land’s people for over 65,000 years.
I had a day at leisure today and after waking up to a beautiful sunrise overlooking Macedon Mountain (in the pic above) and the sound of birdsong, I drove to Daylesford and sat and wrote some of this post in Koukla, acompanied by yet another fabulous coffee.
In the afternoon I met a Twitter friend in The Trading Post, a stunning foodie heaven and post office rolled into one. I can’t remember the last time I arrived in a town anywhere in the world where I didn’t have a friend to meet that I hadn’t met yet. Twitter has been incredible for the traveller that I am; professional connections that morph into long lost friends. I love that! It’s relational connection on speed.
Finally, Australia is really the best country I have visited (and I’ve been to a few!) in exploring belonging, intergenerational trauma and collective trauma. As a country, Australia is leaning into taking responsibility for the impact of the European invasion and the destruction that was created that continues to reverberate in every aspect of Indigenous life here. With taking responsibility comes the responsibility of repair; the hardest part of rupture(s) whether on a macro (country) level or on a micro level in our day to day relationships. Courage, curiosity and connection are the building blocks. So I say leaning into because there is still resistance to this repair work that I have picked up from watching the news. I am working with services here where intergenerational trauma is very much understood so the news provides a different view that I wouldn’t have picked up in the spaces I’m in. I see the fear of power sharing and a mentality of scarcity and repair begins with centralising lived experiences which will be a confronting concept to many. However, I challenge anyone to compare where Australia is at with the UK or the US. There is simply no comparison. The UK and the US are not even close. There is some serious global healing that needs to take place if we are ever to move forward from environmental and cultural harm (violence) and Indigenous people understand that in ways that we have to learn from. The time is now. It always is.
