From the moment of my first memory, I have felt a deep and intimate connection with the Australian bush and the natural world. The bush has held me willingly in its thrall since that moment much as the sun holds the Earth naturally and firmly in its orbit. My early memories revolve almost entirely around the natural world and the opportunity it bestowed on a child to understand the elements to a life well lived. It is my guide and my sustenance. I cannot put it any more succinctly than that.
In October 2001, after the September 11 attacks, I was ‘liberated’ from my investment banking career in New York. After 15 years spent faithfully following the education and career path to that position, suddenly it was gone in an instant. Yet, at the moment of ‘liberation’, I knew exactly what my future held. I would return home, back to the bush, to follow Nature’s siren call to walkabout and the wisdom it would surely teach.
On returning home, I quickly rolled my swag and headed off to where my heart truly belongs – the rugged, inspiring vastness of the Australian Outback. I spent two years and 50,000 kilometres travelling Australia’s vastness, primarily alone, following in the tracks of its explorers and drovers, working horses and cattle, exploring its many remote and captivating places, and connecting with the land and its history.
Fortuitously, as I trusted at that unique moment of ‘liberation’, the rousing voice whispering it was time for the road less travelled did not disappoint. For I discovered far more than I ever thought possible. Not only did I regain my health and sense of adventure, returning to the levels of vitality, stamina, and strength remembered as a younger man, I learnt a wisdom that will help me maintain this capacity for the rest of my life. I learnt, once again, that we will feel most alive, be most alive, when connected to and supported by the natural world.
I learnt that Nature will not only provide us with every nourishment necessary to live in harmony within its realm, but that its wisdom and teaching are the key elements required to achieve the life of health, happiness, and adventure human beings seek.
This is the story of that journey.
