You have navigated with raging soul far from the paternal home, passing beyond the sea’s double rocks, and you now inhabit a foreign land.  – Medea

Why does a settler sense of belonging and ownership (‘Australian’) stretch across such vastness as 5,000 km? 5,000 km of varied earth – from endless red dust dunes to swirling salt deposits, sandy scrub to yellow patchwork agriculture, from freezing well below to sweltering well above the Tropic of Capricorn… Politically, I am still in Australia, my birth country. But every other sense indicates I am not.

And so I find myself in Derby, again, rustled in on a bus from Broome at 9 at night, and my efforts to fit in feel in vain. I checked in to the Spinifex hotel (the ‘Spini’) to stay for a few days. The bar was almost empty, except for a few older men watching sport on the TVs. I had dressed for the conditions: sensible boots, modest but practical cotton shirt and shorts, and lathered in insect repellent; but the exact suitability of everything made me feel as though I’ve tried too hard. It’s approximately the same attire as the stragglers in the Spini (and exactly the same attire as one middle-aged man), but me, I’ve thought too much about it, and this thinking goes against what seems to be an apparently laissez-faire rural attitude. I’m all in my head, but I need to be in order to navigate the newness of this space. I suppose everything (perceived and expressed) is going to go somewhat against the grain until it develops into second-nature. On my next trip to the Kimberley I will drive into Derby triumphantly in a 4×4, I will be a little less soft, and a little less foreign, I say. 

The following morning I made my way to 6DBY, the local radio station. The station will be my base for the next 12 weeks, thanks to Bill and Darren. It’s perfect: cool, close to a kettle, fitted with a usable music studio and instruments, and full of the warmest musical folk. I’m learning all about radio, and apparently there is a ‘Derby sound’ that they try and emulate in their shows. I’ll write about that in another post when I figure out the formula.

If all goes to plan, I have also found accommodation near 6DBY for $150 inc utilities. And if you remember from the last time I visited, I was upset about the prices at the local IGA. What I didn’t realise at that time is that there is a Woolies! and everything is always on special! and it’s really close to where I’m going to be staying! Such luck. I move in tonight (so, photos to come) from Broome where I’ve been staying, which I keep going back to for their cheap reliable accom and kitschy tourist activities: