The Australian Outback & Sacred Sites

By Damien Cornford

Australia, apart from being my home country, is one of my favorite places in the entire world. I have traveled to many sacred destinations from Asia, to America to Europe, and worldwide the sacred heart of Australia is unique.

I grew up in the country on a cane farm and later on worked in the city for the 10 years.  However the sparse wilderness of the land its total peace and offering of retreat called to me again. The messages from heaven come through so clearly and your  spiritual connection feels so solid.

The story of my love for the land has been since a child, as my family would go camping in the middle of nowhere every school holidays. Then four years ago my father and I traveled around Australia for a three month break in my mid wheel base Toyota LandCruiser, (many might not know what that is, but is an Australian Icon – though made in Japan it has been adopted in Australia)

The Desert

We left from Brisbane on the east coast and travelled into the Simpson Desert. You must bring everything with you; there is nothing for a week and a half drive. The desert is not what you expect, we went during the months of winter, as the heat is unbearable in summer and the flies will make you go cRaZy. The nights were freezing and I would wake up in the morning with ice on my swag (sleep bag).  In the day, you need to be totally wrapped up. The nights were filled with the warm touch of scotch on my lips, laughter and amazing food. My father would cook most nights and geez he would make it special.

With no light pollution, the stars light up the sky and the silence of the night would gives an eerie feeling deep inside your chest. Many people go a little ‘woo hoo’ out here, because it’s so different to the hustle and bustle of the city.  Out here there is nothing, no wind to rustle though the trees, just the crackle of the fire and nothing else. The light would only extend as far as the ring of fire on the ground then after that you would take a step into near total darkness.  Yet even without the moon, the starlight lit up the dunes with a magical glow, forming and developing my spiritual sight. When I let myself drift into the meditative silence and darkness, I heard the stories of the elders and guardians of the land.

This is a sacred land where no one enters without the permission of the people who protect it. Many people think that they are making a conscious decision to take a trip somewhere, but I believe the land calls you. For one reason or another, conscious or not the land calls to you, like a whisper in the ear played through the heart, listen closely as she whispers softly.

Uluru, the sacred heart of Australia

This is one of the true wonders of the world, an amazing sacred destination. She is the heart of the people, a place of secret woman’s business; a place of birthing and ritual that lead way back to the beginning of time. I experience Uluru as a portal, a landing dock deep into the heart of Gaia, where you can see many space shuttles coming and going. We spent much time here in awe of the rock.  The colour changed every moment with the shifting of the sun, so beautiful. Australia is said to be the home of the “Holy Spirit” in Gaia, and this I believe is the pinnacle of light right from the heart of the country, and funny enough it is pretty much centre of the continent, “How’s that for coincidence?”

West Coast Sunsets

After leaving the red centre we made our way through the great sandy desert to the west coast. Growing up on the east coast all my life I never really got to see the sun set on the water. This is a true gift from God. The way the colours wash into the ocean and the clouds wisped in the sky. These are vacation memories I will never forget. Many afternoons sitting on the beach with cheese, crackers and dips just in awe of the sunset with the inspiring colours moving through the sky. The laughs and jokes would continue on through the night by the fire with everyone energised and totally relaxed by the sunset. We camped right on the beachfront where only a few are allowed to stay, limiting the wear on this sacred land. The great barrier of the reef is only 100 meters out, you can swim out and see amazing coral just meters off the beach. We spent endless hours just drifting over sections of coral, pointing out to one another the amazing this we had witnessed.

Traveling with loved ones

I have to say for any family out there, this was one of the best experiences I ever had with my father. I won’t lie, when he arrived at my house for the first time just before driving out to start the trip we had our first argument. He looked me in the eyes and said, “Can we do this?” I said yes, but my mind was thinking, “this is going to be an interesting 3 months.” You have your moments, being in each other’s space for so long, but the end result is memories and a bond that will last forever. So to my father, I say “Thank you for a journey of a lifetime.”