CHARACTER & TRUTH IN & ABOUT

THE LAND WATER & SKY OF HOBART.

It is a partial lyrical geographic melody sharing

affection and future for visitors too.

iii

DID THEY STOMP ON THE INDIGENOUS VICINITY, THEIR NIBBERLOONE

COUNTRY? DID THEY MOVE FRENETICALLY TO WALL IN A PLACE LIKE THEIR

OWN BACK HOME, FRIGHTENED BY THE PROXIMITY OF THE BUSH-EDGED

NIGHT SHADOWS, CONSOLIDATING BUILDINGS BASTION-LIKE TO TURN

INWARD TO AVOID OUTWARDLY ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR DISCOURTEOUS

IMPOSITION & STIFLING AWAY EVEN THE BROOKEN BEAUTY OF THE HANDY

CRYSTAL SALTEN ESTUARY CONVENIENT FOR SPEARING & A FROLIC OR

THREE. DID THEY STOMP & BUILD BIT BY BIT UNTI THE WONDER-COUNTRY

IN LOCALE NO LONGER LIVED CENTRE TOWN – SO THAT MORE & MORE

THEY HAD TRAVEL TO FIND SOMETHING LIKE IT & TO MEET THE

MOUHENEENNER THERE WHO MIGHT COURTEOUSLY MIND THEIR CHILDREN

OR TRADE SOME ROO MEAT FOR A DOG.

v

‘ The writing style in Homartian is like John’s paintings - and I quote the Foreword with a smile in agreement; “a loosely waxed flow of conscious and subconscious expression from the evirons & the mental … lush with psychotropic properties.” Though poetically styled, this book in its journey reminds me of many most pleasant “Homartian” classical music concerts. Somehow both take me to a place in my thoughts, giving me an awareness of beautiful peace, hope & a sense of freedom & dreaming which strengthen my wellbeing. Thankyou to John.’ Sandy Latham PROFESSIONAL MOTHER, WIFE AND KIWITIAN

vii

© Monte John Latham 2013

Monte John Latham asserts the moral right to be identified as the creating author of this work,

Homartian and its composite parts.

All rights are reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy,

recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author.

D e b o x P u b l i c a t i o n s . PUBLICATION DATE: FEBRUARY 2013

TRIM1524_2286

ISBN 978-0-646-59530-6

All that came before,

in particular this beautiful place

that has suffered and grows …

and the last pound of shelled scallops that

was tendered as fare on the tram to North Hobart.

PAINTINGS, COVER, PENCIL & SNAP PHOTO

ILLUSTRATIONS ARE BY THE AUTHOR

A FEW OF THE IMAGES ARE DRAWN FROM

GENERAL PUBLICATION & OF UNKNOWN SOURCE.

ix

WRITER

He grew up in the outer suburbs of a small scenic capital city in Tasmania Australia amid abundant countryside and river coast. After a lengthy professional sojourn in town character and matters urban, he now paints, writes and draws plans in a rural coastal part of home; deep in the islands immediately south in The Great Southern Land. At times, such as now, his writing is like his painting; a loosely waxed flow of edited conscious and subconscious expression from the evirons & the mental … lush with psychotropic properties. Born mid 20th century he, with wife & their five children, grew near Hobart, battling its economy with faith in the nurture of familiar locale and this one in particular. No author is an island; rather merely another participant and this one with a very very tolerant participator in Sandy, a very very special piece of New

Zealand and wife. Certainly the kids are triple A + participators too. He is ten years older than the picture. I hope you enjoy this light hearted and impassioned piece.

xi

Homartian

Hear me Homartians, t h e w r i t i n g

h a n d s t r e e t - s w e e p s o u r p i l l o w c l e a n ,

f o r e a s y - e a r e d s i m p l e t o w n h e a r t s ;

i t m a r r i e s t h o s e w h o b i n d t h e

g r e a t i n f i n i t e i n t e l l i g e n t , r e m e m b e r s

t h e h u g e s w a t h e o f l i t t l e s p a r r o w s ,

n a y m a y b e s t a r l i n g s , p e a k - h o u r

l i g h t e d f l i g h t e v e n i n g s w e e p i n g t o o

t h e D e r w e n t r e s t i n g o n t h e b r i d g e ,

w h a l e s c a l v i n g i n h e r b a y s m a k i n g

n o i s e e n o u g h t o k e e p B a t t e r y P o i n t

a w a k e , a b a l o n e a n d c r a y a t t h e s h o r e

a m e r e s t o n e - t h r o w a w a y , v e r y n e a r

t h e T o w n H a l l . N o w o o l l e d p u l l o v e r

y o u r m o u n t a i n f a c e . N o k o w t o w t o

f i n i t e c u r r e n c y d i s g r a c e ; d i r t y f o o t e d

i n t r u s i o n B l u n d s t o n e ED. NOTE: ONE COULD READ

STRAIGHT THROUGH FIRST, THEN COME BACK TO PICK

UP THE DISPLAY PAGES.

3

Blundstone boot-heal broken skin on the Tharkian silken perfect pad cushion plant billiard green moss – photo is not a cushion plant however - hundreds of years in the growing, serious affront across its perfect stone companion.

R E F E R G L O S S A R Y F O R :

B l u n d s t o n e , G o n d w a n i c ,

T h a r k i a n , t e s t o s t e r o n i o u s

c o n n e c t o r , d o l l a r - r i g h t …

5

b o o t - h e a l b r o k e n s k i n o n t h e

T h a r k i a n s i l k e n p e r f e c t - p a d c u s h i o n

p l a n t b i l l i a r d g r e e n m o s s h u n d r e d s

o f y e a r s i n t h e g r o w i n g , s e r i o u s

a f f r o n t a c r o s s i t s p e r f e c t s t o n e

c o m p a n i o n p r e s e n c e s o a k i n g

m o r n i n g s u n f o r e o n s s h e l t e r e d f r o m

t h e w e s t e r n w i n d s , g r a f i t t i e d

s o m e t h i n g a k i n a s h a m e f u l l y w a r p e d

t e s t o s t e r r o n i o u s c o n n e c t o r m a k i n g

o b s c e n e c o n t a c t w i t h t h i s a w e . N o t o

c l o u d i n g t h e G o n d w a n i c b e a u t y

s e n d i n g s t a l w a r t t h e s t o n e y t r a c e r y

o f w i n ds a m i l l i on aw on d e r

a r i ch n es s

red-green-amber….. h u n d r e d s o f y e a r s i n t h e g r o w i n g ,

s e r i o u s a f f r o n t a c r o s s i t s p e r f e c t s t o n e c o m p a n i o n

7

o f o l d o l d o l d l i c h e n g r e e n s a l l k i n d a

a s t a n d i n g a l o o k i n g - a t u s - n o t

a w a i t i n g s o m e c a b l e d i m p o s t .

Y e s n o ; f o r o u r v i b r a n t c h a r a c t e r o f

p l a c e , s m a l l h h o m a r t i a n , s i m p l y

s i t t i n g o v e r y o n d e r , l o o k i n g b a c k a t

t h e s o m e t i m e s d e e p b l u e s l i g h t l y

h a z e d d o l l a r - r i g h t s t o n e c a r d b o a r d

c u t o u t a g a i n s t t h e s k y , s o m e t i m e s

l u s h g l i s t e n i n g w i t h w e t t e d S p r i n g

u n b u r n t f o r f i f t y y e a r s , t r a d i n g

c l o u d s h a d o w s m o t t l i n g m o v e m e n t

f o o t h i l l t o f o o t h i l l ; a v e r y p r i v i l e g e d

c l o s e f i n i t e d i s t a n c e f r o m

t h e r e d - g r e e n - a m b e r b e e p -

9

b e e p - b e e p e l e c t r o n i c a b s t r a c t s o f o u r

u r b a n e p i l l o w . W a r m b l u e s k y p u r e

a i r a n c i e n t m o s s w i n d w h i s t l e d

e r o s i o n i n d u s t r i a l s i l e n c e j u x t o e d

w i t h C o l l i n s i n t e r s e c t i n g M u r r a y

a r u s h a b r m m m - a n d N o r t h H o b a r t

C e n t r a l a t e a s e . N a y i n f a c t n o

d i s t a n c e a t a l l , f o r t h a t m o u n t a i n ’ s

t o e n a i l s a r e c l i p p e d r i g h t h e r e a t t h e

S a l a m a n c a q u a r r y a n d d i s p l a y

g n a r l e d a n d w a s h e d b y t h e s a l t y

r i v e r , g i v i n g g r i t t y h o m e s t o

i n d i v i d u a l c r a b s a n d o t h e r s – b u t

o n l y i f t h e r e o u r c h i l d r e n c a n k n o w

o f t h i s wh e n t he y w a l k th e bo t t o m

o f S t r e e t C a n y o n , b l i n k e r e d t o o

c r a b s AT HOME ON BATTERY POINT TOENAILS red-

green-amber….. h u n d r e d s o f y e a r s i n t h e g r o w i n g s t o n e c o m p a n i o n

11

b y p o l e d w i r e s , e x h a u s t , b r a k e - s h o e

d u s t a n d s i g n s … o n l y i f t h e c h i l d r e n

c a n s e e t h r o u g h t h i s .

P i l l o w v i t a l i s e d i n a t a n n i n

t o u c h e d p u r e c r y s t a l l i n e b r e w f r o m

h e r c h i l l c o n d e n s a t i o n s b e f o r e t h e y

m e e t t h e b r i n e . F i g h t i n g f o u l

e x c r e m e n t w h e r e w e d r e w d r i n k i n g

w a t e r ; f a l l i n g i l l - k n o w i n g n o t w h y .

Y e t g l o r i o u s f i r e g l o w s o n t h e b r o w n

e y e s a s t h e e y e s ’ h a n d s , c o m f o r t a b l e

g n a r l e d k i t c h e n t o e n a i l s i n t h e l e a f

c r u n c h s o i l , t u r n i n t h e c o a l s a h u g e

d o l l a r - f r e e c r a y f i s h

tallest of tall tall yes tall gums

13

g r a b b e d i n s h a l l o w d i v e t w o

h u n d r e d s t e p s a w a y . T h a t s a m e g l o w

r e f l e c t i n g f r o m b l u e e y e s , a w a k e n i n g

a p a l e m a n ’ s s l e e p i n g p a l l i d

i n d i g e n u i t y – a p a l e m a n ’ s

i n d i g e n u i t y . C a n h i s h a n d s t u r n h e r e

s u c h a c r a y , n a y n o t t o d a y : y e t

E l i z a b e t h M a l l , i n s t r a n g e , i s m o r e

p e d e s t r i a n a f f a b l e t h a n t h e s o c a l l e d

‘ b a s t a r d s c r u b ’ i n t h i s p l a c e t h r o u g h

w h i c h t h e s h i p ’ s s u r v e y o r h a c k e d

m a c h e t e - p r u n e d a l a r g e f e l l e d

e u c a l y p t l o g b r i d g i n g t h a t

c r y s t a l l i n e f l o w . T h a t l o g a m e r e

l i m b i n c o m p a r i s o n t o t h e t a l l e s t o f

t a l l t a l l y e s t a l l , t h e R e g n a n s g u m s

g r o w n , g r o w n , w a t e r e d a n d g r o w n

r i g h t h e r e . T h a t l o g a f i r s t s t i t c h i n

t h e r o a d t o L a u n c e s t o n ; a n d t h e

c r y s t a l l i n e f l o w - e v e n t u a l l y

n u i s a n c e a n d s o d e a l t w i t h b y t h e

H o m a r t i a n c i v i l e n g i n e e r ; c o v e r e d

d r a i n s , f l o w d i v e r s i o n , g o n e b u r i e d ,

b r u t a l i s e d , m o d i f i e d , c o l l e c t i n g n e w

s t o r m d r a i n s f r o m e v e r y w h i c h w a y .

T h i s m o u n t a i n - b o r n b r o o k g a v e u p

15

O

O

O

Spirit in this mall – by the writer

Rosella in a

Regnans gum

near the hole in

the mall 18o4 –

by Mont

17

i t s g h o s t : b a b b l i n g b r o o k b u r i e d ,

t o w n p a v e m e n t s s e e k i n g l e v e l w a l k s

l a y o v e r t h e n a p e y u n d u l a t i o n s ,

r i v e r b a n k s , o v e r h a n g i n g t r e e s , b i r d s ,

r e f l e c t i o n s , y a b b i e s , d r i n k i n g f a u n a .

T o d a y l i k e l y w i l l n o t s e e d o z e d w i d e

a s w a t h e o f r e a l e s t a t e ; i t t o e x h u m e

f o r t h e c h i l d r e n t o s e e . I f o n l y t h e y

c o u l d s i m p l y s e e . F r e e t h e l e y l i n e s

f r o m y o u r k e r b s a n d g u t t e r s , r e m o v e

t h e t r a f f i c f i n e s f r o m y o u r r i g h t e o u s

m a n o e u v r e s , l o o s e t h e w o m b a t s i n y o u r

c i t y g r i d s a n d t i g e r s n a k e s i n t o y o u r

c a b l e c a r , d e l i v e r y o u r f o o d o f f

l i m b s a n d w i l d , b r e a k t h e

t h r e e p l a n e d c o r n e r s i n y o u r r o o m , a

f r e e d m o t o r c y c l e g e t s y o u t o t h e

k i t c h e n , l o o s e t h e e l e c t r i c s p i r i t

t h r o u g h t h e o n e s p a c e b e t w e e n u s

a l l , m a k e o b s o l e t e t h e i t e m i s e d

r e g u l a t i o n , b r i n g a l i v e u n a f f l i c t e d

m u t u a l i t y a n d g u n g - h o j o y , b r i n g i n

a b l a s t o f s p i r i t - c o s m o s t o m a r r y t h e

s n o w y w h i t e c a d a s t e r e d c u b e w i t h

g n a r l s m a r t e n e d e a r t h e n l i m b , t o

p l a n i t a l l t o g e t h e r u n d e r a w i s e

19

From raindrops to trickle flow: up where the trout dare not go ..

m o u n t a i n - b o r n b r o o k g a v e u p i t s g h o s t

C H E C K G L O S S A R Y :

ley lines, convict camp

Some brave little mountain fern shaking their fist in the hole in the mall where the buried brook today dribbles through seeming starved of its groundwater

21

Three planed corner – usually internal & seen at the ceiling. Once unknown to prehomartians. One of peoplekind’s most significant creations; the corners seem to counterplace the circular belt of sky that blends with the horizon below it and the dome of the heavens above.

e t e r n a l p l a n a n d l e a r n t h e u l t r a - v i t a l

h e a r t - p u l s i n g c r u x o f w h y a n d h o w a

w o m an l o v e s on e ma n s u ch t h a t

t h e w o r t h o f a s m a l l b o x o f

c h o c o l a t e s m u s t b e m o r e t h a n h e r

m a n ' s m o s t a m b i t i o u s p l a n , a t i n y

g o s s a m e r - b u i l t t h r e a d o f w e b a n d a

p u l s e o f c u t t l i n g c o l o u r c a n e m b r a c e

a n d r a p t u r e a s t e e l e n c a b l e b u t

t h e r e ' s n e ' e r t h e t i m e t o s a y s o i n t h e

p a r l i a m e n t n o r t h e k i t c h e n . I n

u n d u t i f u l l y s h a p e d m o m e n t u m ,

i n t e r n a l i s i n g i n c r e m e n t b y b i t ,

23

d e e p e r g o o u r c i t i z e n s g r e a t a n d

m e r e a s t a l l e r c h i l d r e n , i n t e r n a l i s e ,

i n t e r n a l i s e , i n t e r n a l i s e , p l a s t e r e d

w a l l s , w a l l s , c o v e d c o r n i c e , c o r n e r

h e r e t u r n t h e r e s t r a i g h t a l o n g

t h r o u g h a d o o r , o ’ r h e a d w i r e s s i g n s

a d v e r t s s t a r b l o c k i n g l a m p s ,

p a v e m e n t s s t i f l e n a t u r e ’ s p h y s i c a l

b r e a t h , u n ’ r f o o t c o n c r e t e s l a b .

U n ’ r f o o t t h y a l a c i n e s t o o l , h o m e

t h r i v e s o u t o f n a t u r e , b e c o m e s

c u l t u r a l f i r s t , … n a t u r a l s e c o n d …

n a t u r a l s e c o n d m o r e s o a n d s o s a t - o n

25

i n t h e p r e s u m p t i o n o f h u g e

a b u n d a n c e i n t h e b u s h . T h e

e c o l o g i c a l c h i c k e n s c o m e h o m e t o

r o o s t i n t h e e n v e l o p e d o f f i c e s o f t h e

s p r a w l i n g b l a n k e t , k o s h e r f a s h i o n s .

K n o c k , k n o c k … w e k n o w y o u ’ r e

h o m e m o t h e r o f H o m a r t , p u l s i n g i n

b i o l o g i c a l , c u l t u r a l a n d g e o l o g i c a l

p a s s i o n s , g r a s p i n g u p f i s t t h r o u g h

t h a t c r a c k i n t h e a s p h a l t e d

s o c i o f o o t p a t h . A n a s s w a s o u r

H o m a r t i a n p o l i t i c : e v e n n o w w i l l i t

w a l k o ’ r i t s o w n p e o p l e ’ s p a l m

27

f r o n d s t o f a c e t h e o p e n s l a t h e r o f

s u s p e c t i n g s o c i e t y , w a r p e d b y s h a r p

w i t t r a i n e d a t i t b y s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t s

a n d s o t h e r e s o l u t i o n f o r a c t i on i s

n o t w h o l l y b r i l l i a n t . S u c h a p o l i t i c

w o n ’ t b e l i t t e r i n g t h e h e a v e n l y

f r e e d o m s , i n s p i r a t i o n a n d t h a t m i s t y

b l u e d a y t i m e c o v e r i n g t h e s t a r s u p

t h e r e , n o r i n t h e n i g h t i m e t o o t h e

t i m e l e s s g n a r l y m a g m a a n d w a t e r

g e o m o r p h u n ’ r f o o t c o v e r i n g t h e s t a r s

b ’ l o w a n d o ’ c o u r s e t o o t h e y ’ r e o f f t o

s i d e a l l a r o u n d . W h a t f u t u r e , ‘ t w e e n

t h e u p p e r a n d l o ’ e r s t a r s , o f o u r

t r e a s u r e , h u n d r e d s o f i s l a n d s

c u r r e n t l y c a l l e d e n - c o n g l o m e r a t e

‘ T a s m a n i a ’ , l e a v i n g t h e b i g g e s t o f

t h e m b a r e o f a n a m e o f i t s own

Spirit in this fire-roasted spud – by the writer

29

a n d s o a l l t h e s w e e t e r o f f r a g r a n c e .

W h a t f u t u r e i t s t o w n s , o n c e c l e a v e d

d e e p l y i n t i m a t e w i t h i d e n t i t y -

n u r t u r i n g l o c a l p l a c e b o u n t y ; a

m o u n t a i n t o s u m m i t a n d a f o o t y

m a t c h w i t h t h e H u o n v i l l i a n - c h i l d r e n

o f a b o a t - l o a d o f I r i s h w o m e n . W h a t

f u t u r e i s t h e r e w h e r e t h e t o w n c e n t r e

g r o w s a n d k i n d a t h r i v e s i n i t s d i r t y

o l ’ s t y l e o v e r t o p t h e o l d c o n v i c t

c a m p , b u t o n l y w h i l e c h o k i n g i t

m u c h l y a w a y . T h e t o w n -

l i m i t s a n d s h e - o a k e d

r o s e l l a s a l w a y s n e a r

e n o u g h ; t h e o l d

H o m a r t i a n s g r e w k n o w i n g - n o t t o n o t

g l a z e a w a y w i t h t h e i r b o d i l y

f l u i d i t i e s t h e w o n d e r o f t h i s p l a c e ,

b a s i c a l l y c a r e l e s s t h a t a c c i d e n t a l l y

s o m e o f t h i s p l a c e d i d r e m a i n i n

t o w n . C a m p e r s , s h a c k i e s , e c o -

d e v e l o p e r s , i n d u s t r y ; m a k i n g

i n t i m a t e l y d e t a i l e d d e v e l o p m e n t

l i m i t s , e p i d e r m i s t r a n s i t i o n s t o f r e e

w i l d w o n d e r ; m a k e s o m e b o l d l y

s t r u c t u r e d p r o p o s a l s . U n e a r t h t h e

s p i r i t a t l e a s t o f t h e b u r i e d

c r y s t a l l i n e f l o w , f r e e i n g i t t o t h e

c h i l d r e n . S h a r e w i t h o t h e r s a n d

c h e r i s h C a r l t o n ’ s b l u f f f o r i t s n a t u r e

s i m p l y b e i n g i n a c o n v e n i e n t p l a c e

a n d S e v e n M i l e ’ s h i l l a n d S n u g ’ s

31

… ENOUGH SAID; KEEP IT IN PLACE

SEE GLOSSARY: S e v e n M i l e ’ s

h i l l , S n u g D u n a l i e n s ,

C o r i n n i a n s

Our grotty little heart up Cascades in company with a buried brook.

33

Carlton Bluff – by Mont. Carlton; once a treasured homartian shack getaway.

b l u f f t o o . I n b u i l d i n g a n 8 t h W o n d e r ,

e n h a n c e o u r 1 s t , t h e G o n d w a n i a n

t r e a s u r e i s l a n d s t o w h i c h b l i n d l y

a n d f a i n t o f h e a r t w e r e f e r a s ‘ t h e

S t a t e ’ b u t r e a l l y m e a n i n g

H o m a r t i a n s , D u n a l i e n s , C o r i n n i a n s

t o o , i n a w e s o m e p l a c e ; i m m u n e f r o m

S t a t e a r e o u r i s l a n d s a n d w a t e r s o u r

h o m e a n d p r i m a r y p o t a t o p a t c h - a

f o r e w o r d b y G o d . H o m a r t i a n s

c u l t i v a t e f r a m e - o f - m i n d , f r a m e - u p

c u l t i v a t i o n o f p l a c e , d i s c r e t i o n a r y

r e s p o n s e s , c o m m o n s e n s e . F a c e t h e

l i m i t s , o i l e d e p i d e r m i s u n s c a t h e d

a n d d o i n g t h a t n o w ; d o e s t h e

b o u n d a r y t o s t a r v a t i o n o n e d a y f a c e

35

r i g h t a b a c k a l o o k i n g a g a w k i n g – t h e

r a t i o n i n g o f e n e r g y h a v i n g b e e n

m e r e l y a f o o l i s h n e g l i g e n t w o o l -

o v e r .

T h i s H o m a r t i a n v i l l a g e i s a w e s o m e

i n t h e h i g h s p o t s , g l o s s i e s , i n t e r i o r s

a n d e p h e m e r a l v i t a l i t i e s ; b u t I l o n g

t h e r e f o r d e e p j u n g l e i n m y

e p h e m e r a … a n d d e s e r t t o o ; I s o a k -

u p t h e v a g u e d i s t a n t d e e p o c e a n a n d

i c y w i l d e r n e s s r e t u r n i n g t h e

e x h i l a r a t i o n l i k e f u l f i l l i n g c a m p i n g .

M y b e s t o f h o m e s a l w a y s r e q u i r e s

t h a t t i n g l y a w e o f t h e l i k e s o f

s l e e p i n g u n d e r s t a r s e n p l e i n a i r e n

The hole where the fern shakes its fist.

37

r o o t e d g r o u n d w a r m e d b y s t a r s a n d

m a g m a b e l o w , a w a k e n i n g b y t h e

v i l l a g e r i v e r , o f f t o t r a f f i c l e s s w o r k

n e a r b y , h o m e h a p p y g n o m e r a t h e r

n o t f u m e d e p l e t e d . E t e r n a l

e p h e m e r a l h a n d c r a f t e d c o u n t r y

v i l l a g e m a k i n g u s e o f t h e c r e a t i o n s

o f t h e b i g b i g c i t i e s a n d i n a b i g b i g

c l e a v e t h e t w o m u s t f l o w f l o w

t o g e t h e r l i t t l e b a c k y a r d b i g p o l i t i c s .

F o c u s t h e n u r t u r e ; w i l d n a t u r a l f r e s h

a n d b r i n e y e s t u a r y - a n a t u r a l

e d i f i c e l a p p i n g n e a r y o u r h e a r t , t i n y

39

p r e t t y c i t y , t i c k l i n g t h e t o e s o f a n

o p p o s i t e n a t u r a l e d i f i c e - a

h i l l h i p p e d m o u n t a i n . T w e e n t h e t w o ,

s a t i n t h e r e , h a n d m a c h i n e - b u i l t

s m i t e s i n g r o w i n g m a n y o f o u r o w n

a n d b l i n d i n g t h e m w i t h d e a d a i r ,

p l a s t i c , s t u n n e d m i n d s , f l u o r e s c e n t

l i g h t s an d b o r i n g p l a i n

e x p r e s s i o ns o f e c o n o m i c p r i o r i t y .

T h a t ’ s t h e q u a n d a r y o f H o m a r t i a n -

s u l l i e d n a t u r e . T h e p o p u l a t i o n i s

n o t a s p u r e a s c r y s t a l l i n e w a t e r

f l o w . Cu l tu r e t ha t s p o i l s o u r

c u l tu r e -

p o l i t i c s w e d e s e r v e . C a mp e r s

u n i t e . H a v e t h e p l a n n e r s f o r g o t y a s ! ! ?

M ’ s w e e t i e m ’ d a u g h t a

f e w d a y s u p t h e c o a s t ; y ’ k n o w t h e

s c e n e , e x u b e r a n t e x h i l a r a t e d p r i m a l

w a r r i o r u n l e a s h e d , g o o d o l d

41

f a s h i o n e d n a m e l e s s - i s l a n d c a m p i n g ;

n o t l i k e l y f o g o t t e n : j u s t s m a l l

i n c r e m e n t s : -

v e h i c l e b a r r i e r l o g s m o v e d i n ; f i r s t

p h a s e h e r i t a g e b a r r i e r , s m e l l y

t o i l e t s , c o m m e r c i a l m a n a g e m e n t a l l

f i r e b a n n e d c a r a v a n e n c o u r a g e d . T h e

p a l e o f o u r o f f i c e - s t u n n e d c o u l d l o v e

i t . P e r h a p s m y s t e r i o u s n e i g h b o u r s

o v e r a c c e s s w i l l p r e s i d e ; l e a v i ng a

43

t h i n s t r i p f o r i l l e g a l c a m p i n g . A l l

j u s t p o e t i c p o l i t i c r e s p o n s e t o

p i g g i e s l e a v i n g l i t t l e f l y - r i d d e n

p a p e r s t r e a m e d p a t s i n c r e m e n t a l

e x c r e m e n t s b l e n d e d w i t h b r o k e n b e e r

g l a s s a n d j u n k , a e s t h e t i c a n d

c h o l e r i c f o u l i n g t o a n y c r y s t a l l i n e

r i v u l e t w h i l e w e l o o k t o c a m p i n g

h e r i t a g e i n h e a l t h y c o m m u n i t y

l i f e s t y l e a r o u n d a c r a y e d f i r e n o t a

g a s l a m p n o t a p i x e l . S a v e o u r s o u l

o u r c a m p i n g h e r e o u r p o t a t o e s f o r

s u r e - c h a r r e d c o a l c o o k e d j a c k e t s o r

45

Old man River (the Domain grandstand would block Betsy & south Arm there) by Mont

47

s t a i n l e s s s t e e l m a s h , h m mh m m .

N u r tu r e ou r s u b u r b a n i n t e r i o r

l o u n g e r o o m s t o o , i n c o m m u n i t y a n d

c o u n t r y s i d e , k e y t o h e a l t h y

e v e r y t h i n g ; e l a t i o n b y i n d i v i d u a l

a n d s h a r e d o w n e r s h i p a n d r i g h t f u l

p l a c e i s t h e c a b l e - f r e e p i n n a c l e o f

o u r p o l i t i c . C o u r t e o u s n a m e l e s s -

i s l a n d e r c o u n t r y b o d i e s a g r e e a n y

h o u s e h o l d e r b e i n g i n c o n v e n i e n c e d

b y i n n o c e n t s o c i o - p o l i t i c r e c e i v e s

c o m p e n s a t i o n o f p e r s o n a l p u b l i c

a p o l o g y a t l e a s t . L a n d - i n t e r v e n t i o n

m o m e n t a t a n g l e v a l u e s d i f f e r e n t t o

t o d a y ’ s ; B r i t i s h B u l l d o g g r a n t s a n d

c l a s s - c o n s c i o u s n e s s l a i d o v e r t h e

w a y s o f t h e l i k e s o f w o o l l y h e a d e d

e n d e m i c b r o w n m a n K i n g B i l l y a n d

t h o s e o f h i s c o u s i n k i n d w h o l i v e d i n

t h i s , t h e i r N i b a l u n i c l o c a l e . A l l t h i s

a p a r t o f t h e d i v e r s e v a l u a b l e s ,

s o c i a l , h i s t o r i c , m i n e r a l , a e s t h e t i c ,

u n t o u c h a b l e , h o n o u r a b l e o r w h a t e v e r

- o w n e d a s p l a c e b y l o c a l

c o m m u n i t y ; a l l t h i s i s s u p r e m e .

L o c a l o w n e r s h i p w i t h p o l i t i c a l

49

s u p r e m a c y i s m o d i f i e d b y

a g r e e m e n t s i n r e g i o n s a n d b e y o n d .

P r o p e r l y f u n d a m e n t a l l y y o u r y a r d -

n o t y o u r f e d e r a t i o n - b e a t s t h e h e a r t

o f h e a l t h i e s t c o m m u n i t y .

H o m a r t i a n s w e e p t h e p i l l o w g l o b a l

c o m p l e m e n t a r y a m i d l o c a l v i l l a g e

a l w a y s f r e e o f o r g o n e d a m p i n g

w a r p e d t e s t o s t e r o n i c c o n n e c t i o n .

S l o w t h e M c D o n o - c a b l e o v e r - r i d e .

P r a h n a W a f t i n g f r o m M e l a l e u c a – by Mont

G L O S S A R Y : N i b a l u n i c ,

M e l a l e u c a , K i n g B i l l y ,

B u l l d o g , P r a n a , o r g o n e ,

M c D o n o e t c

51

S o m e d o i n g s a r e s i g n i f i c a n t t o t h e

w h o l e o f t h e i s l a n d s ; a l l a f f e c t s o m e

s m a l l l o c a l e a n d s o a r e r e g i o n a l l y

s i g n i f i c a n t a n d o f l o c a l i n t i m a c y ; t h e

h e a l t h i e s t w a y - l o c a l c u l t u r a l

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s s u i t i n g f i n e l y f o r

h o m e i n t e r a c t i v i t i e s a n d v i s i t i n g

V i s i t a r t i o n s . A v o c a d o ? . . . n o t h a n k s

j u s t h a d o n e ; T r i a b u n n a t h e n , n o

j u s t h a d a b a g e l . L o u n g e s u p r e m e

u p - t o - t h e - m i n u t e k e y b o a r d

e v a l u a t i o n s i n H o m a r t i a n v o i c e s a t

h o m e .

53

GLINT ON THE HORIZON – by Mont

55

P e e l o f f t h e w r a p p e r , h o p e i t ’ s a

l i q u e u r , p o p o n e i n t h e p o c k e t f o r a

s t r e e t b o r n s o u l ; o r a r e y o u a l i e n -

p e r h a p s n o t s o m u c h n o w h a v i n g

e a s y - e a r e d t h i s v o i c e o f p i l l o w -

s w e e p i n g t y p e , b u t i f y o u h a v e t o

l e a v e c a n w e c o m e t o o ; a w a y f r o m

t h i s q u i e t l i t t l e t o w n , e v e n t h i s

n a m e l e s s i s l a n d w h e r e t h e g u m m y

s h e - o a k c o l o u r g r e e n s h a n g i n s l o w

m o v i n g t i m e s h a p e a n d m e r g e f o r t h e

p o e t s e y e a c r o s s t h e g e n t l i s h o c h r e d

g r a s s h i l l s c a w i n g w i t h d e e p b l a c k

57

c r o w s ; ‘ t h a a a r t h a a r k t h a r k ’ t h e y

c a w c a a w f r e s h e n e d b y t h e

l i g h t e n i n g g r e e n l o r i k e e t s f l i r t i n g

s w e e p t h e d a p p l e d l i m b s f l o w n i n

w a t t l e t o c a s u a r i n a f r o m t h e d e e p

d e e p h e a r t a w a y f r o m t h e s e a n e s t l e d

i n c r a c k l i n g b a r k g r o u n d l i t t e r a

b l u e t o n g u e l i z a r d i n s h e l t e r e d

h o l l o w p r o b a b l y u n a w a r e o f t h e

p r a h n a f r o m M e l a l e u c a a n d f a r a w a y

i c e c o n t i n e n t . J u s t l i k e w e q u i e t

H o m a r t i a n , m i n d - a n t e n n a e

w i t h d r a w n h a l f c o n s c i o u s o f b u t

59

i n f a c t e n j o y i n g t h e e n e r g i e s f r o m

a n A n t a r c t i c s t o r m l a p p i n g t h e l o c a l

b e a c h n e a r t h e i c e c r e a m s h o p ,

p r e f e r r i n g y o u r c o u n t r y r o o t s ,

l o v i n g o u r i n d u s t r i a l a n t e n n a e .

B e i n g r o w i n g d o i n g

$∑

61

The thaaaarrrrkke

d

Dolersaurus .

FINISH

63

T h e f o l l o w i n g i s

s i m p l y t h e a u t h o r ’ s

g e n e r i c e l u c i d a t i o n s .

_____________________________________________________

Abalone: popular rock shell

fish akin to Kiwi paua. Once abundant in easy reach around Homartian shores; where they thrived with muscles, crayfish and a particular cute little starfish now being consumed to extinction by the arrival of an alien starfish. … as if the slippery green rock coating from industrial runoff wasn’t enough. (when I was a boy even a long time ago, I vowed to clean up the river – this’s as far as I’ve got.)

aboriginal: original people;

origin of the name ‘Aboriginal’.

Aboriginal: the native

people of the Australian continent & its islands. Blackfella; Harmoninni. Likely floated over from India among other. These original ‘Tasmanians’ copped from the British the common cold and a lot of shocking abuse, disrespect and horror. Also some would child-care for the palefaces. King Billy I think from the centre northwest is an iconic name. It is beautiful that contemporary culture is adopting Aboriginal place & topographic names – mount Wellington/ kunanyi.

Corinnians: residents of

Corinna, north west Tasmania.

Cray: local Tasmanian rock

lobster also enjoyed in faraway lands as is the abalone.

bastard scrub: term for scrub that’s resistant to human passage.

blue tongue lizard:

another Tasmanian icon growing rarer.

Blundstone: local boot

maker of some pride to Homartians.

buried brook: we bury the

drawcard of our settlement and its urbane link – mountain top to cove.

cabled impost: people with

assorted large twigs in their eyes want to build a cable car in the wrong place. If it does politically go, as did the Iraq war, it should be conditional that it begin from the roof of the City Hall – that way the built heritage lobby could stop it whereas the natural heritage lobby carries nowhere near the cred. Obviously natural heritage carries no ego and only comes from God. Following cable to

the Pinnacle (Mt Wellington) comes a resort in Thark.

Carlton bluff: an hour east

of Hobart; a beautiful bonded bookend to ParkCarlton Beach land-granted to the army and handballed to someone else, barely productive land, zoned to be given a patchworked skin rash jewelled with window squares, tinsheds, headlights amid rectangle fences & lawnmowings to drop of leprosy from the soul of the beach.

convict camp: the first

tents here were set-up: executive on the rise at the end of Elizabeth & the convicts down in mid mall. Good surveillance from the executive area over the convicts on one side & the water highway on the other.

Dolerite: the stone of the

gondwanian pre kunanyi geomorphic thing west of Hobart – challenged by the dollar, right?

65

Dollar -right: dolerite

under shaded and captured by money.

Dolersaurus: dollarsaurus,

rhetorical creature with dolerite as flesh often seen resting quietly like an old gray elephant trunk tucked under crouched blocking the fierce westerlies from the little settlement by the Derwent.

Dunaliens: residents of

Dunalley, south east Tasmania.

fighting foul

excrement: the ‘buried

brook’, the local rivulet, like most if not all in global settlement, was used as a sewer and the locals copped cholera. … drew drinking water, falling ill not knowing why.

geomorphic: land/water

form, characteristics, developments & change. May also be assumed to relate biomorphic; the same in flora &

fauna

Gondwana: in my mind is

an ancient land lush with all and awesome creatures and plants unadulterated by people yet the perfect place to live.

Indigenuity: indigenousness

juxtoed :juxtaposed.

King Billy: Aborigine;

member of these island’s aboriginals, known as the Aborigines of the continent that now supports Australia. Circa 1835-1869, last surviving male of the Oyster Cove clan, Following his death his body was dismembered and used for scientific purposes.

ley lines: The concept of

"ley lines" originates with Alfred Watkins who also drew on earlier ideas that alignments might be oriented to sunrise and sunset at solstices. In 1921he had been driving along

a road near a village. Attracted by the nearby archaeological investigation of a Roman camp, he stopped to compare the landscape with features on his map. He saw, "like a chain of fairy lights" a series of straight alignments of various ancient features - standing stones, wayside crosses, causeways, hill forts, and ancient churches on mounds. Checking this potential discovery from higher ground he noticed many of the paths seemed to connect one hilltop to hilltop in a straight line. He coined the term "ley" partly because the lines passed through places with ley in the name. He believed this was the ancient name for the trackways, preserved in the modern names. The ancient surveyors who supposedly made the lines were given the name "dodmen". He believed, in ancient times when Britain was more densely forested, the country was criss-crossed by a network of straight-line travel routes, with prominent features of the landscape being used as navigation points.

lorikeets: brilliant green

small parrots always plural but never crowded.

Melaleuca: A small

settlement at the far southern coast – nothing much but wild bushland, plains and fresh air between it and Hobart.

McDono-cable: Never did

want those hamburgers here to stifle the corner burger shop with big juicy homemade local grown economy healthy and hearty locale.

Nibaluna: this may be

something like the Palawan-I think- (local people) name for the stretch of water about the Homartian docks – maybe it’s mountain waters.

Orgone … putative energy

… assumed universal life force … anti-entropic principle, creative substratum in nature… massless, omnipresent substance, … luminiferous

67

aether … living energy more so than inert matter … coalesce across microscopic to macroscopic , organisms, clouds, galaxies…. held bodily orgone deficit root of many diseases…

Prahna: I think of this as

blowing with the air pollinating as we breath it; the sum total of all energy that is manifest in the universe & the specialty of locale.

Seven Mile Hill: similar

Carlton bluff of Hobart a virtual wilderness beach about to be degenitalled – what a waste of such a treasure so close to the capital city – what a gain to those who join the fait accomplish and build the glassed loungerooms.

Snug bluff : similar Seven

Mile Hill but 20minutes south and of a different intimacy and value.

Regnans : Eucalyptus

regnans, known also as mountain ash, Victorian ash, swamp gum, Tasmanian oak or stringy gum known to attain heights over 114 metres one of the tallest in the world and the tallest flowering plant.

Street Canyon: a place

where kiddies are lost; full of trouser cuffs, hubcaps, exhaust pipes, stockinged legs, pole bases, steps, trampled floors, pavement and with walled sides higher than the sky; where children are easily totally blinkered away from natures, the simple natural joys lost to our constructions but sometimes plainly present to their parents who may be blissfully ignorant of their plight and drown away their objections with an icecream.

Testeronious

connector: well is kinda like

fouling the purity of the total universal wonder by putting

69

your youness connection in a wrong place.

Tharkian: having qualities

like The Thark, an area barely trodden west of the kunanyi Mount Wellington pinnacle.

Tiger snake: common local

poisonous snake.

Whales: there were 1000s of

them in the Derwent and the estuary, 1000s teeming with black whales up to sixty feet long with young alongside in winter to calve. Smaller varieties too and porpoises.

Zzzzzzz: sorry if I put you to

sleep.

Z i p p i t y d o d a h

z i p p e r t y a a y …

m y o h m y w h a t

a w o n d e r f u l d a y

… … . .

I t ’ s t h e t r u t h …

It was actual …

e v e r y t h i n g

w a s

s a t I s f a c t u a l

This is what it might have looked like

from Criterion Street looking by the

future Town Hall site to where the

buried brook met the Derwent …

possibly should have been a few

Regnans painted in.

This is what it might have looked like

from Hunter Island before it was

named such looking through the future

Customs House … certainly should

have been numerous tall Regnans

painted in.

Picture courtesy of Anaya who at 5 y/o offered me 40cents for this picture while the paint was wet.

This is how it might have appeared

looking to that island from where the

Lord mayor now sits. It shows albeit

crudely the rocky connection to shore

which underpinned the causeway they

built … to become the umbilical and

indeed the source of Macquarie Street.

.

Stand yourself at the top of Kelly’s Step

and cast your mind back to one ripper

dawn blazing light onto that hunter

Island and lifting the shallows that lie

towards the Parliament gardens.

Sunlight courtesy of …

Rosellas (not correctly coloured) like

Lorikeets sweeping in mutual embrace

with the leaves and limbs and wind.

These were actually eastward at Wattle

Hill but the scene is pretty much the

same.

Should be Regnans in this too, but then

Kananyi likely wouldn’t be visible; this

from down Wapping way from the

street in behind the Roberts building

looking to Wellington bridge at

Elizabeth Mall. Don’t know how the

old tyre got there, no rubber in those

days.

This is what it might have looked like

from Stowell lookinh over the

Salamanca warehouses to the Domain;

there is a wedgetailed eagle just flew

out of the picture. The cappacino sits at

Elizabeth Wharf..

Homartian

for y o u r L i b r a r y ,

F r i e n d , V i s i t o r , D e s i g n e r , T e a c h e r , D e v e l o p e r , P o l i t i c i a n , C h i l d , C o m p a n i o n ;

a s a H o u s e W a r m e r o r t o R e t a i l .

Go to Bookshops

Hobart Bookshop bookstore.bookpod.com.au

deboxdebox@gmail.com facebook.com/HouseFandango

facebook.com/Homartian

For very welcome feedback direct to author, enquiry, comment or purchase:

M John Latham, Manager

Debox Publications 16 Sanfrancisco St, Sorell, Tasmania, Australia 7172

deboxdebox@gmail.com

facebook.com/Homartian

facebook.com/HouseFandango

Search: debox Tasmania, debox degrid, Monte John Latham, HouseFandango, Homartian, House Essence

ADDITIONAL BOOKS by Monte John Latham

Housefandango

“HouseFandango” is a phenomenon – the product of an

exuberant creativity, a mind ever restless, fluid, alert to

manifold possibility, uncontained. Such an intelligence

might change the world. We need to listen to Monte John

Latham, then. His is a wisdom that roams wide and free,

at the same time as it focuses down upon the most urgent

question of our age: how should we live, how should we

dwell, how should we be? Here is the dance of people and

place – a veritable house fandango, and its dancemaster

steps us forth from the very earth, its magic, the bedrock

on which civilisation rests, to the place-nurturing, self-

nurturing, self-constructing activity that is nothing less

than making a home on earth. Come with Monte John –

dance his dance of life-affirming love.

Pete Hay, POET, ESSAYIST AND PHILOSOPHER OF PLACE,

( 2013 TASMANIA BOOK PRIZE - PEOPLE'S CHOICE)

Wow Hows the House Now (out of print). Old title of

HouseFandango.

House Essence (ebook). An essence of HouseFandango.

There Are (ebook) . A short few words: identity, people, place.

Coming up

The Architecture of Fire Spirit in the Sky The Shallows Where We Fizz. Nomurbic Office