Well as Christmas enveloped the shores of Eco Beach this December 25th, there wasn’t a snowman in sight. Like most other celebratory Australians though, we did hang up some of the rather incongruous snowy decorations – snowflakes, sleighs and snow covered angels! But the Kimberley bush flora and ocean flotsam and jetsam which adorned our tables, somehow seemed more fitting. After all, Eco Beach, on the edge of WA’s coast, really is closer to Mother Nature than Santa and his sleigh ……and far far removed from the mayhem of the pre-Christmas craziness that engulfs our cities. As one who has braved this materialistic madness, let me tell you, I know where I’d rather be.
To reflect on the true meaning of Christmas – birth, renewal, love and giving, a time when miracles happen – you really need the head space. Yes, we ate a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, but we were also able to gaze out to sea and marvel at the small natural wonders that Mother Nature ‘presents’ us - two new Osprey chicks learning to fly, a colourful family of Harlequin beetles resting in a joyous cluster on a nearby leaf, the prospect of turtles nesting on our shores on Christmas night…maybe even some hatchlings emerging the next morning…….
We laughed a lot and reflected on another great year at Eco Beach, in contrast to the rather turbulent year experienced by the wider world. Tucked away in a very safe, untainted corner of the world, we counted our blessings.
The next morning, as we began to “batten down the hatches” for the cyclone season ahead, I had a quiet word with Mother Nature to please spare our beautiful resort from wild wet season winds. I think I heard her whisper back her reassurances – you could call it a little Christmas magic!
Eco Beach will be closed from January 9, 2012 until April 1 2012. But not before a New Year’s Eve celebration with a theme to honour Mother Nature and her gift to us of the stunning Cape Villaret coastline – “When the land meets the sea”. Happy New Year fellow Eco Beach lovers. We look forward to seeing you in 2012.
My inspiration for this blog came from an article written by Michael Leunig for The Age newspaper. Follow the link: http://www.theage.com.au/national/bush-christmas-with-butterflies-and-child-20111223-1p8pf.html#ixzz1hjLvUVJf
323 Thangoo Station Great Northern Highway, Broome WA 6725 
