The joys of “impolite” wildlife

Thursday 26th September

One of my favourite things about Sydney so far is its closeness to wildlife. It was something Taylor and I spoke about on our first walk – if the various memorials, fountains and signage have failed to act as monuments to Sydney’s pre-colonial past, maybe there is nothing more evident of this violent history than the more-than-human actors that permeate the city. 

Whether it’s dive-bombing birds gauging out bits of skin (for any non-Australians), seeing a massive magpie playing with tangled headphones, “bin chickens” living up to their name, Huntsman spiders in public loos, wombats traversing clothes lines, or screeching cockatoos shuffling amidst the rush hour traffic. In a place created to emulate the “homeland”, the “impoliteness” of these animals acts as a brilliant “fuck you”, but also as a stark and sad reminder of the destruction that has led them to live in this juxtaposing habitat. This is something I’d like to make note of and read more around.