A new wave of birdwatchers, nature lovers, poets, artists and dreamers are finding catharsis and connection in the Australian bush along the east coast of Victoria thanks to a new art and nature experience.
The Far East Flaneur is a six-day, five-night art and nature trail, that explores the 100-kilometre journey from Lake Tyers to Cape Conran in East Gippsland, and the little-known places of interest in between.
A pilot event was held in March and the organisers, local community arts collective FLOAT, are planning to hold the next edition in October.
Participants walked, kayaked and cycled through the tributaries of Lake Tyers and the East Gippsland Rail Trail before heading to Orbost and Marlo, where the Snowy River meets the sea, and onto Cape Conran.
Local artist Anli Vuong, who baked cookies, treats and vegan mooncakes as snacks for the journey, said the Flaneur was an opportunity to discover the creativity available in the community and become inspired by other people's passions.
"Younger generations are so locked into technology, we work on our phones, we relax on our phones, we watch movies on our phones," Ms Vuong said.
"I think there's a yearning to find that dopamine hit from being with other people in nature.
"We know that it's good for us."
Guided through secluded back ways, the group discovered birds, bugs, creatures and plant life along the way, encountering geologists, historians, Indigenous artists and poets who shared their knowledge and passion for the local area.
"You don't know what each day will bring," she said.
"You go for a walk, but you also might come across someone doing weaving or an artistic talent and they actually immerse you in their craft, which brings extra layers of depth and meaning to the walk."
Travellers camp in tents and cabins, with ample opportunity to go to the beach, sketch birds, record sounds, explore the bush and have slow conversations with others on the trail.
Communal meals feature locally grown and prepared artisan food shared around campfires and long tables.
"It's marketed as slow travel so if you want to race through it, this may not be the tour for you,"project manager Liz Filmer said.
"But you might be surprised how much you love it."
The event was designed to help re-energise East Gippsland's economy after a decade of drought, fires, COVID, and the end of the region's commercial timber and fishing industries.
The new twitchers
Tasmania-based poet and storyteller Bert Spinks, who joined the March Flaneur, guided the group's nature journalling and encouraged participants to observe the symphony of nature through a mindful looking glass.
Whether it was observing the ripples and currents of the lake water, the veins of thirsty gum leaves or understanding the habits and social hierarchies of the kingfishers, Mr Spinks said there was much to experience.
"East Gippsland is such an amazing place for encountering different bird species," he said.
He said birdwatching was a goal-driven activity that got people outdoors and forced them to pay attention, sensing birds with their eyes and ears and watching scenarios play out so they could tick them off their lists.
"It can be a bit of a soap opera or a royal rumble, especially this time of year, a lot of birds are competing over territory, their nesting and they want to have a secure zone for their children to grow up, so you see a lot of combat between different types of birds at this time of year," he said.
In a similar way that the naturalist art and literature movement of the late 19th century observed nature through a more scientific lens, Mr Spinks described the younger generation's curiosity with nature as more existential than romantic.
"I think we are realising that we don't have the connection with the world around us and we're likely to lose so much of nature in our lifetimes, so there is a sense of it would be nice to know what is out there, before it's all gone," he said.
Writing about the patterns of insects in the changing seasons, such as the presence of butterflies as the weather warms, he said grounding and immersing oneself in nature was an antidote to the anxieties of the modern world.
"These experiences help us unchain ourselves from all of the demands and dramas of the world that we live in,"Mr Spinks said.
"It's about disconnecting from all the unnecessary complications that are now accepted as part of the normal human experience."
