Conflicting perspectives
AFEWYEARS ago, on an Australian Geographic scientific expedition to the Simpson Desert, I was, literally, stopped in my tracks by a dingo.The lithe, strawcoloured dog ran onto the red track I was barrelling along and proceeded to trot in front of the four-wheel-drive for a kilometre or so. After a while it stopped and turned its head, holding my gaze for a few moments, before bounding off into the spinifex.This encounter came back vividly when I saw the wonderful photograph by
Jason Edwards that opens our major feature on dingoes (page 62).
The eye contact I experienced that day thrilled and chilled me in equal measure, and my reaction goes right to the heart of the dingo conundrum – intelligent wild animal, in need of our protection, or dangerous predator wreaking havoc on livestock, and occasionally posing a risk to humans?
Amanda Burdon, former AG associate editor and one of our long-time contributors, sensitively examines the conflicting perspectives from which we view our iconic ‘native’ wild dog.
In her debut feature for AG, round-the-world yachtswoman Jessica Watson travelled offshore to discover the delights of Norfolk Island at a historic moment while the tight-knit community deals with the end of years of self-determination.We are delighted to welcome Jessica to our team of regular writers and look forward to future contributions from this courageous young woman.
It’s already a year since we refreshed the journal with a new cover design and revamped content and sections. We’ve received positive feedback from you and enjoyed an increase in the number of readers during 2016. Just a few weeks ago, we were also honoured to be named Specialist Magazine Brand of the Year for 2016 at the Australian Magazine Awards.
We’re looking forward to continuing to bring you the very best of Australia throughout 2017.