Dr Alexander Gosling's happy place | Bush Heritage Australia Skip to main content

There are characters in Bush Heritage’s story like the gibber pebbles that dot the landscape at Evelyn Downs Reserve – they go a long way back. I guess I’m one of those characters. 

I don’t quite go 2 million years back, but I’ve been fortunate enough to witness and support the organisation from its early days. Over this time, and having served on the Board since 2016, I’ve had the privilege of visiting many ‘happy places’ in nature on Bush Heritage reserves. 

Boolcoomatta Reserve in South Australia, Adnyamathanha and Wilyakali Country, is a stand out for me, and my love for this place continues to evolve. 

There is a spot on the creek bed that is lined by age-old River Red Gums. Here, you’re quickly reminded of nature’s ebb and flow. Looking at the sandy river floor that undulates from the weight of dried pools, I like to envisage the period after the desert’s dramatic rain clouds build up and water is abundant. It’s a nice moment to appreciate nature’s collision of past, present and future. 

Dry creek bed at Boolcoomatta Reserve.
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The contemplative creek bed at Boolcoomatta Reserve. Photo by Dr Alexander Gosling.

This brings me to an incredible memory forged while visiting the reserve around 10 years ago. The organisation had been humming along for some years, yet we didn’t have a succinct vision that encapsulated the incredible impact we had and wanted to achieve. So, I invited a brilliant mind to join me in the Arid Rangelands of South Australia. 

Hugh, who sadly past away this year, was a great friend and a brilliant communicator. We spent one day in the Melbourne office before embarking on our desert adventure. 

After a day on the reserve and standing in front of the old shearing shed Hugh said, “Do you think ‘healthy Country, protected forever’ could work?” 

It did, it worked perfectly and has remained ever since, potentially taking on the enduring quality of a gibber stone. If that is the only thing I leave Bush Heritage, I hope it's a useful contribution. 

It, among my other experiences, has fulfilled a dream of my youth “to be involved in a big conservation group” – for which I am eternally grateful.

Alexander is a lifelong Bush Heritage supporter who has generously decided to leave a gift in his Will to the organisation. Learn more about leaving a lasting legacy that will help to shape our landscapes, and our native plants and animals’ future.