Homartian WHERE IS YOUR INDIGENOUS CITY THIS REFLECTS: CHARACTER & TRUTH IN & ABOUT THE LAND WATER & SKY OF HOBART. It is a partial lyrical geographic melody sharing affection and future for Tasmanians & Visitors too.

1. i

3. iii
WHERE IS YOUR INDIGENOUS CITY
THIS REFLECTS:
CHARACTER & TRUTH IN & ABOUT
THE LAND WATER & SKY OF HOBART.
It is a partial lyrical geographic melody sharing
affection and future for Tasmanians &
Visitors too.

5. v
DID THEY STOMP ON THE INDIGENOUS VICINITY, THEIR NIBBERLOONE
COUNTRY? DID THEY MOVE FRENETICALLY, TO WALL IN A PLACE LIKE THEIR
OWN BACK HOME, FRIGHTENED BY THE PROXIMITY OF THE BUSH-EDGED
NIGHT SHADOWS, CONSOLIDATING BUILDINGS BASTION-LIKE TO TURN
INWARD TO AVOID OUTWARDLY ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR DISCOURTEOUS
IMPOSITION & STIFLING AWAY EVEN THE BROOKEN BEAUTY OF THE HANDY
CRYSTAL SALTEN ESTUARY CONVENIENT FOR SPEARING & A FROLIC OR
THREE.
DID THEY STOMP & BUILD BIT BY BIT UNTIL THE WONDER-COUNTRY IN
LOCALE NO LONGER LIVED CENTRE TOWN – SO THAT MORE & MORE THEY
HAD TO TRAVEL TO FIND SOMETHING LIKE IT & TO MEET THE
MOUHENEENNER THERE WHO MIGHT COURTEOUSLY MIND THEIR CHILDREN
OR TRADE SOME ROO MEAT FOR A DOG.

7. vii
‘ The writing style in Homartian is like John’s paintings - and
I quote the Foreword with a smile in agreement; “a loosely
waxed flow of conscious and subconscious expression from
the evirons & the mental … lush with psychotropic
properties.” Though poetically styled, this book in its
journey reminds me of many most pleasant “Homartian”
classical music concerts. Somehow both take me to a place
in my thoughts, giving me an awareness of beautiful peace,
hope & a sense of freedom & dreaming which strengthen
my wellbeing. Thankyou to John.’
Sandy Latham
PROFESSIONAL MOTHER, WIFE AND KIWITIAN

8. © Monte John Latham 2013-17
Monte John Latham asserts the moral right to be identified as the
creating author of this work,
- WHERE IS YOUR INDIGENOUS CITY
and its composite parts.
All rights are reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author.
Debox Publications .
PUBLICATION DATE: FEBRUARY 2013
TRIM SIZE: 1524_2286
PUBLICATION DATE: February 2013
TITLE: Homartian
NEW SUBTITLE: Where is your Indigenous City
TRIM SIZE: 1524_2286
PRINT RUN: December 2016 - Read & clarity adjustments.
Indigenous City insert.
ISBN 978-0-646-59530-6
.
Go to
bookshops
bookstore.bookpod.com.au
amazon.com(first confirm print run)
deboxgeographic@gmail.com
deboxgeographic@gmail.com

9. ix
For new publisher or distribution
enquiry, comment or purchase:
Manager, Debox Publications
16 San Francisco St, Midway Point, Tasmania, Australia 7171
deboxgeographic@gmail.com facebook.com/Homartian
Search: Debox Geographic, Monte John Latham, HouseFandango, Debox Latham Architect
Tasmania; Facebook – Housefandango, Homartian; Slideshare - Indigenous City,
Homartian,

10. All that came before,
in particular this beautiful place
that has suffered and grows …
and the last pound of shelled scallops that
was tendered as fare on the tram to North Hobart.
Robert Vincent: For his ‘feet on the ground’ detailed and colourful
village heritage continuum –
including those scallops.
Jenily Venaglia: For her village contemporary social understandings
and politic, perseverance, wit, wile and her belief in
the value of my goals.
PAINTINGS, COVER, PENCIL & SNAP PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS ARE BY THE AUTHOR
A FEW OF THE IMAGES ARE DRAWN FROM
GENERAL PUBLICATION & OF UNKNOWN SOURCE.

11. xi
WRITER
Son of an electrician and a mother, he grew up part of an
unbroken but slightly bruised fully organic homogenous
family of seven beginning shortly prior to television in the
outer suburbs of a small scenic capital city in Tasmania
Australia amid abundant countryside and river coast. After
a lengthy professional sojourn in town character and
matters urban, he now paints, writes and draws plans in a
rural coastal part of home; deep in the ‘archipelago’
immediately south in The Great Southern Land. At times,
such as now, his writing is like his painting
(facebook.com/Montpaints); a loosely waxed flow of edited
conscious and subconscious expression from the evirons &
the mental … lush with psychotropic properties.

12. With wife & five to share he grew further near Hobart,
battling its economy with faith in the nurture of familiar
locale and this one in particular.
No author is an island; rather merely another participant in
his archipelago and this one with a participator in Sandy, a
very special piece of New Zealand and wife. Certainly the
kids are triple A + participators too. He is a dozen older
than the picture and Indigenous City is a dozen younger. I
hope you enjoy this light hearted and impassioned piece
that ties off in the knot of heart-ache.

13. xiii

14. HOMARTIAN
WHERE IS YOUR
INDIGENOUS CITY
1. HOMARTIAN
2. INDIGENOUS CITY
3. GLOSSARY
‘TO ENJOY IT BEST ;
LET THE WRITING FLOW ON TO THE END;
PUT THE ILLUSTRATIONS ASIDE & COME BACK TO THEM
ON THE SECOND READ.’

15. xv

17. 1
Homartian
Hear m e Homartians, t h e w r i t i n g
h a n d s t r e e t - s w e e p s o u r p i l l o w c l e a n ,
f o r e a s y - e a r e d s i m p l e t o w n h e a r t s ;
i t m a r r i e s t h o s e w h o b i n d t h e

18. g r e a t i n f i n i t e i n t e l l i g e n t , r e me m b e r s
t h e h u ge s w a t h e o f l i t t l e s p a r r o w s ,
n a y m a y b e s t a r l i n g s , pe a k - h o ur
m e l l o w l i g h t e d f l i g h t e v e n i n g
s w e e p i n g t o o t h e D e r w e n t r e s t i n g on
t h e b r i d g e , w h a l e s c a l v i n g i n h e r
b a y s m a k i n g n o i s e e n o u g h t o k e e p
B a t t e r y P o i n t a w a k e , a b a l on e a n d
c r a y a t t h e s h o r e a m e r e s t o n e - t h r o w
a w a y , v e r y n e a r t h e c o n v i c t c u t
T o w n H a l l . N o w o o l l e d p u l l o v e r
y o u r m o u n t a i n f a c e . N o k o w t o w t o

19. 1
Blundstone boot-heal broken skin on the Tharkian silken perfect pad cushion plant
billiard green moss – photo is not a cushion plant however - hundreds of years in the
growing, serious affront across its perfect stone companion.
R E F E R G L O S S A R Y :
B l u n d s t o n e , G o n d w a n i c ,
T h a r k i a n ,
t e s t o s t e r r o n i o u s
c o n n e c t o r , d o l l a r - r i g h t …

20. f i n i t e c u r r e n c y d i s g r a c e ; d i r t y f o o t e d
i n t r u s i o n B l u n d s t o n e b o o t - h e a l
b r o k e n s k i n o n t h e T h a r k i a n s i l ke n
p e r f e c t - p a d c u s h i o n p l a n t , b i l l i a r d
g r e e n m o s s h u n d r e d s o f y e a r s i n t h e
g r o w i n g , s e r i o u s a f f r o n t a c r o s s i t s
p e r f e c t s t o n e c om p a n i o n p r e s e n c e
s o a k i n g m o r n i n g s u n f o r e on s
s h e l t e r e d f r o m t h e w e l l t r a v e l l e d
w e s t e r n w i n d s , g r a f i t t i e d s o m e t h i n g
a k i n a s h a m e f u l l y w a r pe d
t e s t o s t e r r o n i o u s c o n n e c t o r m a k i n g

21. 1
red-green-amber….. h u n d r e d s o f y e a r s i n t h e g r o w i n g , s e r i o u s
a f f r o n t a c r o s s i t s p e r f e c t s t o n e c o m p a n i o n

23. 1
o b s c e n e c o n t a c t w i t h t h i s a w e . N o
t o c l o u d i n g t h e G o n d w a n i c b e a u t y ,
s e n d i n g s t a l w a r t t h e s t o n e y t r a c e r y
o f w i n d s a m i l l i o n a w o n d e r
a r i c h n e s s o f o l d o l d o l d l i c h e n
g r e e n s a l l k i n d a a s t a n d i n g a l o o k i n g -
a t u s a s w e a s c e n d o r g a z e f r o m o u r
l o u n g e - n o t a w a i t i n g s o m e c a b l e d
i m p o s t a t p r i m e p i n n a c l e d o l l a r .
Y e s n o ; f o r o u r v i b r a n t c h a r a c t e r o f
p l a c e , s m a l l h h o m a r t i a n , s i m p l y
s i t t i n g o v e r y o n de r , l o o k i n g b a c k a t
t h e s o me t i me s d e e p b l u e s l i gh t l y
h a z e d d o l l a r - r i g h t s t o n e c a r d b o a r d

25. 3
c u t o u t a g a i n s t t h e s k y , s o m e t i me s
l u s h g l i s t e n i n g w i t h w e t t e d S p r i n g
u n b u s h b u r n t f o r f i f t y y e a r s , t r a d i n g
c l o u d s h a d o w s m o t t l i n g m o v e me n t
a s c e n d f o o t h i l l t o f o o t h i l l ; a v e r y
p r i v i l e g e d c l o s e f i n i t e d i s t a n c e f r om
t h e r e d - gr e e n - a m b e r b e e p - b e e p -
b e e p e l e c t r o n i c a b s t r a c t s o f o u r
u r b a n e p i l l o w . W a r m b l u e s k y p u r e
a i r a n c i e n t m o s s w i n d w h i s t l e d
e r o s i o n i n d u s t r i a l s i l e n c e j u x t a p o s e d
w i t h C o l l i n s i n t e r s e c t i n g M u r r a y
a r u s h a b r m m m - a n d N o r t h H o b a r t
C e n t r a l a t e a s e . N a y i n f a c t n o
d i s t a n c e a t a l l , f o r t h a t m o u n t a i n ’ s
t o e n a i l s a r e c l i p p e d r i gh t h e r e a t t h e
S a l a m a n c a q u a r r y a n d d i s p l a y

26. c r a b s AT HOME ON BATTERY POINT TOENAILS red-green-amber…..
h u n d r e d s o f y e a r s i n t h e g r o w i n g s t o n e c o m p a n i o n

27. 5
g n a r l e d a n d w a s h e d b y t h e s a l t y
r i v e r , g i v i n g g r i t t y h o m e s t o
i n d i v i d u a l c r a b s a n d o t h e r s – b u t
o n l y i f t h e r e o u r c h i l d r e n c a n kn o w
a s t h e y w a l k t h e b i t u m e n b o t t o m of
S t r e e t C a n y o n , b l i n ke r e d t o o b y
p o l e d w i r e s , e x h a u s t , b r a k e - s h oe
d u s t , t r o u s e r l e g s a n d s i g n s … o n l y
i f t h e c h i l dr e n c a n s e e t h r o u g h t h i s .
P i l l o w v i t a l i s e d i n a t a n n i n
t o u c h e d p u r e c r y s t a l l i n e r a i n g r o u n d
b r e w f r o m h e r c h i l l c o n de n s a t i on s
b e f or e t h e y m e e t t h e n i b b e r l o o n e

28. Rosella in a Regnans gum near the hole in the mall 18o4 – by
Mont
INCARNATION: Wellington Bridge

29. 1
O
O
O
SPIRIT IN THIS MALL – by Mont (albeit damaged)

31. 1
b r i n e . F i gh t i n g f ou l e x c r e me n t w h e r e
w e d r e w dr i n k i n g w a t e r ; f a l l i n g i l l -
k n o w i n g n o t w h y . Y e t g l o r i o u s f i r e
g l o w s o n t h e b r o w n e ye s a s t h e e ye s ’
h a n d s , c o m f or t a b l e gn a r l e d k i t c h e n
t o e n a i l s i n t h e l e a f c r u n c h s o i l , t u r n
i n t h e c o a l s a h u g e d o l l a r - f r e e
c r a y f i s h gr a b b e d i n s h a l l o w d i v e t w o
h u n d r e d s t e p s a w a y . T h a t s a m e g l o w
r e f l e c t i n g f r o m b l u e e ye s , a w a k e n i n g
a p a l e m a n ’ s s l e e p i n g p a l l i d
i n d i g e n u i t y – a p a l e m a n ’ s
i n d i g e n u i t y . C a n h i s h a n d s t u r n h e r e

32. s u c h a c r a y , n a y n o t t o d a y : y e t
E l i z a b e t h M a l l , i n s t r a n g e , i s m or e
p e d e s t r i a n a f f a b l e t h a n t h e s o c a l l e d
‘ b a s t a r d s c r u b ’ i n t h i s p l a c e t h r o u g h
w h i c h t h e q ue e n ’ s s h i p ’ s s ur v e y o r
h a c k e d m a c h e t e - p r u n e d a l a r g e
f e l l e d e u c a l y p t l o g - b r i d g i n g t h a t
c r y s t a l l i n e f l o w . T h a t l o g a m e r e
l i m b i n c o m p a r i s o n t o t h e t a l l e s t o f
t a l l t a l l y e s t a l l , t h e R e g n a n s g u m s
g r o w n , gr o w n , w a t e r e d a n d gr o w n
r i g h t h e r e . T h a t l o g a f i r s t s t i t c h i n
t h e r o a d t o L a u n c e s t o n ; a n d t h e

33. 1
t
a
l
l
e
s
t
o
f
t
a
l
l
t
a
l
l
y
e
s
t
a
l
l
g
u
m
s

35. 1
c r y s t a l l i n e f l ow - e v e n t u a l l y
n u i s a n c e a n d s o d e a l t w i t h b y t h e
H o m a r t i a n c i v i l e n g i n e e r ; c o v e r e d
d r a i n s , f l o w d i v e r s i o n , g o n e b u r i e d ,
b r u t a l i s e d , m o d i f i e d , c o l l e c t i n g n e w
s t o r m d r a i n s f r o m e v e r y w h i c h w a y.
T h i s m o u n t a i n - b or n b r o o k s g a v e u p
t h e i r g h o s t s : b a b b l i n g b r o o k b u r i e d ,
t o w n p a v e me n t s s e e k i n g l e v e l w a l ks
l a y o v e r t h e n a p e y u n d u l a t i o n s ,
r i v e r b a n k s , o v e r h a n g i n g t r e e s , b i r ds ,
r e f l e c t i o n s , y a b b i e s , dr i n k i n g f a u n a .
T o d a y l i k e l y w i l l n o t s e e d o z e d w i d e

37. 1
From raindrops to trickle flow: up where the trout dare not go .. .. m o u n t a i n - b o r n
b r o o k g a v e u p i t s g h o s t a t t h e e n d
G L O S S A R Y :
ley lines, convict camp

39. 1
Some brave little mountain fern
shaking their fist in the hole in
the mall where the buried brook
today dribbles through seeming
starved of its groundwater

40. a s w a t h e o f r e a l e s t a t e ; i t t o e x h u m e
f o r t h e c h i l dr e n t o s e e . I f o n l y t h e y
c o u l d s i m p l y s e e . F r e e t h e l e y l i n e s
f r o m o u r k e r b s a n d g u t t e r s , r e m o v e t h e
t r a f f i c f i n e s f r o m o u r r i g h t e o u s
m a n o e u v r e s , l o o s e t h e w o m b a t s i n o u r
c i t y g r i d s a n d t i ge r s n a ke s i n t o t h e
c a b l e c a r , de l i v e r y o u r f o o d of f
l i m b s a n d w i l d , b r e a k t h e t h r e e
p l a n e d c or n e r s i n o u r r o o m , a f r e e d
m o t o r c y c l e g e t s yo u t o t h e k i t c h e n ,
l o o s e t h e e l e c t r i c s p i r i t t h r o u g h t h e
o n e s p a c e b e t w e e n u s a l l , m a k e

41. 3
o b s o l e t e t h e i t e m i s e d r e g u l a t i o n ,
b r i n g a l i v e u n a f f l i c t e d m u t u a l i t y a n d
g u n g - h o j o y , b r i n g i n a b l a s t of
s p i r i t - c o s m o s t o m a r r y t h e s n ow y
w h i t e c a d a s t e r e d c u b e w i t h g n a r l
s m a r t e n e d e a r t h e n me l a l e u c a l i mb ,
t o p l a n i t a l l t o ge t h e r u n de r a w i s e
e t e r n a l p l a n a n d l e a r n t h e u l t r a - v i t a l
h e a r t - p u l s i n g c r u x o f w h y a n d h o w a
w o m a n l o v e s o n e m a n s u c h t h a t
t h e w o r t h o f a s m a l l b o x o f
c h o c o l a t e s m u s t b e m o r e t h a n h e r
m a n ' s m o s t a m b i t i o u s p l a n , a t i n y

42. g o s s a m e r - b u i l t t h r e a d o f w e b a n d a
p u l s e o f c u t t l i n g c o l o u r c a n e m b r a c e
a n d r a p t u r e a s t e e l e n c a b l e b u t
t h e r e ' s n e 'e r t h e t i m e t o s a y s o i n t h e
p a r l i a m e n t n or t h e k i t c h e n . I n
u n d u t i f u l l y s h a p e d m o m e n t u m ,
i n t e r n a l i s i n g i n c r e me n t b y b i t ,
d e e p e r g o o u r c i t i z e n s g r e a t a n d
m e r e a s t a l l e r c h i l d r e n , i n t e r n a l i s e ,
i n t e r n a l i s e , i n t e r n a l i s e , p l a s t e r e d
w a l l s , w a l l s , c o v e d c o r n i c e , c or n e r
h e r e t u r n t h e r e s t r a i g h t a l o n g
t h r o u g h a d o o r , o ’ r h e a d w i r e s s i gn s

43. 1
Three planed corner – usually internal & seen at the ceiling. Once
unknown to prehomartians. One of peoplekind’s most significant
creations; the corners seem to counterplace the circular belt of sky that
blends with the horizon below it and the dome of the heavens above.

45. 1
a d v e r t s s t a r b l o c k i n g l a m p s ,
p a v e me n t s s t i f l e n a t u r e ’ s p h y s i c a l
b r e a t h , u n ’ r f o o t c o n c r e t e s l a b .
U n ’ r f o o t t h y a l a c i n e s t o o l , h o m e
t h r i v e s o u t o f n a t u r e , b e c o me s
c u l t u r a l f i r s t , … n a t u r a l s e c o n d …
m o r e s o n a t u r a l s e c o n d ; s o n a t u r e i s
s a t - o n i n t h e p r e s u m p t i o n o f h u g e
a b u n d a n c e i n t h e b u s h . T h e
e c o l o g i c a l c h i c ke n s c o me h o me t o
r o o s t i n t h e e n v e l o p e d o f f i c e s o f t h e
s p r a w l i n g b l a n k e t , k o s h e r f a s h i on s .
K n o c k , k n o c k … w e k n ow y o u ’ r e

47. 1

49. 1
h o m e m o t h e r o f H o m a r t , p u l s i n g i n
b i o l o g i c a l , c u l t u r a l a n d g e o l o g i c a l
p a s s i o n s , g r a s p i n g ; p u s h i n g i t s f i s t
u p t h r o u g h e v e r y c r a c k i n t h e
a s p h a l t e d s o c i o f oo t p a t h . A n a s s w a s
o u r H o m a r t i a n p o l i t i c : e v e n n o w w i l l
i t w a l k o ’ r i t s o w n pe o p l e ’ s p a l m
f r o n d s t o f a c e t h e o p e n s l a t h e r o f
s u s p e c t i n g s o c i e t y , w a r p e d b y s h a r p
w i t t r a i n e d a t i t b y s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t s
a n d s o t h e r e s o l u t i o n f o r a c t i o n i s
n o t w h o l l y b r i l l i a n t . S u c h a p o l i t i c
w o n ’ t b e l i t t e r i n g t h e h e a v e n l y

51. 1

53. 1
Spirit in this fire-roasted spud

54. f r e e d o m s , i n s p i r a t i o n a n d t h a t m i s t y
b l u e d a y t i m e c o v e r i n g t h e s t a r s u p
t h e r e , n or i n t h e n i g h t i me t o o t h e
t i m e l e s s g n a r l y m a g m a a n d w a t e r
g e o m o r p h u n ’ r f o o t c o v e r i n g t h e s t a r s
b ’ l o w a n d o ’ c o u r s e t o o t h e y’ r e o f f t o
s i d e a l l a r o u n d . W h a t f u t u r e , ‘ t w e e n
t h e u p p e r a n d l o ’ e r s t a r s , o f o ur
a r c h i pe l a g o t r e a s u r e , h u n d r e d s of
i s l a n d s c u r r e n t l y c a l l e d e n -
c o n g l o m e r a t e ‘ T a s m a n i a ’ , l e a v i n g t h e
b i g g e s t o f t h e m b a r e o f a n a m e o f

55. 1
This is what it might have looked like from Criterion Street looking by the future Town Hall site to where the
buried brook met the Derwent … possibly should have been a few Regnans painted in. Painting by Mont

57. 1
i t s o w n a n d s o a l l t h e s w e e t e r of
f r a g r a n c e . W h a t f u t u r e i t s t o w n s ,
o n c e c l e a v e d d e e p l y i n t i m a t e w i t h
i d e n t i t y - n u r t u r i n g l o c a l p l a c e
b o u n t y ; a m o u n t a i n t o s u m m i t a n d a
f o o t y m a t c h w i t h t h e H u o n v i l l i a n -
c h i l d r e n o f a b o a t - l o a d o f I r i s h
w o m e n . W h a t f u t u r e i s t h e r e w h e r e
t h e t o w n c e n t r e g r o w s a n d k i n d a
t h r i v e s i n i t s d i r t y o l ’ s t y l e o v e r t o p
t h e o l d c o n v i c t c a m p , b u t o n l y w h i l e
c h o k i n g i t m u c h l y a w a y .
T h e t o w n - l i m i t s a n d t h e

58. This is what it might have looked like from ‘Stowell’ at Stowell Avenue
looking over the Salamanca warehouses to the Domain; there is a
wedgetailed eagle just flew out of the picture. The cappacino sits at
Elizabeth Wharf..

59. 3
s h e - o a k e d r o s e l l a s a l w a y s
n e a r e n o u g h ; t h e o l d
H o m a r t i a n s g r e w k n o w i n g - n o t t o n o t
g l a z e a w a y w i t h t h e i r b o d i l y
f l u i d i t i e s t h e w o n d e r o f t h i s p l a c e ,
b a s i c a l l y c a r e l e s s t h a t a c c i d e n t a l l y
s o m e o f t h i s p l a c e d i d r e m a i n i n
t o w n . C a m p e r s , s h a c k i e s , e c o -
d e v e l o p e r s , i n d u s t r y ; m a k i n g
i n t i m a t e l y de t a i l e d de v e l o p me n t
l i m i t s , e p i de r m i s t r a n s i t i o n s t o f r e e
w i l d w on de r ; m a k e s o me b o l d l y
s t r u c t u r e d p r o p o s a l s . U n e a r t h t h e

61. 1
… ENOUGH SAID; KEEP IT IN PLACE

63. 1
s p i r i t a t l e a s t o f t h e b u r i e d
c r y s t a l l i n e f l ow , f r e e i n g i t t o t h e
c h i l d r e n . S h a r e w i t h o t h e r s a n d
c h e r i s h C a r l t o n ’ s b l u f f f o r i t s n a t u r e
s i m p l y b e i n g i n a c o n v e n i e n t p l a c e
a n d S e v e n M i l e ’ s h i l l a n d
S n u g ’ s b l u f f t o o . I n b u i l d i n g a n 8 t h
W o n d e r , e n h a n c e o u r 1 s t
, t h e
G o n d w a n i a n t r e a s u r e i s l a n d s t o
w h i c h b l i n d l y a n d f a i n t o f h e a r t w e
r e f e r a s ‘ t h e S t a t e ’ b u t r e a l l y
m e a n i n g H o m a r t i a n s , D u n a l i e n s ,
C o r i n n i a n s t o o , i n a w e s o me p l a c e ;

64. Carlton Bluff – by Mont. Carlton; once a treasured homartian shack getaway, today a short journey from
the capital city.
GLOSSARY: S e v e n M i l e ’ s
h i l l , S n u g D u n a l i e n s ,
C o r i n n i a n s , C a r l t o n .

65. 3
i m m u n e f r o m S t a t e a r e o u r i s l a n d s
a n d w a t e r s o u r h o m e a n d p r i m a r y
p o t a t o p a t c h - a f o r e w o r d b y G o d .
H o m a r t i a n s c u l t i v a t e f r a me - o f - m i n d,
f r a me - u p c u l t i v a t i o n o f p l a c e ,
d i s c r e t i o n a r y r e s p o n s e s , c o m m on
s e n s e . F a c e t h e l i m i t s , o i l e d
e p i de r m i s u n s c a t h e d a n d d o i n g t h a t
n o w ; d oe s t h e b o u n d a r y t o
s t a r v a t i o n o n e d a y f a c e r i gh t a b a c k
a l o o k i n g a g a w k i n g – t h e r a t i o n i n g o f
e n e r g y h a v i n g b e e n m e r e l y a f o o l i s h
n e g l i g e n t w o o l - o v e r . T h i s H o m a r t i a n

66. Our grotty little heart up, Cascades
in company with a buried brook.

67. 5
v i l l a g e i s a w e s o me i n t h e h i g h s p o t s ,
g l o s s i e s , i n t e r i o r s a n d e p h e me r a l
v i t a l i t i e s ; b u t I l o n g t h e r e f or de e p
j u n g l e i n m y e p h e m e r a … a n d de s e r t
t o o ; I s o a k - u p t h e v a g u e d i s t a n t
d e e p o c e a n a n d i c y w i l de r n e s s
r e t u r n i n g t h e e x h i l a r a t i o n l i ke
f u l f i l l i n g c a m p i n g. M y b e s t o f h o me s
a l w a y s r e q u i r e s t h a t t i n g l y a w e o f
t h e l i ke s o f s l e e pi n g u n d e r s t a r s e n
p l e i n a i r e n r o o t e d g r o u n d w a r me d
b y s t a r s a n d m a g m a b e l ow ,
a w a k e n i n g b y t h e v i l l a g e r i v e r , o f f

68. The hole where the fern shakes its fist.
t o t r a f f i c l e s s w o r k n e a r b y , h om e
h a p p y g n o m e r a t h e r n o t f u m e

69. 1
d e p l e t e d . E t e r n a l e p h e me r a l
h a n d c r a f t e d c o u n t r y v i l l a ge m a k i n g

71. 1
u s e o f t h e c r e a t i o n s o f t h e b i g b i g
c i t i e s a n d i n a b i g b i g c l e a v e t h e t w o
m u s t f l o w f l o w t o g e t h e r l i t t l e
b a c k y a r d b i g p o l i t i c s .
F o c u s t h e n u r t u r e ; w i l d n a t ur a l f r e s h
a n d b r i n e y e s t ua r y - a n a t u r a l
e d i f i c e l a p p i n g n e a r y o u r h e a r t , t i n y
p r e t t y c i t y , t i c k l i n g t h e t o e s o f a n
o p p o s i t e n a t u r a l e d i f i c e - a
h i l l h i p pe d m o u n t a i n . T w e e n t h e t w o ,
s a t i n t h e r e , h a n d m a c h i n e - b u i l t
s m i t e s i n gr o w i n g m a n y o f o u r o w n
a n d b l i n d i n g t h e m w i t h de a d a i r ,

73. 1
This is what it might have looked like from Hunter Island before it was named such looking
through the future Customs House … certainly should have been numerous tall Regnans painted in.
Picture courtesy of Anaya who at 5 y/o offered me 40cents for this picture while the paint was wet.

75. 1
There should be the tall Regnans trees in this too, but then Kananyi likely wouldn’t be visible; this
from down Wapping way from the street in behind the Roberts building looking to Wellington bridge
at Elizabeth Mall. Don’t know how the old tyre got there, no rubber in those days.

76. p l a s t i c , s t u n n e d m i n d s , f l u o r e s c e n t
l i g h t s a n d b o r i n g p l a i n
e x p r e s s i o n s o f e c o n o m i c p r i o r i t y .
T h a t ’ s t h e q u a n da r y o f H o m a r t i a n -
s u l l i e d n a t ur e . T h e p o p u l a t i o n i s
n o t a s p u r e a s c r y s t a l l i n e w a t e r
f l o w . C u l t u r e t h a t s p o i l s o u r
c u l t u r e - p o l i t i c s w e d e s e r v e .
C a m p e r s u n i t e . H a v e t h e p l a n n e r s
f o r g o t y a s ! ! ? M ’ s w e e t i e m ’ d a u g h t a
f e w d a y s u p t h e c o a s t ; y ’ k n o w t h e
s c e n e , e x u b e r a n t e x h i l a r a t e d p r i m a l
w a r r i o r u n l e a s h e d , g o o d o l d

77. 1

79. 1
f a s h i o n e d n a me l e s s - i s l a n d c a m p i n g ;
n o t l i k e l y f o r go t t e n : j u s t s m a l l
i n c r e me n t s : -
v e h i c l e b a r r i e r l og s m o v e d i n ; f i r s t
p h a s e h e r i t a g e b a r r i e r , s m e l l y
t o i l e t s , c o m m e r c i a l m a n a g e me n t a l l
f i r e b a n n e d c a r a v a n e n c o u r a ge d . T h e
p a l e o f o u r o f f i c e - s t u n n e d c o u l d l o v e
i t . P e r h a p s m y s t e r i o u s n e i g h b o u r s
o v e r a c c e s s w i l l p r e s i d e ; l e a v i n g a
t h i n s t r i p f o r i l l e g a l c a m p i n g . A l l
j u s t p o e t i c p o l i t i c r e s p o n s e t o

81. 1

83. 1
p i g g i e s l e a v i n g l i t t l e f l y - r i d de n
p a p e r s t r e a m e d p a t s i n c r e me n t a l
e x c r e me n t s b l e n de d w i t h b r o ke n b e e r
g l a s s a n d j un k , a e s t h e t i c a n d
c h o l e r i c f o u l i n g t o a n y c r y s t a l l i n e
r i v u l e t w h i l e w e l o o k t o c a m p i n g
h e r i t a ge i n h e a l t h y c o m m u n i t y
l i f e s t y l e a r o u n d a c r a y e d f i r e n o t a
g a s l a m p n o t a pi x e l . S a v e o u r s ou l
o u r c a m p i n g h e r e o u r p o t a t o e s f o r
s u r e - c h a r r e d c o a l c o o k e d j a c k e t s o r

85. 1

87. 1
s t a i n l e s s s t e e l m a s h , h m m h m m .
N u r t u r e o u r s u b u r b a n i n t e r i o r
l o u n g e r o o m s t o o , i n c o m m u n i t y a n d
c o u n t r y s i d e , ke y t o h e a l t h y
e v e r y t h i n g ; e l a t i o n b y i n d i v i d u a l
a n d s h a r e d o w n e r s h i p a n d r i g h t f ul
p l a c e i s t h e c a b l e - f r e e p i n n a c l e of
o u r p o l i t i c . C o u r t e o u s n a me l e s s -
i s l a n d e r c o u n t r yb o d i e s a gr e e a n y
h o u s e h o l de r b e i n g i n c o n v e n i e n c e d
b y i n n o c e n t s o c i o - p o l i t i c r e c e i v e s
c o m p e n s a t i o n o f p e r s o n a l p u b l i c
a p o l o g y a t l e a s t .

89. 1
Old man River (the Domain grandstand would block Betsy & south Arm there) by Mont

91. 1
L a n d - i n t e r v e n t i o n m o m e n t a t a n g l e
v a l u e s d i f f e r e n t t o t o d a y ’ s ; B r i t i s h
B u l l d o g g r a n t s a n d c l a s s -
c o n s c i o u s n e s s l a i d o v e r t h e w a y s o f
t h e l i ke s o f w o o l l y h e a de d e n d e m i c
b r o w n m a n K i n g B i l l y a n d t h o s e of
h i s c o u s i n k i n d w h o l i v e d i n t h i s ,
t h e i r N i b b a l o o n i c l o c a l e . A l l t h i s a
p a r t o f t h e d i v e r s e v a l u a b l e s , s o c i a l ,
h i s t o r i c , m i n e r a l , a e s t h e t i c ,
u n t o u c h a b l e , h o n ou r a b l e o r w h a t e v e r
- o w n e d a s p l a c e b y l o c a l

93. 1

95. 1
c o m m u n i t y ; a l l t h i s i s s u p r e me .
L o c a l o w n e r s h i p w i t h p o l i t i c a l
s u p r e m a c y i s m o d i f i e d b y
a g r e e me n t s i n r e g i o n s a n d b e y o n d .
P r o pe r l y f u n d a me n t a l l y y o u r y a r d -
n o t y o u r f e de r a t i on - b e a t s t h e h e a r t
o f h e a l t h i e s t c o mm u n i t y .
H o m a r t i a n s w e e p t h e p i l l o w g l o b a l
c o m p l e me n t a r y a m i d l o c a l v i l l a ge
a l w a y s f r e e o f o r g o n e d a m p i n g
w a r pe d t e s t o s t e r o n i c c o n n e c t i on .
S l o w t h e M c D o n o - c a b l e o v e r - r i de .

97. 1
G L O S S A R Y : N i b a l u n i c ,
M e l a l e u c a , K i n g B i l l y ,
B u l l d o g , P r a n a , o r g o n e ,
M c D o n o e t c
Stand yourself at the top of Kelly’s Step and cast your mind back to one ripper dawn blazing light onto
that hunter Island and lifting the shallows that lie towards the Parliament gardens.
Sunlight courtesy of …

99. 1
S o m e d o i n g s a r e s i g n i f i c a n t t o t h e
w h o l e o f t h e i s l a n d s ; a l l a f f e c t s o m e
s m a l l l o c a l e a n d s o a r e r e g i o n a l l y
s i g n i f i c a n t a n d o f l o c a l i n t i m a c y ; t h e
h e a l t h i e s t w a y - l o c a l c u l t u r a l
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s s u i t i n g f i n e l y f o r
h o m e i n t e r a c t i v i t i e s a n d v i s i t i n g
V i s i t a r t i o n s . A v oc a d o ? . . . n o t h a n ks
j u s t h a d o n e ; T r i a b u n n a t h e n , n o
j u s t h a d a b a g e l . L o u n g e s u p r e me
u p - t o - t h e - m i n u t e k e y b o a r d

101. 1

103. 1
e v a l u a t i o n s i n H o m a r t i a n v o i c e s a t
h o m e .
P e e l o f f t h e w r a p p e r , h o pe i t ’ s a
l i q u e u r , p o p o n e i n t h e p o c ke t f o r a
s t r e e t b or n s o u l ; o r a r e y o u a l i e n -
p e r h a p s n o t s o m u c h n o w h a v i n g
e a s y - e a r e d t h i s v o i c e o f p i l l ow -
s w e e p i n g t y p e , b u t i f y o u h a v e t o
l e a v e c a n w e c om e t o o ; a w a y f r o m
t h i s q u i e t l i t t l e t o w n , e v e n t h i s
n a m e l e s s i s l a n d w h e r e t h e g u m my
s h e - o a k c o l o u r g r e e n s h a n g i n s l o w
m o v i n g t i m e s h a pe a n d me r ge f or t h e

105. 1
GLINT ON THE HORIZON – by Mont

107. 3
p o e t s e y e a c r o s s t h e g e n t l i s h o c h r e d
g r a s s h i l l s c a w i n g w i t h de e p b l a c k
c r o w s ; ‘ t h a a a r t h a a r k t h a r k ’ t h e y
c a w c a a w f r e s h e n e d b y t h e
l i g h t e n i n g g r e e n l o r i k e e t s f l i r t i n g
s w e e p t h e d a p p l e d l i mb s f l ow n i n
w a t t l e t o c a s u a r i n a f r o m t h e de e p
d e e p h e a r t a w a y f r o m t h e s e a n e s t l e d
i n c r a c k l i n g b a r k g r o u n d l i t t e r a
b l u e t o n g ue l i z a r d i n s h e l t e r e d
h o l l o w pr o b a b l y u n a w a r e o f t h e
p r a h n a f r o m M e l a l e u c a a n d f a r a w a y
i c e c o n t i n e n t .

108. P r a h n a W a f t i n g f r o m M e l a l e u c a – by Mont

109. J u s t l i k e w e q u i e t H o m a r t i a n , m i n d -
a n t e n n a e w i t h d r a w n h a l f c o n s c i o us
o f b u t i n f a c t e n j o y i n g t h e e n e r g i e s
f r o m a n A n t a r c t i c s t o r m l a p p i n g t h e
l o c a l b e a c h n e a r t h e i c e c r e a m s h o p ,
p r e f e r r i n g y o u r c ou n t r y r o o t s ,
l o v i n g o u r i n d u s t r i a l a n t e n n a e .
B e i n gr o w i n g d o i n g
$∑

111. 7
This is how it might have appeared looking to that
island from where the Lord mayor now sits. It shows
albeit crudely the rocky ‘Rock Hop’ connection to shore
which underpinned the causeway they built … to
become the umbilical and indeed the source of
Macquarie Street.
.

113. T h e T h a r k
The
thaaaarrrrkked
Dolersaurus .
.

115. 1

116. Indigenous
City
Well…here we are … and
there we were. Among it are a
pair of feet tune tuned like unto
ear drums to the ground

117. listening
and feeling the ephemeral familiars
and the new events heralding.
The feet unclad, well travelled callous and easily
reflexed to stealth health and fun above the soils
and leaf crunch of a well-watered territory of
awesome multiseason dynamics jeweled with
living intrinsic, wafting in air, currents, rustles,
bubbles and nothing missing. Nothing missing.
Maybe another abalone shellfish … yes, that
would make the family happier after a long
journey back south. A taller island walker, eyes
lofty above an ant scurrying over a mountainous
big toe, not only standing but being at a stage of
his motion and sweaty from pursuit of a furred

118. food, is present on sloping land at the edge of a
swathe of tea-tree scrub beside a pure brook that
was far wider than his leap potential. To the side,
glassy flowed reflections of tall tall trees lightly
swaying at the tips way up there in the breeze
bearing prahna from vast ocean westage carrying
through to the much loved east. His eyes are
seeing currently north-east across the tidal brook
estuary - which is shared by another small brook
entering from the far side - past well rooted aged
deep blue green brown gnarly baked trees
casuarinas fronded. An eagle bird settles talons
into a salmon fish near a shore distant even by
rudimentary canoe, across a respectable river
flowing increasingly deep and itself engrossed in
the salty flavor of the sea. Close in his gaze is a
small island by which the bracken brook waters

119. joined that salted deep. He could shimmy across
the brook bank, along the wet flattish sandspit and
rock-hop across there to join the family, old and
young breasted and chested smiled and
disgruntled, at the treasured fire brought by
ember stick from immemorial intergenerational
elsewhere.
Being here is beautiful, relating it to other parts, a
day, five days, a moon away around and back; all
of which he knows well. He feels it, he doesn’t
think it – not at all … he doesn’t read – words …
no idea. He stood firm a moment unaware to
interpret the vast amount of what his feet could
hear, enlivened through elder, brother and
neighbour stories of huge canoes with pale people
of other tongues at the ocean edges - behind the
local worms, minerals and mountain echoes -

120. emanating from an antipodean activity where two
numbed leather-clad feet stood dead deaf on a
squashed cockroach. These deaf feet’s ears up on
their hatted head hear the rhythmic lapping of
brine indeed on ocean-ready planked hull. There
are gull birds there too, but additionally on shore
is immense peopled activity and among it his
family is swaddled in and among many small
townhouses allowing only smaller squares of
sunlight and one-sided fire. The eyes everywhere
in these vaguely title-boundaried built ownerships
are absorbed in skyblocked constructed
cupboards, hot plates, pump taps, oil lamps,
constructed seats and beds and tables – all secured
by shelters of cooked clay and sawn nailed wood.
The earth here at the other side is further stifled
under the leathered feet by constructed floor,

121. required against the soil exposed, with its
domestic issues, by trampling on virgin grass a
generation ago. Stifled and missing here; as the
pavement grows the consensus view notices
nothing missing. A molecule of smoke blown up
down and round from the southern ocean finds
thunderstruck company with that belching from
coalfired chimneys among thousands of houses
and tooled workplaces stores and market places
all of fixed abode. And clothes; seeking washing
machines to free them from smelly sweat and
washboard wear. There they were …. well on their
way … ahoot and hey hey. Something has made
them well on the way to solar cells, extended
leisure, reading screens and optic conduits …. all
will spring from an earthy heart, continent or
island. But not all earthy beginnings find attention

122. to such things. Maybe it’s King Billy’s cousin by
marriage standing firm a while longer on the
brookbank near this tiny island off an island.
Through his feet came no comprehension that the
hand of that land of the bustling city was about to
clasp his own - we trust so and as it should - in
this raw natural territory of firm notional
boundaries securing hunting, people & personal
effects among and across a territorial but unowned
common land. The hand arrived, moons later in a
gripping of crew assistance in crossing a plank of
English oak from a boggling huge canoe with
white flapping wings of recent, he’d heard,
moored upflow in the salty river, onto that island,
shored conveniently steep & deep – the family
camp, now elsewhere up the little brook but only
two minutes by worn track and the

123. mouheneennan people swiftfeet and in sight of the
old little island-camp’s biodegrading coals and
shells. There was no comprehension but his feet
always remembered that spot on that bank in their
nibberloone country. The spot was and remains
locally pivotal between the big river, the two little
ones, the little island, little toe of the kananyi
mountain and the nape in which he later camped;
there were fossils gondwanian and they remain
there now. There were shells and bone, stone-
shaped on the far east ocean edge and brought
home and the ground’s all but invisible patina of
pattering listening feet large and small, busy and
leisurely – mostly all still there in our today
resting all covered and changed and shifted.
This teller knows you know the story of how if he,
our man, was still standing in that spot, the hand

124. that should and may well have extended
eventually would have buried him to his thighs
with stone fill drawn from his nearby echoing
patina-ladened playground, capped with cream
coloured macadam rock from elsewhere and more
eventually again with a hands depth of bitumen
layered hardstand from God knows where and on
top of that a grotty black soot from automotive
brake shoes. In there too came an exciting moment
when an imported working elephant let go a faecal
pat, opening thought and freshening the broader
nature. There he’d be standing in the shiftings of
time, no idea of the sign ‘Campbell Street’ in front
of a huge high face of biscuit-coloured brick
casting shadow and blocking blue clouded
birdways and looking for much taller company.
The biscuit brick was broken by the elephant’s

125. tailed stern as it penetrated the brick on its way
along the macadam causeway. Our man’s spine
shivered a little as he stood there clinging to his
home and the rock-hop across to the little island –
it had grown, the rockhop, or rather it had been
sat upon with manually relocated local rocks to
make easy walk and carriage from that flapping
planked vessel to the flapping canvassed humpies
in a place being cleared of she-oak up on the rise;
all under the name of some key person,
antipodean and not even anywhere near here –
and under the captains hat felty and folded.
Nothing at all like mudded dreadlock, wallaby
skin or sea salted black curls. At his left the
sparkling brook was grotted and buried to become
a bustling delighted market place and then a city
hall (with capitals ha) … and snappy little domes

126. on the corners. Over his shoulder a colorful little
pub and over the other, the new ‘government’
built their port’s waterside interiors – leaving
today a little patch of the actual original
brookbank shining through gasping for air; for it
lived down there. Directly behind him and aligned
to the rockhop runs a bitumen ribbon named
macquarie street, with capitals and with white
thermoplastic markings, traffic lights and concrete
edging and trucks and mind warping coloured car
forms running through him and onward by the
biscuit coloured morning-sky-blocking bricked
interiors. That big box full of rooms where people
would go and then come and go to other interiors
and cars and buses all blinkered, at least three
quarters blinkered, conditioned and even blinded
by the trap of interior that has grown, being rooted

127. in the discovery of ironsteel, in old London town
stamped like an ink stamp cloning an odd
phenomenon over the natural awe here in
unviolated unsullied gondwanian raw. His spine
shivered and his feet never forgot that spot and
never listened to the woolen rugs in the govenor’s
office though he’d heard of tribal elsewheres south
where his kind had supped with the like, only to
be painfully ruffled by the mutual spook in life.
The governor’s advisor never thought to heritage-
list the Rock Hop sandspit as the umbilical of the
pretty city of hobart. That umbilical, stomped
across by deaf feet in bitumen soles hearing a
drummer who originally wants mostly to make a
more horrible interior to hold lots of London’s
penalised, bound by that ironsteel that shaped the

128. axes saws and room boom. No these people were
not like that – they heritage-listed the city hall but;
the city hall of course, they heritage-listed the city
hall and thankyou. But no not the Rock Hop nor
kananyi’s little toe. Dam the little redback spiders
and pretty little native orchids and sleek sunned
blue tongues all in an indigenous urban heart right
there - an indigenous urban heart … right there.
There’re plenty more elsewhere, for their
wilderness was always just a barrel roll away, and
then another barrel roll, and then a stubby’s throw
- but now land and ocean are pained underpinned
by that aforeto unheard ironsteel. They brought on
their beautiful boats all this interior, the
internalised (even on the wild ocean) and too the
horrible bacterial sully of sniffle cough fever and
die and their grotty fermented fester of cholera in

129. sewage and sullage. The beginnings of the dirty
armpitted city that enabled the perfect flexing
sturdy of a ballet floor, the metal technical of
saxophone, the huge glass window, the sleek
liquid display, dimmer switch, little black box of
music and the awesome high end of peopled
society and economy the alfresco coffee.
The teller knows you may be conditioned and
blinkered. The Firsts of kananyi’s land scratch
their heads; certainly they know rudimentary
lintel frames of sticks and bark, fully naturally
earthy nurtured – complete with webs but only if
left too long. But this new sharply arrised, gabled
box sealed, light-painted interior, eight crisp three-
planed-corners at floor and ceiling awash with
novelty and sitting in rich natural context; squares,
prisms, right angles, doors, window rectangles

130. and a cupboard drawer holding a match-box -
something fallen to Earth. So many people, for so
many hours of so many days for so many years,
are subject to the quiet bombardment of so many
three-planed-corners. The corners counterplace
the circular belt of sky that blends with the
horizon below it and the dome of the heavens
above. That belt remains there, thank God.
Maybe it’s shrouded by depleted over-head forest
leaves and life, distant it mooches warmly present,
bombarding orgone glow, behind the flat white
ceiling, walls and that corrugated roof of
unknowing. It is very significant, that we hear well
harken: increasingly many people, for so very
many hours of so many days for so many years,
are subject to the quiet bombardment of so many
three-planed-corners. The roombooming corners

131. rather counterplace the powerfully sweeping belt
of sky that blends with the horizon below and the
awesome dome of the fabled heavens above. That
belt remains there, thank God; maybe shrouded by
over-head bushland leaves and life, distant it
mooches warmly present, bombarding orgone
glow, behind the shade of the flat white ceiling,
walls and that corrugated roof of unknowing. The
tight little boxes were cracking like egg shells and
surprised lizards were too slow for the hawks. The
interior with the three-planed-corners moulds our
attention habits; into forms that differ to those
habits made from wholesome embrace of the
dome of the horizon. Closing the door may bring a
touch of adversity. We need the solid tactile
mooch of a hand-polished huon-pine bannister
spokeshaved tree limb flow through the windows

132. of the eight cornered white box interior but we
often have to drive many miles to properly find it
– and then we must return.
He never felt the governors carpet nor saw the
captain‘s cabin and never inkled an understanding
of the nuances of those antipodean vibrations. He
dreamed that night of a thick sandstone box
crowding two men; it was hovering and buffeted
clang and tear trickle in ocean cloud arcing across
the world and was supplied in the meanest of
ways by uniformly clad key jangling owners of
land and things. It bought death to his and
sprouted anew; an island urbia - from such a
distressing concerning gene pool comes a new era
Tasmanian who would starve before discovering
the bushland berries while realising to love what

133. they destroyed and to fight for truly just politics
void of blindness and greed. If we can believe in
primeval slime and a bolt of lightning, here we
have it again. If we don’t we are quickened by the
truth itself and culture on; discovering the
idiosyncrasies of natural peopled place - the very
same that the british bulldog, dutch, french and
who knows else came upon. More treasure now
missing than what they brought; if we count life,
local wisdom and the hindsight of valuing for a
city centre, the soul of what was already here. City
centre supported by the soul of what was already
here. An authentic identity of place cenotaphed
with a synthetically propped exotic urban
sculptural communication.

134. That place, where that ant ran where this First’s
footprints may be seen by hyper sensitive
detective technology – that place could well do
with this communicator as a small urban reminder
more powerful than the nearby local world war
cenotaph.
One of our ever over-riding cynics, swoop-landing
above that reminder, grasping with one claw a
deep red lamp-pole arm, the temporal winner in
the warped humour
of a tharking black
crowbird, a yellow-
on-red capital M on
the oil-soiled white
paper bag in its other
claw, watched from the deep red arm bearing the

135. acrylic cultural colour banner, a living latte being
at a table. Ttthaaaark ark and the crow looked
around for peace enough, then both eyes and face
into the M bag to beak one of the potatofries, all
sneak-stolen from a nearby innocent afflicted
living latte. Afflicted of plasticised urban
geography; with any of many social disease and
new environmental chemistries - greeds,
cholesterols, social, mental and sexual
maladjustments, tumours, blinkers, blindness,
mind noise; throwing off the balance needed for a
humming mental electric dynamic burgeoning
beauty city enjoying the happy acknowledgement
of all of all creatures in a wonderful wonderful
world. In this context our man with hearing feet
in a small city with foreign antennae is

136. remembered via culturally established urban
character funds:
A life size huon pine laser cut figure, feet on his
homeground standing thigh deep in a set bitumen
river mid macquarie and mid market place gazing
north-east through the misplaced biscuit bricked
hotel wondering why.
Why ever didn’t they design the hotel lobby to
value the kananyi water, the Rock Hop and the
little island - at least. Surely oh surely can be seen
even commercial value in this. The cultural
funders followed through with a big glazed arch
where the brook flow penetrates the macquarie
biscuit façade, interpretationally indicated water
flow to an internal natural water-featured expanse,
muraled, written and all other imagery showing
the growing there of an interior, tidal rocks to

137. bitumen, elephant plod to café, boutique dining
and hotel bookings. And through the other side to
the docks. The traffic can just slow, just bloody-
well slow down outside the City Hall … to go
around the lasercut endemic pine memory of a
presence there today - “The City Hall Figure”.
There stands our man.
(To be sheltered by
traffic device)

138. Let the traffic, the drivers and passengers slow
and go around; ay. Give them a chance to break
the humdrum and breathe the air to realise how
close they are to the little salty cove and that local
geographic pivot to which they no longer drive by
straightline blind and traffic blinkered. Break the
traffic chainsaw. Throw up four prominent
supportive marker poles one on each the far
campbell/macquarie corners, one behind him by
the old pub and one across macquarie there aside
the port buildings and the original bank still
exposed and treed … … because it all lived down
there. This will mark a rectangle precinct place for
generations to feel the soul of the meeting of two
peoples, of land meeting sea, of vast ocean
powers, of bio-geomorphic nurture of their little

140. growing city. It will mark that under there is the
Rock Hop far more important to this local place
than the sweet old lady city hall; she will grow
new use from this memory. It will mark the buried
brook once oar navigable, to wellington-court,
where wellington bridge came upstream and
down, a wet link to the wetter out there and the
silver flow back up the mountain. The totem pole
markers are high to be seen from franklin square
and central cove. They will caricature the
characters of their place – one pole huge felt hatted
for the ship’s captain, one woollied for our man,
the other two for water and land far and here. The
cultural kneejerk of the impassioned carried the
day to a healing hey hey, hey hey … ay.

141. Have the land, waters heavens and
generations of creatures, trees, seaweeds and
grasses been witness all along to the doings,
beings and feelings of the planetary peoples
…

142. Just another created synthetic urban prop, but this:
to people and place at the heart of city settlement
in indigenous land; the same in cities the world-
over where the pompous have perched and traded
soul of place for trinkets or else. That place where
cities are born, flowering some synthetic
constructions with places within, blooms to
become islands of sorts and servers for the lands
between, lands which indeed spread to the places
between the flowers – all looking to rosiness and
identity where the agonies dare not fly.
$

143. Keeping the tiger snake
on the right side of the
Wellington Bridge..
.

144. The Homartian
spaceship lands in
the Precambrian raw.
.

145. T h e f o l l o w i n g i s
s i m p l y t h e a u t h o r ’ s
g e n e r i c e l u c i d a t i o n s .
________________________________
_____________________
Abalone: popular rock shell
fish akin to Kiwi paua. Once
abundant in easy reach around
Homartian shores; where they
thrived with muscles, crayfish
and a particular cute little
starfish now being consumed to
extinction by the arrival of an
alien starfish. … as if the
slippery green rock coating
from industrial runoff wasn’t
enough. (when I was a boy
even a long time ago, I vowed
to clean up the river – this’s as
far as I’ve got.)
aboriginal: original people;
origin of the name ‘Aboriginal’.
Aboriginal: the native
people of the Australian
continent & its islands.
Blackfella; Harmoninni. Likely
floated over from India among
other. These original
‘Tasmanians’ copped from the
British the common cold and a
lot of shocking abuse,
disrespect and horror. Also
some would child-care for the
palefaces. King Billy I think from
the centre northwest is an
iconic name. It is beautiful that
contemporary culture is
adopting Aboriginal place &
topographic names – mount
Wellington/ kunanyi.
Casuarina: native tree,
some of which became called
‘she-oak’ by the English
Corinnians: residents of
Corinna, north west Tasmania.

146. Cray: local Tasmanian rock
lobster also enjoyed in faraway
lands as is the abalone.
bastard scrub: term for
scrub that’s resistant to human
passage.
blue tongue lizard:
another Tasmanian icon
growing rarer.
Blundstone: local boot
maker of some pride to
Homartians.
buried brook: we bury the
drawcard of our settlement and
its urbane link – mountain top to
cove.
cabled impost: people with
assorted large twigs in their
eyes want to build a cable car
in the wrong place. If it does
politically go, as did the Iraq
war, it should be conditional
that it begin from the roof of the
City Hall – that way the built
heritage lobby could stop it
whereas the natural heritage
lobby carries nowhere near the
cred. Obviously natural heritage
carries no ego and only comes
from God. Following cable to
the Pinnacle (Mt Wellington)
comes a resort in Thark.
Carlton bluff: an hour east
of Hobart; a beautiful bonded
bookend to ParkCarlton Beach
land-granted to the army and
handballed to someone else,
barely productive land, zoned to
be given a patchworked skin
rash jewelled with window
squares, tinsheds, headlights
amid rectangle fences &
lawnmowings to drop of leprosy
from the soul of the beach.
convict camp: the first
tents here were set-up:
executive on the rise at the end
of Elizabeth & the convicts
down in mid mall. Good
surveillance from the executive
area over the convicts on one
side & the water highway on the
other.
Dolerite: the stone of the
gondwanian pre kunanyi

147. geomorphic thing west of
Hobart – challenged by the
dollar, right?
Dollar -right: dolerite
under shaded and captured by
money.
Dolersaurus: dollarsaurus,
rhetorical creature with dolerite
as flesh often seen resting
quietly like an old gray elephant
trunk tucked under crouched
blocking the fierce westerlies
from the little settlement by the
Derwent.
Dunaliens: residents of
Dunalley, south east Tasmania.
fighting foul
excrement: the ‘buried
brook’, the local rivulet, like
most if not all in global
settlement, was used as a
sewer and the locals copped
cholera. … drew drinking
water, falling ill not knowing
why.
geomorphic: land/water
form, characteristics,
developments & change. May
also be assumed to relate
biomorphic; the same in flora &
fauna
Gondwana: in my mind is
an ancient land simmering lush
with all and awesome creatures
and plants unadulterated by
people yet a perfect place to
live.
Indigenuity:
indigenousness
juxtoed :juxtaposed.
King Billy: Aborigine;
member of these island’s
aboriginals, known as the
Aborigines of the continent that
now supports Australia. Circa
1835-1869, last surviving male
of the Oyster Cove clan,
Following his death his body
was dismembered and used for
scientific purposes.
ley lines: The concept of
"ley lines" originates with Alfred
Watkins who also drew on

148. earlier ideas that alignments
might be oriented to sunrise
and sunset at solstices. In
1921he had been driving along
a road near a village. Attracted
by the nearby archaeological
investigation of a Roman camp,
he stopped to compare the
landscape with features on his
map. He saw, "like a chain of
fairy lights" a series of straight
alignments of various ancient
features - standing stones,
wayside crosses, causeways,
hill forts, and ancient churches
on mounds. Checking this
potential discovery from higher
ground he noticed many of the
paths seemed to connect one
hilltop to hilltop in a straight line.
He coined the term "ley" partly
because the lines passed
through places with ley in the
name. He believed this was the
ancient name for the trackways,
preserved in the modern
names. The ancient surveyors
who supposedly made the lines
were given the name "dodmen".
He believed, in ancient times
when Britain was more
densely forested, the country
was criss-crossed by a network
of straight-line travel routes,
with prominent features of the
landscape being used
as navigation points.
lorikeets: brilliant green
small parrots always plural but
never crowded.
Melaleuca: A small
settlement at the far southern
coast – nothing much but wild
bushland, plains and fresh air
between it and Hobart.
McDono-cable: Never did
want those hamburgers here to
stifle the corner burger shop
with big juicy homemade local
grown economy healthy and
hearty locale.
Nibaluna: this may be
something like the Palawan-I
think- (local people) name for
the stretch of water about the
Homartian docks – maybe it’s
mountain waters.
Orgone … putative energy
… assumed universal life force

149. … anti-entropic principle,
creative substratum in nature…
massless, omnipresent
substance, … luminiferous
aether … living energy more so
than inert matter … coalesce
across microscopic to
macroscopic , organisms,
clouds, galaxies…. held bodily
orgone deficit root of many
diseases…
Prahna: I think of this as
blowing with the air pollinating
as we breath it; the sum total of
all energy that is manifest in the
universe & the specialty of
locale.
Seven Mile Hill: similar
Carlton bluff of Hobart a virtual
wilderness beach about to be
degenitalled – what a waste of
such a treasure so close to the
capital city – what a gain to
those who join the fait
accomplish and build the
glassed loungerooms.
Snug bluff : similar Seven
Mile Hill but 20minutes south
and of a different intimacy and
value.
Regnans : Eucalyptus
regnans, known also as
mountain ash, Victorian
ash, swamp gum, Tasmanian
oak or stringy gum known to
attain heights over 114 metres
one of the tallest in the world
and the tallest flowering plant.
Street Canyon: a place
where kiddies are lost; full of
trouser cuffs, hubcaps, exhaust
pipes, stockinged legs, pole
bases, steps, trampled floors,
pavement and with walled sides
higher than the sky; where
children are easily totally
blinkered away from natures,
the simple natural joys lost to
our constructions but
sometimes plainly present to
their parents who may be
blissfully ignorant of their plight
and drown away their
objections with an icecream.
Testeronious
connector: well is kinda like

150. fouling the purity of the total
universal wonder by putting

151. your youness connection in a
wrong place.
Tharkian: having qualities
like The Thark, an area barely
trodden west of the kunanyi
Mount Wellington pinnacle.
tharking: living of The
Thark.
Tiger snake: common local
poisonous snake.
Whales: there were 1000s of
them in the Derwent and the
estuary, 1000s teeming with
black whales up to sixty feet
long with young alongside in
winter to calve. Smaller
varieties too and porpoises.
Zzzzzzz: sorry if I put you to
sleep.
Z i p p i t y d o d a h
z i p p e r t y a a y …
m y o h m y w h a t
a w o n d e r f u l d a y
… … . .
I t ’ s t h e t r u t h …

152. It was actual …
e v e r y t h i n g
w a s
s a t i s f a c t u a l

153. ADDITIONAL BOOKS by Monte John Latham
 Housefandango
“HouseFandango” is a phenomenon – the product of an
exuberant creativity, a mind ever restless, fluid, alert to
manifold possibility, uncontained. Such an intelligence
might change the world. We need to listen to Monte John
Latham, then. His is a wisdom that roams wide and free,
at the same time as it focuses down upon the most urgent
question of our age: how should we live, how should we
dwell, how should we be? Here is the dance of people and
place – a veritable house fandango, and its dancemaster
steps us forth from the very earth, its magic, the bedrock
on which civilisation rests, to the place-nurturing, self-
nurturing, self-constructing activity that is nothing less
than making a home on earth. Come with Monte John –
dance his dance of life-affirming love.
Pete Hay, POET, ESSAYIST AND PHILOSOPHER OF PLACE,
( 2013 TASMANIA BOOK PRIZE - PEOPLE'S CHOICE)
 Wow Hows the House Now (out of print). Old title of
HouseFandango.
 House Essence (ebook). An essence of HouseFandango.
 There Are (ebook) . A short few words: identity, people, place.
Coming up
 The Architecture of Fire
 Spirit in the Sky
 The Shallows Where We Fizz.
 Nomurbic Office