It’s odd that the place that your mother happened to be when she gave birth to you has so much impact on the way that most of us will proceed to conduct themselves over the next 80-odd years.

It’s probably fair to say that we have the most divisive national holiday going around, but I guess I’ll run with it.

So this is what Australia is to me.

A campfire burning bright — popping and cracking
Unseen creatures scurrying about the brush
Staring up into a deep-dark sky, where endless stars are all I see
That's Australia to me.

A pool of crystal water, fed by hundreds of metres of rocky falls
Surrounded by trees and bushes. Bird calls echoing
Filled with friends laughing and swimming, jumping and playing
That's Australia to me.

A rocky outcrop rising out of a sea of yellow fields
Tiny plants finding purchase in a crevice
Gum trees, roads and creeks criss-crossing their way to the horizon
That's Australia to me.

A small, but ridiculously hot, path through the sand dunes
The white sandy beaches that it leads to
and wondrously blue water lying beyond
That's Australia to me.

Sun-drenched road signs far from town
A brilliant sunset that seems to last all afternoon
Driving hundreds of kilometres and seeing nothing but animals and scrub
That's Australia to me.

Returning from the other side of the world
Getting into the bush
Seeing the sights, smelling the smells, and hearing the sounds of the land I call home
You better believe that's Australia to me.