Practicing Mindfulness - Elizabeth Monthe

Hi there. Welcome to my immersive experience featuring recordings from my local forest. You will hear from a collection of birds, bugs and the trees themselves. These recordings are taken late in the evening, allowing you to hear sounds from within the forest you might not usually, whether that’s due to not feeling comfortable or safe in that area, not having access or just not wanting to be eaten alive by mosquitos. This experience is wheelchair accessible, with each Echo reachable along the footpaths and there are also nearby chairs and benches. Note that the Echoes will loop if you stay within them, and the 8th Echo plays louder the closer you are to the centre. Please be aware of other people and the wildlife on campus, especially the kangaroos.

The land housing the Sippy Downs campus teems with life and vitality. Establishing a connection between the campus's natural surroundings and sensory experiences is integral to creating a distinctive environment. Take your time to immerse yourself in nature, listen attentively to the soundscape, and experience the diverse array of bird calls, insect chirps, rainfall, underwater ambience, and even the subtle rustling of trees you may have never noticed before. These sounds will continue to loop until you step outside the circle.

'Where the Land Listens' has been created as a celebration of Kabi Kabi Country and as a deep exploration of place. Throughout the walk, you are invited to experience the shifting soundscapes and sights of Point Cartwright Reserve, from dawn to dusk, and from shoreline to bush. This work journeys through the sounds of waves, wind, rain, and birdlife, revealing the contrast between coastal and rainforest ecosystems within a single landscape. Through these recordings, this walk offers multiple ways of encountering the same place, each shaped by time, atmosphere, and ecological activity. This immersive audio-visual experience encourages you to pause, listen, and attune to the nuances of this environment. Let the soundscapes guide you on a journey through our biosphere, and let the visuals transport you. All images and audio recordings in this work were created on Kabi Kabi Country. I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this land, the Kabi Kabi / Gubbi Gubbi peoples, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging. This walk is an opportunity to experience and reflect on country with care and respect. Please note that this walk is wheelchair accessible and intended to be suitable for all ages and fitness levels. As it takes place outdoors and may involve direct sunlight, sun safety is encouraged. Take care underfoot and remain aware of your surroundings, including any wildlife. For the optimal experience, park in P13 and start on the northern end of the walk to start at “dawn” and finish at “dusk”, walking through the day. This campus location has been selected to add to the serenity of the audio-visual echoes, guiding you through ponds, bush and open space for the perfect place to slow down and listen. Enjoy your virtual exploration.

You spend a day the Mary Cairncross rainforest during a rainy day.

This walk is a quiet meeting point between two places I know well: Dilkusha, a rainforest property near Maleny where my grandfather lives, and the grounds of UniSC, where I study and think and walk every day. Using sound, story, and memory, I’ve brought fragments of Dilkusha into the spaces of the university. Footsteps through puddles, the call of the Lewin’s honeyeater, water trickling over stone—each stop along the path carries a small part of the land my grandfather has tended for decades. This is an attempt to listen more deeply. To walk slower. To consider the stories rooted in the ground beneath us—both those we inherit and those we’re still learning how to hear. Put on your headphones, and take your time.

A Most Irritating Walk is a geo-located audio-visual experience through the Maroochy Wetlands—where birds sing, mozzies bite, and nature doesn’t care if you’re comfortable. Explore lush rainforest and mangrove marshland as the landscape serenades, challenges, and surprises you. Come for the birdsong. Stay for the existential itch.

This is for our workshop