Imaginative Possession

Seeking ways to understand her chosen continent better, Belinda Probert bought a rural property outside of Melbourne to observe the land more closely and learn how to garden differently.

How do we understand a country?

At a time when many easy assumptions about how we live and how our society functions are being questioned, there is room for contemplation of a country that is ancient, occupied for at least sixty thousand years, and young, a national federation for only twelve decades. Belinda Probert, a migrant from England, sets out to question in words and action how well she understands the landscapes she has seen and the people that have shaped them.

She takes with her a set of writers who have asked the same questions, or provided interpretations of our sense of belonging, to test their words against her own emerging views. Wondering how a nation of immigrants can fully settle here, she decided she needed to buy a property in the 'country' so she could observe it more closely, and learn to garden differently. Trees fell on her, ants bit her, bowerbirds stole her crops, but from the exercise, she discovers much more about soil, trees, water, animals and protecting herself from fire emergencies.

Driving back and forth, she learns to see the ancient heritage all around us, and rural industries that have destroyed and created so much.

Imaginative Possession opens a dialogue on the complexities of understanding and belonging in a land marked by both its ancient heritage and its relatively recent status as a national entity.