4WD Touring Australia – June 2018

JIMMY O’KEEFE

Heavens above! This is why outback stargazing is

the greatest show on earth

INTERSTELLAR

OVERDRIVE

T

he modern world can be a drag sometimes.

Working to pay bills and put food on the table,

seeing the same people everyday with the same

dramas. It’s little wonder people escape by hitting the

bottle or smashing the pokies.

If only they knew that there was another way. All one

needs to be free – even if just to briey shake off the

stress for a day or two – is to sleep beneath the stars.

Aside from the grounding of, umm, sleeping on the

ground, when camping out you return to your natural

state. You are able to escape the bubble of your

mindscape, you are able to unplug from the modern hum

of electricity, you are able to give a breather to the stress

rats that run around in the treadmill of your brain.

Japanese, who invented this era of modern gadgets

and high-tech city living, are also the best at knowing

when to switch off from it. They don’t have a lot of green

space but they use it to unplug.

It’s the cornerstone of their preventative medicine, and

its a known as Shirin Yoku or ‘forest bathing’.

It involves looking at the scrub and sleeping under the

stars, because the open sky will focus your mind on an

external stimulus, and allow your brain and body some

temporary peace.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a hit-list on what

exactly to look at when you’re at out on your back.

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CULTURE