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The next best thing to going bush

The next best thing to going bush

It was chilly winter’s afternoon when we met up with Goya Torres at her home on the northern slopes of Munibung Hill.

GOYA HAS BEEN IN AUSTRALIA since 2010, hailing from the other side of world, a small city nestled in the Cordoba valley, in the Mexican state of Veracruz.  So weather wise it wasn’t such a great adjustment to settle into Sydney’s temperate climate when she first arrived.

After acquainting herself with the Australian way of life, Goya headed off to Britain for a short adventure, settling in Southsea Portsmouth and becoming immersed in the British and European street-art scene.

You see, Goya is a visual/street-artist, muralist and graphic designer, so creativity runs deep.

“I do street-art, live-painting for concerts and events, also exhibitions as well as artwork in the studio, with the odd workshop here and there,” says Goya.

But the English lifestyle and darkness was not for Goya. Finding herself constantly day dreaming about the beautiful beaches and bush, it was back to Australia after two years, and needing to decide where to base herself on her return.

“I decided to get out of Sydney, buy a house next to the bush and get a dog. Why live in a busy city street when you can live right next door to the trees and all the life and inspiration that it contains?”

“Lake Macquarie was the perfect option, with just a short drive to Newcastle and the big city.”

And so, we are talking in a house that is nestled down below street eye level, with the forested landscape of Munibung Hill clearly evident as the focus to our line of sight.

The move to Lake Macquarie was made in 2020 and there are no regrets. 

Goya has done murals featuring Australian animals in her very particular style, but not species that live at Munibung Hill – yet. You can find most of these murals in Sydney, but also one in Toronto Boulevard next to Vinnies, and two more in Newcastle (one in Gibson St in front of the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, and another one in Darby St just after Parkway Avenue).

“After relocating and living in so many different countries and cities (Mexico, Argentina, USA, Britain) moving and settling here has been a blessing. I wanted to finally have a base and have the studio in the house with enough space to have a dog. Finding this beautiful property with the bush in the back was just something that blew my mind. I still remember the opening day, the cicadas were so loud! It was a straight answer, I didn’t need to overthink it.”

While it’s true that the address is conducive to much less hustle and bustle, which is a desirable aspect, the opposite is true when it comes to Goya’s wildlife companions – you could call them little friends in a way. They are busy and often noisy and always fascinating.

“The last four years it has been a learning curve when it comes to attempting to identify the native plants and animals that are here, especially for me being originally from Mexico. I grew up in the city and it’s not common to see any wildlife there,” said Goya.

“As for the animals, especially birds, that will take a long time, especially when they don’t stay still long enough to pick up all the features that would let me search for an identification online.”

iNaturalist has become a go to website app for Goya, as she shares some photos.

“I’ve observed a wide range of animals such as Possums, Goannas, Frill necked Lizards, Blue tongue Lizards, a Black bellied Snake came to visit and the Land Mullet – which I’ve learnt is the largest member of the skink family of lizards. I call the land mullet ‘Lizzie’. She is a friend of my golden retriever Kira; how cool is that?” smiles Goya.

“When it comes to birds, it can be hard to pick one from another when they fly past so quickly, but I’m getting there.”

“Cockatoos are frequent visitors to this part of Munibung Hill specially in summer, along with the Rainbow Lorikeet, and Kookaburras of course, which are my favourite Australian bird. There is a Kookaburra that loves coming for a splash in my pool. I love its shape and big head; they truly are a special bird.”

“There’s been a Wedge tailed Eagle fly over, there’s been a family of Wood Ducks set up home in my pool once, the Noisy Miner, Crested Pigeon, but not small birds except for the Fairy Wren,” recalls Goya.

We chat about the history of Munibung Hill and how since colonisation, she has been subjected to many alterations including the clearing of most of the native vegetation for cattle grazing – replaced with introduced species, many of which are now out of control.  The hill was sold off and fenced off into paddocks and we are still living with the consequences of this today.  Only recently the Green Team from Landcare pulled up twisted rusty barbed wire from old fences dating back to early 1900s. Overgrown with heavily matted grasses, it is an occupational hazard for volunteers working at the Lucilla Ridge Landcare site.

All these landscape changes reduced the habitat especially the understory species that provide protection for small birds.

We take a break in our conversation for Goya to show us that there is a creek running at the back of the property. And this becomes an opportunity to discuss the importance of waterways of which there are more than 15 with their headwaters at Munibung Hill.  And to let Goya know that we (MHCS) have colloquially called this Owl Creek – taking the name from a family of Powerful Owls that have been observed living in the catchment by Eddie Bernard (pictures featured in the last issue of MMM).

The creek is heavily infested with Lantana that has choked out most other species, but it may well be providing valuable ground cover for small mammals such as Bandicoots and perhaps small birds, which seek shelter from predators, such as foxes and roaming domestic cats (the subject of many articles in MMM).

There is a large tree on the far side of the creek bank. The spreading branches are favourite perching spots for the Kookaburras.  But Goya is not sure if this contains hollows suitable for nesting and raising chicks.

“This is a beautiful part of the world that has inspired my creativity and a safe space for my art – I love it; I am very blessed to have ended up at Munibung Hill and I look forward to learning more about it and to protect its value though my art,” says Goya.

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Find out more about Goya’s art at: http://www.goyatorres.com  and visit Goya at the Living Smart Festival in September, where she will be live-painting a mural and showing some of her artwork during the day.

Goya will also be giving two workshops at The Place, Charleston, in August, and at the Lake Macquarie Museum of Art and Culture Yapang in October.

Follow her socials to find out about more upcoming projects.

    …. From MMM Issue #45, Aug-Sept, 2024