I just returned on Friday from two weeks in Australia – one week in Melbourne and one week at the beach in Palm Cove – and was struck by how little Australia has changed in the eleven years (gulp!) we have lived in America. Sure, there were lots of new building and construction, new restaurants and fancy upgrades to some places that were pretty tired and old when we left, but fundamentally little had changed.

I spent the first two days reacting quite negatively to this – the accent grated, the parochial newspapers and TV drove me crazy, the fact that the suburbs still looked exactly the same seemed faintly depressing. Then suddenly there was a switch and I began to realize how lucky I had been to grow up in a place like this – the air was clean, the streets were safe, everyone was friendly and easygoing, and the pace seemed relaxed and truly neighborly. Every trip until this one I had found Australia a fun place to visit but I had no regrets about moving to the US. This time was different and I think it was mainly due to seeing my twins’ reaction to the place. They are now three and a half and they loved being in Australia so much that their experiences brought all my childhood back to me. More importantly it provided me with the realization that in Australia they could have the childhood that I had – and there aren’t many places you can truly say that about anymore.

I even found myself feeling nostalgic for Australian History – a subject I used to loathe. I was reading an article in the Age newspaper about how many Australians considered their own history ‘boring’ and suddenly realized that was me! So now I have an urge to re-examine my own writing and the reasons why I have always avoided (to date) writing any fiction set in Australia. I used to think it was because I never felt that Australia was truly my home – my parents and I are nomads at heart I suspect – but this last trip shifted something. I’m not totally sure what it means but it has freed something at least that held me back in my writing.

Funny how one trip can alter your perception of home and childhood – just when you least expect it. Has anyone else experienced something similar?

And don’t forget to check out Clare’s own blog at Kill Zone.