Field Notes: Expedition Pass Reservoir, Chewton, Dja Dja Wurrung Country
Sunday 1st June 2025
Time: 8.47 am - 9.49 am
Temperature: 4 degrees Celsius
On advice that they would be gathering there, I came to the water hole to observe the women swimming. It was fortunate advice as I saw a large group of women congregating by the bank of the reservoir when I arrived. I set up my camera in the hills above and watched them navigate the water and each other. I am unaware if they saw me. If they did, they did not appear concerned about my presence or being gazed upon.
My first impression was that, despite the chilly temperatures, they were not meeting for a competition. There were no obvious signs of an event, nor a time constraint. I could see no evidence of lanyards, markers or a location demarcated for a start and finish line.
On the contrary, the women appeared to be gathering for solace in the water and each other’s company. They presented as more interested in bonding than in competing to achieve a goal. There were no obvious signs of a goal at all….
I asked myself the question: Why did the women choose a painful sensory experience as a site for communing? How does this facilitate bonding? What follows are my direct observations that will require further research.
In the twenty-two-minute period, I observed a minimum of three embraces. These did not appear to be practical compensation for the frigid cold waters. Rather, they seemed to be obvious signs of pleasure in seeing one another, offering support and sharing one another’s experiences.
Even when there appeared to be physical discomfort or mental anguish, the women were laughing, and humour seemed to offer protection against the frigidity of the water. The laughter was quite noticeable, even from afar. The laughter increased with the pain of entering the water and rose to drown out the sound of birds.
The group appeared fluid, and there was no rigid structure for orientation. The women would congregate in pairs and smaller groups, and then these would break apart into new constellations.
There did not appear to be a leader. Initially, I thought it was one woman leading, but then another appeared to take her place, and then a different woman led the group into the water.
The more dominant women displayed greater amounts of vulnerability and allowed themselves to be approached for comfort and communality. Perhaps this is a sign of strength when it comes to survival?
Hypothesis: Women put themselves in extreme and painful situations, not to compete or fight with one another, but to bond through vulnerability. More observatory work is needed to demonstrate this theory, and it will be interesting to consider how this may differ from other life forms.
