Not every love story is about a person.
Some of our deepest, most enduring relationships are with places.
As part of the Australian Conservation Foundation's 60th anniversary, the national environment group is celebrating the deep connections Australians have with special places, asking people to write love letters to nature and pinning them on a map.
"We're collecting love letters to the places that have always been there for you: the beach, the creek, the tree, the ambling echidna and bounding kangaroo, the sunset that stopped you in your tracks," said Jane Gardner, ACF's Engagement Director.
"This is a chance for people to say thank you to nature - which has never let them down.
"This project is designed as an antidote to the ugliness in our social media feeds. Go and take a look at the map, read what your fellow nature lovers have written, add your own - I guarantee you'll feel better.
"Since we launched this project on Valentine's Day, 215 people have already written love letters to special natural places."
Here are some snippets from those letters…
"I was at my worst, I did not want to move. Nothing could have brought me back to life the way you did." - T Harris, Airlie Beach, Qld
"Where do I begin with you? You are a tapestry woven from the extremes of my life: youthful excitement and crushing loss, searing heat and the cold wash of sadness. You are not just a coastline to me; you are a keeper of my history. You hold the remnants of two people I loved. You are the resting place for my grandmother's dust and the site of my uncle's departure… But you are not frozen in nostalgia. You meet me wherever I am now." - Declan, Fishermans Beach, Torquay, Vic
"You are my sanctuary. My safe place. Where I met so many birds. Where dusky woodswallows cuddle. And restless flycatchers entertain. Where lorikeets have purple crowns, and should be here. And I saw my first western spinebill. Peace, hope and love reside here. Don't ever change." - Jane, Stirling Range National Park, WA
"This gorgeous tree has witnessed and survived the coming of roads, buildings and power lines… I love her for her quiet dignity, her generosity, still providing shade, nesting hollows and character; as well as her biological links to nearby forest remnants and spiritual connections to the forest that was once here." - Iain, Broulee, NSW
"Dear Raymond Island, you may be small, but you have so much that you give to all who visit or live here. Surrounded by the (mostly) peaceful waters of Gippsland Lakes, you are the quiet little wonderland that gives me peace, and joy when I see the diversity of wildlife living here alongside we humans. I treasure you and pledge to fight for you as a continued place of renewal." - Wendy R, Raymond Island, Vic
"Merimbula, you mean everything to me. You give me a life filled with birdsong, beautiful trees and an ocean where marine animals thrive and play." - Anna D, Merimbula, NSW
"I write this to you, the Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges, from a world that moves too fast, in awe of the slow, tectonic pulse that defines you. You are the rugged, sun-drenched soul of South Australia's north, a masterpiece carved from 800 million years of history. Thank you for the silence, the shadowed embrace of gorges, among the ancient mallee and sturdy native pines I have found a peace that exists nowhere else. You teach me patience through the slow crawl of the yellow-footed rock wallaby navigating your craggy, precipitous heights…" - A devoted traveller, Grindells Hut campground, Marree, SA
"Near my parents' house there is a small bay. Two rays live there - one with a short tail. They leave little beds all over the sandy floor when the tide goes out. There are so many crabs in this cove that it is sometimes hard to walk. Lift up a rock and they spill everywhere in a frantic scurry. Large pines edge the beach, providing shade. The opposite cliffs are covered in mussels and oysters…" - K, Saltwater River, Tas
"You are a shelter from the summer heat and water for thirsty tourists. You are home to platypus, eels and fish large and small. You have run through to the sea from the beginning of time. You have had many names and seen many joys and sorrows. I love you." - Kristen, Barham River, Apollo Bay, Vic
Write your love letter. Vote for your favourites.
Photo: Pretty Beach, Murramarang National Park, NSW (Bette Devine)
