Robyn Davidson facts for kids

Robyn Davidson is an Australian writer. She is most famous for her 1980 book Tracks. This book tells the story of her amazing 2,700 km (1,700 miles) journey. She walked across the deserts of Western Australia using camels. Robyn has spent over 40 years traveling and writing about her adventures. Her recent book, Unfinished Woman, came out in late 2023.

Early Life and Beginnings

Robyn Davidson was born in Miles, Queensland, Australia. She grew up on a cattle station called Stanley Park. She was the second of two girls. When Robyn was 11 years old, her mother passed away. She was then mostly raised by her aunt, Gillian. Robyn went to a girls' boarding school in Brisbane.

She was offered a music scholarship, but she did not take it. In Brisbane, Robyn lived with biologists. She also studied zoology, which is the study of animals.

In 1968, when she was 18, Robyn moved to Sydney. She later lived in Paddington. She worked as a card-dealer during this time.

In 1975, Robyn moved to Alice Springs. She wanted to work with camels there. She was planning a long trip across the desert. For two years, she trained camels. She also learned how to survive in the tough desert environment. In her last year in Alice Springs, Sallay Mahomet helped her. He provided her with the camels she needed. Robyn often remembered his advice and warnings. This was especially true when wild camels were nearby. Mahomet also gave her two camels, Kate and Zeleika. Kate could not go on the trip because of a skin infection. Robyn tried to help Kate get better for several months. During this time, she also learned about the Aboriginal land rights movement.

Her Famous Journey: Tracks

In 1977, Robyn Davidson started her journey. She left from Alice Springs and headed for Australia's west coast. She traveled with her dog, Diggitty, and four camels. Their names were Dookie, Bub, Zeleika, and Goliath. Goliath was Zeleika's baby.

Robyn did not plan to write about her trip at first. But she later agreed to write an article for National Geographic magazine. She had met photographer Rick Smolan in Alice Springs. She asked him to be the photographer for her journey. Rick met her three times during the nine-month trip.

The National Geographic article was published in 1978. It became very popular. Because of this, Robyn decided to write a book about her experience. She went to London and lived with writer Doris Lessing while writing Tracks.

Tracks won the first Thomas Cook Travel Book Award in 1980. It also won the Blind Society Award. In 1992, Rick Smolan published his photos from the trip. His book was called From Alice to Ocean. It was one of the first books to include an interactive CD with stories and photos.

Many people loved Tracks, especially women. It showed Robyn exploring the wilderness on her own. This was very inspiring.

Aboriginal Australians she met on her journey still remember her. Artist Jean Burke painted a picture called The Camel Lady in 2011. It was for an art show in Darwin. Jean Burke's father, Mr. Eddie, was a Pitjantjatjara man. He walked with Robyn through Ngaanyatjarra lands. He guided her to water sources. Mr. Eddie planned to join Robyn for only a few days. He wanted to help her avoid sacred sites respectfully. But he ended up going with her all the way to Warburton.

Because Mr. Eddie joined her, Robyn's travel plans changed. She learned a lot from him about time and enjoying the present moment. She wrote about this in her book:

I was being torn by two different time concepts. I knew which one made sense, but the other one was fighting hard for survival. Structure, regimentation, orderedness. Which had absolutely nothing to do with anything. I kept thinking wryly to myself, “Christ, if this keeps up it will take us months to get there. So what? Is this a marathon or what? This is going to be the best part of your trip, having Eddie with you, so stretch it out, idiot, stretch it out. But but…what about routine?” and so on. The turmoil lasted all that day, but gradually faded as I relaxed into Eddie’s time. He was teaching me something about flow, about choosing the right moment for everything, about enjoying the present. I let him take over.

After they arrived in Warburton, Robyn and Mr. Eddie parted ways. Mr. Eddie suggested another older Aboriginal man join her. He said the next parts of the journey would be difficult. But Robyn decided she wanted to continue on her own.

Tracks on the Big Screen

In 2013, a movie based on Robyn's book was released. It was also called Tracks. John Curran directed the film. Mia Wasikowska starred as Robyn Davidson. The movie first showed at the Venice Film Festival.

Studying Nomadic Peoples

Most of Robyn Davidson's work involves traveling with and studying nomadic peoples. Nomads are groups of people who move from place to place. She is often called a social anthropologist, but she learned everything herself. She does not have a special degree in it.

Robyn has traveled with nomads in India. She did this from 1990 to 1992. She wrote about these experiences in her book Desert Places.

She has studied different ways of life for nomads. This includes groups in Australia, India, and Tibet. She wrote a book and made a documentary series about them. Her writings on nomads come mostly from her own experiences. She shares many of her ideas in No Fixed Address. This was her contribution to the Quarterly Essay series.

In this work, she asks important questions. She wonders when humans caused less harm to themselves, the environment, and animals. She suggests that this was when people were nomadic. She believes that when people settled down, they became "strangers in a strange land."

Awards and Recognition

Robyn Davidson received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. This award recognizes her contributions.

Personal Life

For three years in the 1980s, Robyn Davidson was in a relationship with the Indian novelist, Salman Rushdie. Their friend, Bruce Chatwin, introduced them.

Robyn Davidson has moved often. She has lived in Sydney, London, and India. In 2014, she was living in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia.

See also

In Spanish: Robyn Davidson para niños