On Sunday I boarded the Indian Pacific train for Perth. From Adelaide it is a two-day journey across the outback of Southern and Western Australia. The majority of the trip takes place in the Nullarbor Plain, a barren desert dotted by the occasional (and I mean barely non-existent) "towns." The train stopped in the ghost town of Cook for a brief leg stretch. We walked around looking out into the desert into an open expanse of nothing. After traveling through this landscape for two days even the occasional cow-sighting gets you excited, although I was genuinely excited to see several herds of wild camels traversing the desert. This non-native species was brought over by early Afghani settlers in pre-train days. The Ghan Train, which I plan to take as well, got its name from Afghani travelers.  

I arrived into beautiful sunny and non-desert Perth on Tuesday. I met Laura Merwin, not a Walker but a fellow Fulbright scholar who hosted me. We had a coffee in Kings Park overlooking the city where she is currently conducting plant genetics research. My first Perth Walker conversation was with Iain Walker and his son Patrick at the Fremantle Arts Center, a beautiful and tranquil spot to enjoy the afternoon. Iain talked about his time visiting the States, his fear of the sea and its creatures and shared a Walker family recipe for vanilla fudge, which I plan to make soon. When I asked 11 year-old Patrick what mythical character he sees himself being, he replied "a smile."

On Wednesday I took the bus to the University of Western Australia to meet Di Walker, a professor within the Botany Department. We sat on the Swan River where all kinds of amazing cockatoos and parrots joined us. We had a great Walker moment when we discovered that we were from the same hometown of Abingdon, although of different UK and US varieties. Di talked about her work with sea grasses and her elegant idea for having a magic wand that would relieve people of worries they have no control over. Di would like to be a whale because she wants to "sing and play a lot."

When I asked Helen Walker why she agreed to participate in the project she said that she saw it as being "synergistic." We had a conversation about why it was important to us to keep our names after being married. Helen had a fascinating reoccurring dream as a child about an expanding teddy bear that eventually filled her bedroom. She is also a Reiki Master and she taught me some massage techniques for aching shoulders...much appreciated. We took a lovely drive from the Perth Hills back to Fremantle.

On Thursday evening I met Phil Walker and his partner Danny for vegetarian Chinese food. Phil's father was also a Fulbright scholar. Phil had a great bit of advice for me which is an Oscar Wilde quote, "Be yourself because everybody else it taken." We talked about our families, what it means to be transhumanist and he taught me how Australians roll cigarettes.

I met Robert Walker and his sister Alison Walker at Curtin University. We had a lively discussion about the origin of Poms, Pommies or Pohms, terms, which refer to Bristish expats living in Australia. Pohm arguably refers to "Prisoner of Her Majesty." Other topics included Barrack Obama, the comic The Phantom and what it would feel like to be weightless. Alison taught me an amazing trick with a simple series of steps that woman are able to do while it is impossible for men.

Bruce Walker and his family graciously invited me over for a backyard BBQ on Friday evening. Steaks AND bacon...my kind of cuisine! Bruce and his daughter Marley agreed to the interview where we talked about Bruce's Walker family coming to Australia during the gold rush and he showed me a gold pocket watch, which had belonged to a distant Walker relative. Marley talked about wishing she were Pegasus, the mythical flying horse and also her dream about being bitten by a blue-ringed octopus. Later in the evening I learned the official rules and regulations for thumb wrestling.

Leon Walker takes a general curiosity in the world through ontology, the study of being. After his family members began working on their Walker family tree, they were "horrified by what they found and ceased the research." There are bound to be some stories there! Leon reminded me to always go with my gut feeling. He talked about his travels to Indonesia and his fear of snakes.

Mark Walker is a gallery owner in Mt. Lawley who specializes in Aboriginal art from indigenous communities. When he told an acquaintance that he was moving to Western Australia, they replied, "My heart goes out to you." While Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world, Mark has never understood why he got this response. Mark sees the milestones in his life as being those that signify him leaving places. He is also a boxer and a cook. He said he doesn't know any lazy Walkers and I think I can agree with that. He sees himself as an Australian camel roaming the desert free.