Outside, Mona Lisa

Peak bagging, tourism and authentic engagement

Featured in

  • Published 20230207
  • ISBN: 978-1-922212-80-1
  • Extent: 264pp
  • Paperback (234 x 153mm), eBook

THE GREEN HUMP of Mount Foster is a gap on my map.

Right now, I’m filling in gaps by climbing mountains like this. I know that sounds a little detached, maybe even cold, but over the past eight years I’ve been busy with three young children, so walks have been rare. The gaps in my map have been staring at me. Perhaps travellers stuck at home through the pandemic have felt something like this – the call of the named unknown. 

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

If you are an educator or student wishing to access content for study purposes please contact us at griffithreview@griffith.edu.au

Share article

About the author

Ben Walter

Ben Walter is the author of the short story collection What Fear Was. His work has appeared in Meanjin, New Australian Fiction and The...

More from this edition

No name for the country

Non-fictionFor the past thirty-odd years, Hideo has worked exclusively in Japanese, publishing several novels and collections of criticism and essays. Why Japanese? is a question he is often asked. It harbours a kind of suspicion: why would a native speaker of the English language, the language of power and prestige and capital ... give it all up in favour of a comparatively minor language, a marked and ethnicised tongue?

Detachable penis

Non-fictionThree years into my transition during the 2021 lockdowns, my online shopping habit became a full-blown addiction. One of the weirder things that I purchased was a petite crocheted penis and testicles, hand-stitched by a crafty ‘bear’ called Devon. Each package was made-to-order, so I could choose everything from the shaft length to colour and testicle size. I could’ve even added ball hair. 

From Russia with love

Non-fictionThe 'socialisation of women' narrative arose from journalistic innovations associated with the First World War. In response to an unprecedented demand for up-to-date news, the Australian press had embarked on rapid technological change. Editors installed steam- and rotary-powered printing machines, established distribution fleets of automobiles and trucks, and hooked up their newsrooms to telephone lines.

Stay up to date with the latest, news, articles and special offers from Griffith Review.