Mention Australia to someone and the perspectives you hear back will vary so wildly that it will be hard to imagine they're all talking about the same place.. but they are. This island continent situated far, far away in the South Pacific is one of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes on earth. From the Great Barrier Reef to the tropical jungles, from the wide variety of forests to the vast red center of desert, Australia has it all. And its population is as varied and colourful as the land itself, suffused with the majesty and hardships, gifts and sacrifices that the land, its climate and history have exacted form the human soul. And it's easy to fall in love with a place such as this. Having visited once before but with insufficient time, I looked forward to my recent trip all the more. My traveling companion Lucie Mainguy is head of a Master distilling family and we were both extremely excited to be setting out on this adventure, on our quest to Enjoy!

Our aromatic and magic encounters began almost immediately ensconced in the Botanical Gardens with Catherine Bird. Catherine, author of Horse Scents, is one of the leading proponents, practitioners and educators in the realm of equine aromatherapy and her work is both effective and inspiring. Her numerous articles have appeared all over the world and she is working on her second book on the same subject. What was immediately apparent was Catherine's passion and devotion to healing on all levels including the emotional/spiritual and anyone who has worked with animals and aromatics will benefit from this enthusiasm and the extensive knowledge that backs it up. Having read her book on the plane home I can assure you that the information is just as applicable to your two-legged clients as it will be to the four-legged kind. For more information on correspondence courses, articles and seminars you can e-mail Catherine at happyhorses@hartingdale.com.au.

Then, as if the "strange-to-us" trees, plants and bird life in the gardens had not fully established our location we ended the day in a gallery of Aboriginal Art, listening to creation stories and viewing some of the most exquisite and moving paintings I've ever had the privilege to see. The cultural heritage of this land is a mystery but we were allowed a glimpse of that mystery here, allowed to feel the profound emotional touch of the true people and I highly recommend braving the touristy feel of The Rocks neighbourhood to visit this space. If you're lucky Tom will be working and perhaps willing to share his extensive understanding and story-telling. www.authenticaboriginalart.com.au

New Frontiers in Australian Aromatherapy was the conference that we were here to attend. The conference organizer, Michele Casey, has just succeeded in setting up an aromatherapy clinic for cancer patients in Westmead Hospital in Sydney. The project has grown out of Michele's job as a grief counselor and oncology nurse, working primarily with children and she has been spreading the word and effects of aromatherapy in her understated but highly effective manner for quite some time. As Michele says, "The aromatherapy clinic represents the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Being situated in a major hospital will give us the best opportunity to influence the lives of many people in a positive and caring way. I also believe that having an aromatherapy clinic in a medical establishment will dramatically improve the standing of aromatherapy within the community."

What is also amazing is the commitment that the hospital has made to the project. They have provided dedicated space, which has been refitted to provide dedicated treatment rooms and a waiting area for clients and families. The hospital staff have been willing, not only to learn to use aromatherapy, but also benefit from the treatments throughout the development phase of the clinic and Michele believes this has played a key role in the projects acceptance. The whole clinic is designed to provide support and care for both the patients and their families, and I hope that this can be a template for similar endeavours in other countries! Michele deserves major kudos for her achievement and I know that the success stories will keep coming from this clinic once it's doors open in August 2001. For further information on this project or to donate time, energy or . . . contact Michele Casey at holistichealth@smartchat.com.au

The conference was set up to help earn funds for the running of the clinic and all the speakers donated their time to this valuable cause. The organization and speakers list was excellent, offering something for everyone with lots of really solid information for both professionals and lay practitioners. Saturday morning started with a taste of Australia from Mark Webb in his talk New Australian Essential Oils. This presentation was brought to life by living samples of many of the plants, particularly nice when these species come from geographical areas thousands of miles apart. Like Canada, Australia's diverse aromatic plants are still being explored and new varieties pop up constantly, ultimately that's what this trip was all about. Much of this material is available in Webb's book, Bush Sense, which makes a useful addition to thel aromatherapy library. My presentation, Hydrosols: Therapeutic Applications in Aromatherapy focused on the clinical actions of the waters and their place in the 'medical aromatherapy' arena. With their low-odour threshold and lack of contra-indications and dangers, imagine what they could do in a cancer clinic for children! Most gratifying was watching the audience use the hydrosol samples provided, drinking them neat and diluted, misting them all over their faces and bodies and creating blends right in their hands. Australia like many places has a schism in its aromatherapy community between those who use essential oils internally and those who do not. The internal school or 'medicinal approach' is beginning to dominate down under, thanks in part to the lasting effects of Daniel Penoels past residency in Melbourne ands a new organization, The Australian Medical Aromatherapy Association (AMAA) is hoping to go international over the next few years, watch for it in a city near you or contact them at www.aama-oz.org.

John Kerr, editor of Aromatherapy Today magazine presented on Wound care for the Elderly. Starting with a standardized formula, tests were conducted on hospital and nursing home patients. The four oils used were lavender, German chamomile, patchouli and tea tree, with lemon myrtle replacing the tea tree in later batches. Not surprisingly excellent results were achieved and anyone wishing to work in hospital or palliative acre facilities would do well to have this article to hand when writing proposal and patient care protocols. Joy Bowles represented the Aromatherapy Research Group talking on Essential Oils, Touch and Dementia: Reduction in Nursing Care and Difficult Dementia Behaviours. Again, fascinating research conducted in a clinical setting on 56 patients with a variety of dementia problems, (Alzheimer's, CVA, Parkinson's). This is a critical and obvious avenue for the use of aromatics as increased pharmaceutical intervention often doesn't work and is known to decrease quality of life. For all of us but particularly for those with dementia quality of life is paramount for the stability it can provide. The importance of studies in clinical settings, like those described by Kerr and Bowles, is that they help convince the allopathic contingency that 'complementary' modalities can have both a profound supporting role and significant ameliorating benefits to offer anyone requiring health care. Although those of us who practice aromatherapy and have seen the miracles that can take place do not need convincing, we sometimes lack either the language or the research (or both) to back up our empirical knowledge. When even small 'clinical' studies on 30 or less patients can result in a new pharmaceutical being approved, excellent studies such as these have an important role to play in safeguarding the future of aromatics in a medical model.

Australian Sandalwood was the subject for presenter John Fergeus of Australian Botanical Products. Santalum spicatum is just one of five indigenous Australian sandalwood species and it produces a lovely oil that has been on the market for perhaps five years or more. This is an oil I have watched for some time and I keep waiting for a reasonable quantity of the steam distilled variety to appear as most of the current product is prepared as an absolute which is then vacuum distilled. Unfortunately this production method means no hydrosol. Although S. album (East Indian sandalwood) also grows in Australia most of the harvest is shipped to India to supplement their government controlled domestic market. The S. spicatum from the Western desert near Perth is producing an exciting alternative to the now rare Indian sandalwood and current estimates are that stocks, even without replanting, could provide sandalwood oil and wood for the next 15-20 years. (For more on the other varieties of indigenous sandalwood see Part 3 of this article.)

Michele Casey's paper, Pain Management and Aromatherapy was a most informative and concise presentation, her discussion of the concept of pain and how this relates to treatment was particularly insightful. When she moved on to the subject of dermatomes to help describe and understand pain referral sites in the body it was obvious that this was new material for many. Perhaps anatomy and physiology courses for aromatherapists should start including this information as standard, as it also helps explain other modality concepts such as meridians and energy movement in the body, and makes massage options clearer for those with serious health concerns. Robbi Zeck, always dynamic to hear, presented her Aromatic Kinesiology, a synthesis of concepts and treatment that she has developed in her naturopathic clinic in Melbourne since the late 70's. Going beyond the basics of muscle testing and incorporating from numerous other modalities and belief structures Aromatic Kinesiology can work as a tool for both client and practitioner on a daily basis. "Encourage your mind to be responsive rather than reactive." Excellent!

Ron Guba, proponent of 'medical aromatherapy' and one of the driving forces behind the AMAA, spoke on The Future of Aromatic Medicine. During his talk Ron passed around bottles of water containing an essential oil blend and a dispersant to dissolve them in the water. After seeing the lack of fear with ingesting hydrosols I wondered how easily people would take to downing the oils. While some just couldn't do it, most were willing to give it a try and again this gives me great hope for the healing future of aromatics both in Australia and elsewhere.

The final word on the conference however, must go to Dr. Heather Cavanagh, director of the Health & Medical Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University. Dr. Cavanagh spoke on Bioactivity of Backhousia citriodora Essential Oil. Lemon Myrtle, B. citriodora, is another one of the 'new' Australian oils being explored for its ability to combat even the anti-biotic resistant micro-organisms showing up today. Like most lemon scented oils, B. citriodora contains high levels of aldehydes particularly neral and geranial. These are the same chemical constituents that have helped give Melissa its almost legendary status among many British trained aromatherapists despite the exorbitant cost and difficulty in finding the real thing. Dr. Cavanagh's research was extensive and the issue of dermocausticity of the aldehydes was notably addressed, (something rarely mentioned about Melissa) including the effects of various quenching compounds. This incredible study was unfortunately the only one not included in the Conference proceedings but I am told that it may be available as an addendum for those ordering proceedings after the fact. (To order the conference proceedings contact Holistic Health, tel 61 (2) 9894 9933, fax 61 (2) 9894 0199, email: holistichealth@smartchat.com.au.

Along with the conference there was a small trade show, which gave us the chance to sample many of the rare indigenous oils in addition to those more commonly available. Most exciting to me was the array of education offered down under. There are 3 major schools of healing arts plus private schools in Sydney alone (a city of 4 million) and several others around the country. Add to this mix the myriad of workshops and visiting lecturers like myself and the Australian practitioner is blessed with some of the best educational opportunities around. Perhaps a place to consider for continuing education opportunities you can combine with a holiday!

So two days were spent in this stimulating environment, surrounded by speakers and attendees from New Zealand, Japan and all over Australia. I would like to thank the organizers for not only their hard work in organizing such a high caliber event but for their vision of the future of aromatherapy as a true healing modality for all.