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Outside Magazine February 2002
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The Indigo Outback (cont.)

YOU'D THINK residents of a place so far removed, with a total land mass smaller than that of some American malls, would socialize among themselves whenever possible. Not so. The Cocos Malay on Home Island and the Aussies on West Island operate in dual worlds separated physically by a seven-mile lagoon and culturally by religious differences and nearly 200 years of isolation. Though interisland camaraderie is on the upswing, the two groups are content to keep to themselves. "We're starting to do a little more together but they're very protective of their culture," says one West Island resident. "It's hard socially because they forbid alcohol—and we're Australians, so we drink like bloody fish."

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Later that night, while drinking with the Aussies on West Island, we are introduced to their culture, including a unique style of tequila shot that involves drinking only after squeezing the lime into your eye and snorting the salt up your nose. We leave the next morning as most people leave any tropical island: reluctantly, with a promise to return. When I ask Terry what the greatest thing has been about living on the Cocos for more than a decade, he says something about watching his two daughters grow up here.

"Anything else?"

He doesn't answer, just smiles and nods toward the waves breaking nearby.

"I understand," I say. "We can't talk about that."


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