Much of the conversation around conquering unknown, unchartered nature centers around American pioneers traveling into what is today now considered the American West. It is a narrative of bravado, masculinity, and overcoming the greatest of odds to establish a dominance over nature.
The ethos of the Australian bush (or the Australian Outback, when talking about the arid deserts in the middle of the continent) takes a similar stance. However the events of “The Loaded Dog” show how much humans are actually at the mercy of nature, of the conditions of their existence, and of factors beyond their own control. To tell the story of the rugged individual in this light would be to detract from the vitality and the inspiration that such stories inculcate. They allow readers to live vicariously and experience the struggles - and more importantly, the overcoming of those struggles - through the experiences of the bushmen.
The slight fabrication and alteration of such stories to fit the mold of man’s victory over nature speaks to the incredible insecurity that humans have about uncertainty and forces beyond their comprehension. This is most evident in the ending, where even though the miners are saved from death, there is still an implicit acknowledgement that their lives were entirely in their own hands to begin with. Their savior was happenstance or luck. They do not inquire too much into the specifics of how or why Tommy did not come back to them, or why the cartridge exploded precisely at the moment that the yellow-mongrel was sniffing it and not earlier. It may cause some discomfort or go against the grain of their beliefs to admit that Mother Nature may have been responsible for the chaotic events that unfolded earlier.
