Miranda Tapsell’s grandmother was born under a tree outside Darwin High School. At that point in time, that plot of land was a meat works. It was while working at the abattoir that Tapsell’s heavily pregnant great-grandmother went into labour. She gave birth to her daughter there and then, under the shade of the tree that still stands today. In June, Tapsell plans to take her baby daughter, Grace, to her ancestral land to introduce her to her extended family, immerse her in their culture, and show her the tree outside Darwin High.
The 34-year-old Sydney-based actor grew up in Jabiru in Kakadu National Park, where her mum, Barbara, worked at the local school and her dad, Tony, was the town clerk. It will be something of a homecoming for Tapsell. “My mum’s history is embedded in Darwin and I’m so excited for Grace to have a sense of that,” she tells marie claire. “I hope she falls in love with the place and draws strength from it, like I have.”
In October last year, Barbara and Tony left the thick humidity of Darwin for Sydney, ahead of the arrival of their first grandchild. They brought the spirit of the tropics with them, though, and gifted it to their granddaughter Grace, who was born in November. Barbara
