Croatian emigrants from Australia walk across Croatia from Ilok to Savudrija
The Čerina couple from Australia has embarked on a 50-day hike from Ilok to Savudrija to capture the stories of Croatian emigrants and connect their two homes.
The Čerina couple from Australia has embarked on a 50-day hike from Ilok to Savudrija to capture the stories of Croatian emigrants and connect their two homes.
Jelena and Šime Čerina, Croatian emigrants who have lived in Australia for over four decades, have decided to walk their connection to their homeland. Their project, named "Between Two Homes," takes them on a 1,200-kilometer route from Ilok to Savudrija, with a planned duration of 50 days.
About 3.2 million Croatian emigrants and their descendants live outside Croatia. For many of them, the bond with their homeland does not end with leaving, and it is precisely this connection that the Čerinas want to strengthen through their journey. "Two homes are like two children; you can't love one more than the other, you love them equally," explained Jelena Čerina.
Her husband Šime adds that for the past 20 years, something special has drawn them back to Croatia every year. "In your own country, you listen to your people, their stories, events, and that is what has been pulling us back every year for the last 20 years," said Šime Čerina.
The "Between Two Homes" project is not just a physical feat but also a mission to document the experiences of the diaspora. "Through this journey, we want to record the stories of our emigrants, not only emigrants but also the people - where they came from, who they are, who they were, who they are now," Jelena clarified.
Among those who joined them and shared their story is Viktorija Alagić from Osijek. "By some miracle, I avoided Australia becoming my second home; during the war, there was an invitation to come and live in Melbourne, but I didn't give in despite the shelling, but some things are meant to be," Alagić recounted.
The path from Ilok to Savudrija leads them through diverse regions, and Igor Nađ from the Croatian Mountaineering Society "Cibalia" in Vinkovci highlights the value of such exploration. "Every part of Croatia - from Slavonia, Syrmia, through Baranja, Međimurje, Istria to Gorski Kotar and Biokovo - has its own soul, and you just need to step off the main paths and you will discover incredible beauties," Nađ concluded.
Almost all of Croatia still lies ahead of the Čerinas: hundreds of kilometers and many more people whose stories they will carry with them, step by step.
