At breakfast we were given some good advice from an old cocky
I started today by facing my demons. Ever since I flew from what was then called Ayres Rock to Alice Springs in 1970 (another story) and was sick as a dog, I made a pact with god that if she got me to my destination safely I would never fly on a small plane again. Regrettably I have not kept my pact, but then again she hasn’t always looked out for me either. In Africa we flew on 14 seater Caravan planes and I hated every moment of it. Today Cherrie and I boarded a Cessna 210
to get us to Murwangi (previously known as Old Arafura Swamp). I didn’t want to do it, but I was given no choice. I begged to go on the 14 seater with the others, but it was not to be. Something to do with weight perhaps. Or girth. Cherrie was, of course, thrilled as she loves small planes. I downed a travel sickness tablet (cunningly sought from NZ, from where the best motion aids come from) called SeaLegs, which are apparently good for air legs too. We were introduced to our pilot Julia, who may have had her 13th birthday, and I requested a stockpile of sick bags. SeaLegs worked! I actually enjoyed the flight. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but blimey, I did.
Cherrie sat on the smoking side
We saw many wonderous things, including the rainbow serpent
It was a one hour flight and we landed on a short, dirt airstrip which was graded just a week ago, following the recent major rains. The luxury camp is just that, on the edge of the largest wooded swamp in Australia. It was here that the film 10 Canoes was shot.
The best bit about the next day and a half here is that it is a Greg free time. We have been handed over to the jovial Mark and look forward to learning more about the Yolngu culture.
Nhulunbuy was built in the very late 60’s by Nabalco, to service their mine facilities and their workers. It was originally simply called Gove. The traditional name came later. The town is well serviced, with the aforementioned acquatic centre, a pretty nice yacht club, a golf course and no doubt lots of other facilities. And, of course, the Walkabout Inn where we are staying. That was the first building to be erected in Gove, in 1968. Complete with bottomless drawers. Some areas our tour included are currently inaccessible due to much sorry business. There have been three deaths amongst the Yolngu clan in the past weeks, two of whom were significant leaders, resulting in major grieving. So parts of the town are closed and the beach is inaccessible. Instead we head to Town Lagoon. It’s pretty ordinary
but we are treated to a wonderful, heart warming and uplifting welcome to country
The musicians were by the traditional water hole, and the dancers in traditional clothing
After the ceremony, which took nearly an hour, we were treated to a medicinal session. Local leaves (dementia prevents me from naming from which tree) are collected and immersed in hot water. Eager hands then squeeze the oil from the leaves and the oily leaves applied to parts of the body which are hurting. Everyone had a go. Knees, elbows, heads, necks and lower backs. Because she is only 70 nothing hurts on Cherrie. I nominated my lower back, which was indeed attended to but for some reason my medicine woman went to my head. Fancy her thinking I was sick in the head
This was Thelma, who we were informed was Manadwuy Yunupingu’s niece. Of course, that might not be blood relation, but clan relation. Anyway, she was wonderful and I thanked her fulsomely.
We were the delight of onlookers
and tree nymphs
This was a delightful way to start our day, and then it just got better when the bus took us to Yirrkala, specifically to the art centre. Called Buku Larrngay, this is one of Australia’s premier Aboriginal art centres. Housed in a very ordinary looking building, once the plain black doors are opened, one is truly gobsmacked by what’s inside. We have no photos of this, because we were so overwhelmed and somehow it seemed disrespectful to pull out the camera. Fortunately there is no room on our walls at home for any more artworks, but we do have plenty of works from Buku already.
Back to Town Lagoon for lunch, which was a delicious salad, and time for a stroll. For one of us. There’s no doubt that the only good cane toad is a dead cane toad
This is a mining town all right. We drive to where it all happens
It’s good to know our borders are safe. Building closed for the public holiday, so clearly if one wants to sneak into the Gove Peninsula, then best to do it on a weekend or on the Kings Birthday.
The mine, now operated by Rio Tinto, will close in 2030. The bauxite is running low. This will have an enormous impact on the town, which was built for the miners, and one can only assume that the Government has plans for it, as yet unannounced. A naval base is predicted by Greg, our verbose, all knowing tour guide. It’s just his gut feeling. He loves Nhulunbuy and had planned to buy a yacht to moor here and then sail away when his time to retire came. However, in his words “I now have a Filipino missus and she hates the sea so we’ll become grey nomads instead”. When later I asked Greg where his missus was based he said “the Phillipines. I haven’t seen her for two years”. He didn’t seem to appreciate my advice to buy the yacht and sail to her.
Another day in Nhulunbuy. A flight tomorrow. Small plane. Yikes
We start the day in Cairns, with a lovely breakfast at Wharf 1 by Cairns Harbour, with our friend Bridgette, who has created and built an amazing business here, called Let’s Go Buggin http://www.aussiemacrophotos.com. It’s great to see her doing so well, and looking the same. Onya Brig!
A leisurely walk back to the hotel takes us past the old piers
Such is the quality of Cherrie’s photos that I feel perhaps we need to prove that it was us really there and not a pair of other old gals, having a swell holiday
It not only feels tropical here, there’s the trees to prove it
and the flowers, lying casually on the pavement
Taxi to the airport where we check in for our flight to Nhulunbuy. We cunningly clock some other elderly folk with matching back packs, just like ours, provided in advance by the tour company, along with our name badges. Thank heavens I don’t have to carry my drivers licence with me every day to remind me who I am. I just look at my badge. If I remember. Anyway, as I was saying, we board the 100 seat plane with 98 others. A smooth 2 hour flight to Gove (as the airport is called and we land about 2pm
and we are met by Greg. Now Greg is an Aussie, through and through. He is also our tour guide. For the next 13 days. We are a group of 14. Plus Greg. Greg leads us to a bus. And I mean a bus. A coach. He loads our soft luggage, max 15kgs per person, plus maximum 3kg back pack, into the bus. We board. Greg then dons a headset microphone and starts to talk. We can’t hear him. “It’s crap” he says, but “it is what it is”. Cherrie hears much of what he says, and apparently he did apologise for the sound and advised that he’s asked for a replacement. I hear little of what Greg says. If he speaks up it’s ok but he’s a mumbler. But what everyone hears is that the roads throughout the top end are flooded or washed away by recent rains and are therefore impassable. That nice 4WD Merc van I was looking forward to is stuck on the other side of the collapsed road. We won’t be driving the top end, we’ll be flying it. In 14 seat planes. Two of them, so that luggage and people can be evenly spread by weight. I’ll probably be on my own, with the bags. This news is clearly a disappointment for some, me included, but welcome news for others. Cherrie loves small planes. I prefer the roads. Anyway, in the words of Greg, it is what it is.We were to have a tour of the town today, but we’ve got the afternoon off instead. Tomorrow we do the local tour, including the community of Yirrkala. I’m very excited about that. We’ve got some beautiful artworks from Yirrkala, and it’s where the Garma Festival is held each year.
We drive to the Walkabout Inn, and really get the very local tour on the way. There’s not a lot to see in Nhulunbuy. There is a Woolworths, and a Thirsty Camel. And a very big open cut bauxite mine. I was last here in 1978 when I was Production Manager on a doco called “Dirt Cheap”. The mine had opened 7 years earlier and the operator, Nablaco back then, had neglected to seek any sort of permission from the traditional owners. We shot in and around the mine and in and around the countryside. We went to Yirrkala and met a young man who was then Chair of the Northern Lands Council. He was very impressive as I recall. His name was Galarrwuy Yunupingu. I have stories about Nhulunbuy in the 70’s but that’s for another blog. Or not.
Cherrie and I walk down to Town Beach. Any thoughts of swimming are quickly dismissed
The beach goes forever (I stay still) but the vegetation is fabulous
And we see a local curiosity…an old tree with advanced rheumatoid arthritis
Back at the Walkabout Inn we do a tad of unpacking. The bottomless drawer is a feature
Right next door is the town 50m swimming pool. It’s hot, so off we go. Cherrie swims 20 laps (1 kilometre). I swim 70 metres. Very refreshing for me watching her swim.
In an unlikely twist of fate, two of Cherrie’s closest friends are staying here, in this Walkabout Inn (built 1971 to celebrate the mine opening). Bins and Bert are travelling with others to visit their niece who is here for this year only. She is a lawyer and working for the Aboriginal Legal Association. The friends unite over a pre dinner drink
Dinner for 15 at the outdoor table at 6.30pm (Greg eats with us), with name tags in place, and we start to get to know our fellow travellers. Tomorrow is another day.
When Cherrie was thinking about what she wanted to do for her 70th birthday, which was in March this year, she settled on an adventure with a tour company called Outback Spirit. This has us travelling from Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula right across to Darwin.
Over 13 days we will travel in a small van, but clearly luxurious since it’s a Mercedes which seats a maximum of 20. One can only hope the operators are disappointed in the bookings. We will stay in Communities and soak up the spirit of the outback. It all kicks off tomorrow, but in preparation we have managed to get ourselves to Cairns, and we need to be at the airport at 11.20am tomorrow to check in to the included flight to Nhulunbuy. In true Qantas style, this morning’s 9.30am flight departed at 11am. Smooth flying though, and we even managed to stay above the clouds most of the way.
We checked into our hotel around 3pm, and she then went and had a manicure
And I had my brows done, Groucho Marx style
It’s not as hot or as humid as we had expected, and so we walked a little. And I mean a little. A few steps is a challenge for me, and so I courageously managed maybe six blocks. But we walked past, and then did a u-turn and entered the Cairns Art Gallery. What a joy it is. A tiny, old building, with two small floors of exhibits, but so wonderful. Your first quiz of this blog is WHICH IS THE WITCH DOCTOR?
He is, of course, from the Tiwi Islands, along with his pals
The other exhibition was War Quilts: The Annette Gero Collection, which comprised amazing old and new works, drawn from wars
And so endeth today. Navigating my way around this blog has taken far too much of my holiday to date and the formatting is appalling, But, hey, you’ve heard from me. You can unsubscribe I’m sure. In fact, I recommend. Over and out (without a single typed profanity, but no guarantees into the next few days). Off to dinner. Good night folks.
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