The Long Way Home

As I write I am sitting in the Halls Creek Sports Bar, drinking rum and coke and quietly eating a sandwich under the table so no one notices. Tried the food here once before, and once was enough. I digress; we are sitting in the Sports Bar waiting for the 9:30pm departure of the overnight bus to Broome, from where we will catch a flight to Melbourne in the morning that should get us home sometime tomorrow night. Dennis’s Dad is back in hospital and much worse. We’ve been back and forth for two weeks with “should we go home”, “should we continue on” and we’ve finally decided the time has come. As to why we are taking such a circuitous route home when we’ve known all along this was a possibility…..that is pretty much the story of the last 2 weeks.

Dennis got a call from his Mum after landing in Perth on his way back to Broome to say Matt was going back to hospital. We hung out in Broome at my beloved Broome Bird Observatory for a few extra days after Dennis got back, trying to get a handle on Matt’s status. Finally, we decided that we would start heading east, but we would forego plans to see the Gulf Country, because it is just too remote. Instead, we would go and see the Bungle Bungles then head down the Tanami Track to Alice Springs where it would be easy to get flights to Melbourne if we needed to. We had worked out that while at the Bungles we would only be 2 days drive from Darwin and once we hit the Tanami we’d be no more than 2 days drive to Alice – so we should be able to be in Melbourne within 2-3 days wherever we were. Makes complete sense until you start to factor in good old Murphy.

The first night we got as far as Fitzroy Crossing, and the rain started overnight. This has been the strangest year in the Kimberley – this was the start of the third lot of unseasonal rains. It rained much of the next day and we stopped in Halls Creek to check on the status of the roads. Hadn’t rained in Halls Creek yet and we were told not to worry, “you’re in the desert now mate!” So we forged ahead and got to the Bungles that night. Two days at the Bungles and we discover that the Tanami Track is now closed thanks to the rain (so much for being in the desert). Do we wait, or go to Darwin instead? We decided to wait. The road opened yesterday so we packed up and headed out early. After about 2 hours we start to hear this clunk clunk noise – which got progressively louder and was quite alarming by the time we hit Halls Creek (where we had only planned to stop briefly). We went to the local mechanic and learned we’d done a wheel bearing – “do not leave town in that car” was his advice. All very well, but in the same breath he advises he can’t do anything with the car until next Tuesday. So we found ourselves stranded in Halls Creek. We spoke to Rose this morning and it didn’t sound good….so we decided that despite having no car we had to get out of here and on our way. Hence the overnight bus. I must admit that it’s almost worth the torment, just to watch Dennis waiting for a dilapidated old bus with his knapsack slung over his back. From homeless to hobo - what a traveler he’s become!

Now, let’s move on to the highlights – because there have definitely been some.

First, of course, the Bungle Bungles, aka Purnululu. Have you ever been to see one of those really famous sites and once you got there your first thought was “is that it?” The Mona Lisa comes to mind for me. Well, the experience with the Bungles was exactly the opposite. No pictures could ever prepare you for the grandeur of the place. For the uninitiated, the Bungles are famous for their unique rock formations that look like an endless series of beehives. But face to face it is far bigger and the colours more brilliant than I expected (especially when the sun finally came out), there are layers of black and orange rock throughout the ranges that look like tiger stripes. It almost feels like you are standing in the middle of an impressionist painting. I must say that up until now I haven’t taken much interest in the geology of Australia – just old rock. But this place is fascinating. The formations have been formed by the erosion of sandstone over 360million years. The black stripes in the rock are formed by bacteria which cling to moisture on the rock to create a thin crust that holds the entire rock formation together. The orange stripes are rock with little or no retained moisture, so the outer layer is simply oxidized iron.

When you consider that this landscape has taken 360million years to form it makes you feel not only that your own life, but the entire human race, is of very little significance. However, what sustains me is the knowledge that this beautiful place was formed to a large degree by small rocks that tumbled through cracks in the sandstone carving out fissures and smoothing the surface of the sandstone. So even seemingly insignificant things make a big difference to the world.

The surprise package of this part of the trip has been Halls Creek. I must admit that we were pretty horrified with the idea that we were stuck in Halls Creek for 5 days. But it turns out to be a really warm and friendly town. The population is largely aboriginal but it is definitely not one of those basket case outback towns. There is a sense of purpose to the place and the people as they move about town. There are actually aboriginal people working in the visitor’s centre and the shops. The town became a dry town a few years ago and I suspect that this is what has made the difference.

We continue to be struck with the complexity of the aboriginal situation. There are just no easy solutions. We have learned that many of the current issues have arisen as a result of the government’s (very well meaning) legislation in the ‘60’s requiring that aboriginals be paid a fair wage. Since aboriginals were working pretty much as slaves on most stations you can’t imagine that this step could be anything but a good thing. However, the station owners who had been accommodating and providing basic support for aboriginal stockmen and their families could no longer afford the workers and they chased entire families off their land and, for the most part, into the pubs.  Aboriginal men, who had actually been valued for their skills as stockmen, now lost the one thing that had earned them respect in a white man’s world, and entire families were herded into a life of poverty in camps and towns. Not the outcome the government was looking for, I’m sure. Who knows what the fallout will be from the Intervention etc – but I must reiterate that making it difficult to acquire alcohol seems to be working!

It’s now 7:30pm – only two hours left ‘til the dreaded bus ride. Dennis is listening to the Bombers on the radio, but I will see if I can tear him away for long enough to write a few words.

The Bombers are down 22 points at ¾ time however against this mob (Carlton) we will get over the line. I’m not as impressed with this Halls Creek as Stephanie, however it is pleasant enough place to hang out waiting for the bus. Again in the outback it’s not IF we can fix your vehicle but when! How about we get the parts from Perth and they will be on the truck here on Monday. We have been v ery fortunate with the vehicle up to this point, things are now starting to break down as we travel over the corrugations and off road conditions. The good part of the trip continues to be the people that we meet and the sense of seeing so much of Australia.

Matt with Shane at our
going away party

My dad is now in the final stages of his life, tomorrow he turns 89, in hospital being in good care and not in pain, we all will miss him and pray that he gets straight into Heaven. Dad has had a good life and been a very good father to the 6 of us, a good husband to Rose my mother and loved by many grand kids.

Dad I love you
Dennis