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A day in the outback during the rainy season proved to be very exciting and dramatic. On more one occasion it looked like we would have a watery bed and be forced to sleep under the stars!
The day started at 6.45 with Roger, our guide, one other couple and a trusty 4 wheeled drive. We stayed on an outback red sand track for over 200 kilometres, as we headed north through floods, up banks, across sand dunes- skidding, bumping and zig-zagging constantly to maintain forward momentum. Now this was the REAL outback experience-there were cushions for shock absorbers but I am not sure that our backs will ever recover! The sparklingly clean vehicle quickly became caked red- Roger said that he cleaned it after every trip-I suggested that he cut out the middle man and exchange it for a red version.
We had a morning stop at a run down Aboriginal community- there were no facilities, but there was a wonderful church. It was built by a mad missionary who got his helpers to use mother of pearl shells for the decoration of the walls and altar. The local school children were there practising for a service. Well, some of them were-most of the children only turn up occassionally when they feel like it.( Warning- contentious political viewpoint coming up! Apparently the Government pours so much money into these communities that it makes no difference to the locals if they work or not,because the money keeps rolling in regardless. Are they idle scroungers or just plain shrewd??)
Any way, back to the plot. The rain poured down relentlessly and even our guide with his great experience and excellent driving skills was becoming worried. Eventually we splashed our way to Cape Levique and headed for the beach. Now the sun came out and to say it was hot was something of an understatement. Sandy dressed in only a swimming costume quickly became sun burnt and dived into the Indian Ocean to cool off. She really enjoyed sharing the water with stingers, sharks and the local crocs.
Cape Levique is an outstandingly beautiful place- it is sometimes referred to as the place " where the red sand meets the white sand meets the sea". There are incredible red sand cliffs towering over the endless white sands with the magnificent ocean as a back drop. After a leisurely lunch, Roger let the tyres down, abandoned the trailer and headed us along the beach, up and doooown... the sand dunes(note the Scottish accent) and on to Hunters' Creek. We followed the falling tide- splashing through the edge of the turquoise seas, across steeply creviced rocks and along the edge of a mangrove forest. We saw enormous black crabs, mud skippers, hermit crabs.... but "unfortunately" did not see the abundant crocs, who are supposed to be amongst the largest and most ferocious in the world.
Reluctantly we dragged our selves away from this amazing place and began to make our slow way home- in the distance the black clouds were gathering again! We quickly realised that the conditions change very rapidly and the track had become even worse as we enjoyed our idyllic stay at Cape Levique. In several places the tracks had become a river with many deep tributaries. In other places the retreating water had scoured the dirt away leaving an exposed jagged rock terrain.
We stopped off briefly at another Aboriginal settlement with its beautiful setting next to a tidal creek. This village could not have been more different to the one that we visited earlier in the day.Once again there as an abundance of money available, but this time it had been used wisely and with a clear direction. People were being trained so that their new skills could benefit themselves and the whole community. There was a bakery, workshops,gift shop....- there was a real pride in what the people were doing. (the village was very tidy and well cared for. Normally the villages have mounds of rubbish piled up everywhere). I know that we were looking at everything through western eyes with our western values, but this village did seem a much better place in which to live and raise a family.The people had self respect and lived with increasing autonomy without losing sight of their heritage.( end of polemic). The children were delightful- they showed us around the church, held Bertie for photographs and quickly obtained biscuits, milk, fruit, muffins and other goodies from our guide Roger. Altogether a very enjoyable and entertaining stop before once again braving the elements and the long and winding road!
In the gathering gloom and through torrential rain we continued our journey. The guide and the other couple were getting more anxious with every moment as we skidded, bumped and slithered our way home. For some reason ( may be innocence or rank stupidity) we were rather enjoying ourselves. With the last of the twilight to illuminate the track, we stopped in the middle of nowhere to stretch our legs, have a bite to eat and a wee. The previous day a king brown snake had been spotted slithering across the track near here-this is reputedly the deadliest snake in the world.
Before we left for the trip in the morning we had been given advice to help us to keep safe;this included:- stay with your guide, do not leave the vehicle, do not eat food near the track, do not wander into the bush for a wee, beware of the presence of deadly snakes because they are rather territorial ... Question: how are we doing so far?
Thanks to Roger's excellent driving skills we made it back at 8.30 p.m tired, bruised,dirty, wet and happy. What a fantastic and truly memorable day we had in the real outback!
To celebrate our return we had a quick shower, followed by a meal in a posh restaurant- or, as we call it, the civilised out back.
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