On my way to the West

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I am back in Katherine again, after spending last night in the town from hell ... Tennant Creek! Let me describe Tennant Creek. The town consists pretty much of the main street - which includes several bottle shops, a few servos, and the aboriginal land council offices .... oh ... and the caravan park I am in tonight (I am sure there are one or two more businesses - but these ones are the ones I noticed). Walking up and down the street are a multitude of aboriginal people, wandering barefoot in front of your car as you drive up the main drag, all the while giving you dirty looks like you have done them some injustice personally. For obvious reasons I thought a cabin (rather than the Thunderbox) may be way to go last night.

I left The Alice yesterday at 7.30am, and had covered the 500kms or so to Tennant Creek by just after lunch. On the way I stopped at the Devils Marbles - which the Stuart Highway weaves its way right through - and, as you would expect, took numerous photographs. This place is FUN! It consists of hundreds of red granite rocks ranging in size from tiny to ... well ... massive (very descriptive I know). The interesting thing about this place however is the fact that the “marbles” are often balanced on top of each other and look ready to topple over. Of course, the cliché photograph in this part of the world is the traveller pushing up against one of the massive rocks in a mock attempt to push it over. One day .... one the rocks may just move!

Travelling alone at this time, my photographs consisted of just the “marbles” and surrounding landscape, and none of me trying to topple one of them over. They are a wonder of nature however, and something you cannot get enough of seeing.

Of interest, in The Alice there is a memorial to Rev John Flynn of the Royal Flying Doctor Service fame. Upon his death, someone thought that it would be a great idea to remove one of the rocks from the Devils Marbles and place it over his final resting place as a suitable memorial. Of course the Devils Marbles are an aboriginal sacred site, and this was a great insult to the aboriginal people. Eventually (after quite a number of years) the rock was replaced to its origin at the Devils Marbles Conservation Park, and replaced with another (which out of interest looks very much like one from the Conservation Park), to the pleasure of the aboriginal people. In all seriousness though, we white people really have done some silly things to the indigenous people of this nation over the years. Unfortunately, whether it be the result of our actions or otherwise, todays “visible” aborigines appear troubled, and to be honest, quite threatening toward White Australia at times. I can say that I have seen little interaction between the white people and the blacks during my travels, except for those blacks who have adjusted to the white mans way of life.

This afternoon I arrived in Katherine where the aboriginal population is again out in force - once again giving dirty looks! My drive up from Tennant Creek, a distance of some 700kms, was only punctuated by a stop at Mataranka where there are several thermal springs. The Springs are quite spectacular - spoiled only by the tourists swimming in them - kind of reminds me of Litchfield to be honest. Oh well!

In any case, I hope you enjoy the pics of the Devils Marbles and Mataranka. I will aim to post another entry from Kununurra / Lake Argyle to where I head tomorrow morning (meaning of course I have made it to Western Australia), before heading down towards Broome where my good mate Matt Lee is meeting me a week from Saturday.

Till then!

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Comments

[Pauline Cassar]

Hi Richard
Every one on Gozo that is family is watching and taking an interest in the lovely photos you have managed to put on the net,keep it up and enjoy.Hello from every one. Love ........you know who.