red dust and rock pools

Blog August 30 2010


We’ve got to the stage where we’re asking each other what day it is.

Today’s itinerary is entitled El Questro. According to Bushie the name has no meaning, it is just a name. albeit the name of a large homestead which was once a million acre cattle station. Since then it has been broken up and the homestead caters for all class of tourists including an exclusive enclave for the rich and famous. According to Bushie, Nicole Kidman makes occasional visits to escape the ‘Patserati!’ As it happened we saw only the roof of the homestead from a distance.

Before we arrived there however, Bushie took us on a side trip around the Ord River Irrigation Scheme. In retrospect I think it was an excuse for a good rant. Here’s a potted history: the powers that be thought the black soil should be good for something. Originally rice and cotton were grown, turned out to be too thirsty. They tried melons, maize and chick peas; not enough bang for the buck. Now they are embarked on a 15 year project growing hundreds of thousand of sandalwood trees, apparently there is big money in it.

Bushie spits, ‘it’s a parasite!’

The sandalwood has to live off another tree so for every sandalwood producer another tree is planted then wasted. The other crop they’re trying is African Mahogany. Bushie has no time for that either. It has shallow roots and the branches fall off. The wood is used for making furniture. There is however a plus side to tree planting. They increase the water table which reduces the risk of salinity thereby regenerating the soil.

Speaking of trees, the boabs around Cununurra grow in families, the only place this happens apparently, there’s dad the big fella in the centre, then mum, sometimes more than one, then the kids, smaller trees round the outside.

We arrived at Chamberlain Gorge for a cruise, some of us wondering how we could possibly top Katherine Gorge. Well, where Katherine Gorge was spiritual, this cruise was a laugh a minute. Who would have thought that learning about lifejackets could be so hilarious. QANTAS could learn a thing or two from this joker. They had our full attention. Then…along came Buddy, Buddy Tyson, a tall aboriginal dressed like the cattleman he once was, and droll as droll could be. He would not disgrace the stage at the Melbourne comedy festival.

Here’s one of his stories. Some woman (no doubt imbued with romantic visions of a statuesque indigenous man armed with spear and loin cloth) asked him where he got his food. ‘Coles supermarket,’ said Buddy.

She expressed surprise.

‘Why would I want to go bush for weeks in the heat and the flies when I can buy it down the road?’ We laughed.

Buddy and the ranger took us to a spot in the water where the fish with seven spots hang out. They have a special trick. Their prey is flying insects. They lie in wait, mouths filled with water and then they shoot out a jetstream to capture their meal. (I think I’ve seen it on David Attenborough’s show) Buddy put tiny pellets of fish food along the side of the boat. The fish were already congregated. We were primed with instructions to hold the food pellet out and just let it go when the stream of water hit. It is so fast and of course the women squealed. Amazing.

We cruised back between walls of rock 1.8 billion years old, no fossils of course.

Before lunch we stopped at Zebedee Springs, a 700 metre walk from the bus in extreme heat, a bit hard on some of the more infirm of us especially since it was rocky underfoot in places. I expected a swimming area like the one a few days ago but no. This was a series of small pools, with access over the rocks. Once you find a stone to rest your bum in the soft warm water, it is worth it but not so pleasant for those on the sidelines with very little shade to sit in.

A barbecue of tough steak'followed before we headed back to a dip in the pool at Lakeside resort and yet another sunset, looking forward to tomorrow’s visit to a diamond mine.