In May I went out into the Victoria River District for the first time. I had wanted to go for ages, but I went out this time because a bunch of old school drovers were riding from Camooweal to Kununurra down the old stock routes. You can hear the stories I did here.
VRD is about 400 kilometres from Katherine, the last hundred or so are on a very rocky gravel road. Now, I've never blown a tire, and I didn't really know what it felt like until I was on this road. It took me a while to realise what had happened, to the tire's detriment.
Through good luck, I've never had to change a tire. I've always known how, Dad made sure he taught me when I was learning to drive, and I also had to do it as part of the 4WD course when I started at the ABC. So I jacked the car up, took the nuts off, and tried to pull the tire off. It wouldn't budge. I kept trying and trying, and I could feel the car wobbling on the jack I was pulling so hard. I tried lifting it up a bit, but nothing. I thought maybe there was some other trick, because it's a pretty new and flashy car. But the manual didn't say anything. I was about 40 kilometres from anywhere, and hadn't passed a car for quite a while. But eventually a road train came along and stopped. The driver got out and I explained my problem to him. He walked over to the car, kicked the tire, and it loosened off and was easy to pull off. He left me with this sage advice: "Nine out of 10 of 'em need a good kick".
VRD is one of the oldest stations in the world, and the homestead is about 100 years old. Back in its heyday they had over 100 employees, not including the aboriginal workers, who they didn't think to count. It had an Australian Inland Mission hospital set up by John Flynn, its own post office, a school, butchers, blacksmiths and at one stage had it's own postcode. It's an amazing old station. Nowadays the stock camp has about eight people in it. There's also a helimustering company based there, but I think all up there are only 45 people there now.
After leaving VRD and having morning tea with the old drovers 10 kilometres down the stock route, I headed to Wave Hill Station. Wave Hill is famous because this is where Vincent Lingiari walked off in 1966 and started a national push for land rights. The homestead isn't the original homestead, it had to move in the 70s because they ran out of water. Of course Vesteys don't own it anymore, and the managers there are great people, and have really funny kids!
I did this great story about two of their girls fattening up pigs to eat for Christmas. They were very funny!
The next day I went to the old homestead site, which is where the walk off happened. There's not much there, just a few old buildings and foundations. This was pretty much one of the only structures left. Now I have no idea what this building was, but it looks like it might have been a living area given the table and chairs outside. You could bet the bank that it wouldn't have been a white fella living area if it was.
From I've read the living conditions that Gurindji people were terrible, rough shacks with dirt floors. This building would certainly seem to fit that description, and the louvred windows make me think it's a living area, not a shed of some sort. So I can't definitely say that this is where the Gurindji people were living, but it's the only building left, so maybe there's a reason?
I then headed into Kalkaringi, which is the aboriginal community that was set up when Lingiari walked off. Well, I think he went to where Kalkaringi is now, and then to Daguragu, which is about 8 kilometres away. They're both communities now. There's a memorial at Daguragu which is where Gough Whitlam poured earth to Lingiari's hands, and handed him deeds to his land.
Behind the monument is an example of the humpies that the Gurindji lived in for eight years. I don't know if this is actually one of them or whether it's a recreation, but it's pretty rough living either way.
I'm really enjoying getting out to some of these areas, and this trip was really great. Some of the old cattle stations are amazing and have such rich histories. And I like that I get paid to get out and about and visit these places!
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