Back out in Out Back

A brief blog I think for a change. Left the beautiful coast and coastal ranges behind for the outback again, albeit including the outback's coast! (Gulf of Carpentaria, the big bite out of Aus at the top).

Leaving the QLD coast at Cairns, immediately climbing the coastal mountain range at Kuranda, then onto the Tablelands, a volcanic plateau between the coastal ranges and the Great Dividing Range (yet again) and over that into the outback travelling west to the Gulf and into Northern Territory for the 2nd time, this time the northern Northerrn bit up to Darwin.

Took lots of diversions and unsealed tracks on the way to see the weirder bits and the national parks, and up here the aboriginal sites. These people were / are all over Aus but seem more concentrated influence and history here.

A few more thousand kilometres and two punctures later and am in Darwin, "the top end". Via volcanoes, savannah grasslands like Africa, world heritage sites like Kakadu Park and Katherine Gorge, loads of wildlife (some very dangerous) and lost explorer camps and townships. Darwin is very small (about 4 blocks by 6) and very modern having been completely decimated in 1974 by Cyclone Tracy (were you around to smite then dear?) and now a laid back traveller hangout (lots of bars, clubs and hostels with pools!) plus state government and armed forces bases.

Next and last stage is into Western Australia, and everyone keeps telling me its going to be the best of the lot, and I have a fixed end date, bugger.

Aboriginals: what a confusing and difficult culture to understand. They believe in spirits creating and ruling the planet and that they are just guardians, no concept of land ownership, with no written languages just art and stories as teaching tools. Fair enough, but hence the clash with the capitalist, land grabbing / destroying / fencing-off Europeans.
So there now seems a complete mess between the government saying sorry and giving land rights back (but no you can't go back to hunting, gathering or nomadic lifestyles, we'll pay you to sit in "closed communities" and keep out of the way. Oh, and by the way, because you have been naughty boys we shall ban alcohol and porno material from your communities too for your own good - they actually smuggle alcohol into their own homes!).
But on the other hand many apparently wreck any homes built for them, drink the handout money and refuse to work, they just stroll around the towns, look straight through you (so the whites do the same back, who started it?) and then just sit / lie in any shaded spot. Its like they are waiting for the day when the whites will disappear again and all will be restored, maybe they're right??
What a mess. Its just like the nomadic tribes in Africa, their lifestyle doesn't fit with land ownership so they have to be fenced in / out, have no future, get paid to shut up, so they get drunk and violent, very sad. Having said that, of course some do break that stereotype and are teachers, expert guides, stockmen and artists.

On a lighter note, I'll never complain about changing tyres again at home, jacking 4wd trucks up in the outback in 30C, being eaten by ants and attacked by mossies is a painful experience!

Also, why can only under 30's get 12 month working visas? Renewable for another 12 months if they fulfil the work commitments? Us old gits can work too (well, maybe).

And it was only 150 years ago that people were still dying here trying to find a way across this island! Went to Burke and Wills' expedition's last camp site, really eery - just a few miles from reaching the north coast when they turned back and died trying to get home when missed their support team by 9 hours

Northern Territory "top end" - country locals in singlets, short shorts, big hats, big boots, big beards and mullet haircuts! But fun evenings in the pub watching the sport. Even the lady cook in the Humpty Doo Hotel smoked a pipe!

OK, time up. Photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/laurentmik/Aus_Outback_2_2009

Off into Western Aus tomorrow, see you all too soon.