(Erik's Webhome Online)

Australia is well known for its vast bush lands and unique variety of animals. It was what we were out to discover - the best bits out in the wild on 2nd and 3rd September 2000.

DAY 1

There were seven of us, Graham - a chemistry professor, residential tutor and one of the ex-proprietors of the piece of land we were to place our feet on, his two friends, Nola and Mary Anne (all Aussies), Nura - who is currently studying orchids, Bettina, Naomi and myself. We set out at about 5.20 a.m. on a beautiful Saturday morning. It was to be a long journey, about 402km (approx. 5 hours). We also tried a short burst of speed reaching 170km/hr. It didn't seem fast in a big car.

When we reached our destination at Mount Gibson, which is a sheep farm in the huge piece of land, I was awed by the magnificence of the whole place. We had to pass through so many gates in order to get to where we were standing. There was a little hut that was to be our accommodation for 1½ days. Inside was a small area for cooking, dining and sleeping with another small room, which acts as the bathroom, outside an old looking makeshift hot plate. The roof was tiled with zinc pieces. Electricity and water were precious.

After having a simple lunch of bread, we headed off to see the manager of the place, Sandy Patterson. Sandy has a beetle species (Sandii) named after him. He collects all sorts of bugs, and is an Australian Bushman. His dog, Trinkle was a very cute dog albeit disobedient and a bit too lively. For AUD10, he agreed to take us out on his trusty four-wheel drive to a place where we would see a lying serpent. We were eager.

The journey proved unpleasant, the terrain hostile. We were bobbing around like buoys in the ocean. As there were not enough seats, some of us (and myself on the journey back) had to sit on an old tyre. That was uncomfortable and I developed a headache that very evening, which caused me to retire earlier than usual. We saw emus, sheep and goats, red tailed cockatoos (black parrots), white cockatoos, galahs and other kinds of birds. Sandy also ran over some bushes with his powerful vehicle. After a while, I saw real mirages for the first time in my life. Far away, lay the ocean and islands. The guide explained to us that there was actually no water there (not quite, since he told us that it was a lake starting with the letter 'M'). We were actually no where near the ocean as we traveled northeast from Perth. Knowing that made the islands look like they were afloat in midair. It was then that we stopped and continued on by foot. We were walking on a place that was barren since the water table has risen too high and actually emerge through the surface at certain times of the year. Since it was so salty, nothing grows. Thus, the problem of salinity that Australia faces.

We walked for quite a while with the sun shining intensely. It was definitely tiring but we pressed on courageously. The place was full of iron deposits. The sand was bright red. And then we saw the serpent, coiled up magnificently, proudly displaying its tail. I felt kind of disappointed as I was looking forward to seeing a live one. This serpent, like none other, is made out of cylindrical-looking stones, each standing upright and the whole stretch of them formed a pattern, which Aboriginal people claim to look like a serpent. I learnt that they perform certain rituals there too. After admiring it awhile, we headed back towards the vehicle, parked far away.

Tired, we headed back to the hut on another bumpy journey. This time I chose to sit at the back as I was sitting in front before. I was quite comforted that I did not have to put up with Sandy's dog clambering all over me, pressing its claws onto my jeans. But even that did not make the journey at all pleasant. Soon we reached the hut.

We had a simple dinner of hot hearty stew, and chicken. I didn't have the mood to eat as I was suffering from a migraine after the ride and decided to sleep earlier. Curled up in sleeping bags inside the hut, I did not feel cold. Nevertheless, Mary Anne and Graham chose to sleep outside. Naomi was the last to sleep, reading I presume. The constant buzzing of flies were gone, thankfully. ...Pitch black...

That was what I saw when I opened my eyes in the middle of the night. I did not bother to check the time as I couldn't see my watch anyway. I thought I had gone blind. I heard footsteps heading towards the toilet. How could that person see when I couldn't even see my hand? I turned my head towards the window and gave a sigh of relief as I saw light from the moon, although faint was reassuring. Zzz..., I was soon asleep again, which was quite amazing as I seldom sleep on such outings. It must have been the splitting headache earlier on.

DAY 2

Morning arrived and my headache was gone. I recalled the night before, hearing sounds of people groping about searching for the elusive toilet. I was thankful that didn't feel the urge to go. I also learnt that Naomi lost her way in the dark. They had turned off the power to the hut at night to conserve energy. It was 7.00 a.m. Graham and Mary Anne was already out bush walking. After freshening ourselves up a bit, we set out searching for wild flowers, in particular orchids.

We saw many. It was my second bush walk, the first being at Rottnest last year. We enjoyed the fresh air and were reminded once again of a lingering stench. There were faeces every where on the ground. At first I tiptoed through all the visible droppings, some forming quite a hill, but soon, I had to step on some of the smaller ones. The number I stepped on was uncountably many but it was certainly a minimum that I could manage. I thought of the food that we ate and the flies. "I will close both my eyes when I eat", I thought. I also thought of the droppings and the flies landing on my hair and face. Try to put two and two together and you'll get the picture.

We managed to see the emu from the day before, which had toyed with some campers' stuff as they left it there unguarded. It was still by the gate, grinning from side to side, waiting for an opportunity to strike again. The campers, if I was not mistaken, Michael and Ian, had met us the previous night.

We turned off from the red dirt road into a clearing in the bushland. There we saw many species of the daisy Everlasting, acacia and casuarina trees. We saw plenty of flora and fauna, but I can't remember the names. Nevertheless, Nura, the botanist, was rattling their scientific names away. We also saw bones and decomposing heaps of wool, owned by dead sheep. After a while we found orchids. There was only one type (Cyanicula amplexens) and it was small, no longer than my pinkie. It had a nice purple colour. We saw quite a number and were happy of the find, especially Nura; she was elated.

Soon it was time to go. We headed back to the cottage at about 9.00 a.m. for breakfast. Nola, Graham and Mary Anne had finished with their breakfast. The two women headed off with Michael (one of the campers) to a cave by the hills, which we were about to go later.

We had breakfast, which Bettina cooked over the make shift hot plate outside the cottage. She was skilful in whipping up great smelling bacon, tomatoes, eggs and mushrooms. We had a wholesome meal.

Soon after a long and satisfying breakfast and I giving a helping hand doing the dishes while Naomi dries them, we packed and set out for the cave. Graham, using his powerful Volvo, took us on a ride; less bumpy because of the seat cushioning.

After a while we reached the van, which carried the two women and Michael earlier on. We set out for the cave. Michael taught me how to find the north direction using my anologue watch. If I pointed the minute hand at the sun, north is just half way in between the hour and the minute hand. I still don't understand how it works. Maybe I've got it wrong; I don't know. We were supposed to head west, into the bushes. We headed in, bravely, with Graham armed with a compass. As Graham called it, we went 'bush bashing'. I was carrying my bag, with food and drinks just in case. Yes, I'm that paranoid. It was a real experience.

For the first time, I felt as if I was in a tangled heap. There were 'hindrances' everywhere. But every time we encountered one, we broke through. I was happy I carried my bag along. I just had to make sure that I cover my face. My bag helped to break the twigs. It was quite dangerous to stand too close behind me then. We managed to view a very beautiful flower, the fringed lily (photo courtesy of Bettina), from up close. I brought one back but it unfortunately shriveled up on arrival at Currie. After a while, I was disorientated but Graham obviously knew where he was going, even though he has yet to see the cave. I am as usual bad at navigating. After a tiring hindered walk we finally managed to see the cave from afar. It was huge, so I thought. We went into a moderately steep ascend and soon reached the cave. It looked okay. Not as impressive as the one I went to at Ngilgi. Then my friends decided to climb to the top of the cave. I am aeroacrophobic (I fear open high places). "Oh no, not again", I thought. After showing some resistance, I soon relented as Bettina offered a helping hand. I thought I have had enough of climbing before when I went to Wave Rock. I was wrong. The view from above was breathtaking. Too bad I have used up my whole roll of film.

After spending a few minutes at the top, Graham decided that we should turn back in order to have lunch on time and get back early. I remember the trek back wasn't as challenging as the one we had getting to the cave.

Using his compass, Graham lead us out on the dirt road just 400m away from the car. I was impressed. Leave me there and I would probably not have been able to write this article. After another long drive, with Graham skillfully avoiding the holes and crevices on the road, we reached the hut.

Before lunch, an excited Graham wanted to see the orchids, Nura, Bettina and I saw earlier in the morning. He said that he has never seen an orchid on this piece of land. We took him over. We managed to see a species of spider (I saw two) too. It was bright red and had a black back. After taking in our last view of the orchids, we went back for lunch.

It was great. The stew had grown even tastier. I enjoyed it. Nola and Mary Anne had prepared it and the chook the day before. Yum.

After lunch, we left the place, saying good-bye to it. We feasted our eyes on miles and miles of lush green fields of juicy grass. We also saw golden fields of canola. I think Naomi slept the most amongst us all, so she missed a number of beautiful scenery.

Half way through the journey, we stopped at New Norcia and had a glimpse of the monastic town and fascinating buildings. Nura and Bettina proved to be skilled drivers and we reached Currie Hall after 7.00 p.m. That night, we had a good dinner, still having bread and leftovers since we missed dinner at the hall.

I must say, the trip was really fascinating and truly an eye-opener. For only AUD33, it was certainly well worth it. I would however think twice before wanting to go on such a demanding trip again in the near future. Ah, it's so good to be back with civilisation once more.

See the photos

1.00 a.m. 4 September 2000
-Photos included 25 Sep 2000-
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