Evan,
it sounds like a wonderful trip., and being a lover of both good wine and
coffee I'm somewhat jealous.
Meanwhile I was in the middle of western Arnhem Land attending a funeral.
The damage from Cyclone Monica is devastating. Whole swathes of pristine
eucalypt forest have been replaced by a moonscape. Already fires are
burning through the few trees that still stand. Now all that is needed is
for something like Gamba grass to gain a foothold and it's goodbye to huge
areas of open forest. And I hear the Federal Government is donating
hundreds of millions of dollars to Indonesia for forest protection!
Very few birds were obvious, and I was so busy watching the track driving in
(we went out in a 2WD) that I wasn't looking much anyway. However, I did
glimpse a strange-looking passerine, mainly snow-white but with some black
around the face or breast, as it flew past. Other than that my bird list
consisted of magpie-lark, blue-winged kookaburra, brown honeyeater,
blue-faced honeyeater, and black and whistling kites.
Among the trees that survived were Cocky Apples, "Planchonia careya". Their
beautiful white and pink flowers littering the blackened earth.
"Petalostigma quadriculare" is sprouting forth, but otherwise groundcover is
sparse. At least that means that if people are broke after their pensions
are cut, they'll have one medicinal plant to rely on!
After the debacle over my son Peterson's burial last year, I wondered how
Isiaah, the senior traditional owner of Mamadewerrie (and also a son),
would receive me.
Shocked by Djedje's (son) sudden death Isiaah had demanded he be buried at
Mamadewerrie although it wasn't Djedje's country and his wife Stephanie
wanted him buried elsewhere. I supported her decision on traditional and
humanistic grounds. So when Isiaah said he wanted me at this funeral I
hoped it was a sign that the rift between him and his sister-in-law was on
the way to healing and I was to be the go-between. And so it was.
He greeted me with a great grin and a bear hug, and he was followed by
several other relatives, all happy to see us. So when I return in a couple
of weeks I hope to take Stephanie with me for more healing of rifts (keep
all your fingers crossed).
I'm sure you've all heard of our Federal Government¹s intervention into
Aboriginal communities. One reason was to stop child abuse, but there have
been several other ramifications that have got Indigenous people really
scared. There is a move for instance to force them to live in bigger
settlements.
Isiaah met with "government" people a few weeks ago, and, says they are
simply not listening. One issue is what this intervention would mean for
his large outstation, a place where children are safe and women are
respected, and the second is a request for a new outstation. Women,
children and seniors do better both mentally and physically on outstation,
judging by the evidence I've both seen and read.
But the government is not listening. The push is to get people into bigger
settlements. Yet Isiaah and the other men still hold ceremonies looking
after the country and their dreamings. These include important trees like
"Eucalyptus tectifica". Many of the springs are dreaming sites. I cover
some of this in my next book "Quiet Snake Dreaming" to be released in
mid-October.
Isiaah is quite a forceful bear of a man in his sixties, so if anyone could
get a message across it is he! However, I¹m hoping that some of the
national organisations in which I'm involved might help.
Something else happened while I was there. My dead son's son Manuel, and I
had a talk. Manuel, in his mid-twenties, and a brilliant traditional
artist, lost his mother at birth, and since reaching adulthood has done his
best to drink himself into oblivion. Sitting there surrounded by my
semi-traditional relatives, I told him about a friend, Noel Tovey, a
renowned Indigenous performer and director who has written the foreword for
"Quiet Snake Dreaming".
Noel was starved and sexually abused from the age of four. Yet he went on
to become a dancer for Sadler Wells, and to work and socialise with people
such as John Lennon, Mick Jagger and Kenneth Branaugh. He was artistic
director of the Indigenous welcoming ceremony at the Sydney Olympic Games.
I told Manuel that if Noel could survive, then so could he.
Manuel has a gentleness about him that I loved in his father, but there is
pain, much pain. He wishes to go back to Gudjekbinj (Baby Dreaming), and
continue painting, and so I will continue to fight for the survival of such
little outstations. Tourism is part of the key but not the way the
government does it, squashing Bininj into formulae constructed for western
businesses. Not only does that not work very well but it misses out on key
markets that suit Indigenous people well, for instance birdwatching/natural
history/reconciliation tourism. If anyone is interested in the way we do it,
a way that empowers women and families, let me know and I'll send you the
trip reports.
We couldn't stay for the funeral as Michael became unwell (he is recovering
from a rare and devastating bone cancer). But we'd viewed the body and so
our leaving was acceptable. As Isiaah said, it was "enough" that we came.
Then we had a rather interesting trip home after the gears on our old Nissan
2WD ute seized up! We managed to get through the first creek crossing in
third, but didn't have enough revs to get through the sand on the other
side. So there we were, stuck, five km from the outstation.
Suddenly a 4WD laden with Indigenous men, women and children appeared. It
stopped and I asked the men in the front for a tow. But they drove past us
through the water and kept going. For a moment I was resigned to spending
the night there, till I saw the 4WD turn around. The driver had been
searching for a convenient spot in the sandy country.
It turns out they were from an outstation near Maningrida. Eleven years ago
my dead son, Michael and I raised funds to fly these people into Darwin to
have a traditional Christmas at our place in Parap. Djedje and his
brothers sold paintings, some to the birders I was guiding (Bill Maclean,
for instance - I think he's a member of this chatline). Michael and I put
in money as well.
About forty came. Several of us cooked together in my tiny kitchen, yelling
instructions to each other in Kriol, Kunwinjku and English. Friends donated
hams and roast chickens. We had a big Christmas tree, and everyone got a
stocking and a present. Radio National interviewed Stephanie and myself on
a Christmas party that had no racial barriers.
And now, suddenly out there in the damaged bush, I was surrounded by
bearded men embracing me, and saying "We have never forgotten you!" "We
have never forgotten that Christmas"!
They pulled us out of the sand and went on their way. My heart is still
singing!
Apart from this one problem, the old Nissan ute performed beautifully. She
handled the sand like a 4WD. At one creek crossing water was so deep it
washed over the bonnet. The old girl didn't miss a beat!
Michael found we also had first and fifth gear after that so with a bit of
a struggle we got to Kakadu. However, Michael was exhausted by the time we
reached the South Alligator Lodge and so we stayed there overnight. He has
fully recovered now.
Stories from Quiet Snake Dreaming are being utilised by Southern Cross
University and Kurri Kurri School, NSW in literacy projects. If any one is
interested in knowing more, contact me personally.
Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
1/7 Songlark Street
BAKEWELL NT 0832
Ph. 61 08 89 328306
> http://web.mac.com/goodfellowdl
> http://www.earthfoot.org
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/baby-dreaming
http://www.ausbird.com
Entrant in Women Entrepreneurs:
18 Inspiring Stories of Small Business Success.
A publication by the Australian Government¹s Office
for Women and Small Business.
On 2/10/07 3:14 PM, "Evan Beaver" <> wrote:
> Melbourne, Dandenong Ranges, Yarra Valley, Mt Arapiles Climbing,
> Birding, Drinking and Cheese eating Trip Report
>
>
> Enthusiasts: Apologies for the cross-pollination of topics here, but
> it was a multi-disciplinary trip and I only want to write one report.
> So apologies to birders and climbers alike for the boring bits from
> the other 'sport' that I've included. If I was on a drinking list I'd
> probably post this there as well.
>
> My wife and I bailed out of the Blueys very early Friday morning, flew
> to Melbourne and were sitting in a café drinking coffee by 10am. I've
> never really been to Melbourne proper before, and feel the need to
> include some observations:
> - The coffee is generally of a much higher standard than Sydney.
> - Trams are excellent. They're faster, quieter and cleaner than
> busses. Using electric vehicles in the city is genius. It means you
> eliminate soot and emissions from the city, and can run them on a
> renewable energy source. Then running them on tracks reduces the
> rolling resistance, makes them quiet and removes tyre particulates
> from stormwater. The only complaint I heard about them from
> Melbournites was that "they're a pain in the arse to drive behind".
> Welllll, there's a simple solution to that.
> - The licensing laws are far superior to the draconian Sydney laws,
> and have led to increased competition between bars, which means better
> bars! Where else could you have a crisp tap beer with breakfast?
> - The trams have also opened the city up, so it's a genuine open
> market. You can get around so easily that the whole city becomes a
> play area.
> In short, Melbourne is a superior city in virtually every respect. The
> weather wasn't great while we were there though?
> No climbing in Melb, but did see some Tree Sparrows. Nothing else to
> report really.
>
> Picked up the car and headed up into the Dandenong ranges. Just poked
> around looking for meals and somewhere to sleep. Had a sensational
> lunch in Mt Dandenong where they've got 7 different fancy beers on tap
> and homemade tomato sauce for the chips. There's only 2 pubs in town;
> it was the slightly log cabin looking one we were in. Crashed in the
> NP behind Silvan Reservoir; not 100% legal, but a good place for a
> kip.
>
> Next, onto the Yarra Valley proper, where we hooked up with an old
> mate. He made us stay in a cottage on the De Bortoli vineyard where he
> was working and demanded that we come to the restaurant regularly so
> he could feed and wine us. We obliged, and staggered out of the region
> 48 hours later, with 2 dozen bottles of wine and 7 different types of
> cheese. Aged gorgonzola and Ironstone aged cheddar were the
> highlights, Yarrayerring the best vineyard by a long shot.
>
> Quickly on then to Mt Arapiles. Out along the Western Highway the
> birding picked up, with a Wandering Whistling duck seen in a dam
> somewhere between Ballarat and Ararat, lots of BS Kites (no
> Letterwings) and a very scruffy Brown Falcon. Arrived at Araps in the
> early afternoon with stunning weather but a serious dose of vehicle
> lethargy/stupidity. Shook it off with a quick run up Nude Balloon
> Dance (30m, 7) over on Mitre Rock. It was fun enough, but the second
> pitch was pretty rambly and pointless. Watched a pair of Nankeen
> Kestrels on top of Lamplighter carrying on, calling and displaying to
> each other. I think they've got a nest up there.
>
> Then the weather closed in. It looked okay at first, just a couple of
> light-hearted Cumulo Mediocris, then they got bigger, then it rained.
> On and off for 5 days. It was awful weather and damaged my spirits
> badly. I've only been to Araps once before, about 2 years ago when I
> was a total bumbly. I led a 4 then and was panic stricken; we only
> climbed 4 days out of 10 then as well, due to heavy winter rain. Since
> then I've improved a little and really wanted to see how far I've
> come, and get stuck into some of the longer classics; Skink, Eurydice,
> The Bard, Tannin, Watchtower? Instead, we spent the day sitting in
> camp, depressed, waiting for breaks in the weather when we could run
> out to a close crag, climb 30m then get rained on again while coiling
> the rope and then head back to camp. Repeat process for 4 days, adding
> the odd tantrum and drinking binges to relieve the boredom.
> Progress was made however. My wife had previously enjoyed climbing
> with me, but suffered from vertigo. She seconded me up a bunch of easy
> cracks around the place and genuinely enjoyed the experience. I got my
> head together and got to place lots of gear and build lots of anchors.
> A quick summary of the routes are listed below:
> Camelot (13m, 10) I think everyone's climbed this haven't they? A
> cheeky little corner on Plaque Wall with good gear and some nice
> moves.
> Sincerity (14m 5) Up on Charity Buttress. The idea here was to go
> from left to right doing all the cracks up there. Sadly, just as Bec
> started climbing 4 groups moved in and took up all other available
> lines, so we bailed. It is an unremarkable route.
> Bushranger Crag
> Holdup Line (20m 8) Quite good, and worth a star or 2. Some genuine
> climbing moves with good gear through some strangely shaped terrain.
> Revolver Crack (20m 6) Pretty stiff for a 6! The finish is quite
> steep for the grade, but the holds are huge and the gear's great.
> Hangman (25m 14) I really enjoyed this. The hard part is the boulder
> problem over the bulge in the middle, good and committing. Then it
> gets steeper, and the holds get bigger. I placed another good wire and
> just motored through to the top. Good fun.
> Back to the Plaque Wall for Maximus, which I toproped in the rain. I
> was wondering if I was being a princess not climbing while it was wet,
> so tested the theory. Turns out I was right; it was awful and pretty
> scary. The friction just becomes unpredictable. Hands slide off even
> the biggest holds, and feet shoot off if you stop concentrating.
>
> Lined up and did D-Minor (35m 14, as if you didn't know?) and loved
> it. Good committing climbing with good gear and an exciting finish.
> Total classic and deservedly the most popular route in Australia.
> Mostly because it's so close to camp though I suspect. It started
> hailing just as I got to the top of the second pitch. Steve,
> seconding, wasn't happy.
> The weather broke in the late afternoon, and we weren't quite as sober
> as the proverbial judges, so decided a long scary 9 might be the go.
> Wobbled up Clymnaestra Buttress, which was actually excellent fun.
> Some wild exposure pulling up out of the cave, and some steep climbing
> to the finish. Bit of a rope drag monster, but that's par for that
> type of course I suppose.
>
> Muldoon (42m 13) was the last route for the week, and excellent icing
> on the cake. I enjoyed it immensely, steep moves on good rock, with
> good gear and sensational exposure. Had some fun and games pulling
> onto the wall; made a Schoolboy error and crouched onto the little
> ledge, then realised I couldn't move from that position? An excellent
> climb, and maybe my favourite route ever?
>
> Observed a pair of Peregrines on top of the Atridae buttress; again
> they seemed to have a nest, dancing and displaying for each other
> whenever one returned with food.
>
> Had a quick look around the 2wd parts of Little Desert hoping for some
> dry country residents but again we were thwarted by the weather.
> Howling wind and bitter cold didn't bode well but we still saw plenty
> of White-Fronted Chats along the fences, and many Yellow-Rumped
> Thornbills. Little else though.
>
> On the trip back to Melbourne saw a lone Magpie Goose, south of
> Ballarat. A long way south I would think? Spent the night in St Kilda
> and watched Port capitulate embarrassingly. Not that I had any
> interest in the game, being a Sydneyite. Saw Kelp Gulls (I think) from
> the front steps of the Espy and then the trip was essentially over. It
> doesn't sound very successful I suppose, but you know what they say,
> your worst day climbing is better than your best day at work. The
> weather was inhospitable, which made camping really hard work, but it
> was still totally worthwhile. There were many moments of brightness
> amongst the dark hours, and I guess it's those you remember isn't it?
>
> EB
>
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