Pine Creek, Darwin, Katherine - the Top End

** CAUTION: to those Aboriginal viewers as some photos and videos may contain images and voices of deceased persons**

So sorry it has taken me this long to post about one of the best experiences of my life. This past July and August, I was evading the strange and random winter storms that hit NSW and Queensland while on my first fieldwork trip to the Northern Territory. It was strangely "cold" there as well for winter. When I say "cold" in the Top End, I mean it very loosely. The temperature would climb to a comfortable 80 F/ 28 C during the day and would fall to a slightly chilly 58 F/ 14 C. Needless to say, people who have lived here all their lives have never seen snow, while the same kinds of people were seeing snow for the first time in Queensland. And they say climate change isn't real... I was also relieved as I had suffered the Arctic Vortex in NYC a couple of years ago and managed to escape the Antarctic Vortex this time. It seems to be following me.

When I arrived in Darwin, I was covered in winter clothes after leaving a cold and rainy Sydney behind. I was boiling when I stepped off the plane and gazed at the array of tropical plants surrounding turquoise waters of the many billabongs, rivers, and bays leading out to the Timor Sea. I even made some friends with the scaly locals at Crocosaurus Cove.

I spent a couple of days exploring the popular downtown tourist spots of Darwin before driving down to Pine Creek, where I would be leaving the turquoise waters of Darwin behind for the red earth of Wagiman country. The drive down the Stuart Highway was as nerve racking as it is infamously known to be, but beautiful, and filled with a few surprises here and there  - like dingos, kangaroos, and even hawks who were escaping the encroaching fires of the outback. Burning season usually runs into June, but this year they were doing many late burns, a controversial subject for many Aboriginal and other local peoples of the Top End.

Upon arriving in Pine Creek, I was welcomed by towering termite mounds and rusting signs and post-colonial mining and railway paraphernalia.

 

 

I was also greeted by the warm, yet tough motel manager with whom I would be spending the next 7 weeks. She may seem rough at first, but her hospitality was incredibly generous and she treated you like family from the moment you arrive. I knew we would be great friends the minute she knocked on my door the first night with a glass of champagne and the invitation to join her for champagne every night on her patio. Fieldwork was looking pretty good already! Plus the bungalows were a lot more luxurious than I expected for an outback motel.

It was a joy to wake up every morning to the sound of a plethora of bird species, sun-drenched tropical plants, and yes even bats who would never fail to see you to bed with a fly over and a cacophony of screeches as the sun goes down. Really, these are flying foxes and are plentiful in this part of the world. Quite cute once you get used to them.

 

After getting settled in, it was time to meet my co-workers. I was also instantly welcomed in the Wagiman family in Pine Creek camp as well as  Kybrook, a community just a few kilometers outside of Pine Creek on the way to Umbrawarra Gorge and Katherine. I was to spend the next 7 weeks with these lovely, warm and fun folks, whose endless knowledge about the land and its history is truly unbelievable. Before any work could be though, I was given a welcome to country ceremony at Tjuwalyn Hot Springs, where the elder of the community blessed me with the warm water on the banks, asking the country to keep me safe.

Everyday, the elder Wagiman folks and myself would take road trips around their lands where they would tell me stories about their families as well as their culture and dreamings. Many times they asked to bring their younger family along as well as it is important to them that they pass these stories down to the younger generation as well. I could not and would never refuse. During these daily road trips I kept thinking: WOW! I'm getting paid for this?? To hang out, record and listen to these beautiful stories of the Wagiman people and their ancestors while surrounded by their undeniably majestic land, plants and animals. I would pack a lunch for all of us and have wonderful discussions with them as we sat under trees and along riverbanks (ever wary of crocs) eating and talking. It was a time when I felt most human and alive. Funny how simple things like lunch by a river with friends and family can do that.

For my birthday, I even got to take a couple days off from interviewing and exploring for business to do some exploring for pleasure in Kakadu National Park. I enjoyed the Yellow River Cruise and saw loads of crocs and birds and even wild horses, who like to run out in front of your car in herds, so be cautious when driving through and drive slowly.

I also got to visit the nearby National Park of Nitmiluk just outside of Katherine - about 1 hour from Pine Creek. I met many more beautiful Aussie locals while exploring the glorious gorge by boat.

I also explored Edith Falls (Leiyln in Jawoyn language) where I enjoyed the breathtaking views during an arduous hike. But my reward was a soak in the falls that lie just at the top of the hiking trail. A well deserved treat on a hot day.

After a couple days of exploring the natural wonders of Kakadu and Nitmiluk it was back to work in Pine Creek to explore the further natural and cultural wonders of Wagiman land and enjoy time with my Wagiman and Pine Creek framily (Friends who are family). This included a trip to Umbrawarra Gorge where we met a few other locals.

I will never forget the lessons the Wagiman elders and their children have taught me, nor the stories they shared. I hope to help keep their language and stories alive with my PhD project and wish to share their stories with you as they have shared them with me. To pass their stories to their children and their children's children in a way that benefits us all, including the land. The enthusiasm, hope and resilience of the Pine Creek communities has given me as extra drive and hope in finishing this project and the importance of it - of conservation of language, culture and land through community-based tourism.

Such importance was recently recognised by the UNWTO, with whom I have been working diligently with in the past few months and is the reason why this post is arriving so late. While I was in the field I received word of my acceptance into the PhD researcher program at the UNWTO in Madrid, so the minute I arrived back in Newcastle I spent the remainder of my time in Australia preparing for Spain and enjoying much needed time with my amazing and beautiful Newcastle framily. I am anxious to return to Australia and complete my PhD project, and when I do I will have even more support and resources from the UNWTO to succeed in Pine Creek, as well as Victoria, and to enjoy more lovely days in the sun, by the sea, and in the red dirt with my Australian framily. Until next year, hasta luego Australia! Gabi is going walkabout on her walkabout. 

Uluru and Kata Tjuta, Northern Territory

G'day and Palya!

Well mates! Its official! I have now seen 4 out of the 6 Australian states and have been to the "Outback", red centre of Australia.

 Me and my fellow adventurers spent 3 days at Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Uluru and Kata Tjuta are sacred sites to the Anangu, Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people. They have many dreamtime stories or Tjukurpa here in the red heart of Australia, where they received full ownership rights in 1985. We respected the Indigenous peoples wishes and Mala ( care for country and culture) and did not climb Uluru. We couldn't have done so in any case because the winds were too strong and dangerous according to the closure sign. However, the traditional owners of the land are working on closing the route on top of Uluru permanently. Would you climb this beautiful and magnificent red rock? Or would you leave it alone to preserve it for future generations and cultural traditions?

 Since we would not and could not climb, we took a long, leisurely walk around the base of this megalith. Uluru stands at 350 m tall and about 500 m wide. I have been around the globe and seen many wonders of the natural and man-made world, most of which turned out to be smaller than I had imagined. Uluru, on the other hand, did not disappoint. It was much larger than I had thought and took a good 4 hours to circumnavigate by foot. Thankfully, the weather was mild, but the flies were killer! If you go, invest in a fly net, you'll thank me later!

As we made our way around the base of Uluru we were asked to take pictures only at certain areas since many sites around Uluru were sacred female sites and part of Tjukurpa. Uluru is said to be a site of the woma python woman Kuniya who killed the man Liru, a poisonous snake from Kata Tjuta, for killing her nephew. You can see markings that look like the snakes in these stories imbedded in the rock faces of Uluru. You can read and hear more about the dreamtime of Uluru and Kata Tjuta here: http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/people-place/stories.html

As wiru (beautiful) and spiritual as Uluru was, we made our way over to Kata Tjuta which is about 30 km to the west of Uluru. Here, at this sacred man's site, we were allowed to climb over the rocks on the designated hiking trails, but were allowed to take pictures only in certain places. Some say that Kata Tjuta is even more sacred than Uluru to the Indigenous peoples of this region, and is under more protection. Whether that is true or not, we did see some amazing wildlife in this area -  like this goanna here - and heard some beautiful bird song amongst the crevasses and canyons of the deep red rocks. I felt strange in these places because it reminded me so much of home in New Mexico, yet it was very different in terms of culture, wildlife, and the sand was much more red.

 

There are also camels. Lots of camels, who can take you for a ride near Uluru at sunset, but tend to put up a fight at first. They don't mind though, as long as they get their hay at the end of the day. I got the chance to feed the baby camel Priscilla before going for a ride on Norseman through the outback. What a great way to end the day!

After a few sunrises and sunsets in the Northern Territory we made our way back to New South Wales just before the cyclone hit. While bundled up warm and cozy against the storm we all dreamed of being back in the sunny and mystical land of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, hoping to return and explore more of the Northern Territory one day soon. Palya mates! Until the next adventure