Shipton's flat

Ending the week that was.

On Friday afternoon, we were invited to go down to Home Rule, a meeting place for local Indigeous rangers and groups for a look. Paul was busy doing stuff in Wujal still, so Karlina and I set off to find it with the vague instructions of Turn off in Rossville and go to the end of the road. We expected to see the Shipton's Flat rangers down there.

The Wallaby creek is more than spectacular and we could see why the team love the area so much and are working hard to protect it.

This has nothing much to do with the story but I wanted to share the pics. It as nice to see calm rivers actually.

While looking for us, Paul ended up going to Shipton's Flat and found out that satellite phone they had been delivered had not been charged up and since there is no electricity at Shipton's they could not not use their phone. They also did not know how to use it.

So Paul brought the phone to Cooktown and we spent a few hours sorting out how it worked and correcting the instructions. There were a few versions of the phone number on the doco, so it took a bit to unravel. The instructions are generally pretty good by the way but the short version and the manual do have conflicting advice. The manual is generally awful. The short instructions are pretty long but once you get into them they do make sense.

It was hard to find the solar panel for the phone at the bottom of the box and a bit tricky to put all the bits together for antennaes, car chargers etc. The collection of leads, plugs, adapters and the boxers looked overwhelming to the folks who got the phone, so they did not touch what they could not work out.

On saturday afternoon, we met Peter and Marilyn Wallace from Shipton's Flat to give them their phone back at the Lions Den and we demonstrated how to put all the bits together and showed them how to connect the phone to the solar panel to charge it. This will be their main option.

Shipton's Flat were given a handheld satellite phone to use until their fixed phone is installed after the wet. The phone comes with the 6 30 minute phone cards and the team who had not had a phone before were not certain about how to use them. We did not nominate this phone but we wanted to help the guys out so we made some trips out to Shipton. Another love job!

We conclude that the phone should not just be sent out but given to CLOs to deliver so that we can visit the community, show people how to work them and so we can make sure their phone is charged up. Not much point in an uncharged phone. Satellite handhelds are not simple for people the first time round and less simple for people who have limited experience of a mobile phone.

We talked with Peter and Marilyn about

- what the phone number of their phone was - they had no way of ever finding this out unless we had taken it into town and used it to find out the number.
- what combination of numbers they needed to tell friends, family and colleagues
- the per minute cost of the calls and costs of texts
- techniques to make their 300 minutes last longer
- how some fixed phones might be barred and not able to call international numbers ( including satellite phones)
-how to make a call and explain the numbers - dropping the 0 is not easy to understand or get right if you are not used to internationally dialling or using phone cards.

We don't know a few things.

• If we need to initiate the redelivery of phone cards

• If the phone cards must be supplied by Iridiam or if there are other suppliers of cards for this particular phone
• If a local store has been approached to sell the phone cards

It will be good to have our April workshop to streamline processes, become more informed and talk about the need to give CLO's some flexibility to follow up people, even if they have self nominated or been nominated by another group.

It was great though to see some action and to see how grateful folks were for the phone and the help. We promised to call in on them next month to see they are okay about their phone.

Not the Thompson's creek nomination

The Walker families run tours from their Thompson Creek property and asked us to consider a phone nomination for them.

Well our weekend of traveling to creeks and rivers and not crossing them continued. We headed back to Wujal and went to look at the Bloomfield River. We looked and we looked and as we looked it got higher. It was over the cement sides which meant we would have had to swim the camper over, so we decided it was time to take local's advice and not cross. We were also told the Walkers were flooded in at Thompson creek and that the rocks were "not above the waterline yet".

Also the tide was comin in so the Bloomfield had to wait for us or rather we had to wait for it.

Later in the week it all calmed down and we got to see the rocks everyone was talking about.

We had a great visit to the Walker families again and enjoyed a varenda chat while filling in the nomination form.

One more underway.
Its pretty easy to understand why the Walkers live here - can you imagine living amongst this rainforest every day? It has been great visiting and we are invited back, so come back we will.

Dawnvale and China Camp

It's pretty wet in Wujal Wujal in March and we discovered that nothing goes as planned.

Not that that is new on Cape York. All roads north are closed except the one to Cooktown so we headed north and then swung back down from Lions Den to Wujal.

Since we are already working on the Cape on other projects we have at last the go ahead to visit communities around Wujal Wujal or Bloomfield as some folks know it. So on the first weekend we could, we headed up the mountain towards Dawnvale and then onto China Camp.

It is beautiful in the Daintree in the wet and the journey was spectacular. There are though many rivers to cross as the song says, and we took turns in wading them to see if they could be crossed. The creeks are crystal clear and we even had a wonderful swim. Paul checked out the depth of Keating Ck. It was actually the mud on one side and sand on the other that I thought might stop us. It ws pretty chopped up from the China Camp locals trying to commute to Wujal.

The high country was just sensational with its new growth and thick grasses. Eddie and co are doing a great job in regrassing their cattle stations. The road on the mountain side is good though some hills have rather steep sides....

It was a pretty amazing way of spending Saturday afternoon traveling the Creb track in the wet.

Dawnvale Station on the far side of a few creeks is not very used in the deep wet but now it is drying up, (so they tell me), people are coming back. The family spent their first few nights back on country this week and already there has been some camps. We did a site drawing for the phone, located the best spots and then picked avocados with a piece of drain pipe. Rather clever I thought.

Now Beard's Creek was not really cute and creek like by the time we got there. We needed to get to the top end of the houses that make up China Camp but nature had other ideas. On the other side was a sand bar just to make it interesting if you didn't wash away. Needless to say we abandoned the journey and went back to the nearer China Camp houses on the mountain.

We had a wonderful visit to Eddie and Pam's place for the night hoping the creek was going to drop. Well, it rained and then some so we really did not get anywhere even the next day. The break though did give us a small chance to explore the wonderful station they own. The forests of grass trees were spectacular and the rainforest creeks very dramatic. We hope to get back there next trip. Thanks Pamela and Eddie for your hospitality and advice.


In the end we did get the China Camp nomination signed. Lucky we could stay in the area for a few days. We look forward to visiting in a few weeks time and checking on phone installation progress.

Two more nominations in - yeh and we will even get paid for these. That's a nice change.

Melsonby

Last December

Last year we visited the wonderful Melsonby station and met Marissa and her team who are doing an amazing job at working their country. Since then we have heard nothing but praise for this young woman and her family. They host many significant meetings in the area and are an important role model for other family groups returning to country

We were very privileged to visit Melsonby and arrnage a phone for the team so they could stay for the wet season. Marissa took us on a tour of the property including to some amazing rock and cave paintings.

Loved the variety of plant life. This property is very near Lakefield National Park which has an incredible variety of flora.

The road in is interesting even in the dry. After the Battle Camp Road experience the road into Melsonby has a final challenge. Our little camper made it but not sure I'd tackle it in the wet.

Glad you guys got your phone and we look forward to seeing you this Marissa.

Wujal Wujal and China Camp visit

Road along the Creb Track - good nic.

Changing plans
This is a bit of a delayed couple of blog entries. We stayed in Cairns and had a lovely time visiting with Kev and Anne who are exceptional is letting us use their place as a base to park the camper. We enjoy our dinners with them and a pool in December in Cairns is very welcome. We also got to visit James on the tablelands and had a great stay there for a few days and even got some Xmas shopping done at the markets. On our way up the Tablelands to head further out, the feds cancelled our trip for 09. Pity we had driven thousands of Ks, but you get that.

We had already made appointments and could not get in touch with the people we were to meet, so we kept going anyway as volunteers. You don't cancel stuff like we organized or not turn up, if you want to go back, so we had to go. We love the Daintree and south cape heaps anyway so just went on a purposeful holiday. And, we now get to go back next year after the wet.

The Daintree was wonderful as usual and it had rained a bit but not too much and so the rivers were still down, crossable at low tide and very pleasant. We stayed here for a few nights and commuted the 12 or so K up to Wujal Wujal for the meetings we had arranged. It took 20-25 mins to do the 12 K and the road was good. It was safe to swim here and seeing it is a bit tropical this time of year, we enjoyed the creek. We did some nice dinners on the camp fire, had a night time wild life spotting walk and watched huge numbers of birds nesting in the trees above us. We also reconnected with the wonderful rainforests through here.

The camper always looks at home in the bush. We even managed not to break anything this trip.

We met with several elders and traditional owners in Wujal as well as the Mayor. It had been a week with Mayors, after meeting the Mayor of Cairns on the tablelands the few days before. We really had a great guided tour along the Creb track with Eddie who took to his country along past Dawnvale and into China Camp. Lucky he did take us, cause in spite of all the map planning we had done, I don't think we would have found it.

Dawnvale like many of the stations in the cape,has been handed back to the traditional owners and now the properties are being used by the families. Dawnvale is used as a retreat and place to take young people. We only dropped in for a quick look and did not go down into the camp site. Hopefully on the next visit, Des will show us around his place. The road through here was sensational - different country from rainforest to open timber and cattle lands. The Ten Mile scrub definately deserves more time next trip.

China Camp is made up of lots of different properties and houses along the Creb track. We dropped into Aunty Elaines for a yarn and talked about whether she wanted a public phone and where it could be. The tourists travelling the track are quite an issue - not only creating dust and noise but they break down and want help. They also steal solar panels. There are no public phones for the whole ridge, so the communty will be talking about whether they want a phone for when we return after the wet. They got 2 inches just after we left and so the roads will be getting pretty greasy.
This is my favourite photo of the trip. Eddie and Paul are on the helicopter pad, discussing where a phone could go and looking over the amazing ranges of rainforests. I can really understand "Return to Country". Talking all day with Eddie and others makes you see the places very differently, than if you drive through.


Eddie took us up to the twin Roaring Meg falls. It was a very rough track going in and out. He knew where some of the old tin mining sleuths were and was keen to talk about using the same ideas to transport water down to some of the new camps, huts and houses that people are building. Having our house with us, we cooked lunch and cooled our feet in the river near Roaring Meg. There is a men's place and women's place. I walked down to the woman's place and it was spectacular. The Indigenous people ask you not to take photos there, so we can only share the river near where we had lunch. It felt very spiritual actually and it was an awesome walk and a spot to think about things. I want to go back for longer next time.

On returning to Wujal, we went to Walkers Creek. Another interesting track on the side of the amazing Bloomfield River.

Francis Walker really welcomed us and we had cups of tea on the varendar to learn how much business is discussed there. She is running a very successful Walkers Family Tours with her family and getting lots of folks involved. The country she has to avialable to take people, is pretty special. Check them out if you ever have a chance to go to Bloomfield.

The Murrie grapevine had started long before we got to Wujal and we had invitations to visit and people saying - don't forget to go to Shipton's... And finally, as we headed up past Ayton to drop in on Shipton's Flat, we visited the beach. I know beaches in oz are very popular this time of year but this is the kinda crowd on a beach I like.

Look North

Look south!

Oh no - rain

So its raining. And this is not a good thing. We have to head into the cape very soon and visit very remote, very small communities up extreme 4WD tracks and it is raining.

Suddenly this may not be fun. We have stocked on food and wonder if 4 weeks food will last 4 months if we get stuck.

We've left all the children behind - thanks Lisa and Danny for letting us stay and we were glad Kerry to help out with Lockie and fun to see Shay. Thanks for your dad's bday lunch. It was a treat to be in Townsville for such an occasion.
More weather reports soon!!!!

Beginning the next journey

So here we go again....

It is almost December and is always the way with Commonwealth projects, we are asked to start them just before Christmas, months behind a schedule we did not build. Nevertheless, we have dropped everything to start the project and keep the good will alive on all sides. If we are lucky, this will get us out of buying Christmas presents this year.

For the record, we are off on this journey to help Indigenous people get telephones in remote communities of less than 50 people. Yes, these are the remote outstations in those places at the end of the tracks you never take. We are first going into the central Cape York area between Daintree and south of Coen. Yes, we are chasing the wet. Hopefully we will beat it or we will definitely not have to bother with Christmas.

We have had an interesting journey so far. Paul has been babysitting non-stop in Townsville. I drove from Ipswich to Rocky to catch up with family. It was good to see Uncle Darryl coping so well and how much support Ros, Jeanette and Keith have been. It's cool to catch up with the cuz's.

Then it was off to Moranbah to help Ona turn 40 - which seemed to take several days. We have to share the photos. It was great to catch up with all the second tier kids - gee we are getting old.... Its almost like having grandchildren. Ona' you have ages beautifully.......

Then it was off to off to Armstrong Beach. No fish for Paul but a good fishing trip. Jimmy got a feed and we had some one on one time with Will which was the best treat. Love these kids like we owned em. Pity we missed Nat but hopefully, we can catch him on the way home.

So we are finally heading north to start the job. We have finished the desk top analysis - and so we have a plan. Bought some food, stocked the emergency rations, packed the jack, the trax things which should stop us being bogged and the other 100 recovery items......

So on the next entry, we should be able to tell you how clever we are for not getting lost, bogged or holed up on the wrong side of a deep creek. Hopefully we will even get the phones signed up and try for a fish one evening.

Keep in touch everyone. We are off again.....