2^nd of September.

We were lazy this morning.  Didn’t get a cup of tea into our hands until around 7am!  Sibba did some washing as there is a coin operated washing machine here at the mission campground.  We watched some of the birds that seem to hang around the campground.  There were a few Plovers feeding on insects.  This is the Masked Lapwing Plover, what they call the northern form.  I managed to snap a good photo of one of them, which I’m sharing.  There have also been a small flock of purple swamphens grazing all day.  They are mostly black with this purple bib and of course a very red bill.  This is aside from the crows that seem to outnumber any other bird life here around the mission grounds.  A bad “Omen” perhaps!

We decided to go for a short drive to see the B52 bomber wreck, which has lingered on here since the Japanese bombed the daylights out of the Kalumburu airport back during the Second World War.  It’s located behind the old rubbish tip, of all places!.  Kylie was quite excited having the opportunity to ride on a B52 bomber! 

From there we headed out to the bay, to see the boat ramp used by the barge that comes here every couple of weeks with supplies from Darwin.  This is the only way the get supplies to or from this place, aside from air freight, which I gather is quite expensive.  While there, we met a couple of local aboriginal families that were out for a picnic and enjoying the Sunday.  They simply take some fishing tackle and fish their lunch, which they then cook on an open fire.  We had a nice chat and they told us a bit about themselves and their culture.  These were very open and friendly locals.  

We then headed back to camp, with a few stops along the way to view the river as it meets the ocean.  The tides are quite high here, so when the tides are in, the ocean flows a fair way up the river.  We didn’t see any big crocks, probably because the tourist season is pretty much over and not many tourists to be had!  When we got back to camp we noticed a few Ibis birds.  These are very much different from the ones we see in Sydney, i.e. the Australian White Ibis.  These are called Straw Necked Ibis and their back is black with some purple and green glowing colours.  

Shortly after having our late lunch, one of the local aborigines came to sell us a canvas painting.  In the end we bought it as it had all the stick figures from some of the rock art we have seen.  We had a good chat with him about him and his background, so that was quite interesting.  Then a couple of aborigines came, just to have a chat, not to sell us anything.  Then shortly after they left another one “rocked up” as well.  This time with a reasonable size rock, that was painted with stick figures.  It was simply too big and heavy for us to carry in the car, so we had to politely explain and decline his offer.  We did have a long chat with him as well and he was quite happy to share with us information about him and his people. 

We knew that the aborigines were split into around 600 different tribes that each owned and managed their own piece of land prior to white settlement.  I suppose what we hadn’t realised how different they are from each other, both language and culture.  For instance they tell us that the dot art is mostly painted by the aborigines in the south, whereas the stick figures are from there in the north.  Even between different tribes, there are differences in believes and stories.  We have met aborigines in Derby that told us that it was not their land; they come from the North Kimberley.  It would appear that they strongly identify with the area of land they grow up in and have a great attachment to that.  

Purple Swamphen.

Masked Lapwing Plover.

The B52 wreck site.

Not much left I must say!

Kylie the bomber captain!!

The river gorge, close to the ocean.

These rock formations are always fascinating.

Sibba on the ramp, where all the supplies go through from Darwin to Kalumburu.

The fish, caught by the locals.

Where the river meets the ocean!

Ibis birds.