Day 99

                Day 99

                Its day 99, it’s been over 14 weeks since I arrived down under. It feels like it has been much longer already.

                I have reached Darwin safely at last. Yet another change from my original itinerary, hopefully to prove as fulfilling as the last one!

                I’m in the heart of croc country and the home of famous film croc Burt - Most famous for his role in Crocodile Dundee as The Crocodile. Pretty cool I’d say! And you’d think being in the land of crocs would make it easy for a person to get their hands on a little croc meat... Apparently not. The search continues.

                Before leaving Lochinvar Cattle station I was offered a position on the station full time as station hand. I declined, anxious to continue on. At that point I was planning my next big move – reach Darwin to set up the details of my to-be epic trek across the west MacDonnell Ranges. 28 days across one of the world’s best ranked trials. Front to back, then back to front. Normally the full hike is about 12 days, but I want to hike in, then, hike back out, hence the 28 days.

                But, as luck would have it, I received word yesterday that the area has been under great duress from high volumes of wild fires. At the moment nearly half of the trail is closed off and hikers are urged to stay clear for the time being. I should be receiving more information from the National Parks and Wildlife office tomorrow. Regardless, I leave Darwin on Tuesday, making my way to Alice Springs. So here’s fingers crossed that all pans out.

                With very limited internet access during my time on the cattle station, maintaining regular blog entries was pretty tough. So stay tuned for a proper recap of my adventures down there as well as my venture north from Augathella to Darwin.

                For now, it’s off to bed to rest for tomorrow’s day of deep sea Barramundi Fishing!

Day 67

Day 67

            It has certainly been a wild adventure staying and working on Lochinvar Cattle Station, roughly 60Km north of Augathella, Queensland. I have seen and done more here than I could have imagined, thanks to owners Peter and Milly and the station Ringer, Davie, who has been all too eager to help in my hunt for food sources and talk “bush life” with me on our long days in the yards.

            My ankle has healed nicely from my encounter early in my stay with a rowdy bull, who pinned my leg to a yard gate during drafting one afternoon. Since then I have had several more close calls, but luckily no more injuries!

            I have had the chance to sample several different bush foods while out here, including Kangaroo and cactus!

            As were my findings earlier on when exploring the north east of New South Wales, many edible plants do require much preparation in order to be safe to eat. Leeching, baking, grinding and so on. It seems that certain areas cater much better to a long-term stay than a shorter, survival-type necessity. The land certainly provides every necessity to live, as long as you are willing to look and work a bit for it.

            My findings have shown though that lizards, such as the frilled-neck, and goanna, and insects like the whichetty grub (or whichy grub as locals call it) and locust, prove to be the easiest food source to locate in most locations of this environment. That is, without a great deal of knowledge of the surrounding plant life. I should point out that these lizards, just like many (and most) animals in Australia are protected and hunting many of them is not permitted.

            I was thrilled to encounter my first goanna just the other day. And since then, signs have been appearing quite regularly of their early rise from hibernation. This has also been true of the snakes. Due to recent high day time temperatures, many of these critters have become eager to begin roaming once again.

            I will admit I was somewhat surprised at the sheer size of both the snakes and the goanna. While I have been quite aware that the northern-dwelling snakes, such as the pythons and boas can become enormous, the size of the brown and king browns we have been finding are wild! Averaging an easy five to six feet in length!

            I am nearing the end of my stay at Lochinvar though, and will soon begin the long haul north towards Darwin. The over 2500Km journey should land me in Darwin in early September, assuming I may be able to hitch-hike with some degree of success from Mount Isa, about 1100Km from my current location. Crossing the Barkly Tablelands of Central Northern Territory may prove quite difficult on foot, as temperatures in that region are already seeing average daily’s in the low 30°C range.

            Where the road leads from Darwin is uncertain - Either south to Alice Springs, or South West through the Kimberly to Broome. Where the road will lead between now and Darwin is also very uncertain, all I know, I will get there eventually.

            Although I am having a blast out here, I am getting eager to get to Alice Springs as well. From there I am planning on trekking the Larapinta Trail through the MacDonnell Ranges. The roughly 225Km trail leads from the old Alice Springs Telegraph Station, west to Mount Sonder. My trek will last approximately 26 days, as I attempt the East to West route, then after a slight detour, return from West to East. On my return trip I will veer from the main path here and there, exploring some of the off-shoot trails scattered through the ranges. 

           500Km in 26 days, that’s the plan. Wish me luck!

Day 52 - Into the Wild

            Day 52

            The first rains of the winter dry season fell here about two days ago. The first rains in over a month. It only lasted about 20 minutes, and was soaked up in a flash. It’s been damp and consistently cool the last three days though.

            As the first stages of the cattle muster have come to a finish, tomorrow I plan to head out to put all I have learned about this area to the test. We won’t begin any more work for several days, allowing me plenty of time to wander and explore different survival techniques for the region and feast on whatever the land is willing to offer after the light rains. It is surprising how much life can spring from such little rain. 

            There are many resources around the area, lots of potential food – if you can find it and have time to properly prepare it. Like in many other areas of Australia, much of the potential food requires extensive preparation before it is safe to eat. Many plants and fruits harbour toxins which must be leeched out prior to consumption. As well, many plant species have close relatives which often occupy the same areas, or similar ones. You can never look too closely. The last thing I need is to be the inspiration of Into The Wild Part II, with a similar ending...

            I’ll take a few basic supplies with me; my survival kit (containing a first aid kit, compass, JetScream whistle, Strike Force Flint; thermal blanket and signal mirror) and Remington Excursion knife, given to me by Ranger Tactical; snare wire; water bottle; and of course camera.

            I have been experimenting here and there with alternative solutions to creating cordage to use in the field. Because it is so dry most materials are very brittle, making most dense grasses useless when put under any stress. With the Warrago River near by though, there is an abundance of reeds in areas, which have proven to hold up much better than any of the grasses or vines found in the open fields.

            Being able to produce some sort of cordage in the field from raw materials is a huge asset. It can mean the difference between having your shelter remain standing in a wind storm and... well, not. As well it can come in handy for many other things. In the rainforest areas you can easily find different varieties of vines which will act as great cordage, some even capable of supporting heavy loads. As I mentioned before, many of the materials I have discovered here so far will NOT support much of a load at all. But let’s see what the fresh rains will have produced.

            A few things I’ll have to keep in mind when I set out (so should anyone considering the same). Even though it is winter, and most reptiles in this area are hibernating, it is still very possible to come across snakes in this area – the King Brown and death Adder being two of the most common, and two of the most deadly in Australia. 

The easiest way to avoid an encounter with a snake... Stay home. But since that’s not going to happen, be wary of walking in tall grass, especially around logs and fallen brush. Always keep your eyes sharp and be scanning the area in front of you and around. While most snakes will usually retreat when they feel vibrations of your approaching footsteps, not all will. The death adder for instance has been known to lie in the middle of bush tracks partially buried in the sand or leaves and will normally only strike when stepped on or grabbed. It is possible to stand right beside it and never know, as their behaviour is sluggish and quiet.

On that note, it’s time to hit the bush and see what else is out there and if I have learned enough about the environment here to survive it or not!

Day 45

Day 45

It’s hard to believe it’s been 45 days already. I’m slipping into week seven. It’s even harder to believe it’s already been 12 days since I have left Brisbane.

I’m in the middle of the Queensland outback, this is the Australia I came looking for. Kangaroos are everywhere – the largest group I have seen being about 20 roos. We see them every day. They race the bikes from a distance, and watch carefully at your every move. I have also seen emus, wild pigs, camels, plain turkeys (which stand almost the size of an emu), blue-tonged lizard and many different birds

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At the moment I am stationed about 800Km west of Brisbane, just north of Augathella, Qld, long the Warrago River. I am on Lochinvar Cattle station trying my hand the cattle life. It’s been quite an experience thus far. We began mustering cattle on motorbikes and 4-wheelers last week (most people don’t use horses for this anymore like we see in the movies, such as Australia, though the concept is the same). That’s right, become a bit of a modern cowboy I have for the moment! 

            Mornings come earlier than I thought ever possible, but 4am and I have began to get along.       I’ve been placed riding tail while we push and muster – I am the last rider in the group of six that hold the ‘mob’ together on the way to the stock yards. It’s my job to keep the cattle moving at a steady pace.

            After the muster the cattle are ‘drafted’ in the yards and separated into different herds based on age, type and ownership. This is done, here, in a somewhat still old-fashioned manner, by pushing the cattle one at a time into a small circular cage with many gates leading into different pens. Someone stands inside the cage as the cattle come through and guides them through the correct gate. I have also been given the job in the cage. It certainly keeps one on one’s toes! Some of these cattle are less than thrilled to be in the cage with you -as was the case with one particularly moody bull. 

            When this bull started getting too rowdy for comfort I made an attempt to jump up the gate and get out of the cage. Well, this bull decided he would help. Long story short; his head plus my leg, plus an eight foot steel fence equals... “Ouch!” But luckily I walked away with only a few bruises, scrapes and a bit of a sprained ankle, but the show must go on!

            Being out on the station puts me right in the middle of what is classed as “Downs Country”. Arid grasslands fill miles of rolling hills with small scatterings of trees here and there. This is a great location for studying the terrain and gaining heaps of info and insight on the land and bush survival.

            The station ringer, Davie, whom I work with most days, is your original outback bush man. He knows every inch of land here; what animals to find where, edible and nutritious plants, water sources, and how to use the land not only to survive, but to live. I’d say all-round, a good guy to have as a boss out here. 

            On a rather exciting and tasty note, I have been feeding very happily off fresh, wild kangaroo meet which I did in fact harvest (legally might I add) a few days ago. I am not sure what to compare it too, but they sure do have a lot of meat on them!

            My gear has been getting a good work here. My Mountain Hardware Fluid 26 pack has been a huge help on the long days out in the fields far from camp. It holds all the gear I need for the full days out and about, and packs in tight thanks to the side and front compression straps for light short hauls. This leaves me with a streamline, versatile pack with no worries of load shifting while racing herds of running cattle on the bikes. This can be quite an issue with some packs with the use of a camelback water bladder. But this pack is definitely pulling its weight for me here. 

            I have definitely strayed slightly from my original itinerary, but I am enjoying the spontaneity and adventure that has come about so far. I am trying to not plan to far ahead for the time being. I have covered a lot of ground so far, but have a lot to go. 

            On a final note, it has been very VERY cold here. Many people are claiming it to be one of the coldest winters on record. We even had ice forming this morning on water pails. Even inland where the winter nights are known to be quite cool it has been unusually cold, as low as about -5 here some mornings. Thanks Matt and Dana for the heads up!

            Happy Birthday Sarah!