Spent the last six weeks in the iron ore town of Tom Price where typically most of the inhabitants wear High Vis workwear most of the time and drive Toyota land cruisers circled with High Vis tape and topped with an orange flag on a long fiberglass pole. (the melody produced by the poles striking the overhead roller door of the drive thru bottle department is startlingly raw) This High Vis fashion was a result of Harold Holt lifting an iron ore export embargo in 1966 that had been in place since the 1938 due to Robert Menzies paranoia of supplying iron ore to the communists. – more about Rio Tinto later.

Anyway, back to where the last blog ended. Towards the end of my weeks holiday in Gascoyne Junction I got to know Fred, a Kenyan migrant who’s enthusiasm for the town was infectious. I was fascinated by his stories of collecting mookaite* by the container load and catching and eating tilapia, an introduced species that is decimating indigenous fish populations. Apparently as the waterways in the Gascoyne River dry up the tilapia are able to survive in the remaining pools and this is where Fred was going fishing with a rod … even though he had never used a rod before. The voice in the following clip is of Fred talking about catching tilapia and how the Lou tribe in Kenya benefit from eating their brains. Superimposed on this gothic background is my half-hearted attempt at catching tilapia with a bucket. Neither of us caught any tilapia, but I’m not sure that was important (or legal!).

*Mookaite – a multicolour jasper like stone found in nearby Mooka Creek in the Kennedy Ranges.

Tilapia Fishing

Gascoyne Junction and surrounds 12th June 2021

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Flowers

Gascoyne Junction to Tom Price 14th – 24th June 2021

On a brighter note … the Upper Gascoyne and Pilbara regions have been soaked with unusually heavy rains this year resulting in a bumper wildflowers season … a taste below.

Plans Change

Ullawarra Road, about 20km north of Gascoyne Junction 14th June 2021

The following clip illustrates how plans can dissolve into a muddy puddle in an instant. In this case the result was the beginning of a remarkable journey with a remarkable creature!

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From the Gascoyne to the Pilbara

Gascoyne Junction to Tom Price 14th – 24th June 2021

Just in case some of you believe I am currently on a camel in the desert half way to Alice Springs I better fess up. The encounter with the mud puddle was fact but the Lawnmower and rider were actually fine. The next clip has a more realistic take on what happened after the mud puddle. The camel? ……… I’ll get to that later!

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Camels

Mount Augustus 17th – 22nd June

Cameleers Jon and Aimee arrived in Mount Augustus a few days before I did and had started the two week process of familiarising their camels with the new terrain before commencing camel rides. After meeting in the camp kitchen they offered to introduce me to their camels and take them for a walk. Intrigued by these majestic creatures I couldn’t resist producing the following promotional clip for their use.

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The Juukan Gorge

Tom Price 18th August 2021

One could not stay six weeks in Tom Price without making observations about the wilful destruction of the Juukan Gorge Cave in May 2020 by Rio Tinto while State and Federal governments remained mute. Located 65km to the west of Tom Price on the edge of Rio’s Brockman 4 mine this cave is regarded as the only inland site in Australia with evidence of continuous human habitation going back 46,000 years.

In a nutshell … approval was given to destroy the Juukan Cave in 2013 by the State Government under Section 18 of WA’s Aboriginal Heritage Act. Subsequent to this approval arachnological digs revealed the caves had been occupied longer than first thought however a Section 18 approval can only be appealed by the applicant and does not allow renegotiation by Traditional Owners on the basis of new information.

A parliamentary enquiry chaired by Warren Entsch was launched in June 2020 and due to report by 20th September but due to Covid was delayed. An interim report titled Never Again was released in December 2020 and provides a broad background to the events along with reform recommendations. The final report is due 18th October 2021.

The Office

Tom Price 1st July – 19th August 2021

Thanks to the folk at the Nintirri Centre for providing me with a office for the duration of my stay in Tom Price. Complete with picture of a Rio Tinto ore train, a set of 80’s encyclopedias and all for $50/week. I have found the encyclopedias invaluable for the day to day running of an office like this one, …. and on the motorbike when you are out of range of the cellular network ….. they still work!

Resume travelling tomorrow … Yea! … heading north to a camp site at Karijini National Park for 8 nights followed by 3 nights at Millstream Chichester National Park. Will let you know how it goes.

Cheers for now 87)