Floodtide

Somewhere under all that brown water are the famous Brewarrina Fish Traps, which were clearly visible only 48 hours earlier. This Aboriginal ‘catch & kill’ network of trap ponds and channels are world famous, and one of the oldest human-made structures in the world. So I was a little disappointed that my timing was off (missed it by THAT much, Chief).

Still, this is a rare sight. The birds seemed to know where the fish traps were and were lining up to feast on the unfortunate.

There was plenty of activity on the water and also on the adjacent reserve. You think politics is complicated and messy in our world. First Nation politics is the same, if not more so. Native Title claims can be a hydra of conflicting mobs and interests that go WAY back, not just a few, but thousands of years. Four clans have been corralled into a joint Native Title claim over a large area that includes the Brewarrina Fish Traps, traditionally on the lands of the Ngemba peoples. The women of the Ngemba are not happy with the possibility of losing control of the site to a joint venture. They have exciting plans for the immediate area. The dispute centers around whether the fish traps are the creation of the Ngemba people alone or, as a meeting place, they were developed by other clans as well. But wait, there’s more.

Decision making is a matriarchal, that is by women, and their rightful participation in this claim apparently has been dismissed/ignored/overridden(now there’s something worthy the Me Too’ers can get their teeth into – good luck with that). I had a long talk with Aunty Doreen and Aunty Natalie. They are passionate, fierce Ngemba women with little experience or trust in the legal process. Luckily they are getting heaps of support and advice. Just have to wait and see.

Finished the day at Five Mile Campground and spent the weekend on down time after a hectic couple of weeks. The Barwon continued to rise over those three days with the fishing wharf gradually going under. It was a contrast having these brown flooding waters under a clear blue sky, but they’ve travelled a long way and another 1000klms to go.

My water pump in the van had ‘mysteriously’ stopped working (you know where this is going already, lol) and I had to be in Walgett first thing Monday morning to have it checked. Apart from no auto-electrician, or plumber in Walgett, there is also no caravan park. Rotary Club to the rescue with the Alex Trevallion Park, a free camp with ALL the trimmings. Long story short, while waiting for the mechanic to open, I grabbed the manual and, you guessed it, if all else fails, read the instructions. A flick of the switch and problem solved.

The flood waters don’t so much pour out of the river and across the plains, but rather seep, slowly and inexorably for days on end. The river had broken it’s banks well and truly.

My stint in NSW is coming to an end. Queensland beckons, but one last bucket list destination – Lightening Ridge. Not just the west, but the wild, wild west.