A visitor

View from car window

Last weekend there was a very special guest in town- Mr. Ed Macartney. We had an awesome three days; combining a few touristy activities with relaxing and avoiding heat stroke. Driving to Darwin to pick him up was an accomplishment for me. It involved four wheel driving in a Toyota Hilux through crocodile infested waters! I felt very adventurous and pleased that both the car and me survived.

Edith falls

Our three days had many highlights one of which was travelling to Katherine to see Ed’s cousin James and his family. They’ve been living in Ngukurr, another small Aboriginal community in Arnhem Land, as James’ wife Bec works as a remote area nurse. They seem well adjusted to life in the NT wearing no shoes, growing dreadlocks and cruising around in a troupie. We haven’t seen them since our wedding so it was fantastic to catch up and see how much the kids have grown. As for the town of Katherine my highlight was the Brumbies bakery where they sold delicious, cheap mangoes as well as the usual bread. Apart from the mangoes there wasn't much more going for Katherine- I think the real attractions are the Katherine gorge and waterfalls. Ed and I spent a few splendid hours swimming in the freshwater pools of Edith falls. It was idyllic and well worth the hot, sweaty climb up to the top pools (as the bottom ones were closed due to crocs).  

Co-pilot Ed

It’s difficult to experience Kakadu and Arnhem Land in a weekend. The best strategy of course is to get an aerial view of the landscape and the wildlife. Lucky for us our wonderful friend Simon was happy to take us for a flight in his chopper. He even landed on a 100 metre high, narrow, rocky pinnacle that had sensational uninterrupted views. The landing was impressive by itself!

Red Lily Billabong

That night we enjoyed a unique culinary experience; our first taste of magpie goose. During that week I also tried two other gamey meats- wild boar and buffalo. I’ve learnt that marinading these meats, slow cooking and avoiding all the fat are the best ways to enjoy the local produce in Gunbalanya. Ed had only a brief chance to experience the community as most of our time was spent in Jabiru. He saw the clinic, met some locals and enjoyed the luxurious donga I like to call Chateau Fitzcartney. It was a pleasure having him come even for just a few days. 

"Bo Bo Sabies" 

Life in town felt pretty dull once Ed left but work quickly distracted me from feeling homesick. “Bo Bo Scabies Week” (meaning "So Long Scabies Week") began where we went to every house in the community educating them about the nasty mites that get under the skin and can cause serious heart and kidney conditions. 70% of the school children were found to be infected and the dense over-crowding here confounds the problem. We sat down on peoples verandas, under trees or in their yards and told them our “Scabies Story”. It was eye-opening to see the living conditions but a fun and rewarding experience speaking to the families in the community. I also sat down with some women to learn traditional women’s business- basket weaving from local, natural materials. The women were over 70 but some of them were agile and fit! I was inspired by them sitting in tight cross legged positions (think yoga-teacher crossed legs), jumping into 4WD troupies like children and lifting heavy buckets of boiling water as if they were weightless. It keeps you motivated to be working with women like these.