Seven years of drought has evident-
ly taken its toll. But it was the sheep
shearers strike, and hard times that
followed that inspired Banjo Paterson
to write “Waltzing Matilda” out here in
Winton in 1895. Its lyrics are sad, and
end in death, but that has not stopped
it becoming Australia’s unofficial na-
tional anthem.
Kangaroos line the roads in the dry
season to lick early morning moisture
from the bitumen. The unfortunate
consequence, when startled by traffic,
is that they leap in any direction and
frequently in to the path of oncom-
ing trucks and 4x4s. Local vehicles
all have kangaroo bars fitted, and mo-
torcyclists are given stern warnings.
Some sections are heavily littered
with carcasses - it’s kangaroo carnage!
Emus, and wandering cattle pose a
similar danger, but all make a welcome
feast for the birds. Buzzards take the
first pickings, then Crows, Thornbills
and Spinifex pigeons follow. Further
along, dead possums, wombats, boar
and the odd koala add to my fascina-
tion for road-kill.
Road Trains pull three articulated
trailers. They seem to carry anything,
and everything needed for life in the
outback, as well as sheep and cattle
to abattoirs. They weren’t the unstop-
pable menace that I had been warned
about. Overtaking was easy enough as
the roads had so little traffic.
The Red Centre of Australia spans
four states. It is an ancient landscape
whose soil has worn fine but supports
diverse fauna. In an engaging con-
versation with an Anangu Aborigine
named Leroy, I learnt to source and
selects fruits such as wild fig and bush
plum, as well as bake with wattle seed.
I also learnt how to source water from
small pools at the base of trees with
roots in cracks in the rock, as signpost-
ed by birds circling above. Handy tip!
Visiting Uluru, also known as Ayres
Rock, named after a British Chief
Secretary of South Australia, was
the prime motivation for my journey
through the Outback. It’s a very big
TRAVERSE 34