BAYULU - No2
Since the last post I have been very busy at the Bayulu Store. Primarily this is due to the fact that I am covering for two people and we also had the funeral of a significant elder which brought many visitors from around the western half of the Kimberleys.
Even though north Queensland received a good wet season this year the Northern Territory and northern WA had a very poor wet season. Many stations are already de-stocking. The photo below shows the bridge over the Fitzroy River just near the town of Fitzroy Crossing. At this time of the year there should be still a good flow in the river however as you can see below, sadly that is not the case. Longer term residents are saying it is the driest they can remember.
Even though north Queensland received a good wet season this year the Northern Territory and northern WA had a very poor wet season. Many stations are already de-stocking. The photo below shows the bridge over the Fitzroy River just near the town of Fitzroy Crossing. At this time of the year there should be still a good flow in the river however as you can see below, sadly that is not the case. Longer term residents are saying it is the driest they can remember.
The photo below is from a couple of years ago when the Fitzroy River was in flood. The town of Fitzroy Crossing can be seen on the left surrounded by water. The Great Northern Highway can be seen coming from the town to the Fitzroy River where the above photo was taken. This is the road I take each day to travel to Bayulu.
After Saturday trading and the 'end of week' jobs were done I decided to drive 90 kms east to the Mimbi Caves. Below is a photo of the 'big' wide open landscape that I drove though to get there.
The Mimbi Caves are in a limestone formation on Gooniyandi country. Members of the clan conduct guided tours of the caves. Below is the range in which the caves are located.
Our guide for the day was Harrison. He provided a very interesting commentary which included the geological, archeological, traditional and historical stories relating to this area. Back in 1930 his father's people suffered many killings in this area at the hands of the police and local pastoralists. Some found shelter and safety in the caves.
Entering into the cave actually revealed a maze of tunnels and caves. At one stage Harrison joked with the group that he was not sure how to get out. He then shared how as a boy he was playing in the caves and did become lost. So he lit a match and followed the smoke to find his way out.
Harrison interwove the geological and traditional stories. Below he shares how this area of the cave network was like a classroom to the young members of his clan. The paintings on the cave wall each had associated stories, each with a moral or deeper lesson.
The 'flow stone' below was formed by the action of water and minerals over many years.
At this point the roof/ceiling in the cave had collapsed allowing natural light to flood in.
Exposure to the elements has formed these unusual shapes in the limestone - and some very sharp edges!
As mentioned earlier this area has just experienced one of the driest wet season's on record. This has resulted in the water levels in the caves being at a low level. However we noticed flood debris very high in the cave reminding us that this would not be a good place to be during heavy rain.
It is believed that limestone ranges like this one were once part of marine reef systems. Harrison showed us some fossilised marine life in the two photos below.
Two younger members of Harrison's clan accompanied us. They were very adventurous and sure footed and would just appear in odd places.
One of the traditional stories Harrison told was of a story told to children (like a bedtime story) about a mother blue tongue lizard who saved her young from flood waters. In the photo below, can you see the rock that looks like a lizard on top of rock formation? This is part of this story. The moral of this story reminds children of the long suffering and 'never say die' love of a mother for her children.
Harrison then showed us some traditional tools. Below is a stone axehead. But it was not just any stone. Axes were made from a special stone that only certain people knew where to find.
Here are some stone grinding tools used to grind ochre and also to grind grass seeds into flour.
Leaving the caves there was a great view to the east towards Halls Creek and the Northern Territory. But I was going west - back to Fitzroy Crossing.
Next blog I visit historic Liveringa Station. Until then, travel well and God bless you. Bryan
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