The anthills are enormous

Mandatory photo at the tip

Yes, it's massively windy - nearly blew us off into the Torres Strait...

View from Loyalty Beach cabins

It's paradise up there - pity you can't swim, there are crocs and stingers in the water apparently, although we did see heaps of children swimming near the pier in Seisa..  hmmmm

Whirlwind trip to the tip

Well, we managed to do over 1000km of corrugated, bumpy, bauxite-driving-on-marbles roads up to Bamaga (biggest town up in the very top of Qld).  We drove most of the day on Friday, meeting other secondees up there (they had to work up there so spend most of the week there).  We had a large funeral in town on the Friday, and business basically comes to a standstill when that happens.  No meetings are held - things close - so Friday we figured to head out of town early. We also thought the "cease fire" - ie no music late, very little fighting and sly grog related activities, would ramp up after the 'sorry business' time was over. 

It was interesting on the roads.  We were really careful driving, it's all dirt road other than a few km of bitumen every now and again.  It's pretty crazy.

We had a whirlwind race around the northern most point in Australia, saw all the sites, bought crocodile souvenirs - yes, it's mandatory, and contemplated a t-shirt with very funny croc hunting-four wheel driving - huntin - fishin - type cartoons, yes, they are very funny and original I know...except every man, woman, child and pet seem to be wearing them up there.  Managed to refrain. 

It was great to be somewhere with a cafe again - there isn't one in Aurukun.  And a real restaurant - yep, you guessed it.  Pity we could only stay there a day, Bamaga, Seisa, Loyalty Beach (we stayed right on the beach in cabins) are all beautiful.  We checked out Pundsand Bay, where the tourist operation is one we wanted to review for the plan we are doing here, and also a cattle station on the way up looks like a good set up for one part of the APN program. 

We are back into it tomorrow - only 7 more working days up here, and heaps to get done.  Things should get back to normal now the big funeral has happened.

Photo's follow

Appow

Quiet day in the office, then fishing time!!!

Last couple of days have been uneventful.  We've been head down, working on the plans and project.  We've been working out of the Local Projects Office, where the state and federal govt employees go - both permanently based here and the visitors.  They are a really good bunch of people there, and it's easier to get work done there, than in the kitchen at the guest house (which is the only place with a reasonably accessible powerpoint unless one wants to spend the day on the laptop in the bathroom - hmmm not so much)...
We met the CEO of the local council today and got some great insights into what's planned for the area.  They are the real key people in the community, the mayor is a local indigenous Aurukunian, as is the Deputy Mayor.  They all work pretty well to get stuff done, in a remote community, where no rates are paid (due to the land tenure/ownership structures).  It's all really fascinating to get some understanding of all the politics, cultural objectives, stakeholders etc etc. 

Our meeting with the Council went really late so we were late picking up our fishing buddies to get out to Oban - about 5km north of Aurukun. Daniel and I religiously threw out a line and caught loads...of seaweed.  Hersey and Kenlock (they took us last time) caught a few 'grunters' - we found out why they are called that.  It's the noise they make out of the water.  Ick. This time we also had Dallas (their daughter who is a couple of years younger than me), and her daughter Delilah.   They didn't have much luck either on the fishing front so it wasn't just the unlucky white folk who can't cast a decent distance with the hand line.  I did do a very efficient "Bait Bucket Biatch" - everyone has a role to play :-)  Mobile bait delivery is an important service when there are a few fishermen/women.

Now waiting for our dinner to cook in the communal kitchen.  We get to meet lots of great people travelling through, staying here.  They are from all over, doing really interesting stuff.  Learnt about Ghost Nets and the programs in place to clean up our waterways.  Learnt about brumbies, cattle stations and helicopter mustering techniques (always useful). 

We are heading up to the top of the Cape on the weekend.  Lots of hours of driving but worth doing since we are so close. 

Anyhoo, that's the latest and greatest from Aurukun

appow

Obligatory sunset shot

Well, technically a sunrise shot!  Smokey sunrise, with fires burning all night across the Love River in the APN homelands.  And yes, was awake for sunrise.  It was the crocodiles that woke me :-)

A batch of oysters