SUNDAY 19 JULY     SILVER PLAINS CAMP

I made sage and cheese rolls for lunch, and extra for tomorrow’s lunch, as we have decided to leave then. We have had enough of the biteys. If it wasn’t for them, might stay longer.

D arrived as we were finishing lunch. His guests left a couple of days ago. He indicated that he was very happy that the kids had gone from the house!

D came to check that we were alright, as he hadn’t seen or heard from us for a couple of days. He said that the group with boats, who were camped by a more suitable creek for putting their boat in, had packed up and left earlier than they’d planned. Apparently, a couple of crocs had a big fight, in the night, near their camp! The women were not prepared to stay there any longer.

He bought a pile of women’s magazines for me to read – I don’t think he can fathom a woman who is happy pottering about in a bush camp! He was also surprised at how little rubbish we had – he was going to collect it and take it to his tip. I do wonder what type of campers he usually gets!

D was amused by John’s account of his fishing exploits, He had a cup of coffee with us and stayed for over an hour. He then went down to do some work on his boat.

Later, John left to go down to the boat area, but met D coming back, so came back for me and we drove up to the homestead for water.

I fed Louis, the pet bull, and took his photo. He looked like he was quite prepared to climb the steps onto D’s veranda, after bread.

D had some more bait fish for John, and lent him a big hook, Size 9  – actually, it seemed huge! Obviously, John does not really have the right gear for fishing in these parts.

John went fishing for the rest of the afternoon and didn’t get back until 7pm. It was a little spooky in the dark, at camp, without a vehicle, hoping he would come back. He’d strung a few more baitfish into the trees and lost the big hook!

Tonight’s barra was done in flour and oil again. I stewed some tomato and onion to go with it.

In our conversations today, D provided a lot more insight into the views of pastoralists like him, in these parts. He says the treatment of whites is inequitable, compared to aboriginals, on the Cape. He says the aboriginals were not required to hand in their guns, when the whites were. Only 18 people will get Silver Plains, and they already have been given Old Silver Plains/Port Stewart. The government, in effect, paid $2.2 million for “Merapah”, which had been on the market, on a walk-in, walk-out basis, for $1.2 million. Our taxes at work. Even where things are done through some sort of indigenous organization, it is still with money given by the government.

D reckons the aboriginals really do not want white tourists up here at all. He reiterated that the ultimate goal is a black state on the Cape. He told us that there have been acts of aggression against whites, including a “whitey hunt” at Kowanyama, not long ago, which terrified the Telstra repair crew that was hunted, and ensured that Telstra now refuses to send crews there. The unwillingness to force inspection of mango and pawpaw trees at places like Port Stewart is another inequity, as he sees it. He says petrol sniffing is really bad amongst the kids at Lockart River.

We could hear that motor again, all through the night. I’d forgotten to ask D about it.