WEDNESDAY 9 JULY     ADELS GROVE

A work day, John on canoes, me on reception.

M went off with John at 7.30am, in the canoe rattler. The plan had been for her and P to canoe up the Gorge, but he was late getting moving and driving his camper to the Park. By that time, she’d gone off with some tourists who were inexperienced and needed an extra body in the three man canoe, which was the only one available when they turned up. They came back very impressed with their “guide” – she had absorbed a lot of H’s spiel, apparently. And, of course, was an experienced paddler as well.

P came back here, where he fished and relaxed.

A crew from Channel 9’s Getaway program – and Ben Dart – arrived, to film a segment on us and the National Park. All good publicity. So few people have heard of this area.

Some more aborigines from Doomadgee came in, to stay, to continue their search for the missing man.

Before I started work this morning, cooked a spinach, bacon and potato soup, for tomorrow night’s tea for us. Doing this freed us from having to be back in time for the establishment dinner.

Mail plane day. There was a parcel of mail from home, but apart from one card from a friend, nothing else of note.

I had arranged for P to eat tea tonight with the staff – and to wash some dishes in return! Unfortunately, tonight’s fish dinner was rather dry.

There was a staff meeting after dinner – so we could all meet A, one of the owners, who arrived today to manage the place, because the bosses were going to be away. In his absence, (B and M had gone to Mt Isa yesterday) there were some pointed comments made by the men to management, about the one who did not pull his weight with the cleaning and wood gathering and chopping.

The absent duo got back late, sometime through the night.