Outback Exodus

by Dawn Millen

  The children are shooed off to bed for the night and a silence settles over the camp as the adults sit around the fires talking quietly and looking towards the futures we hope to build. One thing is puzzling us though, there has been no contact with the authorities and we are all wondering at the survival of people outside of our group.

  “As the earthquake struck at such an early hour there is certain to be a fairly high death toll in the cities, most people would still be in their beds. The date would have a pretty good chance of many not long since in their beds too as New Year’s Eve is party time.” Richard is speaking and we are all listening to his quiet words.

  “I agree with you mate, most of the buildings in this country are not built to withstand earthquakes either.” Paul speaks with the authority of his engineering background. “The chance of death from falling buildings in the cities is fairly high and what authorities do survive will have their work cut out for them just dealing with those people they can save.” He continued as a sobering silence fell over the group around the fires.

  “We won’t know what we are facing for the foreseeable future, we are going to have to rely on our own resources and each other to get us all through this next little while and we cannot expect to get help. Jenn and I have been calling on the Emergency Channels, the School of the Air Channels and the two channels that the truckies use and are getting no answers. We don’t know what communications have been knocked out throughout the country, nor do we know what damage has been done anywhere else in the country or the rest of the world for that matter. We are on our own until we do and we just have to make the best of it.” Gavin’s voice rumbles into the firelight from his seat behind me.

  “Well that says it all then, we just have to get on with it and do what we can to make things better for the entire group. We can deal with each thing as it happens and most of us have skills that are going to come in handy once we do find a place to settle.” Richard encourages everyone. “I have done the whole self-sufficiency life style and am prepared to help others set up. There will be building materials that we can scavenge, gardens that we can raid plants for food from and stock wandering that we can use, not just for food, but for milk and eggs. We will not starve and we will survive.” Richard continues to expand on what we are going to be able to do.

  “I know this is tough folks, but there is good fishing on the coast near where we are heading and the river was running fairly deep and full of fish when I was last there. I know where to find fishing nets and where the best of the grounds are too. This is my home area and we should be okay.” I contribute. “Our diets won’t be suffering too much as there are also shell fish and prawns available too, we just have to get working, set up and find our new lives. We can do this.” I finish and assure the group that the area that we have chosen is fertile in both land and sea and we will be able to survive.

  The moon is rising as the fires are bedded down and people start to drift off to the tents to sleep in preparation for tomorrows travel. They slowly drift off in ones and twos, the older members of the group are soon settled and then the younger teenagers head off with parents encouragement as they have the biggest jobs to perform tomorrow as they pick out the route and guide the convoy. Soon there is just a small group left at the last fire and we are all starting to yawn. Everyone starts to stand and hands are offered to those of us who are sitting on the ground. Chairs are folded up and placed in a pile on the ground; the time has come to head back to the tents. Sleep is beckoning and holding out her welcoming arms.

  We walk back to the tents and goodbyes are said at each tent as people turn away to enter the flaps. Soon there are only a few left as we head towards the corner where the front and back of the convoy meet. The last two tents set up are Gavin’s and mine and they stand just a little away from the others. We walk the last few yards together and as we approach my tent Gavin says quietly, “I still have the primus Jenn and there is coffee and powdered milk if you would like a cup before bed.”

  “That sounds great, I am starting to feel a little coffee deprived only having two cups a day.” I laugh. “Trust you to still have a supply ready and waiting.”

  “I have five jars of instant that I rescued from my house and there is plenty of dried milk and sugar and it should keep us going for a while.” Gavin grins and I see a flash of white teeth in the darkness. “Come and sit for a while and we can share a quiet moment, enjoy our coffee and relax. We both might sleep better for it too. I am having a few problems as the responsibility is a fairly heavy load.” Gavin finishes.

  We enter his tent and he puts on a guttering torch and bustles about making coffee as I sit on the sleeping bag on the ground. Soon we are sitting side by side with our coffee cups nestled in our hands to stave off the chill of the outback night.

  “I know what you mean about the responsibility of getting all these people through, it is a heavy load for both of us to carry mate.” I say quietly. “There are times when I would love to run away and hide, it all gets too much at times and I just want to run back to the farm and my old life. Not that it is even remotely possible now. I just have to keep going.” I finish with a wry chuckle.

  “Yes Jenn, we are going to have to see this one through, I know what you mean about wanting to run back to your old life though. Many nights I have thought about it and about the impossibility of it too. Just the brain trying to sort out what has happened and what to do about it I suppose.” Gavin agrees and expands his own experience.

  The conversation runs back and forward and we cover the planning for the next few days while we drink our coffee and then it is soon time for me to head back to my tent to sleep and get ready for the morning. Gavin stands, pulls me to my feet and wraps both arms around me in a tight hug.

  “I’m glad I’ve got you on my side Jenn, it makes it easier when you are good mates with your offsider.” He rumbles in my ear, his arms tightening around me. “Time we both headed off to bed and got some rest before tomorrow.” Gavin finishes with a gentle kiss to my cheek and a pat on my behind as he gently ushers me out of the tent.

  “G’night Gavin.” I say as I head the few steps to my tent, I am conscious of Gavin’s eyes on me as I walk across the small space and duck through the flap of my tent. I am soon settled on my sleeping bag and fall asleep very quickly. Gavin was right, troubles shared are soon halved.

  The early morning chorus of birds wakes me to a new day and I rise, pack up my sleeping bag, tent and supplies and load them on the fire truck ready for today’s travel. Then head to the fires for breakfast and check that others are ready as I walk around the perimeter of the campsite. The hospital tent has already been struck and James is sitting in the wheelchair bright eyed and ready for today’s trip. He is feeling well enough to sit for a while and will be propped on the stretcher in the rear so that he can watch the scenery pass. Helen is all smiles as she pushes the wheelchair towards the fires for breakfast and her jaunty wave tells me that James is doing better today and that Helen is feeling a little more positive in herself.

  Breakfast is a hurried meal and the dishes are washed and packed away for travel quickly and efficiently now. The large pots of water used to wash the dishes are poured over the fires to make sure that no sparks remain, the last thing we need is a grass and bushfire chasing us, and we have enough problems already.

  The convoy takes to the road again and the dust column rises as we head down the highway towards Gunnedah. The next few days take on a sameness that becomes all too familiar. The travel through the day, diverting around blockages in the road, cutting trees away to afford passage and looking for fordable areas in the creeks and streams, this takes time, but we are making better progress as we move forward and soon we have clocked up the 150 miles and Gunnedah is only 25 miles away. It is time to set up camp again for a two day break.

  Chapter 33

  The scout crew have found a nice spot for a camp, this time it is open ground around the site, but the trees are close enough f
or firewood gathering and water from a deep creek running close to the edge of the paddock. Soon vehicles dot the paddock and tents are erected around the sides to form a loose circle. Fire pits are dug and soon cooking fires are blazing ready for the meat that the scouts have gone off to hunt. Raymond is going around checking vehicles and making small repairs and chatting about performance with the owners and drivers. Groups are standing around the campsite chatting and relaxing while they watch the children play.

  Helen is standing beside James at the hospital tent and they are chatting to Jasmine and the children who are following her around today while Diamond is sitting beside James as he strokes her head gently and talks to the gentle and patient dog. Puppy bounds over to join in the fun and is soon rolling in the grass with the children and excited barks and giggles ensue.

  I stand at my tent flap and watch the activity of the camp and feel the travel weariness drop away from me as the peace and content of a rest break overtakes me for a little while. Soon it will be time for Gavin and I to go ahead and check out Gunnedah and see if there are survivors there and if we are able to get supplies, which are running low and if they need any help this group are capable of rendering. We plan to set off early in the morning in the Police vehicle and with luck will be back again later that afternoon with much needed news and more flour and sugar. Rhys and Paul will be in charge while we are gone and will make decisions assisted by the others on the committee.

  It’s time to give the dogs a run and I untie them from the fire truck and walk down the paddock towards the east. The dogs run ahead and sniff around bushes and tree stumps looking for things to chase and for signs of other dogs. They gambol about and chase each other in a riot of barking and yelping and then turn towards me to check that I am still following them. It makes me smile to see their high spirits and wagging tails. The sun sinking towards the horizon signals the setting sun is not far away and it is time to head back to camp and feed my canine family and then myself.

  Dinner is a relaxed affair and the huge pots of stew are soon emptied and the trunk oven is taken out to make bread rolls for the morning. Boiling water is ready and coffee cups, instant coffee and tea bags are laid out with powdered milk and the sugar ready for those who wish to have a cuppa. As the darkness falls the group surrounds the fires and conversations are ranging over a gamut of subjects. As I sit quietly I hear words here and there, but pay little attention to those conversations as I watch the slight breeze turn the brown grass in the paddock to a waving sea and the gum trees are set to swaying gently at the tips of their long branches. My mind is churning over the events of the last few weeks and trying to count the days since the first earthquake. The events are telescoping time and becoming muddled in my mind and I am glad that I have been keeping a diary as often as I can. It has not been every day; time has not permitted this luxury, but as often as I have a few spare minutes I write a few lines for future reference. History is being made and we need to keep some records for future generations.

  Someone brings a guitar to the fire and the singing starts as we all settle down for the evening. Small children curl in the laps of their parents and the older children lean against the adults, couples snuggle close and there is a sense of love and affection in the air tonight. James is sitting in his wheelchair beside Helen and is singing along in his cracked baritone and seems to be enjoying the night and the company.

  The stars wheel across the heavens and the full moon rises to watch the camp below. Parents are picking up the younger sleeping children and carrying them back to their tents while the older children are shepherded along too, it is time they headed off to sleep and dream before the next day’s activity. The older teenagers and the remaining adults draw close to the fire and the singing becomes a melody of mature voices raising their music to the star filled night sky. The fires glow a dark red and the flames above dance and weave in the breeze. The smell of raising bread fills the air and the sounds of the night creatures accompany the music with a gentle rhythm. I have been waiting for that sound as once heard I know that Mother Earth will not stir tonight and we will be safe in our beds.

  My eyelids start to droop and I stand to head off to my tent for the night. The need for sleep overcomes the need for company and yawning I say goodnight to everyone and trek off across the circle to where my tent stands and puppy is waiting beside the flap to curl up with me on the sleeping bag. I enter and my body slides tiredly onto the ground and I know no more until the sun just starts to rise above the horizon in the morning.

  The first rays of the sun are just hitting the side of the tent as my eyes open and I stretch my stiff body before I rise from the sleeping bag. I give puppy a scratch behind the ears and open the tent flaps, blinking at the strong sunlight and feel the gathering heat of the morning. Today promises to be hotter than the last few days. Luckily the Police vehicle has air-conditioning so the 25 miles to town will not be too arduous. Sandra is bustling about collecting her families washing when I step out of the tent and she offers to do my washing too. I gladly hand over the weeks dirty clothes to her as I know that I will have little time for getting this done today. Thanking her for her kind offer I head off to the cooking fires and the coffee there.

  Gavin jogs across the grass to join me and we stand there trying to get the sleep from our eyes and drinking the steaming mugs of our favourite brew. The camp is starting to stir and the early risers are already out and about getting their day underway, some heading for the toilets dug over behind a screen of bushes and tarpaulins, some to the large pots of water heating for the laundry and some to the cooking fires for breakfast and coffee. The smell of fresh baked bread hangs over the camp. There are people standing round in small groups enjoying the fresh bread and jam that is this morning’s fare. Smiles on their faces show their enjoyment and I feel the same smile stretching my face too, the pleasure of something sweet on my tongue bringing back memories of the not so distant past.

  Time to leave and Gavin and I say goodbye to everyone and head for the vehicle. There are 25 miles of rough driving ahead of us and an unknown situation at our destination.

  Conversation is off and on during the first part of the drive as I am still waking up and shaking off the stiffness I still feel from sleeping on the hard ground. My body is craving a soft bed and a hot shower, luxuries it has long been denied.

  “You know I would have thought my body would have become used to sleeping on the ground by now.” I say to Gavin. “I am still waking up stiff and sore each morning though.”

  “Know what you mean Jenn, I feel twenty years older when I first wake up and am sore for hours. I think the first thing I am going to do when we settle is to find some way of making a softer surface to sleep on.” Gavin replies with a grin as he glances down at the speedo to gauge how far we have come. “Ten more miles and we will see what has happened at Gunnedah and find out if there has been any contact with the outside world.” His voice rumbles gently as he speaks, but I can hear the worry and stress he is trying to hide.

  “It is the not knowing that is the hardest Gavin, once we know what is going on then we can deal with it and make plans, while things are up in the air we just can’t do a damn thing.” I say. “We just have to hope for the best and keep going for the moment.” I know that he can hear the worry in my voice, but ever the optimist I keep trying to encourage everyone including myself. Negativity has never been allowed to cloud my life and I am fighting to keep it at bay at the moment.

  A tree down over the road brings us to a halt and gathering up the chainsaws and safety gear we jump down from the vehicle and proceed to cut away enough to allow access, not only for us, but for the rest of the convoy. I can see Gunnedah in the distance, but the skyline has changed and what is left looks like jagged teeth sitting against a mouth formed by the blue of the sky and the brown of the baked earth.

  “It sure doesn’t look good down there.” Gavin says as he glances across the few miles left to travel. “I’ve noticed the fu
rther we travel the worse the damage seems to be too. More trees down, more sand bags and bigger crevasses. Something tells me that they got a bigger shaking here than we did and it was bad enough when it shook us.”

  “Great minds think alike Gavin, I have been thinking the same thing, and I am wondering how things will be the closer to the coast we get. Things may not be as good as we hope once we get there.” I yell over the dying tones of the chainsaw.

  With a large gap cut through the tree and the mid-morning sun blazing down we again get back into the vehicle and head towards the township ahead of us. The last few miles eaten away as the powerful motor hummed along and conversation stopped as we both wandered through our own thoughts once more.

  The Kamillaroi Highway meets the Oxley Highway at Gunnedah and it is the gateway to our route to the coast. The travels along the Kamillaroi have been hard and we are hoping that the road is a little clearer once we gain the Oxley and head east. I am hoping that there is access through the town as the Oxley Highway goes through the township.

  As we draw close to the town we see a great barricade has been erected with the rubble and it is manned by men with guns. We draw close and Gavin recognises the Police Sargent who appears to be in charge.

  “This is not good Jenn, stay in the car for a bit until I find out what is going on.” Gavin says quietly as he opens the door and exits the vehicle.

  Chapter 34