by Dawn Millen
Mid-afternoon and without prompting the scouts have already found a spot for the convoy to camp and are giving me directions to the pull off point. It’s the front paddock of a homestead and there are people still here and glad to see us. They are older, robust farm people and have seen no one since the first earthquake struck. Their joy at seeing other people is contagious and we have an impromptu celebration and their eyes grow wider as the tail of the convoy pulls in off the road. They have never had this many visitors in their lives and suddenly there are over two hundred people crowding their front paddock with vehicles and tents.
Jim and Vera Watson have spent most of their lives on this farm tucked away at the base of the pass and the earthquake has done little damage to the house or to the farm itself. They have missed the traffic that regularly passed their door and have found that they are isolated and lonely. No mail has been delivered and no one has come to check on them. They have just gone about their day to day lives and managed to cook on the old fuel stove in the kitchen and have had plenty of food from the abundant vegetable garden, eggs from the chickens that scuttle about the yard and paddock and meat from the cattle and sheep that roam the farm. Supplies of basics though are getting low as flour and sugar have started to run out and a trip to town has been planned. When they hear about the conditions at Gunnedah though they decide that the trip to town can wait, if there is disease at one town it is likely that there will be disease at others too. They can manage with fresh vegetables and meat for the time being they decide and then ask about the health of the members of the convoy. On being reassured by Helen that we are all well and healthy they seem relieved and Jim heads off to milk the house cow and Vera heads off to get dinner for them while we set up camp.
The setting up of our nightly camp has become routine and people go about their chores quickly and efficiently. In an hour all is set up and the boys head off into the bush on the other side of the road to hunt for meat for the lay over period.
I untie my dogs and head down to the dam where there are people getting great pots of water for the washing and to fill the camp showers. A one day break means that we get chance to clean up and wash our clothes. Lines are strung, wood gathered for extra fires and the camp is soon a hive of activity. I return with the dogs and after tying them back up walk over to my belongings and sort out the dirty clothing and head down to the laundry fires to wash them. I glance over and see the cooking fires blazing and hear the return of the motorbikes and the meat for dinner. The oven has been lifted off the roof of the 4 x4 where it has travelled since the stop over just out of Gunnedah and there are clouds of flour dust around a table as the bakers get to work to produce bread and pies for the next two or three days. This will ensure quick meals on the road to the top of the pass and food ready when we get there. Sandra is opening tin after tin of fruit and placing them in the pie cases as they move along the line and the sweet smell of cooking sugar and yeast in the rising bread by the fires rolls through the campsite making my mouth water in anticipation of the feast to come.
Children are running around and playing chase in and out of the tents while the oldest members of the group are keeping watch over the babies. Their role as surrogate grandparents has become well entrenched and they are thriving on it. The children run to them often and taking their hands the little ones guide them to see the discoveries they have made. Smiles are often wide on all the faces in that group and the love between the older adults and the small children is a joy to watch.
Krystal and Helen are sitting with James at the medical tent. James is sitting in the wheelchair, his legs wrapped in the soft blanket even though the day is quite warm. His faded eyes are watching the children play as he chats quietly with the two young women beside him. He is looking fragile still, but seems so much stronger in himself and so determined to make it to the coast and see us settled. James has become a symbol to our entire group as he battles daily to make his last dream come true. Many have said that if James can make the coast then so can they. His determination inspires us all.
Raymond, Paul, Rhys, Charlie and Gavin are working their way down the line of vehicles checking on the tyres, making sure they have water and oil and vehicles are being moved to the tanker for refuelling. They have a system in place and are getting through the work rapidly. Thomas is puffed up with pride as he assists his father and as usual the elfin face of Kyle is not far from Thomas. Both boys are as grease streaked as the adults and all are grinning and exchanging the banter of men happy in their work. Deep male laughter rises from their direction frequently.
I walk over to the wash tubs and start the washing, all the while chatting to people to gauge their reactions and feelings about the trip and to find out if there are any problems. By the end of an hour I have spoken to a wide range of people and so far there are few problems that need to be sorted out, just little niggles that will bear watching. Some people are unhappy with the allocation of tent space per family and some are not happy with the people they are sharing with, but most are prepared to make do until we can organise better accommodation. This will happen when we get to the coast and find space to settle on I reassure them. Some are a little envious as Gavin and I have the only single man tents in the group, but most understand that we need a little privacy and rest and some time away from the group. We do have the responsibility of getting everyone to the coast safely and with that in mind most are happy that we get the privacy and rest we have been getting.
The evening draws in and having hung the washing out to dry and fed the dogs I head towards the cooking fires for dinner. Kangaroo stew is getting to the stage where I am bored with it, but it is food and we just can’t afford to be fussy at this time. I can’t wait to get to the coast and catch myself a good feed of snapper or mullet. The thought of fish makes my mouth water and the thought of a huge plate of prawns almost makes me dribble. I am getting anxious to get to the coast where we can have more variety in our diets. I am also keen to get there and start a vegetable garden too before the winter sets in and slows the growing cycle down. Even though the climate on the coast is mild during the winter I will still have to prepare the ground and work up the clay soils so that they will sustain a garden. We need to get organised very quickly once we settle and get gardens planted, fish caught and the extra salted and dried for later use and meat smoked and dried too so that when the weather is wet and cold we have food ready.
I sit down beside Krystal and Sandra and we chat away about the future plans and what we need to do once we get to the coast and what we will need to make it through to the spring growing season. There will be a great deal of work for everyone to complete in the few short months before winter, but Sandra has books from the library in Smithtown and has been reading constantly about how to preserve fruit, vegetables and meat. If we can get enough of any of these things we will be able to store them away for later use.
Richard has been talking with the men about building homes, just simple two room cabins, but with a fire place for cooking and a way to store water in a deep chamber lined with clay under the house that will catch the run off rain. He has also had some of the boys out with him learning to rob the stingless native bees of their honey. This will provide sweetening and once we are on the coast they will be able to roam the local bushland and collect honey for the use of the group.
Sandra had also found books in the library that she has given straight to Helen, these cover the use of herbs and native plants for medicines and they are going to be of great help if we cannot find modern drugs. Helen is spending many hours studying them and learning a different type of medicine. One she has never really believed in, but now has little choice as stocks of even the basic pain killers run out.
Dinner over and the dishes done, breakfast preparations are made and it is time to settle down and relax as a group. Jim and Vera come out of the house to join us and soon a sing-along is underway beneath the twinkling stars. I look up and see the Southern Cross, the symbol of this co
untry, and I feel a sudden sense of pride in our achievements, we are close to our final destination, we have brought this convoy through very difficult circumstances and have only lost one life. Pride wells up and I lift my voice in song with the others. I look across the fire and spot Gavin sitting with Rhys and Caren and smile at them and continue to sing.
Gavin wanders over after a while and sits beside me. The music is still playing and people are still singing. This gives Gavin the chance to tell me that Jim and Vera have decided to come with us to the coast. They are worried about being alone so far from help if anything should happen to one of them. There is no way that they can get help quickly without leaving the other one for extended periods of time. They have requested that they be allowed to bring both their small vehicle and the cattle truck with the milk cow and the chickens. They have also asked if they can bring their dogs and the old cat that has been sitting unconcerned on the porch rail during the evening. Gavin tells me he has told them they can bring what they like and that he is going to send in some of the young ones to help load the car and truck in the morning. He asks if I will go over and help him to get Vera and Jim packed up tonight after the sing along and I agree. We will bring with us all available food stocks, clothing and bedding and any seeds and garden implements that we can find. We should have the bulk of the packing done before morning and it will only take a short while to load the truck. The only problem I can see is the chickens, but Gavin reassures me that there are wooden boxes there and planks to make temporary cages for the chickens and the cat. That solves the problem and the fresh eggs and milk will be a great addition to the camp menu. Gavin tells the rest of the committee and we both stand and join Jim and Vera at the edge of the crowd.
On entry the homestead is a cosy mix of antiques from different periods and those are mixed with a few modern touches that just don’t quite fit the age of the house or the people who live there. There are beautiful old pieces of china decorating the shelves around the kitchen and a kettle steams on the fuel stove. The room is a little over warm with the stove going, but the old couple do not seem to notice. We move through to the bedrooms and their room has matching twin beds with candlewick counterpanes in a gentle shade of gold. All is neat and tidy except for the layer of outback dust that seems to settle over everything as soon as it is dusted.
The packing was swiftly done and boxes were loaded in the 4 x 4 ready for Vera to drive the next morning. The only spare space was for the cat cage as Sox was to travel with Vera.
With the packing done it is time to head off to bed and we walk back to our tents and with a quick hug goodnight part ways and I soon settle down to sleep with Puppy curled up beside me.
Chapter 38
Morning arrives bright and clear, the sky is streaked with gold and pink and a soft moistness fills the air as the humid air from the coast crosses the hills and settles down on the other side. Tents are being pulled down now and packed into vehicles and once done people head for the cooking fires to eat a hurried breakfast and swallow their coffee. There are a group of people around an old cattle truck helping Jim to load the milk cow, her calf and a bull. Wooden crates are being closed with old sacks and then battens hammered over the top to keep the clucking chickens in. Garden tools are being thrown on the truck and a 4 x 4 nearby has an old trailer hitched to it and there are more things being tossed in along with all the vegetables that are ready in the garden. Fruit is being stripped from the trees and tossed into sacks and boxes and will be packed on the top of the load on the trailer.
Soon it is time to get the convoy on the road and we form up putting the Jim and Vera’s vehicles in the middle, where the more experienced convoy drivers can keep an eye on them. The scouts set off first with a roar of motorcycle engines and then we ease our way out onto the road and start the climb over the hills. It will take most of the day to reach the top and The George Falls, where we can look out over the great flood plains of the river system and see if Gordon has survived the earthquakes.
The climb up the hills is slow as they are steep and winding, many places are narrowed by fallen trees and small land slips cover parts of the road. We stop many times to cut away trees and clear fallen rock and soil. Vehicles grind in low gear over the small amounts of rubble left after we clear the bigger rocks. The sway and roll as they pass over the rough ground making my heart jump into my mouth as I glance backwards in the mirror to check them.
Lunch time sees us high above the plains of the outback and curving towards the coast. The land is flattening out as we reach the summit of the pass and the trees change from the gum trees to the rainforest plants that grow in these damp heights, tree ferns form a canopy that covers the rainforest floor in a carpet of soft green hiding the earth from our view as we look over the huge drop off on the left of the road. We find cleared patches of land where farms stand high in these hills and are often surprised by their sudden appearance as we round a bend in the road and the trees suddenly stop and green pastures appear on the sides of the road. We stop often to check the farms for signs of life. There are no people at the farms though and some of the buildings have fallen in upon themselves. Soon the bush will take over the cleared land and in a few years nothing will be visible of these lonely homesteads, the farm buildings or the fences. Only the cattle that have been left behind to become wild will be the visible reminder that civilization was here once.
Another hour of gentle driving along the flat top of the pass brings us to the downward sloping sides of another hill, then it’s the final climb up the last of the hills, this will take a further hour and we will pull in at the parking area of the falls. The drive is slow as we use low gear to curl gently down that steep slope and the sounds of grinding motors and the smell of overheating brakes announces to the ever present wildlife that there are humans present on the ranges today. Wallabies bound off into the scrub and Carpet Python’s writhe across the road and down into the surrounding bush.
It is with relief that I sight the turn off and as three o’clock draws near the first of the vehicles pulls off the road and into the parking area. I turn off the engine and sit; shoulders slumped, at the wheel of the faithful vehicle and sigh with relief. Kyle is bouncing in the passenger seat beside me and grins happily. He turns to the children in the back seat with a grin on his face. “We are here kids!” he exclaims in a voice that slides up and down the scales of puberty.
“We made it Jenn!” He yells out and leans over and hugs me happily. “What a journey though, it was huge and scary sometimes.”
I raise my head and grin back at Kyle. “We sure did make it sweetie, you are right about it being scary at times too. We got here though and that is really something. You have done a great job helping get us here and so have all the other scouts.”
Vehicles are pulling in around the parking area and the large paddock attached to the site. They leave the usual clear area in the middle and we are going to be able to let the cattle out into a large pen on the end of the paddock. It is fully fenced and has a ramp that we can use to load and unload the beasts.
The Falls are just a trickle at the top, but the running water is icy cold and a large pool sits a little upstream where we can bathe and a little further up the water gatherers can fill the pots and billies for the fire, keeping the distance between the water gathering area and where we will bathe is just sensible disease prevention. No contamination of the drinking water with the water we are using for bathing or washing clothes.
We are to stay here for several days and the camp routine soon sets everyone to their normal chores. Food stocks that will be required are unloaded, the older teenagers go off to hunt for meat, and the vegetables are prepared and placed in the stew pots in anticipation of the bounty that will return on the bikes. The oven is unloaded and placed over a glowing fire and the smell of baking perfumes the air. Tents are like bright mushrooms around the edge of the paddock as they are erected and bedding and clean clothing by the arm load is taken in.
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sp; I head for the cooking fires to scrounge the hot water for coffee and stand with my mug in my hand and watch the activity around me, but am soon joined by others as they finish their setting up chores. We chat quietly, but there is an air of contentment around us. We have reached the second major point in our journey.
Gavin signals for the committee members to assemble and once we do he suggests that we pick up the binoculars from the Police truck and head over to the lookout and check on what has happened on the coast. We scurry off to pick them up and head for the lookout to get our first view of the coast.
Chapter 39
It is a long walk from the parking area to the look out, but the track winds and twists through the bush. Wait a While vines hang down and snag at our clothing as we walk and we stop often to pull them away from our bodies. This takes time and it is that time that gives this looped vine its name. It is almost as if Tarzan had been swinging through and left his transporting vines hanging for his return and I almost expected to hear that wild cry ring out through the bush. I smile to myself at my vivid imagination and push onward towards the lookout. The path is steep and narrow in places and steps have been formed from beaten earth and treated timber logs that have been laid across the path and the earth piled up behind them and then beaten down until tight. These steps last for many years and mean that the path is safer to walk. Walking in a rain forest can be quite slippery due to the constant dampness and moss formation; this had been a public area park prior to the earthquakes so public safety would have been paramount. Now it is a deserted spot high in the hills, just the place to pull off the mountain road to rest and recover from the long journey across the outback.
