This morning we were greeted by a stiff, cold breeze. We arrived at the Gold Stamp Battery in Tennant Creek at nine for the ten past nine tour...the centre was still closed. Finely the door was opened by a woman who declared she'd left the front door key at home and had to back track for it.
We informed her that we'd like to do the nine ten tour and she told us that would be no problem and she'd just call the tour guide at home and ask him to come in to do the tour....ah, Tennant Creek Time.
You will be glad to hear that the tour was well worth the wait. My congratulations goes out to all miners, gold or otherwise, for their bravery, tenacity and resilience. I wasn't in the mine for half an hour when I began to feel the symptoms of claustrophobia but said nothing. Luckily as the tour progressed, we moved closer to the back door of the mine which is also the exit...and the temperature dropped too, which probably helped to increase my oxygen levels!
Some of the machinery demonstrated below ground was pretty mean and one machine in particular has been banned - it was nicknamed The Widow Maker. After a demonstration by Bob, it was easy to see why.
Afterwards, we did a quick self guided tour of the Overland Telegraph Station - brr, cold and overcast - and then a walk around The Pebbles (a miniature version of the Devils Marbles).
Last night, at our camp, we were entertained by a bush poet by the name of Jimmy Hooker. He turned out to be a bard in the truest sense of the word. Jimmy can neither read nor write and all his poetry is memorised. He is a bit of a larrikin too and a born entertainer. When the hem of his jeans caught alight on the camp fire, it took some yelling to get his attention!
Damper and tea were served (made by Jimmy himself), to compliment the showmanship and some of his knowledge of bush tucker was imparted as well.
Earlier in the evening we had dinner at the park's kitchen along with a glass of pink bubbly (for me) and a beer (for him). This failed to warm us up!!!
Hard Hat Territory.
We informed her that we'd like to do the nine ten tour and she told us that would be no problem and she'd just call the tour guide at home and ask him to come in to do the tour....ah, Tennant Creek Time.
You will be glad to hear that the tour was well worth the wait. My congratulations goes out to all miners, gold or otherwise, for their bravery, tenacity and resilience. I wasn't in the mine for half an hour when I began to feel the symptoms of claustrophobia but said nothing. Luckily as the tour progressed, we moved closer to the back door of the mine which is also the exit...and the temperature dropped too, which probably helped to increase my oxygen levels!
Some of the machinery demonstrated below ground was pretty mean and one machine in particular has been banned - it was nicknamed The Widow Maker. After a demonstration by Bob, it was easy to see why.
Afterwards, we did a quick self guided tour of the Overland Telegraph Station - brr, cold and overcast - and then a walk around The Pebbles (a miniature version of the Devils Marbles).
Last night, at our camp, we were entertained by a bush poet by the name of Jimmy Hooker. He turned out to be a bard in the truest sense of the word. Jimmy can neither read nor write and all his poetry is memorised. He is a bit of a larrikin too and a born entertainer. When the hem of his jeans caught alight on the camp fire, it took some yelling to get his attention!
Damper and tea were served (made by Jimmy himself), to compliment the showmanship and some of his knowledge of bush tucker was imparted as well.
Earlier in the evening we had dinner at the park's kitchen along with a glass of pink bubbly (for me) and a beer (for him). This failed to warm us up!!!
Hard Hat Territory.
Due to now not so recent events, we probably all know the importance of this sign.
The Pebbles.
Two hundred and thirty five kilometres later we arrived at Barkly Homestead and a great little camp. This camp oven resulted in the best lamb shank and rice casserole all trip.
Unleaded petrol: $1.849 per litre.
L.P.G.: $1.24 per litre.
Finished the day with, believe it or not, a cold shower...double brr!!!! Once again, it was a case of discrimination; keys to the ablutions block ensured people who'd paid for an unpowered site could not unlock the powered sites' ablutions block, which I suspect had plenty of hot water.
No comments:
Post a Comment