Road house to Warburton.
After refueling we headed off to Warburton, stopping every now and then to
take photos etc.
The two girls in the pajero keep passing us when ever we stopped, then
finally we left them well and truly behind and did not see them again on
the road for about 24 hours.
Along this section of the road we had a lot of truck traffic, they were all
large trucks that looked like they belonged to a mining company.
At one point we could not believe it but a man was running down the middle
of the road heading in the same direction as us.
As we got close to him a large truck was approaching from the on coming
direction, the runner had to jump out of the trucks way and was left in a
great dust cloud.
we waited until the dust cleared and drove up next to him.
we asked if he needed any water and he said no his support vehicle was up
ahead.
I asked how far he was running and he said to Ayers rock, (about 680 KLM
away) he was from Europe, but we didn't get to find out where exactly.
Two Klm up the road we went by his support crew they were sat next to two
Britz 4WD camper vans. The road condition was much the same ,but, their
seem to be a lot more car bodies left on each side of the road. we saw lots
more camels along this section of road.
Warbuton had been a part of my life as a 14 year old I had spent a lot of
time there with my Dad. Dad the foreman and builder of a very large
aluminum Mess hall and Kitchen for what was a mission in those days. The
mission had only a hand full of white people running the settlement, and I
believe two communities of Aborigines that lived rough outside the mission
area.
The building was destroyed one night when a large storm came through and
blew it away, leaving a tangled mess of alumin sheeting and structural
frames we were just at the stage of bolting the building down to the slab
when the big wind blew it away. In preparation for the storm we had secured
it with ropes tied to two large cast iron stoves, The wind also destroyed
these stoves just tossing them in the air and smashing them to bits.
So with my past history of the place I was interested to see how things
were changed since 1963.
warburton now has a large art gallery just as you arrive, so on arrival I
headed in to tell my history with the place, and as it is a close community
try and get to see it all now.
the white girl at the info desk told me that it was a closed area and that
she would see what if any thing she could do.
she came back with a phone number and told me The only person who could
authorise me to go in was Damien. I asked where can I ring from and she
said at the Warburton road house or here at the galley as they both had
Telstra phones, but I should wait till after 2.30 pm as Damien was at a
meeting.
We refueled and checked in the caravan park for the night and asked about
the telephone to ring Damien. they gave us their phone and rang the number
for me, a girl answered and I started to tell her about myself, but as she
had spoken to the other girl she told me that Damien wants me to come it
and meet him in the community administrators office, giving me instructions
how to get there.
As we drove in the sealed roads of the settlement I was following a Ute who
slowed down let me pass then started to follow me.
at the point to where the girl told me to go too I could not see the admin
building so I asked a black fellow walking down the road he didn't know
what I was talking about, but the ute that was following us was right up by
my window wanting to know what I was doing, as soon as I said looking for
Damien's office he pointed the building out and drove off.
as we drove in the closed area we drove past the rear of the Police
station, It was Friday arvo and they were having some
money raising function BBQ, We realised that every single head turned and
watched us drive up the road.
Damien welcomed us and took us in a office, we started talking about the
days it was a mission and about all the black fellow staff who Dad had
working for him, and about the buildings in those days etc. Damien knew
them all and informed us that were all gone, naming what years they died
in. He could not believe that we were their when one of the men got speared
in the leg and died. He knew who he was I told him that they got Dad to
start driving him to Laverton, but he died in the back of the ute
and how they knocked on the cab window to stop us and return to the
mission. laverton was 580 Klm away and they could not get the Flying Doctor
out for some reason.
Damien asked if he could get my details as he said he would like to get
some one to contact us some time .I told him that my dad was now 90 and
that he would be the one to contact as his mind is still very sharp.
Later that evening I was at our camp site and Damien turned up with a heap
of books on Warburton to give to me and my dad. we chatted for another half
hour and he told us during the winter months that they get on average 156
vehicle passing through.
After refueling we headed off to Warburton, stopping every now and then to
take photos etc.
The two girls in the pajero keep passing us when ever we stopped, then
finally we left them well and truly behind and did not see them again on
the road for about 24 hours.
Along this section of the road we had a lot of truck traffic, they were all
large trucks that looked like they belonged to a mining company.
At one point we could not believe it but a man was running down the middle
of the road heading in the same direction as us.
As we got close to him a large truck was approaching from the on coming
direction, the runner had to jump out of the trucks way and was left in a
great dust cloud.
we waited until the dust cleared and drove up next to him.
we asked if he needed any water and he said no his support vehicle was up
ahead.
I asked how far he was running and he said to Ayers rock, (about 680 KLM
away) he was from Europe, but we didn't get to find out where exactly.
Two Klm up the road we went by his support crew they were sat next to two
Britz 4WD camper vans. The road condition was much the same ,but, their
seem to be a lot more car bodies left on each side of the road. we saw lots
more camels along this section of road.
Warbuton had been a part of my life as a 14 year old I had spent a lot of
time there with my Dad. Dad the foreman and builder of a very large
aluminum Mess hall and Kitchen for what was a mission in those days. The
mission had only a hand full of white people running the settlement, and I
believe two communities of Aborigines that lived rough outside the mission
area.
The building was destroyed one night when a large storm came through and
blew it away, leaving a tangled mess of alumin sheeting and structural
frames we were just at the stage of bolting the building down to the slab
when the big wind blew it away. In preparation for the storm we had secured
it with ropes tied to two large cast iron stoves, The wind also destroyed
these stoves just tossing them in the air and smashing them to bits.
So with my past history of the place I was interested to see how things
were changed since 1963.
warburton now has a large art gallery just as you arrive, so on arrival I
headed in to tell my history with the place, and as it is a close community
try and get to see it all now.
the white girl at the info desk told me that it was a closed area and that
she would see what if any thing she could do.
she came back with a phone number and told me The only person who could
authorise me to go in was Damien. I asked where can I ring from and she
said at the Warburton road house or here at the galley as they both had
Telstra phones, but I should wait till after 2.30 pm as Damien was at a
meeting.
We refueled and checked in the caravan park for the night and asked about
the telephone to ring Damien. they gave us their phone and rang the number
for me, a girl answered and I started to tell her about myself, but as she
had spoken to the other girl she told me that Damien wants me to come it
and meet him in the community administrators office, giving me instructions
how to get there.
As we drove in the sealed roads of the settlement I was following a Ute who
slowed down let me pass then started to follow me.
at the point to where the girl told me to go too I could not see the admin
building so I asked a black fellow walking down the road he didn't know
what I was talking about, but the ute that was following us was right up by
my window wanting to know what I was doing, as soon as I said looking for
Damien's office he pointed the building out and drove off.
as we drove in the closed area we drove past the rear of the Police
station, It was Friday arvo and they were having some
money raising function BBQ, We realised that every single head turned and
watched us drive up the road.
Damien welcomed us and took us in a office, we started talking about the
days it was a mission and about all the black fellow staff who Dad had
working for him, and about the buildings in those days etc. Damien knew
them all and informed us that were all gone, naming what years they died
in. He could not believe that we were their when one of the men got speared
in the leg and died. He knew who he was I told him that they got Dad to
start driving him to Laverton, but he died in the back of the ute
and how they knocked on the cab window to stop us and return to the
mission. laverton was 580 Klm away and they could not get the Flying Doctor
out for some reason.
Damien asked if he could get my details as he said he would like to get
some one to contact us some time .I told him that my dad was now 90 and
that he would be the one to contact as his mind is still very sharp.
Later that evening I was at our camp site and Damien turned up with a heap
of books on Warburton to give to me and my dad. we chatted for another half
hour and he told us during the winter months that they get on average 156
vehicle passing through.
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