Squeaky pounded the dust to the sounds of Vangelis, keeping the Adonis well prepared for the grueling days ahead. Squeaky had proven to be a very adept chef, creating a bush penne amatriciana for the team the night before. Packing a healthy dose of chilli, it made a night of sleeping in a confined space unpleasant for some.
The Wedge took a less vigorous approach to the new day and slowing started blending into the landscape.
Field Marshall Gal summoned the troops and laid out the plan for the final assault on the Tanami. Firstly he sought a report on how seven architects, builders, engineers, project managers and an international financial consultant could miss the real camp site and an adjacent clearing last night, and why we had to set up our base on a road. He decreed that the answer lay in the force of Wolfe Creek and ordered a sortie to the crater.
Many million years ago, a massive meteorite gouged a giant hole in the desert, forming a primeaval coliseum like space. Teflon contemplated the significance of this geological catastrophe and sought inspiration for the ride ahead.
After another 150 kilometres of corrugated hell and undulating dusty corners through cattle station territory, the end was in sight. Teflon embraced the bitumen as a long forgotten friend. As the road temperature soared over 40 degrees, it was fortunate that nothing sticks to Teflon and vice versa.
The Tanami had been tamed. The group embraced again (not unlike officers in the British Army), in a moment of self congratulation and vigorous back slapping. The moment was only a temporary highlight, a small victory in the overall theatre of operation, a now known known, for the remainder of the continent remained unconquered.
The group aimed the machinery toward Fitzroy Crossing, with a minor incursion into Halls Creek. The power of the Kimberley landscape with its rocky folds and vast plains overwhelms with its raw beauty.
The team had passed through a few indigenous communities, and while not possessing the wisdom or authority to judge, were sufficiently moved to question whether current policies would rectify the situation. We visited Yiyili, a community of some 300 people. The schoolteacher escorted the group past a gallery, elders sitting and painting and sleeping school children. We felt a sense of hope and committed a small amount of money on behalf of Southern Chances to assist children in their pursuits.
The local bovine population welcomed us into the Kimberley.
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