Pig hunter

ag: 167-168 Stage three / total expedition days 558-559

Sunrise:
05:40-05:39

Sunset:
18:37

As the crow flies:
24 u. 20,6

Daily kilometers:
27 u. 23

Temperature - Day (maximum):
39°-41° degrees, sun approx. 59°-65°

Temperature - Night:
19° degrees

Latitude:
23°51'43.1" u. 23°43'57.0"

Longitude:
143°41'58.8" u. 143°50'42.9"

Dry Creek & Four Mile Creek Camp – 10/30/2002 – 10/31/2002

After just a few kilometers, a jeep overtakes us. At a distance of a few meters, it pulls over to the right and stops directly in front of our caravan. “Camis udu!” I shout, forcing our boys to stop. “I think I’ve been in the sun too long!” ,shouts the man, who jumps out of his car laughing. “Where did you come from?” he asks and before I can answer he says again: “I thought I was crazy. I’ve never seen camels running on this track.” “We’re from Perth and…” I try to answer his question, but he interrupts me. “You have to watch out for the pig hunters in this area. Didn’t anyone warn you about them?” “No, uh, what kind of pig hunters?” “Oh, they’re terrible. They come at night. None of the hog hunters have to ask the station owner for permission to hunt. They can hunt wherever they want. They have lots of dogs with them mate. They race through your camp at night. No one can hold them back mate. Imagine how frightened your camels will be. You’re better off sleeping next to a homestead. Stay away from the creeks. That’s where the pigs live.” “But the creeks are the only places where we can find shade. That’s where there’s food for our camels.” Still, stay away. It’s dangerous.” “Well what is…” I try to say something when the man interrupts me again. “I lived in a tent on the coast for six years. It was too much stress with people. Now I avoid them and live out here mate. Look for the water points for the cattle. Do you have enough water?” “Yes, we have.” “Have you brought charcoal tablets? You really need to treat the water to avoid stomach problems. Some of the water is contaminated, you know mate.” “We don’t have any charcoal tablets.” “They are very important mate. I even cooked my fish in coal water on the coast. The charcoal tablets take out the poison, you must know Mates. By the way, Mates, it’s going to be hot again from Friday. A new heatwave is coming. The hottest time is between 13:00 and 15:00, you should know. Better be in camp at that time,’ he says, wishes us a good trip, runs to his jeep and drives off.

We walk on, somewhat distraught. “It was a strange bird,” I say. “That’s probably why he lives out here,” Tanja replies.

A little later, another jeep stops. It is the letter carrier of this region. “Hello, how are you?” “Very good,” we reply and exchange a few words. “You’re really lucky with the weather. Two years ago it rained so heavily here that it would have been impossible to get any further. I’ve seen two expeditions in recent years that didn’t make it far. The weather forecast doesn’t look too bad. You’ll have a strong headwind for the next few days, but that won’t stop you,’ he reports and takes his leave.

In the meantime, we are walking on a stick route. A stock route is an earth path laid out by the government on which there are drinking troughs at least every 15 kilometers. In the past, the stock routes were used to drive cattle and sheep from the outback to the coast. The various stations were also supplied with food and other important goods via the stock routes. Tanja and I are surprised to find the Stock Route still in excellent condition. We learn that they are still important today, because it is decidedly cheaper to drive cattle on the road than to load and transport them on a road train.

At 12:38 we find a suitable camp site at Dry Creek. We set our animals down under a huge eucalyptus tree. Large flocks of parrots sit in the tree and watch us anxiously. Once again we have come a day’s walk closer to our destination and once again we enjoy one of the countless fantastic sunsets.