 |
| from the Red Top spot |
I parked the car in front of the ranger's office. The midday sun was getting intense and I was getting annoyed with the flies. The place was quiet and I couldn't find a ranger in sight. There were a few walks around which I decided to do after back to check out while waiting. Tanya, one of the rangers, was back at her office. I had a quick chat and told her I was interested to join the 2 pm tour. The Mungo National Park schedules twice a week tours with the park ranger, where a 2-hour walk on the Wall of China becomes the highlight along with a talk about the history of the park itself. It was only worth $35 for the whole tour.
I was a little bit early for the tour so I went back to the car and ate my lunch. I had a 3-day worth of groceries with me to cover my stay at the park until I get back to Melbourne. Tuna was my bestfriend and that was enough protein for me along with the green leaves. that was me trying to be healthy. A few cars arrived at the centre and a big bus of tourists also parked a few meters away. I watched the guide prepare lunch for the group under one of the huts, gave them enough shade from the intense sun.
Around 2 we all got in our own individual cars and started the convoy. The dust formed as seven cars all lined up and headed for the walls. Tanya got us walking to the platform and started the talk. It was amazing listening to her and how she got to be doing this. She was from the Mithi Mithi tribe which was one of the aboriginal tribes that thrived on the land. She explained how her grandmother and all of the women before her passed on the stories of their ancestors. It was very impressive how they could even know that a drought season was on its way or even a storm.. all based on how the animals reacted.
Apparently as time passed by and with all of the factors of weathering, the layers of Zanci on the walls exposes blips of history and gives this generation an idea of how the ancestors of the Willindra lakes lived. It was impressive how Tanya pointed out what were once furnaces where they cooked food. Bones of wombat slowly showed up on the sands of the wall, sitting still as people passed by. The color of the wall was gray but as the sun slowly rested for the day, the amber colours slowly showed off its magnificence.
It was great around the park, it gave me a liberating feeling as the vast space filled with a mix of red soil and bushes spread in front of me. A group of us stayed after the tour. We decided to watch the sunset as the last rays of the sun touched the sky and the colours were stunning. I sat still after setting up the tripod. It was starting to get chilly as I rubbed my hands to get enough warmth. The moon was shyly shining its brilliance over the walls. I knew in a few days a full moon would be glistening and would have been a great opportunity to take great shots.
Now, one of the great memories of my Mungo experience was the sunset driving. I looked like a raccoon-eyed driver gripping on the driving wheel. I have been warned and I guess that's how I got so scared driving when it got dark. It was hilarious the whole scene.
Picture this. I was the smallest car, a mini, followed by a trail of 4x4 cars. That was the plan. For me to go ahead and the old couples behind me would make sure I'm okay. At first it sounded like a sane plan. But whilst driving, I realized, it was a crazy idea. I should have been in the middle. After driving a few kilometers, 2 tall silhouettes were visible from a distance. I was thinking, who the heck would be crazy walking at that time of the day. They both stood still, watching the sunrise. As I slowly approached, I realized it was 2 kangaroos. I stared through the windshield and slowly approached, making sure they felt my presence. I thought that was enough of an effort to scare the wild away. But no. So okay, I reverted to a more effective approach. Honk the Horn. Oh yeah, it should have worked. But no. They both turned their heads and gave a look. At that point I wanted to laugh my heart out. They gave me that look as if saying "Hey man, we're watching the sunset here and having a conversation!". I honked the horn twice but still no budging. On the last honk, they gave me the last look and hopped away. Seriously, I was smiling. Oh yes.
Just when I thought that was it for the day, I saw something running from the right. Two massive emus crossed the street in front of me. I hit on the brakes, glad that I wasn't driving that fast. But before I accelerated I saw something from my peripheral vision. A second emu was trailing along. I thought, "come on, cross the street.. faster please". At that point, I really wished I had it on video. If its feet had enough friction to make a sound, I could imagine it would have. It was deciding to stop and was slowly sliding 45 degrees... but then again changed its mind and decided to go on. Now that was hilarious. That was the beauty of the wild. Stunning.
The sun was lovely, the colors were so lively and the silhouettes of the farm and the park centre was standing in its grandeur. The old windmill added up to the view. Driving Into the Wild Was the greatest memory that I had of that road trip.
 |
| wombat bones |
Around 2 we all got in our own individual cars and started the convoy. The dust formed as seven cars all lined up and headed for the walls. Tanya got us walking to the platform and started the talk. It was amazing listening to her and how she got to be doing this. She was from the Mithi Mithi tribe which was one of the aboriginal tribes that thrived on the land. She explained how her grandmother and all of the women before her passed on the stories of their ancestors. It was very impressive how they could even know that a drought season was on its way or even a storm.. all based on how the animals reacted.
Apparently as time passed by and with all of the factors of weathering, the layers of Zanci on the walls exposes blips of history and gives this generation an idea of how the ancestors of the Willindra lakes lived. It was impressive how Tanya pointed out what were once furnaces where they cooked food. Bones of wombat slowly showed up on the sands of the wall, sitting still as people passed by. The color of the wall was gray but as the sun slowly rested for the day, the amber colours slowly showed off its magnificence.
 |
| Emu |
Now, one of the great memories of my Mungo experience was the sunset driving. I looked like a raccoon-eyed driver gripping on the driving wheel. I have been warned and I guess that's how I got so scared driving when it got dark. It was hilarious the whole scene.
Picture this. I was the smallest car, a mini, followed by a trail of 4x4 cars. That was the plan. For me to go ahead and the old couples behind me would make sure I'm okay. At first it sounded like a sane plan. But whilst driving, I realized, it was a crazy idea. I should have been in the middle. After driving a few kilometers, 2 tall silhouettes were visible from a distance. I was thinking, who the heck would be crazy walking at that time of the day. They both stood still, watching the sunrise. As I slowly approached, I realized it was 2 kangaroos. I stared through the windshield and slowly approached, making sure they felt my presence. I thought that was enough of an effort to scare the wild away. But no. So okay, I reverted to a more effective approach. Honk the Horn. Oh yeah, it should have worked. But no. They both turned their heads and gave a look. At that point I wanted to laugh my heart out. They gave me that look as if saying "Hey man, we're watching the sunset here and having a conversation!". I honked the horn twice but still no budging. On the last honk, they gave me the last look and hopped away. Seriously, I was smiling. Oh yes. Just when I thought that was it for the day, I saw something running from the right. Two massive emus crossed the street in front of me. I hit on the brakes, glad that I wasn't driving that fast. But before I accelerated I saw something from my peripheral vision. A second emu was trailing along. I thought, "come on, cross the street.. faster please". At that point, I really wished I had it on video. If its feet had enough friction to make a sound, I could imagine it would have. It was deciding to stop and was slowly sliding 45 degrees... but then again changed its mind and decided to go on. Now that was hilarious. That was the beauty of the wild. Stunning.
The sun was lovely, the colors were so lively and the silhouettes of the farm and the park centre was standing in its grandeur. The old windmill added up to the view. Driving Into the Wild Was the greatest memory that I had of that road trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment