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July 28, 2001
Overland Australia - Update 5
Where's Wallaby?
from April
"Did you see the wallaby?" came the excited cry from up ahead. A ripple of excitement ran through the group as we filtered in for a brief stop alongside the road. "Yeah, he was by the termite mound just off the side of the road…" "Oh, please! You've been calling out wallaby sightings all day and we've never seen one at all…There are NO wallabies here!"
After a variety of biking tracks, today was called off for much needed bike repairs, reorganizing kit, and general regrouping. Our campsite is located at the Jowalbinna Bush Camp, home to one of many Quinkan Rock Art galleries. Carved figures in the rock depict ancient Aboriginal art. Animal paintings of kangaroos, wallabies, and emus, to name a few, adorn the walls of recessed areas in the rock groupings. Among the paintings are the good and bad spiritual figures, the 'good' being heroes of old, while the 'bad' are depicted by spirit figures such as the Quinkans.
As dusk was falling, we hiked the steep, narrow trail to the rocks, standing as sentinels above the valley floor. Climbing among the rock faces, the paintings subtly appear, camouflaged until the eye discerns the outline of a solitary emu. The figure of a woman becomes apparent as the eye scans the rock wall.
Fading sunlight calls an end to the hike. Making our way slowly down the rocky trail, we are lost in thought about the ancient paintings we've been priviledged to see. Suddenly, we pull up, a slight movement attracting our attention. A small wallaby silently moves off toward the rock sentinels. He pauses to peer at us, blending into his surroundings. At last, he's made his presence known and in just the perfect spot!
Posted on July 28, 2001 5:01 AM