I do enjoy chugging along on the tractor. I call it ‘chugging’, because at a top speed of around 10km/hour, I can hardly call it hooning! You’re seated up really high and because you are just sauntering along, there is plenty of time to enjoy the view, which is great. The other thing is you feel pretty safe being up so high (and hopefully any lions and tigers and bears can’t reach you).
And if something gets in your path (and this is the best bit), you just lower the scoop at the front and push the offending item out of the way! With the tractor beneath you, you just power right on through. Love it!
ABOVE: This would explain why there is no water at the house – water is not meant to come out of that pipe! I was able to fix this little problem, so I was quite proud of myself!
Well, it hasn’t rained for a while and many of the previously soggy tracks are mostly drying out, so I decided to have a day of adventure.
ABOVE: I am not sure if this is actually the original coach track coming into the house paddock from the western side of the property and about to cross the coach crossing, just around to the right, but I can imagine it is, quite easily. The horses probably know they get to rest and the passengers are relieved to have a break from the jolting, swaying journey, ready to enjoy a cool ale (or a swig or two of home-brewed rum) and a hearty stew at the staging post, just ahead… It’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
ABOVE: The old coach crossing is now dry and although water is still running underneath, you can cross without getting your feet wet. Doesn’t make it any smoother rolling across now there is no water, that’s for sure.
Billabong
Not really a billabong. More an area where the creek opens out and flows leisurely for a while between grassy banks, but ‘billabong’ has a nice ring to it; this is about as “Wind in the Willows” I imagine is possible in the tropics. The water looked way too inviting on a hot, sultry afternoon, but…
ABOVE: The billabong that isn’t really a billabong, but a nice peaceful body of water just the same.
Sadly, it is not to be, as you really, really have to think about the possibility of crocs!
So, what are the chances this far upstream? It is probably extremely unlikely you would ever encounter one. But unless you actually know for sure, just stay out…
And even if you decided to take a risk and go for a splash, it’s not going to be a pleasant experience. I mean, the entire time you are in the water, you will be stressing about what could be in there with you, so why put yourself through all that torment???
I did wonder if there are yabbies, though? Hmm, I might have to look into that.
ABOVE: My little Lemon-bellied Flycatcher friend, showing off for the camera.
This little Lemon-bellied Flycatcher wasn’t phased by the tractor one bit, he was quite unashamedly showing off, happily flitting from tree to tree as I roared along the bank. These birds are wonderful, happily sharing their loud, joyful call with you all day long.
There is a female around too but I haven’t seen her for a few days, so I wonder if she is sitting on eggs? I hope they are their own eggs, there are many cuckoos around up here who will happily transplant their own eggs into unsuspecting bird families!
ABOVE: Rainbow Bee-eaters are a colourful sight. They tend to be more common up here in the Dry season months (winter, for you guys down south), with their stunning colours and distinctive ‘prrrt’ call making them welcome visitors.
Gold Mine
I went looking for the old gold mine and of course, the question is, did I find it? Well, the jury is still out on that at the moment, but the short answer is well, I’m not sure and probably not…
ABOVE: Storm brewing out to the west.
So, what do I actually know about this mine? Not a lot… it was apparently worked by Chinese in the early 1890’s and is unmarked and uncovered (implying it is a dangerously open shaft – literally just a hole in the ground). It is supposedly located beside one of the current (overgrown) farm tracks, near a tree, marked by a wooden post… and that’s about it (has the great Hercule Poirot ever had less to go on?)
ABOVE: The western side of the property has an old mango plantation with many trees now very large. It will be interesting to see if they produce any fruit come mango season…
Some History
Now, I have been able to find out a little bit about the history of the area and so far, I’ve found out that gold was discovered near here at Pine Creek in 1872. Soon afterwards gold was being mined at Adelaide River, only about 12km away from this place, so it is possible there was gold in this country, if you looked for it.
The tiny population in the NT at the time created labour shortages for the mines and there were many Chinese miners who arrived to work. In fact, by the 1880’s there were up to 10,000 Chinese living in the Territory, far outnumbering the European population. So it is entirely likely there were Chinese miners in this area in the early 1890’s.
ABOVE: View to the west from one of the hills on the property and there is nothing much except wilderness. The ridge in the distance is actually the eastern side of Litchfield National Park, so the wild country extends as far as the eye can see, and beyond.
Also, it seems there was a bit of ‘gold fever’ going around and many of the pastoralists who had large properties in the region also started prospecting on their land (and some even had success). Given that this land was probably once part of a larger property, again, there is a distinct possibility this information could absolutely apply here.
All this does tie in nicely with the smidgen I do know about the mine; there are no glaring discrepancies, which is nice!
Back in the Present
I spent a very pleasant day puttering around on the tractor, driving up a track that might have been the one the mine is supposedly located on, which would have been nice, but I decided later it may not have been the right track.
ABOVE: Running along a track, searching for the gold mine. It is really hard to appreciate how beautiful the country is with all this damn grass covering everything up.
With the grass literally over my head and so thick I couldn’t see a foot in front of me, it is hard to tell where the tracks really actually go at the moment. Maybe it would have been better to wait a few more weeks when hopefully the grass has died down a bit, but patience is not my greatest virtue.
ABOVE: Argh! Confronted by a wall of grass. I reckon if you went in, you might never find your way out again.
So, I did inspect a likely site and yes, it was interesting but eventually the grass became so thick I just couldn’t proceed on foot (and yes, I was thinking about brown snakes every step). Plus, there is the possibility the mine is dangerous – like a-gaping-hole-in-the-ground type of dangerous – so this is as far as I dared go at this time.
ABOVE: A possible candidate for the gold mine site. I wandered carefully around this place, as much as I could and noticed some unusual mounds of dirt which seemed out of place. Are these old tailings from a 130 year old mine? Well, I’ll have to do more searching…
Ultimately I suspect this was not the mine site, but it was a fun day anyway. And the history shows it is certainly likely that Chinese miners looked for, or mined for, gold in this very area.
Of course, the remaining question, and the one that may never get answered, is… did they actually find gold, or was it a bust???
ABOVE: The vague directions I have for the mine mention a “wooden post next to the track.” Is this that old wooden post? It had, in the past, been planted into the ground and is now tipped over courtesy of termites. It looks like it has been worked by man or maybe it’s just worn smooth by time? I guess it is probably an old fence or gate post.
By 1907, gold mining in the NT had past its peak and mining for other ores attained more importance, with tin, wolfram and later uranium, becoming significant.
ABOVE: The moon at half full just now is now casting quite a bit of light over the night landscape. It is so dark out here when there is no moon; there are no street lamps or neighbours to provide any light pollution, which is great.
ABOVE: I am really fascinated by these tiny little Crimson Finches. They are so tiny, but fabulous to watch.
ABOVE: One of the many Bowerbirds, looking for a drink from the old rain gauge. These guys can be quite fun, but can turn to thievery if something catches his eye, to attract a female. This one stole a white straw from a drink ‘popper’ box, which is now proudly displayed in front of his bower – I trust any females are suitably impressed…
ABOVE: There was a lot of screeching and wing flapping going on in a coconut palm the other evening. I looked up to see a noisy Red-collared Lorikeet having a hissy-fit over something – possibly a tree snake?
