Around Tennant Creek

Sat 4 April….Last night we had a very interesting 1 and half hours round the old camp fire listening to an old Aussie Bushman telling tales, reciting his poems and tasting his bush tucker. His name is Jimmy Hooker an his name is a bit of a legend round these parts (he’s in the Lonely Planet Guide as well) and a very charming man. He’s an ex gold miner who claims not to be able to read or write but he is a published poet and writer so how does that work? He told a few yarns, one about a cockatoo he reared after it fell out of the nest. He called it Weetbix as that’s what he fed it, but it was the most ungrateful bird, terrorising him and the dog! He had to change banks because it bit the bank manager! He showed us different berries and seeds that you can eat and we tried them and he also cooked a whichetty grub. It was very nice! Tasted of scrambled eggs. In all a very entertaining evening. Afterwards we sat outside the van enjoying a beautiful warm evening, until late, drinking chilled wine from our eskie…… it works!
This morning, it’s quite windy but still hot and with a cunning plan in mind we go off for a bit of sight seeing. First a wander round Tennant Creek not much to get excited about. Like most outback towns it closes for the weekend. There is an old telegraph station about 11Ks out of town so we go to have a look. What we should have done is gone to the tourist info office to pick up a key which would let us into the place. So we just looked through the windows. It’s a few falling down buildings in the back of beyond it must have been very lonely when it was just the relay station, 130years ago. In those days it took 7 hours for the telegraph message to reach England and we complain about the internet!
The next stop is for lunch at Lake Mary Anne Dam (the cunning plan) There are no speedboats or deformed water-skiers ripping about. It’s very peaceful and we actually get to swim in it. A perfect spot A couple of hours there and then on to Battery Hill mining centre. We have been down enough holes in the ground recently and so we didn’t do the tour not only that, but happy hour was approaching( 4 30 to 6 30) at our camp. Our private club just across the way from our private pool life’s a bugger at the moment!