Sunday, 14 August 2011

Well, here I am again. We have arrive in Aurukun and I didn't expect to have any internet access. We actually have better access here than we did in Weipa!
The drive down here took us 2 1/2 hours to do the roughly 200kms. The road was very good apart from about 40kms outside the Rio Tinto (Camalco) land and then another 30-40kms just before Aurukun.
We are staying here with a couple of KnB's old friends - Neil and Anne. Neil is basically the CEO of the community services here. They have been here for 3 1/2 years after spending the previous 40-odd years working all over Australia at various aboriginal communities. We have set up our 'digs' in their front yard (see photo below).
This community is a dry community, and is quite well laid out, but Neil said they do have their share of trouble every now and then. The police presense here is the highest in Qld for the population, and even then, they are under-staffed.Neil took us on a tour of the area this afternoon. The area has a high bauxite content like Weipa, but the mine never got off the ground due to the costs of intrastructure required. Due to the rise in Bauxite, it looks like it may kick off again soon.
I had to fill my jerry cans to make sure we get to the next petrol station, else I wouldn't have made it.
We are only staying the one night as Neil has to fly to Cairns on Tuesday, and they are both busy tonight. From here, we head to Musgrave Station, and we wont have access for about 4 days after that...so we think... After that we head east through Lakefield NP, then south to Cooktown.
Here are some photos from last two days:
 The pretty part of Cullen Point....this was the only pretty bit!
 The empty ore train (with KnB in font) heading back from loading the ship.
 The 1 km long, single lane Mission Bridge, with KnB in the distance.
 Our last sunset at Weipa
 One of the two Ore ships being loaded in Weipa
 You can see where we are....97 kms from Weipa, 108 kms from Aurukun, and 163 kms from Coen. We have to come back to this corner to go out as there is only 1 road in and 1 road out!
 Anne, Neil, Beryl & Klaus...re-united again after many years.
 Our setup in the front yard.....
 .....behind the prison walls.
 Sunset over Arrukun

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