Tuesday, 13 March 2007




A day off in Adelaide. I am not sure when I had my last day off. I have been traveling. First to Perth to the Western Desert Mob opening and then down to Adelaide for Womad and The Fringe Festival.

The Western Desert Mob Launch was a great event and our collective exhibition looked stunning. Most of my Blackstone Mob were caught up with other events like the Perth Festival or law and culture. I traveled with two Ladies from Warakurna. I stayed a night with my nephew in Warakurna and met with the Patjarr mob, we traveled together to The Rock to fly to Perth. While in Perth I took the opportunity to pack up the Museum display and ship it off to Adelaide. Our Accommodation in Perth was a little daunting, security swipe cards to get in and out and travel in the lift. This worried the ladies, they felt trapped, I can not say that I liked it either, felt like we were in prison. We did find a very friendly restaurant and with the patjarr mob we spent a bit of time there. Shopping is always the most important activity outside of the trip purpose, so locating any op shops was a priority.

I am very happy with the WDM promotion, we are looking to expand across the border and will soon approach the SA and NT governments so that we can share our PR activity with our friends and family from the Pit lands and the mob from the Rock.

I traveled back from Perth on my own. Mike from Patjarr purchased a second hand troupie down there and the Warakurna Ladies stayed on with the rest of the Ng Lands mob for the Perth Festival Activities.

A good flight to the Rock, a quick shop for some supplies not available at Blackstone, the troupie and I headed down the "middle road" for home. I phoned Gordon the DCA and told him which way I was coming. I thought if I was not home between 8 and 9 pm, they should come looking. I did this because the middle road is not always well populated unlike the Docker River Road which has many travellers. The middle road saves about 130 ks. It is not really quicker as the road is not such a good one as the Docker river Road but it is very pretty and saving 130ks is good for the headset, I was very tired.

I was making good headway and thinking I would make it home by 7.30 pm, time to watch Foyles War on ABC TV. Great! I stopped under a lovely big Desert Oak for a drink and to stretch my legs. I never turn the engine off, I figure if it is going, leave it that way. When I got back in the car to head on down the road, the car stalled, it would not start again. It was 3.45 pm and I resigned myself to the wait for Gordon. I estimated he would find me about 1.30 the next morning, allowing that he would not get alarmed until 9.00 pm or so. I settled down for the long haul.

They actually got to me at 5.30 the next morning. It was great to see them and I was so sorry that Gordon and Toby had needed to spend the night driving, looking for me. The Middle Road is a little difficult to find from the Wingellina End. They were exhausted as was I, Gordon push started the troupie using his vehicle, Toby drove back and 3 hours later we were home.