Thursday 25 July 2013

LAURA (14 JULY 2013)

Why bother with a visit to Laura, a tiny little FNQ outback town which lies some 60 kms north-west of Lakeland astride the road to Weipa and the Tip?  The answer..aboriginal rock art, recognized as being one of the ten most significant sites of its kind in the world.  Whilst it would be drawing an extremely long bow to claim that either of us are recognized devotees of  aboriginal culture, it seemed silly to be so close and not have a look at something of such renown.
 
So off we went, across the tableland and into the escarpment country on the approach to Laura.
 
 
Laura itself lies beyond the entrance to the site we were to visit so we decided to see what this gem of the outback had to offer before beginning our cultural activities.
 
This sortie did not delay our primary activities for too long.  There is not a great deal of Laura, as this shot of its main street demonstrates, but what there was we found fascinating.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Let's go beyond the end of the main drag to the nearby airport.  We were initially surprised to find a very good, sealed all weather strip of some length, surprised that is until we took a good look at the tin shed next to the strip.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
We decided that the 'resident' stretcher said it all.  This strip is obviously designed to cater for the RFDS, apart from any other commercial or private use.
 
 
 
 
 
Notwithstanding its limited size, Laura's infrastructure provided all that could be reasonably required by locals and visitors.
 
 
 
 
 
Fuel, postal services and provisions at the local store,
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
refreshment and meals at the quaint Quinkan Hotel right next door
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
and, for those beset by mechanical problems on the track, our observations of the workshop in the main street (seen here at the right of the shot) were such as to conclude that this was one of those typically outback establishments were the proprietor could fix just about anything.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And for those who have just had enough, the local caravan park appeared to be of a reasonable standard and somewhat different, if the entrance sign is anything to go by.
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
And, of course, no town of substance is complete without its own police station

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
and Town Hall.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I was fascinated by the odd looking white-topped posts arrayed in front of this seat of local power.  The things you find.  They are part of what is the town's 'site of remembrance' with each post housing a bronze plaque commemorating a specific theatre of war.  And there on the end of the row.....
 
 
I could hardly believe my eyes.  The fact that the service of Peacekeepers has been specifically honoured in such a tiny place as Laura struck me as indicative of the burgeoning recognition our group is gaining throughout Australia.  Anyway, enough naval gazing...
 
I suspect that a visit to Laura's main street at any time will always provide the visitor with a sight such as this.
 
 
On this particular occasion the occupants of these two vans, which had so obviously just arrived off the track, were busily re-inflating tyres with their compressors and munching away on what we suspect may have been the best ice creams they have ever eaten.  It really is a different world out here.
 
Before we went rock hopping, we decided we really should have a look at the unsealed road north which begins just beyond the town limits.  We had heard that the corrugations were horrendous. Our informants did not deceive us!


Unfortunately this shot does not do justice to the actual state of the road.   You can just see some of the surface ruts in the foreground, but believe me, it was rough.  A couple of hundred metres was more than enough to convince us that this was a venture for much younger people with rigs about which they cared little in terms of things coming loose.  And 650 kms of this before one even gets to Weipa!  Not for us.

Our jaunt to the nether regions did offer another surprise....one of the prettiest local creeks we had come across. 

 
Crystal clear water flowing over grey granite rocks with jungle perch lazing in the current and not a croc. warning sign in sight. What a picture....and us without the picnic basket!  Next time.

 
But off for some culture.  We made our way back to the other end of Laura where we did the right thing and bought our two $5.00 entry passes into the Split Rock art site at the Quinkan Centre. Guided tours are available, but we decided the self guided version would suffice. And we were off.  The folk in the left of this shot were part of a tour bus group headed in the same direction...we were keen to get there first.








Another 10 kms back towards Lakeland and we were approaching the escarpment in which the artworks are to be found.




 
Interestingly, when we reached the car park at the base of the climb to the site, we found that we could have paid our fee per the honour box.   My cynical ex-copper's mind immediately thought, "yeah, right I wonder just how many actually do the right thing"  Very few apparently.  A recent article on the site in the local rag was lamenting the fact that if there is not an improvement in the general honesty of the visiting punters, the site may be closed.  Liz and I both have a general view about those who would fail to pay.....you find them in free camps all over the place!





Enough sniping. Map in hand, off we went.  The sign at the entrance to the trail cautioned about some very steep spots.  Where were they?  How hard can this be?















We soon found out as the climb became harder,

















and harder
















and harder.  But at least here there was a rail for the very welcome assistance of those of us with dicky knees.













One advantage of the slow climb was that it did allow time to take in the scenery on our ascent.














Finally, the hard climb was over and we were nearing our goal.












 



As we rounded this impressive rock face,















we finally reached the platform leading to the first of the sites we were to visit, the Split Rock site, so named, as we discovered















for obvious reasons. The crack between these two huge rocks rose at least 30 metres above the gallery platform.







And there it was, the gallery of rock art reputed to be in the vicinity of 30,000 years old.


These three figures depict an echidna (on the right of the shot), a woman (on the left) and between them, a bad spirit, distinguished from the good spirits, 'The Quinkans', by its knobby appendages and twisted limbs.


Lest any think I had become an instant expert on aboriginal art, you will see in the general shot ,a series of plaques along the barrier fence which provided all this information.




From the Split Rock site it was a short ramble to the next, 'The Flying Fox' site,








 .





where we found the depictions quite self explanatory














Another short walk took us to the last of the three sites














where the depicted spirits are the 'goodies', the so called Quinikans, the name which has been adopted by the information centre and the Laura pub, which hopefully does provide 'good spirits' (sorry, that was just too good to pass up!)




Our frank opinion of what we had seen?  For us who have sat under the massive rock ledges of Kakadu and viewed similar aboriginal offerings...somewhat underwhelming. 

But this comment is one of comparison of scale only.  What I continue to find absorbing at sites such as these is the thought that I am standing where a fellow human being stood all those myriads of years ago looking out at exactly the same scenery, such as we could see on our descent (without the ribbon of highway which can just be seen mid shot)


For some perspective, the tiny blue dot right in the middle of this photo is the kayak on top of the cruiser in the site car park.  At this point we were half way back down the track.


All in all this is a pretty impressive place, one I would certainly recommend to others for its historical and international significance if nothing else.

Before I close, a brief personal note.  We have now been in Mossman for ten days during which time we have visited the famous Mossman Gorge, the Daintree area, Cape Tribulation and Mount Molloy. 

Future missives of these adventures may be a little slow coming.  Last Monday  afternoon (it is now Friday 26th), after a long and strenuous session in the pool,  I developed what I'll stoically describe as 'significant' pain in my right side.  This progressed in severity to the point I was beginning to think I must have torn an intercostal muscle or, impossible as it sounds, broken a rib.  None of the above.....Liz had her suspicions all along which were confirmed when, yesterday morning, I awoke to find a blistered rash on my right torso...shingles?  I was fortunate to be able to see a local GP later that same morning (that's another story in itself for a later blog) who confirmed the matron's diagnosis.  Shingles it is.

The only upside is that I have begun a course of anti-viral medication within the 72 hour window of major efficacy (from the time the rash appears), and we are soon to return to Kurrimine Beach for a month.  With a bit of luck I should be relatively active again within three to four weeks, but in the interim, I can expect to be a tad slow out of the blocks (they got that right!).   I therefore crave your patience dear readers if I am not quite as productive as usual for a while.  And yes, you are spot on...not bloody happy, Jan.  Forced inactivity is to me just like involuntary savings....any who laud the advantages of either are merely indulging in ratbag rationalisation!


 

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