Thierings on Tour

I got up early this morning and enjoyed some peace and morning sunlight at the jetty. 

We also spotted lots of black cockatoos in the tree above our campsite. Some interesting background on beliefs of the Yolgnu people and in particular on the black and white cockatoos:

Everything in the Yolŋu universe – Spirit Beings, plant and animal species, clan groups, areas of land and water are either Dhuwa or Yirritja. The Djang’kawu Sisters, the morning star, the water goanna, the stringybark tree, and the land in and around Yirrkala are Dhuwa, while such things as the evening star, stingray, cycad palm, and members of the Mangalili clan are all Yirritja.

Within each moiety, people belong to smaller groups called clans, each having its own language. Children belong to their father’s clan (and moiety), while their mother belongs to another clan (of the other moiety). In the Gove Penninsula and the surrounding area, most Yolŋu belong to one of sixteen clans, of which eight are Dhuwa and eight are Yirritja.

The white cockatoo, Ngerrk, is from the Yirritja moiety while the black cockatoo, Natili, is from the Dhuwa moiety. These animals have strong characters, being friendly and very intelligent. 

Today was the long return back along Central Arnhem Road and no one was particularly looking forward to it… 

The red dust road seemed even redder today, or maybe I just know how red everything gets and am panicked at the thought of opening the van up on the other side of the trip.There were a few donkeys on the road today to grab the kids attention and we actually managed to make it through a bit faster and smoother, taking only 8 hours this time with breaks. 

Sadly when we got to Mainoru store Chris discovered that the same CV shaft boot had cracked again after only just being replaced 2 days ago. Arghhhhh! Now this was going to be an issue for the road ahead tomorrow and trying to source parts in the next place, which is only a small town without a Toyota service centre.  A headache to solve tomorrow morning when everything opens!

Kms travelled – 491