Day 9 (Rest Day - Elliot)

Today we decided to try hitchhike to Katherine in order to save ourselves time, money and the possibility of dying in the hot weather. I had a bit of an argument with Davi in the morning as I was eager to keep cycling, however Davi believed that I was in too bad of a state to keep going. I said I know my body and what I can do and that I'm confident to keep going, however he believed I didn't look too good and that we shouldn't keep going. I don't know how much of it was him not wanting to go and how much of it was genuine. Admittedly I was vomiting two days before and I was on the edge of dropping off the bike the day before so I do appreciate his opinion, however I'm well aware of my limits. I realised he was going to continue arguing black and blue that he's fine and right to go but out of worry for me he wouldn't go, so I just realised he didn't want to cycle and the only option was getting a lift further up north. I realised the only way forward was to hitchhike or if we had no luck then to get the bus, which we were informed leaves 6am each morning stopping all towns on the way to Darwin. It costs $100 so we were determined all day to hitchhike instead.

As we sat around the roadhouse we started asking all people pulling in if we could get a ride up north. Many of the people had no room or they were heading south. Davi and I joked around that they all must of been freaking out, seeing two bearded up zombie looking guys wander up and ask for a lift. Having the bikes with all our gear certainly made our chances a bit hard too.

So we waited at the BP roadhouse all day, from early morning and then we ended up sleeping at the front of it during the night. This was a very interesting experience, as Thursday is payday for the community out here. On top of it there was a funeral in the community so it was pretty busy earlier in the morning. We got to meet nearly the whole community throughout the day as they seemed to come back to the roadhouse about 9 or 10 times throughout the day. This roadhouse has the second food store for the town, with there being one other a km away. It's more or less the same price as the other one in town but I'm pretty sure the other one does not sell alcohol.

It was interesting talking to everyone and also seeing the progression of soberness to drunkness throughout the day/evening. I thought to my self it would be a good program to watch on television with the time throughout the day being fast forwarded, so you could see everyone come in, the type of rubbish they buy, conversations we've/they've had and then the way the community finish u in the night. The roadhouse has a limit of one six pack per person and in order to keep record they write each persons name down (photo attached). You can imagine how hard this is, with the whole community coming in at once buying alcohol, having to write down each name and try serve customers at the same time. This measure I do believe is a valuable one and something I think is better to have in place, even how unconventional it sounds. I was informed by one of the fellas today that payday, coming in once a week on Thursdays, is $1000 clear. A lot of government money indeed, but one must still remember how much government money is wasted in emergency wards, paramedics and social welfare across the whole country for Caucasian drug addicts alone. 

I had at least 7 people ask me to buy a six pack for them, as they'd already purchased their one for the day. I had one lady desperately asking and almost crying when I kept refusing. I told most of the people that I'd already bought a six pack for the day so unfortunately couldn't buy another. One of the guys nearly caught me out and had asked me to go to the hotel a hundred metres down the road and buy some there, and I responded by saying I'd bought a few Jack Daniels earlier on and the guy working wrote my name down. The same lady who was desperate had also offered me money to buy some for her. Although I love an opportunity to make money there was no chance I could partake in doing that. The lady appeared pretty intoxicated already so she must of really been trying to wipe her self out. As Davi was standing with me trying to answer in a polite way that he couldn't buy drinks either, I asked him quietly "Do you think if this lady was pregnant she'd stop drinking?" Davi looked a bit bewildered by the comment and responded by simply saying "I don't know". This was a rather poignant moment as I'd had a few discussions with him previously about the state of outback communities and the fact alcohol destroys lives. He was previously under the opinion Aboriginal people should be able to buy as much alcohol as they want, the same view with many other progressive people living in big a city, disconnected from the reality of rural communities. Yes I believe it's a racist policy saying one race can't buy and another can. No I don't think Aboriginal shouldn't be banned from drinking and white people not. It makes me even more angry seeing white guys walk in and buy beer than it does watching Aboriginal people. The reality is, close to 1 in 2 children from communities in North West Australia had alcohol foetal syndrome in 2012 alone. This illness is around for life- in reality it should be a severe criminal charge as the child will be disadvantaged for their entire life. I certainly wonder if a progressive humanitarian person from a big city would still argue for open drinking laws when they see these statistics and the impact on communities first hand.

While this was happening we were still trying to hitch a ride. It reminded me of the State election that just went by, as I was approaching every person pulling in with a smile as a tried to think of a catch phrase to rope them in. A common one I was using, "G'day how are ya? I have two questions- are you heading north? And can I get a lift?". I realised that as the community were becoming drunk they were hanging out with us even more, any passers by would of assumed we were all together. The fact Davi and I looked pretty scruffy, and also that half the town were yelling out to us as a we'd be talking to a driver it looked a bit suspicious that we were trying to hitch rides. 

On occasion as a car would pull in to fill up I'd be competing with a local, as I'd ask for a lift and the local would ask for a six pack. In the end we had no luck and realised our best bet was to wait to the morning and get the bus up north. Although the bus cost around $100 I feel that we will save a $100 in drinks and food from the expensive road houses over the next few days. Catching a bus to Katherine will mean we cut 4 days off from cycling. 

Davi and I decided not to set up the tent in the same place as last night, as seeing it was payday today there would be a lot of drunk people walking around and perhaps might make an uncomfortable sleep. We didn't want to pay for setting up the tent, with BP charging $30 and the other camp ground that is $10 being a km away from the bus pick up. We decided to sit at the park bench in front of the roadhouse and hopefully doze off and be up an ready for the bus at 6am. It was pretty funny as late in the afternoon as the day was winding up two white fellas pulled up in a ute with a flat tyre. As all the locals were around in full flight, yelling and screaming I'm assuming asking the two white fellas for a six pack too, me and Davi just laughed. The desperation from the white fellas to change their tyre and get out was unbelievable, I'd never seen anyone move so quickly. They must of surely been too nervous to hang around or any bit of time. Davi and I had a good laugh as we sat down on the bench while the whole town walked off drinking.

We cooked some lentils up an had our friend Darryl come over to say G'day for maybe the 5th time today. He's an interesting fella and I've enjoyed chatting to him. I was surprised when I asked how old he was, as I would of assumed 60 odd, but was informed he was in his 40s. A common surprise I've had in many aboriginal communities, not sure what fast tracks this ageing process so much, but my only guess can be alcohol, sugar drinks, junk food, cigarettes and perhaps sun.

Fingers crossed we have no trouble over night!

Day 8 (Renner Springs to Elliot)

Km's: 95

Weather: 41 (very humid)

Time: 6 hours

Today was another challenge. I feel that the heat and humidity has taken everything out of my body. We packed up our gear in the morning and stayed in the roadhouse till around 11 to try wait for the strong wind in the morning to die down. We are faced with midday heat or strong morning head winds, for me the heat is probably better and I think Davi agrees. This was also a good opportunity to watch the cricket in the roadhouse, as I'm always very glad to see a television with good reception for the cricket out here.

The tap water was also surprisingly very good at this roadhouse so we loaded up on that before we shot off for the day.

We made some good time for the morning, having done 45km in around 2 and a half hours. We stayed under a tree for a break, with about another 45km or half the distance to go. The humidity just kept building and building and by the end of the day my whole body was just covered in a thick layer of sticky water, I'm assuming it was sweat.  We stopped into a store as we came in and bought a few cold drinks. The man in the store seemed like a bit of a creep, so I was pretty keen to keep moving. He said they have a camp area for $10 but I decided to keep moving and have a look elsewhere. We went a km up the road to the BP and was told that a camp spot there was $30. At this point it didn't look good for us. I decided to not pay for either and take our risk on the street. The man at BP was not so friendly, so I waited for the young Irish lady working to ask her what the town was like, if it was safe etc. She was saying that she thought it was payday today for the community and assumed it would be pretty noisy and perhaps not so safe, but the fact no one came into buy alcohol she believed it would be alright to sleep at the back of the servo in a park area. I had a look and it seemed ok to me. Davi was freaking out a bit, as I think he was worried we didn't have a place to stay. I actually thought he was crying at one point. I tried to explain to him not to worry, and to look at these situations with confidence. Ideally this is a situation that you want to thrive in, a situation where only your self is in control and you can't depend on anyone else to help you. I tried to explain that you need to switch into a survival type mode and realise that you have to accept the worst possible outcome straight up and be prepared for anything. Once you accept this than you have no trouble. 

I set the tent up and got some dinner cooking for Davi. I've noticed he's been eating biscuits for dinner the last few nights so he needs to eat something proper. As we were sitting down a police car drive down and Davi freaked out a bit saying "we're going to have to go" I just explained don't worry mate, there's going to be no issues. In the end of the night everything was all good and we managed to get to sleep alright with no issues. Tomorrow we're going to look into getting a ride up north a few hundred km's, in order to make sure we get into Darwin with time for our flight. 

Day 7 (Threeways to Renner Roadhouse)

Km's: 145

Hours: 9 1/2

Weather: 44 (very hot all day)

Today we left around 7am to get to a roadhouse around 140 km away. Again the weather was unbearable and I had immense difficulty getting through it. We stopped half way at a rest area called "Attack Creek" and had a rest for about one hour. We sat down at a park bench and put our heads in our arms as we both tried to sleep for a bit to get through the midday heat. There was a water tank at the rest area and some information on the history of Attack Creek. It spoke about the early settlers and how one of the Whites was attacked and killed by an Aboriginal man from the local Warrangamu clan, the same mob that the fella's from who I spoke to the other day. Perhaps if I spoke to that man he'd give a different story to the one that's narrated at the rest area.

After this we kept going. It was very very hard but we somehow managed to get through it. At the end of the day we pulled into the roadhouse and both loaded up on a cold drink straight away. We then sat down and started laughing, something we've been doing with each-other the last few days. We both must be thinking the exact same thing- a) we both can't believe we made it b) we're crazy for doing this c) we're both in excruciating pain and there's nothing that's going to make it better but just laugh at our situation. 

As per usual everything in the roadhouse cost a fortune. In order to save my self more pain I explained first to the girl working that we were both very tight on money and if they had any leftovers, discounts or free food/drinks that we would be wrapped to take it. She gave us an old loaf of white bread made at the roadhouse and a tray full of corned beef (covered in plenty of fat). These two foods I would never normally eat, however on this occasion I didn't want to throw it back in her face for providing a kind gesture and for us looking too greedy, but I was also desperate for the food. 

As I was sitting down a few people at the roadhouse were asking us about the ride. They asked if we were supporting a cause and I said yeah, we're supporting an organisation based in Alice Springs that works with Aboriginal youth. This generated some interesting responses, with the first coming from a middle aged White man working on the gas fields "don't come here and tell me shit about aboriginals" "I had ten of those cun$$$ chase me down the road when I was young". I listened to the man, as I realise everybody have there opinions for a reason. He explained that a lot of people from the city's, particularly Melbourne, have an ideal image of how life should be in the N.T but without ever coming up to experience it they are completely disconnected from the reality. This is something I strongly agree with, as I know the political party I represent has a group of fanatic supporters who fit that description perfectly. I can understand the frustration from White people in the area, however racist opinions and views hold little ground when given through discussion. I think this is a good trait I have, where I'll listen to a view no matter how racist or ill informed as I recognise they have these views for a reason. I'd also like to think I can identify a valid coherent point compared with a view based on hate or racism (particularly if they are not individually motivated and more from external influence). I felt more aligned to the second of these views, having picked up a number of racist views from the conversation. I feel the white community out here have a strong and long history of racism and it is more evident today than any other. 

The second persons that I spoke with were a more affluent white couple from the outer regions of Darwin. They were more open and interested in the organisation, however the man in the relationship had a stronger view. I would suppose his opinion holds a little more ground, namely his view that Aboriginal people can not be babied. I seconded that view and explained that we need to recognise the complex cultural worlds that they're caught up in, most particularly the more traditional communities in N.T.

As we were talking a man wrote his name on the wall, as the roadhouse encourages visitors who have gone through to write there name down. His name was "Chainsaw Freak" and he was pointing his finger to it, looking at me, while another person took the photo. I laughed a bit but was also a little bit concerned and after telling Davi I think he was too. I explained that we just need to be confident and not look vulnerable to these sick bastards. I also realised tonight that I should be careful telling white country bogans that we're supporting an Aboriginal organisation, as it certainly generates strong views!

We have an area at the front of the road house where we can sleep for free. We'll get a good night rest and try to tackle another 95km tomorrow! 

Day 6 (Tennant Creek to Three Ways Roadhouse)

Km's: 25

Time: 4 1/2 hours

Temperature: 43 degrees (Very Humid)

Today we were taking it easy all morning. After the massive day we had yesterday we were both buggered. I'm not sure if I mentioned it in my blog entry yesterday, however the humidity had become a lot more intense about 40km before Tennant Creek. It felt like we had been slapped in the face, as our body's were already suffering in the heat and this just made it worse. There is no room at all for the sweat to escape. 

The caravan park where we have stayed in Tennant Creek has a pool and we took full advantage of that this morning, having used it on two different occasions. I also used the foam roller to do a lot of stretches, however I'm still in a lot of pain. I believe right now it's not the physical toll but more the heat and humidity. 

On the way to Tennant Creek yesterday we saw a Blue Tongue lizard, a completely different looking specie to the one we have in Victoria. It had been hit by a car, and it had about five baby's still inside her. Her stomach had exploded from when the car hit her and you could see all the babies inside. All babies except one had died. It was a real miracle because the mum had been ran over, every baby had been ran over and there was one on the edge of the stomach that had just survived. This lizard looked completely lost though, and must of been waiting for his mum to help him. We took him out of the stomach and let him close to his mum, and he just licked the skin and attempted to walk close to her. I'm not sure how far of giving birth she was, but I assume she must of been very close to it. We decided to take the baby with us in the hope to find a animal shelter for it. Davi, doing veterinarian studies, became particularly attached to it. Since being in Tennant Creek we have had no luck finding an animal shelter and most people have just told us to let it go near a river.  We decided to let him go next to the pool today. When Davi put it down he walked back to us and laid next to us, licking our arms and resting against us. It must of thought we were its carers, it was a beautiful site indeed. We just hope it's alright!

We left Tennant Creek around 3pm in the hope to do about 75 km. About 7-8 km out Davis tyre had exploded due to the heat. At this moment I, and I imagine Davi too, thought the trip was over. I didn't thing we'd be able to find a tyre until Darwin. I jumped on my phone quickly, and fortunately having Internet reception I searched for a sports store in Tennant Creek. I found one, have them a call and was informed they had bigger tyres for more hybrid bikes. Davi's bike is more a road bike but I thought it was worth having a look. We changed a tube on Davi's bike but it soon after burst again. After this I told Davi to walk with the bike towards town and I would cycle there to make it before they closed. When I arrived and had a chat to the man in the shop, he said he'd drive back to pick Davi up. Seemed like a nice guy. It was funny though, as when he returned to the shop an aboriginal lady had walked in to have a look. He said to her "bugger off, we don't sell any water" she responded by saying "I'm not after water, I support North Melbourne and wanna have a look at that jumper" he then said to her "well have a look then get out". It was an awkward moment, as I could tell his actions were racially motivated. I stayed out of it, but have the lady a smile as if I was on her side, she did seem pretty thick skinned though so she must had it before. It is interesting these moments though, as to an average out-of-towner you don't understand the pretext for these types of incidences. One things for sure though, the way white people go about there business out here isn't the right way, and the way aboriginal people maintain themselves isn't the right way either. 

After this we changed the tyres, front and back just to be safe, and then headed 20km further north to the next roadhouse. We've had a good rest here and will now plan to do about 140 tomorrow.

Day 5 (Barrow Creek to Tennant Creek)

Weather: 41 degrees (entering humid country)

Day: 192km

Time: 10hours 25minutes

Probably the hardest day I've had in my life since the last ride going up the north west coast past Canarvon. My body seems to be in shock to this weather, and doesn't seem to be adapting any time quick.

We left the camp area just after 8am, I was ready to go at about 7:30 however Davi was still getting his things together. I wanted to help get all his gear ready but on the bike you pack everything the way you like so that you know where to access everything. Due to this I sat around, as the air got even hotter and the sun started to set in. I was annoyed to do nothing as I was desperate to take off. As the wind built into a solid headwind against us and Davi was ready than we left. I was a fair bit in front of Davi at the start, and there was one point where I could no longer see him behind me. I waited for a bit, turned around to have a look and managed to see him in a distance. When I could see he was on his way I kept going. 

There was a roadhouse about 50km past where we camped, so we were eager to get there by midday, to sit back a bit and get something cold. The name of it was Wycliffe Well, an interesting roadhouse covered in alien and UFO paraphernalia. When we got there the people working claimed to have seen UFOs in the area, a thought you would actually not consider insane if you saw how crystal clear the night sky is out here. We put our bottles in the ice cream freezer of the roadhouse, joking that we would of melted everything in the freezer as our bottles would of been close to 50degrees in heat. We knew however, that as soon as we took the bottles out they would heat up with in a few minutes anyway. 

We were in immense pain as we took off. Our bums are very sore from the seat and our arms and shoulders are in extreme pain due to controlling the bikes with all the weight. Last but not least our legs are feeling tight as well. It made me forgot how much pain I endured during the last ride. 

The next stop after the roadhouse was Tennant Creek, which was 135km further. Due to the heat and isolation I was very eager to make it there. This was partly due to water but also getting out of the sun. I've been drinking local water along the way, however due to high salt content and to what I was informed yesterday of uranium traces as well, I'm not keen on drinking more of this especially when it's full of BPA from cheap plastic bottles. The problem is it costs 5$ per litre of clean water, and I've been drinking 10litres a day on the bike. It's a hard decision I pay for it when I can get it for free. It's a funny situation though, as back in Melbourne I would never have this type of water or drink from hot BPA plastic bottles, but out here I just switch off and go in survival mode.

I told Davi I was keen to make Tennant Creek. We rode together for a bit and after about 15km he had dropped right back. I rode past a rest area about 90km short of Tennant Creek and I was hoping to god that Davi wouldn't stop in there for a break. It was about 3:30 and we had a slight tailwind. I knew if we kept at that pace we might of got into town by 8pm. As I looked back in the distance I realised I could no longer see Davi. I was about 3 or 4 km ahead, and I became very very frustrated. It was no position to stop and take a break as we needed to take advantage of the wind and get into town. I turned around and rode back, into the head wind now, and saw Davi coming back out of the rest area. I explained to him that there's no issue setting our tent up in the dark and for our own good we need to get into town. I said that if he can't see me in front, just to keep riding and I will meet him at the BP petrol station after I try to find a place to set up the tent. Fortunately however, we both maintained the same pace and pushed each other all the way to the end. I was absolutely buggered and so was Davi. We passed the 400km mark in the morning and 500km in the evening. In total we rode over 10hours in heavy heat and headwinds, only having boiling hot yuck tasting water out of crappy plastic bottles. 

We pulled into town around 9:30pm and went straight to a servo for a cold drink. We asked if there was a supermarket but was informed that it already closed. Davi and I were both annoyed with this news, as it meant we would have to spend double on some cold drinks in the servo.

The servo closed up so we decided to sit at the front on the concrete while we had our cold drinks. While we were there an older aboriginal man walked up. I offered him some chips and he sat down next to me. I asked a few questions, such as what the name of Country was where we were sitting. The gentleman informed me that it was "Wirangmu country" or at least that was the way it sounded. He had a strong accent and spoke half of each sentence in his own language. I learnt a few words off him, and he also told me that there were a number of spirits in the area and on the country. It was obvious he was connected to something on a higher level, as he was staring and focusing on things around him. He told me there were "Them women over there" standing in the dark. They were his ancestors and he felt sorry for them because they only come out sometimes and live under the ground. He then looked at me in the face, and then got real close and stared into my eyes and whispered loudly "MungaMungaa". This from what I gathered is the name of the spirits or ancestral women, or women in general. After he said it he had got into a big coughing fit, and responded by saying that the spirits are too powerful and it makes him sick when he engages with them. If I'd never studied traditional culture or dreaming stories than I probably wouldn't blame a person for calling this man schizophrenic, but the knowledge he had was far too great to make that statement. I could see Davi wasn't too comfortable with him sitting there and was eager to get going to the caravan park down the road to set up the tent. Davi left and I stayed back for a minute finishing up our conversation and saying my goodbyes to the Aborigibal man. As I went to take of I fell, along with the bike, on the ground. The man helped me up and then he looked to see where Davi was. Davi was down the road on the bike and the Aboriginal man became angry. He yelled out "NgintaBuka" "Your meant to work as a team, not ride off". I'm pretty certain NgintaBuka meant something in the middle of idiot, dickhead, get lost and maybe another meaning as well. Davi came back and tried to help but the man was not being so friendly to him. I calmed the situation down, but this situation reminded me of something our friend from Red Dust said in Alice Springs. He said to me, once your accepted into a mob, your than a part of that mob and they'll stand up and fight or you no matter what. This man right there was about to get in a fight to make a point for me. This was a good insight into the way certain cultural traits are different, and why Aboriginal communities appear to people in the city to be so backwards. I have learnt to notice that many issues within a community are cultural, and these cultural differences for mesh well with western cultural influences. From what Ive been informed this is also one of the reasons why Liam Jurrah from Melbourne football club went to prison. The man offered to give me some money and I refused to accept.

Davi and I cycled back to the caravan park set up the tents and went to sleep. We didn't eat dinner or drink too much water, as the tap water tasted pretty bad. We sculled the drinks we bought from the shop so I figured they were enough to get us to sleep. Just before sleep however, I started vomiting and feeling very nauseous. I think, or I suppose I hope, this was a result of fatigue and exhaustion. It reminded me of Jobe Watson after a game of footy and seeing him vomit everywhere.  I'm hoping after. Good sleep and some food tomorrow we can recover. Davi seems to be good which is great. I haven't even thought about where we're going tomorrow. 

Day 4 (Ti Tree to 40km past Barrow Creek)

Day 150km

7hours 10minutes

41degrees

Another hot and long day. We left around 8:30 after having a good chat with our hosts from the mango farm in the morning. It reminded me about my previous trip and how many nice people I'd met and then never saw again. Only difference is this time I have another person to share these experiences with and hopefully we can recap on these experiences in the future.

It felt incredibly hot again today, and I was a little worried I wouldn't do so well after having a bit of trouble yesterday evening. Fortunately I got through alright and Davi did too. We stopped after about 100km at a roadhouse and we both had about 5 superdooper icy poles each. They were 1$ each but were definitely worth it. To my good fortune the final day of the test against India was on the television in the roadhouse. We relaxed a bit and watched Australia win the match and not long after we left again. It still seems like Davi doesn't really get cricket, as he laughed when he realised it was the same match I was watching a day before we left for the trip! "A game goes for five days!?", he said to me. 

Now off to sleep as we have found a nice rest area on the side of the road. There's a few German backpackers parked here with there car and there being a bit noisy so hopefully we can get some sleep. A big day with 190km planned tomorrow, and supposedly the weather only getting harder.

Day 3 (Alice Springs to Ti Tree)

39 degrees

Total km: 181km

Ride time: 8hours 52minutes

Today was very hard. It was a reminder of the pain I was going through during the last ride I did, particularly the long hot days up the west coast. The climate feels very similar to the area of Canarvon and Karratha way, the only difference is now my body's not used to it. Today we also passed the Tropic of Capricorn, something I've passed for a second time now. I think I passed the Tropic of Capricorn about 100km north of Canarvon if I can remember, so it would explain why the conditions are pretty similar. Landscape is also a little similar, with the red earth bearing many similarities. The flora differs a bit from the west coast with the species around here more similar to that in South Australia near Iron knob way, probably about 1500km directly south of where we are now. We also saw some big eagles and a few wild bulls. 

We pushed it pretty hard, although we started pretty slow. Our average was around 17km or so coming out of Alice Springs and ended up the ride around 35km to have an average of around 23 km for the day. We stopped after about 90km for a few minutes to fill up our water and then we kept going.

Originally we were meant to ride about 130km and we felt pretty good so we kept going to 185 or so for today. Our plans were to ride to the road house "Ti Tree", as here we could load up on water and get a descent sleep. As we got to about 10 km before Ti Tree there was a massive sign saying fresh cold magoes and "Best mango Ice Cream in Australia", I probably wouldn't of had the icecream but I would've love a sorbet smoothie or something! We decided to pull in there to check it out. We walked into the little shop and were a little devastated that there was no fresh mangoes as the season hasn't started yet. 

A few seconds later I started feeling dizzy and light headed. I sat down for a bit and then when I tried to get up it felt like I was going to vomit. Davi and I sat outside for about 20 minutes just to recover. Davi was keen to keep going to the Ti Tree road house, as I would've been too else I hadn't been feeling sick.

We were laying on the ground at the front of the little store on the farm. It was actually quite funny as a lot of Aboriginal customers were coming through and one of the lady's said "These fellas passed out! Too much grog!".

The owner of the farm saw we were buggered and offered to put us up at the farm for the night. As I started walking it felt like I was going to vomit, so I had to lay down more. I got up to have a cold shower but the best I could get was coldish/slightly warm due to the hot weather hearing the water. I felt better anyway.

After this we had dinner and got to chat to a few of the other guys staying on the farm to. They all seemed like good fellas. Tomorrow off for another 190km!

Day 2 (Alice Springs)

39degrees

Today we decided to stay back so we could check out the local juvenile centre with the Red Dust guys. We were a bit worried spending an extra day here as we have a time limit to ride to Darwin, but it was certainly worth it to stay back today. 

The Red Dust guys picked us up around midday and took us to the prison. Actually, they showed us around town first, showing us the school where they do their outreach program's and then taking us to their shed where they have all there gear. We had to get a tee-shirt and shoes because the prison won't let you in without them. As Davi and I have come with minimal items due to space and weight requirement, we didn't bring any shoes with us. I became a bit nervous as the shed didn't have any spare shoes and we went straight to the prison in the hope they would lend us shoes there, and fortunately they did.

We went in and watched Jonso and Damo play the guitar and sing with the kids. The presence these two have is amazing. The fact they talk to the young kids in a culturally understanding way makes a huge difference, as the kids pay more attention. In the room was also a couple of white fellas helping out. There was an obvious disconnect between the white fellas and the kids though. 

Looking in the room it was both devastating and also eye opening. There were about fifteen kids aged between 12 to 17 just sitting around the room, wasting there time in a juvenile detention centre. A few of the kids looked happy and were engaging with the music. I could see a few of the kids were also a lot more reserved, perhaps a result of there more traditional culture. I noticed a few of the kids in the room having one of the front teeth removed, a sign of initiation. Jonso has had one of his teeth removed, which I realise is excellent as it allows the kids to identify he is a cultural law man and that he is a respected person in the community. When we were sitting in the room I was not sure whether to smile or not as I didn't want to show that I wasn't an initiated man and didn't want the kids to think I was a typical white fella just there for a show. 

I soon couldn't help but smile once the program started. The whole room started by singing along with Jonso. He wrote the lyrics on the white board and broke the lyrics into four parts, so everyone in the room broke off into four groups. We had to come up with a name for the group and then partake in the singing, a fun exercise in itself. At start I was a bit nervous but then realised it was all for fun and mostly for the kids too. A few of the kids got right into it and some others not. We sang the song "Have you ever seen the rain" and I can tell you I'll never listen to this song the same way again. I was very close to crying watching all the kids sing and get engaged. I just wish we didn't live in a world where young kids fell down this path.

After singing this song Jonso then started singing a more traditional song. This song drew mixed reactions from the kids and Jonso later explained why. As we made a few cultural sounds the initiated kids had realised that those sounds are meant for the bush and cultural ceremonies for times like initiation. Jonso explained to the class we're supporting culture and that there were initiated men in the room so we weren't making a mockery out of it. This was another valuable insight into a deep complex life these young fellas live by.

After the prison we went back to Jonsos place, or atleast where he's staying at the moment and had a look at some of his pets. Around his house, which is a massive property is a few snakes, emus, chickens and also a huge lizard, apparently the largest lizard in Aus. 

After all this Davi and I went to a cousin of Jonso's to fix a broken window, along with two of his little nephews. Jonsos nephew broke it and as a result Jonso was expected to fix it. This was another real eye opener. The way they removed the remainder of the window was by smashing it with a hammer, although everyone was bare foot they didn't seem to mind. Surprisingly nobody got a cut on there foot, even the 10 year old nephew who was walking right through the broken glass. Whilst we were putting the window in a few of his cousins and friends were in the house watching us. They were all smoking bongs (way to smoke marijuana) and drinking booze. I'm not sure if they didn't help cause Jonso was expected to fix it or because they were busy getting wasted. After a while we we managed to put the window in and then shot off. 

Understanding Jonsos background and the conditions he's faced gives me an immense level of respect for him. He's a strong level headed genuine bloke with a great energetic nature. He has a great understanding of culture, which is somewhat evident in his high level of initiation. 

Now we will get some food and a few last bits and pieces and then shoot off tomorrow morning. We will say our farewells to Jonso, Damo and a few of the guys from the juvenile centre tonight!

Day 1 (Alice Springs)

39degrees

Total km's: 22km

Wow. It's more than a year and a half since I finished up on my last big bike journey. I have come back for more, however this time feeling a lot more wiser and also having a companion to enjoy all the highs and lows with. We will be cycling from Alice Springs to Darwin. 

Today we flew from Melbourne to Alice Springs, (10th December) and will fly out of Darwin to Melbourne on Christmas night on the 25th. This gives us 14 days to cycle roughly 1600 km's, with today being planned as a day off as we load up on supplies and get our selves ready. 

We have teamed up with Red Dust, a non profit group that provides community outreach to indigenous youth in outback areas. The organisation provides education around alcohol consumption and also healthy living through the promotion of good food and physical activity. When my friend Davi and I heard about this organisation we thought it would be great to try support the work they do, even if we can only promote it to a few people. 

It was a very good day today as we managed to meet up with a few of the guys from Red Dust and also get in a radio interview to help promote the organisation. This was a result of me calling the ABC radio and asking if we could do a story. I suppose I have a bit more experience this time after the last ride I did.

We have decided to stay back again tomorrow, as our new friend from Red Dust has offered to take us out to a local juvenile detention centre. The guys do work with the young fellas there, providing support and being positive role models. They also play music and do art and cultural activities to make connect on a cultural level and get them more engaged.

I'm really looking forward to this and also to see a bit more of Alice Springs. It seems like a great town and so far I'm really impressed. It feels very laid back and has a very beautiful scenery. It provides a feeling of isolation, being in wilderness, yet the desolate surroundings account for a majestic landscape.  

The fella we have met from Red Dust was a true inspiration. In listening to him speak I was almost in awe. He is only young yet gives the perception of an elder displaying a high level of confidence. He spoke about some initiation steps that he's gone through and a number of other cultural histories. He must of truly trusted my self and Davi, as I know this is generally very private information. It was a moment I'll never forget, standing outside ABC radio in Alice Springs listening to the traditional stories of a strong cultural man. The interview went pretty good too, with the two fellas from Red Dust, Davi and I all contributing the interview.

It's a strange feeling, as looking back when I last wrote I was finishing up on the ride in June 2013 and my main concern being focused on finding a place to live. Going on another ride was the last thing I was interested in. Now I have a place that I'm renting and have other commitments in my life, so it's a completely different feeling to the last ride. I am however now feeling a similar level of comfort in the feeling I'm free again. It is annoying knowing we have a set date to return, as the true feeling of freedom is knowing you can go on forever and have no commitments. 

A few of the guys joked about Davi not knowing what he's in for, but I think Davi is a strong guy and will be able to persist. It will be hard, but I feel he has the confidence to push his limits.

Melbourne (Morning of departure for Alice Springs)

The weathers looking ominous further up near Darwin, with thunderstorms and heavy rain predicted. Alice Springs seems a bit more consistent with 40degrees over the last couple of days and yesterday being 30degrees around 2am in the morning. I can see it will be hot and sticky, and also potentially very wet. The thing I'm a little anxious about is how far north it will be when the weather starts to get wet and stormy. My logic is saying it will start around half way up to Darwin, but let's wait and see.

We will stay at a hostel tonight in Alice Springs. I am hoping to find a map up to Darwin when we arrive as I haven't had a look at anything yet (talk about last minute!). We will leave early tomorrow to Darwin as we have only 14 days to cycle up there, which will be around a total of 1600kms. It will be hard to get lost when there is only one road to Darwin, however the thing I am interested in seeing is the distance between road houses where we can get access to water. We will get off the flight around 10:00 local time in Alice Springs, unpack the boxes and assemble the bikes. Once getting all this sorted we will then head into the town where we will load up on supplies. I'm hoping to meet with a local fella from Red Dust. I'd love to find out more about local issues and the great work Red Dust have been doing. After this we will check into the hostel and hopefully get a good night sleep for tomorrow! I'd guess Davi and I had about a two hour sleep last night as we were putting our bikes in the boxes and getting everything ready (again last minute!!)

Great to finally get to the heartland of Aus. It devastated me that I didn't go there during the last bicycle journey, and the fact I had never simply seen any part of the Northern Territory. Strong aboriginal culture, hot and humid, crocs and mossies are the things I imagine to see. Also thunderstorms and floods as we get closer to Darwin.. I will keep you posted.

Day 140 (Broome to Melbourne (via Perth))

May 21 (Tuesday)

Today is the final day of this journey before I head back to cold Melbourne. I have cycled across four states, seen many different things and have slept in all sorts of conditions over the last 150 days. I've pushed my self to the absolute limit, both physically and mentally. It will be a strange feeling getting back to some type of 'normality' in everyday life again. 

I've become quite adapted to scanning good areas to sleep, or looking through skip bins for left over food. I definitely won't be missing a sketchy sleep at the back of football oval, or in an abandoned property, however I'm not so sure that I'll be truly happy in an enclosed bedroom in the urban suburbia. This is perhaps my biggest fear once returning home, is finding a place to live where I can still feel free. I don't want to go back to the hustle and bustle of the inner suburbs of Melbourne, but I'm hoping to find a nice garden and a nice sized place to enjoy my time. I would like to make a fire now and then and cook my food outside under the stars. This ride has made my desire to be self sustainable even stronger, producing my own organic veggies and preferably having access to established fruit trees. I will be looking around Clayton or Oakleigh area, close by to the Monash University for a place that I can rent while I do my studies. 

Yesterday as the sun set over cable beach I sat down and reflected on the trip. I was thinking on what I've learnt as a human being and in what ways I've perhaps changed as a person. The key thing that stood out to me was the importance of being around good people. People who can share simple pleasures in life with. The two French girls who I've met up with have helped me realise this as well, as two days ago I was sitting at cable beach alone and was not able to truly enjoy the sun set. I had other things on my mind and I couldn't really be at peace. Yesterday whilst watching the same sunset, but with my two French friends I was a lot more relaxed. I think being alone for so long of this ride has made me realise the importance of people, the importance of being a part of a community and appreciating all kinds of people. I hope when I return to Melbourne I can find a place and manage to surround my self with good people.

It will be a rather cold feeling, both weather wise and also again loneliness wise once returning to Melbourne. I will arrive to Melbourne around 5 am in the morning, doing the red eye trip from Broome that departs at 21:00 tonight. The weather change will be around -29 degrees, with Melbourne being around 5degrees at 5 am and Broome reaching the mid 30s  earlier today. I will arrive to my home town without the fabulous reception that Shane Crawford or perhaps many others have had after a big bike trip, rather I will be by my self and after assembling my bike out of the box I will then have to cycle back to my mothers place. I must admit it does work out convenient as my mother is currently overseas and the house will be empty for another week, hopefully giving me time to get back into work, look for a place and settle in a bit. With infers crossed I can get into my own place within a few weeks of work and saving up, otherwise it might be back to the tent in local parks and neglected property sites. 

Day 136 (Broome - Rest Day)

May 17 (Friday)

Today I checked into a hostel. I actually stayed at this same hostel when I was in Broome two years ago. It's consistent with the cheapest dorms at the two other hostels in town, admittedly the 12 room dorm being $2 more per night then the others yet this one being in a more centralised location.

It feels good to not have to worry about keeping everything spotless and stating in somebody else home. It's also a good change to that of spending most of my time alone. It was sad to leave my friends place because she was very pleasant to me and incredibly generous to have me stay for the previous week. I was hoping to camp today but my friends decided the weather wasn't good enough to go.

I must admit this hostel isn't the cleanest place around but I am still more than content with it, after camping for so long and sleeping on my sweat/bug covered ground mat this is still a great luxury. I am wandering whether this mindset will change once returning home?

I have to note that my host also allowed me into her workplace yesterday. She is an architect for an Aboriginal organisation (NBC) that specify in culturally sensitive housing designs. The organisation have a great mission and set of objectives, in which they are attempting to help promote Indigenous self-determination. I was very pleased to get an idea of my friends work place and also have an insight into an Aboriginal controlled organisation. In addition the surrounding work offices were of an Aboriginal focus as well. It was yesterday that I actually had a very big shock into the severity of Aboriginal health in remote areas. I was informed that in recent studies one in two adolescents to the age of 14 were diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). This blew me away, I felt like being sick. It killed me when I heard that. The study was done in a community a hundred or so km north of Broome. When I hear statistics such as this I have this overwhelming feeling to do something about it. I feel that I am obliges to dedicate my time in working to prevent it. I definitely need to be more proactive when I return home and get involved with organisations that address this and help prevent it (and if there are none, look into the development of such an organisation).

Some good socialising tonight and some more time with my French friends down at Cable Beach!

Day 135 (Broome - Rest Day)

May 16 (Thursday)

I spent today looking at rental properties close to the University where I will commence studying in July. I have realised on my ride that I would be more content with city living if I have access to my own garden space in which I can make productive for sustainable living and beneficial for the environment, relaxing, and a little private escape from the surrounding built area. I feel incredibly free on the bike and  enjoy camping in a natural setting, but it would be most ideal to have a permanent set up where I can start to develop consistent sustainable lifestyle.

I am incredibly bored in the place where I am staying. I do realise I am fortunate to have a place to stay here in Broome with a very kind women, yet I am becoming very uncomfortable with staying in the one place with no one around. I have a few friends who I also met on my journey, and I am hoping to go camping with them at some point in the next few days. As the weather is quite bad we can not confirm anything at this moment. I have booked a flight back to Melbourne for next Tuesday night (21/06). If I don't go camping I think I will check into a hostel in town. I have roughly 5 days remaining and would love to meet other people and explore more of the surrounding area. My host here however is persistent that I stay here for free! Now that I have arranged to return to Melbourne I have a lot less stress on my financial situation. I know that I can at least make it back and survive for a week or two without being overly tight. The best thing is I have been informed work is very busy, something I am looking forward to getting straight into. The idea of saving and getting my own place is becoming very dominant and strong in my mindset.

I have to note how extreme the weather is here!! The rain is non-stop. It is almost flooding the streets. Thank god I'm not camping out tonight!.

Tonight my host and I enjoyed another nice meal together!

Day 134 (Broome - Rest Day)

May 15 (Wednesday)

I have confirmed today that I will be finishing this journey. I have spent today searching the cheapest possible way to return home. I contemplated hiring a free relocation van to Perth so I could fly out from there to Melbourne, saving $200 on a flight from Broome to Melbourne. I realised I need a $1000 bond for that which I don't currently have. I then looked at gum tree for any share rides down to Perth or up to Darwin yet each one demanded shared expenses over two weeks travelling, in which case I'd be better off cycling north for the same money and same time (admittedly without seeing a thing and a lot less fun).

I booked a flight back to Melbourne. This was a very heavy feeling. It was very hardd for me to confirm it on the computer. I stopped and had another hard think about it. The main thoughts that I'm having are "Will I regret this when I'm back home?" "Will I feel that I wasted an opportunity to ride south to north?" "Have I backed down on my word and a goal that I made for an organisation?".

I justified all of these questions by thinking thoroughly on each of them. I won't regret it because its not about self or ego, it's about the people around me and trying to help troubled youth who may need extra support.

Will I feel I wasted an opportunity riding south to north? Yes I definitely will. The reason why this decision can be made easier however, is because I know I will have a drive to do something else perhaps on a larger scale at sometime in the future. Why would I ride north now and not enjoy a thing and then gain some false form of content with seeing this part of Australia.

Have I backed down on my goal and my word to Whitelion? I feel yes but others say no. Deep inside this is perhaps the most hardest to overcome. I have always been committed to delivering what ever it is I'll say I'll do. In this situation I feel it's magnified by a thousand times, yet it is still a word that was driven by my self and not under the expectation of anyone else. If a company would have sponsored the ride and said - I'll give a few thousand dollars to Whitelion if you make it to Darwin - then I would have something to fulfil. At the moment I have sent emails non stop to various newspapers and phoned radio stations only to receive false promises of publishing a story, and other times never receiving responses. I know this is also a failure of my time input, as if I called everyday and persisted with it then I would possibly have more coverage. As I've mentioned I'm not a salesman, I don't like hitting others up for money and I don't like giving off an impression that you only want to be polite with others just to ask them for money. I was hoping Whitelion as an organisation could of promoted that more, as I feel if someone else is to ask to fundraise on behalf of another person that feeling of being a salesman is somewhat diminished. In saying this I have no hesitation in promoting the reasoning of my ride in the hope of making people aware of troubled youth, such as those like my own brother. At this time asking for money to help the cause is a lot easier.

So then I felt content with my decision to leave. I realised without the support crew that the Sam fella had from yesterday I would not have a chance of fundraising to a large extent. To ride and manage the rest of the trip with out any services in the bush leaves little time to follow up on the promotion of the ride.

Talking about the promotion of the ride I received a phone call from a media partner of Whitelion saying they could do a story in the local paper in Broome. I thought this was great, would have been even more great in every other town as well. They explained there was a catch though. I had to provide a photo with my Aboriginal friend so they could do a story on it and how I gave him a football jumper. At this moment I reflected on Sam the man riding the unicycle. I saw a photo yesterday of him laying on the ground in front of 20 odd Aboriginal kids. The biggest thing I am always cautious of is trying to pump up my own ego and image by taking photos with Aboriginal or even Indigenous people that I've met overseas. If you think about it it's pretty demoralising when you single out one group of people for a photo, really not so dissimilar to taking a photo of an animal in a zoo. In addition I didn't want my friend thinking I only gave him a gift so I can get some type of self promotion out of it. I also didn't feel comfortable being the white saviour in the photo along with a few other reasons. I explained to the media organiser that I can give them any other photo, so will now wait and see what they say. I don't think they understood why I didn't want to do this..

Still no response from Sam either.. Not sure why he said he would meet me today. I haven't heard of any other cyclist out here so would be hard to get this confused.

Tonight a beautiful sunset whilst catching up with some friends I met in Kimba, South Australia.

Day 133 (Broome - Rest Day)

May 14 (Tuesday)

I found my friend!!! I gave him the football jumper and also caught up with a few other fellas who I had met during my last encounter in Broome. This was a very surreal experience, and one that I will remember for many years to come.

The process of finding where he lived will be perhaps just as memorable as giving him the jumper itself. I had a street name to follow up today after meeting a local Aboriginal women yesterday. The women approached me at the front of the shopping mall and asked me for a dollar. The exact wording was, in pidgin English "ay there, you gotta dollar?". I responded that I didn't but offered her some bread. She sat with me at the front of the mall, and we shared some bread with peanut butter on it. This was yet another unexpected moment that I felt perfectly comfortable with. I used the wooden taste tester stick I collected from Wendys to spread the peanut butter on the bread for the lady. It is in moments such as these that generate the most deepest feeling of human interaction and connection, a feeling that is very difficult to describe. A complete stranger is willing to share a peanut butter sandwich having no hesitation or reluctance to interact with another human being - all in the most unconventional manner. I wrote about my interaction a week or so ago with a mainstream non-Indigenous couple that wouldn't let me within a few metres of their van. They believed I was too dirty from being out on the bike for so long, which is not something I'd contest but the behaviour itself was something I find questionable. The most singular contrast of these two situations is the capability of one person, or culture for that matter, to value and identify any member of society as equal and no different to any other person regardless of appearance, clothing, class or even racially. In all my experiences human nature seems to be more prevalent in cultures with minimal mainstream influence, perhaps resulting from the idea of want, need and greed that's so heavily advertised.

Following my sandwich with the Aboriginal women I saw Sam, the man riding a unicycle for breast cancer science research. I had sent a few emails off to this man in the last week, as I had been informed from a few friends that this guy would in Broome during the same time as my self. I never received any response. A friend of mine also tried to get in contact with him, with no prevail. I thought perhaps he was to busy to see my emails or messages. The thing that contradicted this belief though, was having seen irrelevant social media posts via his facebook page making me well aware that he had opportunities to see my messages. Despite not hearing anything back, I took this opportunity to approach him at the shops. The reason I wanted to have contact with him was so I could help promote my own bike ride, as he has over 25,000 followers in his social media sites. I had little to offer in return, having a measly 300 in comparison.

As I approached Sam I could not believe the feeling of intimidation he had given off. I would describe it as an impression of deep concern, something you would imagine from a timid school child confronted by a high school bully. I realised he had previously walked past me, whilst I was sitting with the Aboriginal women eating the bread with peanut butter. I also thought that perhaps the women may of asked him for a dollar. As I went up to say hello the Aboriginal woman was alongside me. I believe this definitely contributed to his standoffish behaviour, along with me looking like I've slept in the bush for the past week (which I had).

I explained what I was doing and how I'd love to team up for a few photos in the hope to help promote the two rides. I knew I had little to offer in promotion for his cause, but the way in which I spoke and interacted with him would surely of been something admirable. I explained where I've been, my timing to get there and everything else about my trip. I had the feeling he took very little of this information in. The only response I received was that "I've already organised to meet up with you tomorrow mate". I thought, has he? Have I not received these emails? Or the messages? As he was somewhat wimpish and keeping quite distant, he seemed very relieved when the moment was interrupted from a member of his support crew. They pulled up in a fully signed van opening the door for him (like a famous actor off the red carpet) and also for his other friend he was with, who I also assume was part of the support crew. Before the van drove off a man from the Wendy's shop came running out with a bag full of hotdogs and other treats. He exclaimed "Sam, Sam take these for the road, a gift from us!!". Sam took the bag and drove off. I felt this moment had just happened for some type of deeper reason, a message from someone or something. I looked at the van drive off, I then looked at the Aboriginal women eating my bread and then looking at my bike. I explained in Wendy's that I was cycling for a good cause, yet they almost charged me for a taste tester stick to spread the peanut butter. This was also on my mind. It was a clear train of thought, which is a lot more difficult to make clear through text. I am sure for those reading this a few thoughts could be generated as to what I was thinking.

After this I checked all my emails and messages to realise I hadn't heard anything from Sam or his support crew. I decided to leave this train of thought and continued my conversation with the Aboriginal women in the hope to find my friend.

The women claimed to have lived on the same street as him. Her accent was very heavy so was hard for me to understand. It also didn't help that the street name was rather different. The street was "Portabello". As I couldn't really understand this from the women I looked at the map of Broome for anything sounding familiar.

I managed to find it on the map this morning so rode my bike around and luckily found his house from memory. The ride there was a serious eye opener. For any person to claim Australia doesn't have inequality I would strongly recommend them to come here. I do question the means of this inequality, as I certainly believe there's more then enough opportunities for the Aboriginal community to live in better conditions. All the housing is covered in tagging, the whole streets covered in broken glass, broken chairs on the street, over grown weeds, holes in house walls. It was very intimidating cycling through this street, as at the front of each house were at least half a dozen jet black Aboriginal people staring down at me. I could imagine what they were thinking of some white guy coming through on a descent push bike.

It was hard to recognise the house with all the junk and weeds at the front of the properties. I didn't want to tip toe around the houses as I'd imagine the people around wouldn't have warmed to it. I decided to knock on the door of the house I thought it was. It was empty and looked like no one was in. Out of nowhere a women appeared behind the window. This nearly gave me a heart attack. She directed me a few houses down so I took off again.

At the front of my friends house were a group of Aboriginal people sitting down. I rode my bike into the driveway as they all stared me down. I said "G'day fellas, Eric Hunter around?". They said "Hey brother, yeah he's inside". I realised one of the men were uncle Rich, one of the law men who carried out the trek I did a few years ago. The others were all cousins and other relatives of each other. Eric came out in great surprise. I could tell he was very shocked to see me and also very pleased. He said "Hey Jamie! How ya going". I have to note that the English here is also difficult to understand so I always had to try hard to listen.

I told him where I'd been and how I had travelled into Broome. I told him how I was still over the moon with my necklace and I hadn't forgot about him. I grabbed the football jumper and handed it over. He was really in great shock. The jumper was brand new and still perfectly clean. I wandered how long it will stay like this, as I realised everyone else were wearing old and worn clothing. He read the message I wrote on the back and it seemed he was still trying to come to grips with the situation. His mother was also in the house and he went up to show the jumper off. Eric is in his late 30's and has battled much of his later years in alcohol rehab. One of the main reasons I wanted to give the jumper was to encourage him to keep going with the trail walks and also pursue activities such as wood carvings. He is a clever man yet seems that he might not be aware of his own capabilities. I always said to him, and continued today, that he's got a talent with paintings and also carvings.

After our initial contact we all sat down together at the front. Throughout the day a number of stragglers made there way into the driveway. This was awkward for me as with the culture here you are not introduced, you have to gradually introduce your self via your own interactions. At one point there may have been about 15 of us sitting down. On the other side of the road was another house doing the exact same. A few other houses in the street also were doing this. I had even noticed this in Karratha in an Aboriginal neighbourhoods I cycled last, very common for many to sit at the front of the house.

Half of the people at Eric's were trying to be dry (alcohol free), while a few others were getting into the beers. Eric explained he got out of rehab a few days ago, and was finding it difficult to avoid the drink now. A number of people repeatedly said to each other "would love a beer". A few others claimed "what a boring day". The understanding of Aboriginal communities fighting alcohol abuse became clearer and clearer throughout the day. This was made even harder for Eric and his friends as the house on the other side were drinking and creating a fair bit of attention. They had music playing, Eric informed me they were having a party. I asked what for and there seemed to be no apparent reason. I realised this was a Tuesday, not a public holiday and it was 13:00 in the middle of the day. I wandered how these people had money to even survive, making me want to investigate centrelink payment system even more. Despite the alcohol issues and over emphasis on eating McDonald's, the culture was great to be around.

After a while I decided it was time to move on. I asked the guys what they would be up to on the weekend, only to realise the weekend would be irrelevant to them. They told me they would take me out fishing for turtle and dugong. The offer sounds tempting, although I don't know if I could bring my self to do it!!

Day 132 (Broome - Rest Day)

May 13 (Monday)

This morning I went for a ride around the neighbourhood to see if I could find my friends house. I was there during the evening on only one occasion, which was two years ago, so it was a little bit of a wild shot. My memory of it is still quite strong and the neighbourhoods certainly looked very familiar to me. I crossed a few streets I know we would of walked along but I couldn't manage to find his house or street for that matter.

After this I went down to the local radio station. My friend here has a contact and managed to get me a foot in the door for an interview. This was great, I'll take any opportunity to promote the cause and send a positive message for other young people.

After the radio I asked a few local people if they knew any details of my friend. Every body seemed to know who he was yet didn't know where he lived. The common traits of Aboriginal communities elsewhere is certainly evident here, with many of the Aboriginal people explaining to me they are familiar of many other Aboriginal family names. The family names seem to very strong amongst the community, perhaps linking back to traditional cultural ties.

I met a security guard who was a very nice man. He said he'd make a few phone calls for me and let me know if he found anything. Hopefully this works out..

Another good feed and more relaxing.