An old picture of the Yuendumu Police Complex, in the olden days when it marked the exit from the ‘Tanami Track’.
Another one from Frank, and a source of some relief we at pcbycp can tell you.
Though we’re no closer to unravelling what kind of ‘Peace’ Frank was referring to it’s heartening to know, (thanks to the increased Police presence) that it’s very peaceful up in his neck of the North-West Frontier. And heartening to know that the once dusty, corrugated Tanami track is now the ‘Tanami Highway’. A digital super-highway which is controlled for our safety by Police patrol cars. Cos on the North West Frontier lawlessness is just a by- election away. We shan’t say anything else lest it spoils Frank’s message, which is, as always, poignant and perceptive. But never ” performative’!…..He writes..
Hi again,
A song celebrating the end of the cold war-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ (Scorpions- Wind of Change)
During the intervention numerous upgrades to the Tanami Track were made under the banner ‘Stronger Futures’ under the guidance of Kevin Rudd. Example of intervention era signage depicted here.
I guess it never really ended.
Just got back to Yuendumu. All quiet on the Western Front.
Had occasion to travel back and forth to Alice Springs several times in the last few weeks.
I won’t talk about what the Wind of Change wrought to Alice Springs during the last half a century (better told by someone who lives there).
Further west, the Wind of Change has not left us alone. Many of these changes were discussed in My Yuendumu Story (out of print, a second edition not too far away I hope)
Tilmouth Well Roadhouse
No one refers to the road to Yuendumu as the Tanami Track anymore. It is now known as the Tanami Highway. No one mentions Napperby Creek anymore, everyone refers to Tilmouth Well Roadhouse. The signs at Charlie Creek (known by us as Kumanjayi Creek for a while) have been removed or stolen.
What used to be a poorly maintained corrugated track which it took us six hours to reach Alice Springs on, is now wholly bituminized (much of it double lane) and the trip takes us less than half as long. In the past we experienced occasions when we had to wait many hours or even a couple of days for a passer by to render assistance when we had vehicle troubles. These days a long wait is no longer a problem. A more likely problem is that passers by won’t stop to help.
There are still signs of the 25% of mulga trees that died a couple of years ago. This dieback is believed to have been caused by heat stress. Distributed in between the dead mulga however, there are now a large number of mulga seedlings and saplings.
Clumps of very tall Karnturangi trees, the desert poplar (Codonopcarpus cotinifolius), used to be sparsely distributed along the road. The tall trees have died, but after recent rains a forest of young Karnturangi has sprung up over several kilometres on the Yuendumu side of Napperby creek.
Artists Impression of New Police Complex for Yuendumu.
The mysteriously missing kangaroos are yet to be explained, but I have been told that several kangaroos have recently been sighted.
Another change is that during each of the several trips to or from Alice Springs I encountered at least one and as many as three police vehicles.
Donovan’s Trying to Catch the Wind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xGblitaWMI
Chau,
Frank
Artists impression of new Alice Springs Police Complex.
PS- I did notice that I’d left off an ‘e’ on ‘glimpse’- tant pis.