we went to bawaka for the weekend – it was my mate Will’s 50th birthday and so in honour of him joining the club with me an arnhem land party was planned. when i rang will to check on details he told me all he really wanted to do was drive down there and go hunting fish, sting ray and mudcrabs with kade and myself. I think that is Will’s idea of a perfect day out – and I think he might be onto something there!
going to bawaka is always a pleasure, great people, stunning landscape, great hunting, beautiful water, stunning sunsets – its got it all, but more than that, from a camping perspective its great, shelter, shade and running fresh water make all the difference – being able to jump under the beach shower when ever you get dirty or hot and sweaty is a true luxury in arnhem land camping!
so what can i say about the weekend, well the food was sublime, i brought thai style prawns, marinated, which i chucked on my porta weber and chargrilled to have with rice, kade cooked a huge paella riddled with pork, chorizo and prawns, we had mudcrabs that Will caught and stingray – which is my favourite seafood of all when prepared traditionally by yolngu, we had birthday cake and then a huge scrambled eggs, bacon and chilli beans for sunday breakfast followed by loads of coconut water liberated by melissa and I from fresh green coconuts. a veritable feast – especially for camp tucker!
it was a beautiful time spent with our yolngu family and good friends – always a great combination. Will got his wish, although the 10km walk in the shallows hunting just about made it his last birthday, judging by the aching body the next day!
after breakfast on sunday, while the girls went gathering pandanus for weaving and natural dyes for the pandanus as well as digging up a nest of turtle eggs, the boys looked after the kids.
nothing like a big rock in the sea, deep water and warm weather to keep the kids happy!
i managed to get a rope around a big bunch of green coconuts and pull them off the tree – they fell like bombs missing my head by inches, to everyone watchings amusement. never mind, later that night I was getting something out of the esky and the lid fell on my head, tearing a decent hole in it that proceeded to bleed like a stuck pig!
the weekend was finished off with a fine display by a school of dolphins herding mullet into the beach and chopping them up in front of the kids!
w