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They say in the Australian desert, that water only flows in rivers during the rainy season, and it is so true.
The year I taught at Areyonga was the year of the heavy rains, and for the first time in many years, the river outside Alice Springs had water in it. We had to line up with the rest of the cars trying to leave the Communities, and wait for the flood waters to recede, which they do as quickly as they come.
Alice Springs is also known for its Annual Regatta, where the community make crazy boats and 'run' them down the river which has no water. That same year..1999...the Regatta was cancelled because the River had water, and they did not quite know what to do about it.
This river was just past the 650 kms south of Broome road, past Sherlock River, which did have water, and here, the huge river bed was just hot sand.
We walked along the centre of what is a river when there is water, looking for colored pebbles and gold streaked quartz, but there weren't very many with gold in them. There were huge black ants making nests, and collecting wattle seeds, and that was a pretty good sign that rain was not expected for a while, as when the rains are coming, the ants move to higher ground, and the movement of ants is a sign of rain coming.
The aborigines dig down into the dried river sands and find water. There is always plenty of underground water. You just dig and dig and wait for the water to seep into the hole.
The River gums are particularly beautiful when the sands are there, and the waters are not, and this scene is a typical Aussie Bush scene, but it is in the middle of a dried riverbed.

All thats missing is the jolly swagman making a brew, watched by an indolent kangaroo or emu.

This image is one of my very favourites for the very beautiful Outback scene depicted. To me its Outback Australia, river gums and red sands and lazy days of high temperature where the air shimmers with the heat.It was in the mid 50's when this photograph was taken in January 2004.

My Beautiful Australia.... Maggi Carstairs 2006


Broome to Coral Bay Outback Aust