Drought affected Mutawintji or Mootwingee National Park

drive out to the Northern loop around to White cliffs. PA120007 Mootwingee or Mutawintji National Park 130 kilometers North East of Broken Hill Oct 2002 trip on the way around the outback, after the Sing Australia Gig in BH www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_... A quote from www.priorityspace.com.au/ September dust storms, 2009 Does this not seem like anger Over 200 years we have plundered this land Torn all the life from her ancient soils Tortured her with thirst as we drank to excess Carelessly Rubbed salt into her wounds Infected her with an infestation of clumsy ruminants Scratching at her dry parched skin Until she bleeds red soil from her collapsing veins So when she turns And tosses all her dust into the sea Can you not hear her saying “If you value this so little, what use do you have for it….. Friday Forum Mutawintji National Park. Heading to Broken Hill? Then, Mutawintji National Park is a treat not to be missed. Only a short 130 km from Broken Hill with most of the drive on bitumen, it is a worthwhile detour. We spent two nights camping at the Homestead Creek Campground; a superb place to park your van or tent. There are hot showers, toilet, picnic tables and BBQ facilities. It is remote bush camping with some luxuries thrown in. The setting is picturesque, and it is close to all the walks and the Mutawintji Historic Site. If you only have time for one thing the Cultural Tour to the historic site is a must. Run by the local Aboriginal Land Council it is the only way to access the site. There is a cost, but it is well worth it. It can be pre-booked in Broken Hill or you can wait for the guide to come through the campground in the morning, looking for customers. When we went, Kianu, our guide, was a font of information. We spent two hours with him learning about his cultural values, his heritage, and his history. He explained his Dreamtime stories whilst we watched a beautifully prepared audio-visual show. We walked with him to stunning sacred places, where we viewed rock engravings and some of the best rock art in NSW. If you have more time, there are plenty of hikes catering for all standards. There is also a scenic drive on the Old Coach Drive. A brochure of all the walks can be collected from the National Parks office in Broken Hill or downloaded from their website. The scenery is beautiful, taking you through gorges, past more Aboriginal rock art and engravings, rockholes and historic ruins. This is iconic outback NSW, red soil, ranges which change colour with the changing light over the day, majestic rock faces, deep gorges, silence and solitude. I highly recommend staying a while and soak up the atmosphere. Thanks to Marleen for sending in the story above. I’m currently on the lookout for more stories. If you have some trip notes to share, a 4WD or community event coming up please send me the details and I will send you a Westprint map to say thanks. from Friday Five www.westprint.com.au 2019-10-18