It's my last night in Punmu after what has been one of the most exciting and quickest weeks of my life. The weekend has been no different to the rest of my time in here, with so much to see and do and many adventures to be had.
Friday night was the town disco, but after an eventful morning of hunting, we decided that we could do with a an early break and headed to the far side of the salt lake, about 30km out of town to camp for the night. It was dark when we arrived and we set up mostly in the dark due to the plague of bugs that descended every time we turned on a light of any kind. We had brought firewood with us and I was astounded at how fast the big branches catch out here - everything is so, so dry that we needed hardly any kindling. Here we are setting up - it was a little eerie to be sitting out so exposed in the pitch black, but I soon got used to it and was distracted by the amazing night sky. You can see the milky way so clearly out here and the stars are so bright that it was hard to pick out constellations due to the sheer number of stars crowding the sky.
The morning was just as spectacular, waking up to the view below - I actually woke with a fright when I realised how out in the open we were.
Being a salt lake, it was incredibly bright and hot by 7am (it's been over 40 degrees here each day) so we quickly packed out our swags and headed home to snooze in the air conditioning until it was time to leave for the next camping place.
The next place was 4.5 hours away from camp at a place called running waters - though strangely, though there are communities dotted around near here, nobody chose this wonderful oasis. We arrived at about 4pm, having driven through most of the heat and jumped straight in the river as soon as we got there. It's fed by a thermal spring so lovely and clear and refreshing with only a few fish to bother you while you're floating around.
Despite this place being so remote, it was packed compared to most places around here, with four other groups camping - quite the crowd! Still plenty of room for a riverside spot though.
Carly and Mat cooked an amazing dinner in the cast iron put over a pit of coals. Unluckily, after we had eaten, I was tending the fire and without thinking stepped back straight in to the coals. Thank god I had my thongs on, but some small coals still got in between my thong and my foot making me squeal and jump a metre in to the air. Luckily our trusty esky was nearby and I put my foot straight in, not moving for the next 15 mins. There was no first aid kit in the truck and so to keep most of the dirt out of my foot while I slept (the swags get really dirty from the sheer amount of dust and sand there is out here), I fashioned a bandage out of foil and tissues. Combined with washing my feet every 5 mins, it worked really quite well as well as providing amusement to all.
The good thing about being injured was that I got to sit in the shade and be waited on the next day, with yummy egg sandwiches made for me while I reclined and supervised
On the way back in to Punmu, I finally had a chance to take a photo of the entrance to the community. Once "discovered" by white people, the Martu were quickly forced on to a mission in Jigalong (the place in the rabbit proof fence movie) some 8 hours away from here. When the mission closed some time in the late 70's, the ute below returned some of the people to their traditional land and Punmu has been here ever since, with the existence of a well making a settled community possible.
As I mentioned before, there's no alcohol allowed here which is a real drawcard for families. There are many children who have family working in towns, but who stay in camp being looked after by aunts and grandparents so they can have a more traditional and stable upbringing.
Today was quiet at school, with a bunch of families leaving yesterday for the footy carnival in Jigalong. We had a small class and were sitting down to do reading when word came that the second bus had arrived. All the kids, and I mean ALL, jumped up and ran out, so we made a coffee, tidied the school and came home.
Fittingly for my final night, we drove to Punmu Hill to watch the sunset and after scrambling up the loose gravely hill on my sore foot, I wasn't disappointed.
It was still about 36 degrees but with a cooling breeze and it was just wonderful to sit there in the silence and watch the sun sink below the horizon.
Like everything out here, the photos just don't do it justice. You can see for miles and miles and miles and it's so peaceful and calming. The earth radiates heat from the day and you feel like you're wrapped in a warm blanket.
Getting down was slow (steep!) but not to difficult. You can kinda see the loose shale-y rocks in this pic.
After de-lousing the kids on Monday, I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to bring back any souvenirs with me and so got Carly to check my head when we got back. Sure enough, she found one and I can tell you that I was extremely grateful to have such a de-lousing pro making sure I am bug free. She and Matty did their hair too, so it was quite the family affair.
Punmu is definitely the most foreign place I've been, even after places like Bangladesh and Ukraine. Things are different in bigger ways than I can explain in this blog and the cultural differences run so deep that I've had to leave many of my beliefs about what's "normal" behind. Everything is extreme here, life is still very harsh and there are a lot of things that in regular life would be nuts, but here are completely ordinary and they really feel that way too.
Living in a community is certainly not for everyone, it's extremely isolated and hot and dirty and as a white person, you're a visitor who will always be considered an outsider. But like everyone else here, I've fallen in love with this place - its charm is captivating and the reward of being part a community that is keeping people connected to their country while making sure they have the ability to take advantage of opportunities both within and outside the community is extremely powerful. You get the feeling that the story is just starting here and if I get the chance, I'll be back in a heartbeat.
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