The Australian Outback
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008Charlie and Livingstone
By: Phoenix Arrien
It’s lovely stumbling upon Outback gems. The people and places type of gems - not the rock type though they are fun too.
In the top end of Australia a few hours southeast of Darwin is a station called Annaburro. I visited it and sat down with ‘Rex’ the owner:
“One of the reasons I brought Annaburroo,” he explains, “was to preserve a part of the old Outback. No development here! All the old buildings of the former station have been preserved.”
Nearby, ‘Yellow Charlie’s shed’ still stands, testimony to a local character who acted in the well known Australian outback film ‘Jedda’. Charlie may have been rough and involved in more than one fight, but Rex thinks he was a loving man. “Why he kept his wife’s bones in a suitcase rather than have her out there in a cold grave,” he explains with a twinkle in his eye.
Whilst maintaining the character of the place, Rex cleaned it up and gently transformed Annaburroo into an oasis, where visitors can kick back, swim and take time out. It has one of the only crocodile-free swimming holes in the area so it is well worth the stop.
However it’s not only the fascinating people you meet but also animals. Livingstone the Brahman Steer thinks he is a horse and is a fixture in a small horsey band that wanders around the campsite. A Water Monitor ambles around the trees, looking like a mini-dinosaur. Eagles spread their great wings surfing the wind currents above. Black kites dip and wheel in a day long aerial dance, cockatoos screech and finches dart among the bushes.
Aaah, yes another pleasant day in the Outback.
