Halls Creek

Halls Creek doesn’t look much on the map – it seems to be a little corner which turns the vehicle from travelling south to the west coast. It sits at the junction of a number of major highways. In addition to the Great Northern Highway, it also is the starting point of the Buntine Highway, which takes you into Northern Territory and the community of Wave Hill, the first Native Title settlement in Australia. To the South East, the Tanami Road unfolds, heading directly to Alice Springs. About 15 km to the East lies the original Halls Creek settlement – or at least its remains. This settlement was largely bulldozed by the local council because – in the words of the lovable rough diamond who runs the homestead, “too many people were living in the buildings without paying rates!” He fought them to keep some parts, miniscule though they may be, and runs a caravan park and homestead. Halls Creek was started largely in the search for gold – for which the Tanami track was formed. And it carries a history of bushrangers. To walk through the cemetery of the old town is to encounter the struggles of early settlers, both with the landscape and the terrain. The site continues to produce gold, and remains hard work! The owner, for all his rough exterior, also cares for birds in an aviary, caring for the injured and vulnerable ones.
A little further along the road is Palm Springs, an active waterhole teeming with small fish, and running with crystal clear water. The kids went for a swim, Caleb a little unexpectedly as he overbalanced while trying to cross by walking on the rocks! In the middle of desert surrounds it was a true oasis.
A further hundred or so metres along the road we turned off to Sawpit Gorge, part of the same water system, and providing shade and fishing. Caleb – ever the keen fisherman – dropped a line in at both spots, but only caught a bit of a suntan!
One of the more intriguing discoveries was the China Wall, much nearer to Halls Creek. This bold quartz wall runs intermittently through the landscape for kilometres. Original thoughts were that it might have been man-made, but a closer encounter dispelled that myth!
We were privileged to see the work of the students at the Warlawurru Catholic School in Halls Creek. Lead by a very creative and caring staff, these students are producing work of a par with that I have seen in Melbourne! Not bad considering their native language and culture at home is not English.
On our last night at Halls Creek, we climbed the hill behind the school to watch the sun set and the full moon rise, while having a 360-degree panoramic view of the area. It was nothing short of spectacular. Our only regret was to leave behind a good friend Leonie and to miss the forthcoming Croc Fest.