Day 4 - sunrise to sunset, & Magic Mutawintji.

Day 4 - sunrise to sunset, & Magic Mutawintji.

Sunrise step 1

Sunrise step 2

Sunrise step 3

Sunrise step 4. Here comes the sun. Describe the change of light from step 1 to step 4.

Early morning gazing east across outback NSW, an orange glow appears on the horizon. The icy air reminds one of the season, while the first birdsong awakens a feeling of suspense for the approaching sunrise. It creeps across adding a pink blush to the surrounding puffy clouds pushing back the darkness of the recent night. This is not a conflict or a battle between light & darkness but a farewell & greeting of something new that is timeless. All of a sudden an intense glow changes to a triumphant gold announcing the arrival of the sun which surprising jumps out of bed with haste, a contrast to gradual approach.

Mutawintji National Park

Across the plain to a 75 k of red dirt road begins is the gateway to the Mutawintji National Park, part the Paarkantji people's land. Road signs indicating 'Dips' & 'Flood-way' are clues to the weather patterns of this land, while grey & red kangaroos jump, emus sprint & wild goats munch.

The Thaaklajika Mingkana track leads you into an oasis of contrast to the preceding flat sparely vegetated land. Following the mostly dry sandy riverbed Dave lead to a red rock face where an ancient people expressed their spirit & life in art.

Ancient Mutawintji art work by Paarkanji people

 

Starting point for Rockholes walk.

Tally Marks

Crack People

Further along the track we encountered a drawing of 'The Crack People' who crawled from their cracks to guard the waterways so vitally important the land & people. We climbed the steep sloping red rocks to greet the gusting wind, which had been waiting for us while we were protected within the sanctuary of the gorge. Intense blue of the sky kissed the redness of the rocks, and then the wind disappeared as if in some magician act, when you walked around the corner of a rocky outcrop near the summit.

Can you see the people below?

Climb every mountain, in Mutawintji.

Once reaching to bottom of the gorge the beauty of the place seemed symbiotic with the music of Mozart, in particular beauty of the picture that Tamino gazed upon which prompted him to sing his opening aria in 'The Magic Flute'. The splendour of this place became the picture to which I sang to my companions.

Mozart tribute to Mutawintji National Park.

Moving locations Dave used his memory of country to show us the way down a wide Mutawintji valley. After some time he was joined by two other Aboriginal comrades to make a holy trinity to invite us into a walkabout journey to the Mutawintji Gorge. Once inside the gorge the dreaming began with acknowledgement of the sacred caves housing the ancestor spirits of the past.

We wandered reverently & slowly in ones & twos back along the same path. Chatting & sharing the understanding that was growing within one & us.

‣     Mutawintji video below.

The emus run across the path of Japanese made Toyota HiAce, saluting us, as the sunset to bid farewell to this special day. Our driver delivered us safely to the refuge 'Mulberry Bush Cabin' where we break our bread together over an inspired evening meal. The 'Mulberry Bush Cabin' owners Pam & John with able assistant Kel were straight from the pages of a Henry Lawson ballad or poem, laconic, quietly spoken, warm & helpful. They are characters that you could describe as 'salt of the earth', as if the surrounding salt-bushes & land has been absorbed into their souls. I feel there are similar qualities in their nature to the Aboriginal people I have had connections with.

We reflected Aboriginally in a 'Yarning Circle' the spiritual journey we had shared as a mob.