Hello everyone,
Finally, an update as to how Covid-19 lockdowns have affected our little business. Well, after a forced year off from touring in 2020, Mick and I managed to squeeze in a tour in May this year only to have to cancel June because of the Victorian lockdowns (all of our participants were from Victoria). We are now in limbo as to whether our third one planned for August-September will go ahead. It has been devastating for us financially but it also makes it extremely difficult to execute planning for a tour with so little notice, hence the shorter tours we have had on offer this year. At this stage, I would like to gratefully thank all of those who have stuck with us throughout the uncertainty and for those still waiting for their tours. We hope we will be able to fulfill the plans that we have made together.
Our May 2021 tour included a visit to the historic Ooldea Soak. Millions of Aboriginal stone tools & slivers of bone lay all through the nearby sandhills, a testament to the Soak’s original history as permanent water and used by Aboriginal tribes from near and far over thousands of years until the construction of the trans-continental railway, completed on 17 October 1917.
The Soak's devastating failure around 1923 was, as described by Daisy Bates in her book "The Passing of the Aborigines", said to be due to perforation of "the blue clay bed, twenty feet below the surface" by engineering plants providing water to the newly constructed railway. Water was then brought in by rail from Kingoonya. Our thanks go to Maralinga-Tjarutja traditional owners for allowing us to visit this very special place and that of the historic Daisy Bates' camp situated nearby.
Another exciting event occurred during our tour and that was the Super Blood Moon on May 26th. We camped alone in the scrub and luckily had a clear night with which to witness the marvellous spectacle. I set up my video camera and got some shots. From Left to Right - before the eclipse started, the start, during totality and the final stages -:
All the best to everyone and we will await developments......... Stay safe. Photos & text by Connie Sue Beadell
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