[woofa.express]

Two incredibly lucky survivors.

Talgarno was annexed off Anna Plains Station which was owned by a wealthy American from the entertainment industry. A name that older people will well recall. I remember flying the owners son to the property when they were loosing cattle. From my memory there was little feed and cattle would have been starving. I don’t know why they didn’t destock and I don’t know why investors buy so far from their home where they don’t have full control. I looked Anna Plains up on the internet and see the property is just short of 1 million acres, run 18,000 head and have permanent staff of 6 and use 5 seasonals.
Anna Plains western boundary is the Indian Ocean and the coast is the Eighty Mile beach. I remember the shore being littered with the dry bodies of cuttle fish, you know the dry white brittle and porous fish body that bird owners place in bird cages. I remember the water was shallow for such a long way out into the ocean. There was once a fisherman in a small aluminium boat who for some reason was tipped out. He survived for more than 12 hours until he exhausted his energy and accepted his fate and sank. He found he was in water only chest deep.With a little renewed energy he slowly waded ashore and survived.
The luckiest story I’ve ever heard was that of my wife’s brother in law. He was returning to his camp site across the inlet at Weipa in very far north Queensland. In a tinny. He hit something which he simply couldn’t identify and was thrown overboard. Now many modern boats have kill switches that bring the engine back to idle and immediately commence a turn if the boatman leaves the helm. This boat didn’t have such a modern safety item but it did both actions never the less. On the second circle he grabbed the side, made his way to the rear and climbed aboard with the ladder that his wife insisted he attach for her convenience so as she could climb aboard in normal operations. Out of curiosity I had a look at the boat and reckon as he was thrown he held the tiller wheel which caused the boat to turn and his hand grip leaving the throttle caused it to close. There is really no other explanation.
A bit about Weipa. It’s located in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the inlet waters support both crocodiles and sharks and not just a few either. I have spent time there while flying prawn spotting (shrimp to Americans). The town is on an expanse of nearly pure bauxite (aluminium) which is owned and exported by Rio Tinto. It's both Australian and offshore owned. The name originating form a river in Spain. There are many things I remember about the town and area.
1. The nearest bank is Cairns a road trip of almost 500 miles and on an ordinary road so I’m told. The commercial and retail businesses operated on credit cards. I recall the pub providing $50 only at a time to spend at the bar, mind you – you would be wobbly after drinking $50. Even haircuts were paid by credit cards. Now this is of special interest to the government. who want all expenditure documented resulting in no tax avoidance and no money laundering. The second thing I remember was the in house railway. Lines and sleepers snaking across the bauxite. The steel railway lines were welded together. No gaps to allow for expansion and contraction. They simply snaked, more so in the heat of the day retracting at night. Maybe this is common in extreme climates, I don't know.
And there’s also another thing I remember, he rain, which is typical in tropical climates. Bucket fills.

No pikkies today people.