Derby WA June 8 2018

Bit of a slow day today. I walked the Last Mile cattle track this morning. The track commemorates the old-time drovers who used it to move their cattle from the cattle holding paddock. Cattle were brought into town by the drovers, and rested and fattened up at a series of grassed and watered paddocks leading up to the last one, One Mile from the wharf. 

Apart from the wharf, there's not much to look at or do in and around town. We revisited Mowanjum, the Aboriginal Art Centre out along the Gibb River Road and at first view it is quite depressing as the grounds look as if they haven't been touched since it was built in 2006. Inside is spotless and they have a very interesting short movie explaining the three aboriginal peoples that now call the area home and how they are all linked and bonded by a common believe in the wandjina spirit being.

The artworks themselves are very different from other aboriginal art, in fact some of them seem to have had an islander infulence, which also show in their dress and customs.

I could have hung any number of them on our walls at home, but the price-tags had my eyes watering. Sadly we were the only ones there and possibly the only ones all day.

Right around the corner is the Prison Boab Tree, used in the early days by the police to detain those helping them with there inquiries. This tree is huge and hollow, but only has one small-ish gap to act as a door, making it easy to hold people inside. Judy took this rather nice shot, the abundance of green foliage indicating that this is one happy boab :

Prison Boab Tree. Derby WA

We found a few different birds, and so here they are for our bird fancying friends, we've taken a punt with some of the names after consulting the bird-bible:

Black faced wood swallow. Derby WA

Zebra finch. Derby WA

Willy wag tail. Derby WA

Black Kite. Derby WA

Anyhow, not much happening around town, pretty quiet day all round, finished with dinner at the 'Spinni', or Spinifex Hotel as the name on the door proclaims. 

That's all from us for now, we've got a boat to catch early in the morning,

Tomorrow we go on our cruise of the Kimberly Coast on this boat; Discovery One' sitting just off the wharf in Derby WA