Malcolm Douglas - Around Australia (Part 1) 1993

[Music] [Music] do g'day i'm malcolm douglas and i'm all ready for another trip now this time i'm going to drive right around australia but i'm not going to follow the conventional road that's highway number one the sealed highway i'm going to follow the dirt as much as possible as soon as i leave sydney it's up to fraser island then north to the cape york peninsula then across to the northern territory through the gulf country then west over to the kimberley and down to the hammersley ranges then south all the way down to the south west of western australia then east again across the nullarbor all the way back to sydney it's a long trip around about four to five months so let's get going [Music] oh [Music] then thirteen hundred kilometers north of sydney comes malcolm's first chance to get off the bitumen and onto the fraser island ferry for a few days on the largest sand island in the world in the 70s a major battle was fought here between sand miners and conservationists today the 120 kilometer long island has world heritage listing the island can be traversed only in four-wheel drive and vehicular access is permitted to many of the beaches it's best to head out to the many scenic attractions at low tide when the sand at the water's edge is hard and with the tyres deflated it's easy going fraser was formed over millions of years when prevailing winds and tides piled up the sand that eroded from the mainland and washed along the coast this huge island supports a rich and varied environment from its tall timber rainforest to its unique lakes and inquisitive wildlife the dingoes on fraser island are said to be the purest strain of the species in eastern australia isolated from the influence of domestic breeds there's a healthy population of these magnificent wild dogs it's a memorable experience to see them emerge at dawn to patrol the beach but the dingoes have learnt to associate humans with food and the authorities have had to warn visitors not to feed them it's a difficult rule to enforce when the dogs can easily dig up rubbish buried by campers dingoes naturally feed on small mammals and reptiles and wild fruits this healthy balanced diet is far better for the wild dogs than the leftovers of humans they scavenged for old bait left by fishermen and scraps thrown away when the day's catch is cleaned as more and more people visit fraser island human interference could become a serious problem for the survival of the dingoes one of the great things about fraser island is that on the eastern side here all along the beach you can camp there are a few areas where you can't but generally speaking there's plenty of water and you can just get in off the um off the sand behind the cash arenas and have a good night's sleep it takes a few days to explore such a large island a well-known landmark on the east coast is the wreck of the mojino in 1935 this famous trans-tasman liner bound for the scrapyards of japan was hit by a cyclone and blown onto the beach north from the mojino are the cathedrals eroded cliffs of multicolored sand sculptured by the elements into one of the most impressive natural features of fraser this island is one of queensland's most prolific fishing spots where the surf provides good angling all year round and bait's easy to find at low tide when you're driving along the beach and you see these little heaps of sand well that's a sure sign you're going to get pippies now these pippies you can boil them up and make a good soup and also great bait for catching fish in the surf throughout much of the island's interior a stands of tall rainforest despite its sandy foundation a rich flora has adapted remarkably well to the poor soils once heavily logged fraser island has been saved by new attitudes to conservation and today lies protected within the great sandy national park fraser island is famous for its freshwater lakes not only beautiful they have unique scientific and ecological value [Music] early next morning malcolm waits at the southern end for the ferry back to the mainland and the 1500 kilometer run up the bitumen to north queensland two days later he drives through the sugarcane belt north of cairns heading for the daintree river and cape tribulation one of australia's most popular tourist destinations [Music] the daintree river ferry provides all too easy access into some of the most luxuriant lowland tropical rainforest in the world the river has always been a natural barrier to development and large-scale land clearance but interest in the tropical wilderness from investors and real estate speculators has put immense pressure on the region sections of the rainforest were world heritage listed in the 80s and given some protection but the real threat now is tourism thousands of travelers a week enter the wilderness along the road that was bulldozed through in the face of bitter opposition most of the tourists are on day trips from cairns and their first stop is the beach of the bouncing rocks the rocks so fine grained and hard that like children's glass marbles it deflects energy instead of absorbing it this is now an aboriginal site of significance and since early 1993 visitors have been excluded from the beach beyond cape tribulation there are fewer travelers and the road runs beneath a canopy of lush green vegetation where a diverse range of plants flourish in constant warmth and humidity even today after years of controversy and debate large tracts of this national treasure australia's largest surviving tropical rainforest remain unprotected against development all the way to cooktown the forest spills down the ranges to sandy beaches where coconut palms sway in the sea breeze [Music] [Music] the road climbs over the great divide and past black mountain a huge heap of loose granite boulders stained black over millions of years by a thick coating of algae [Music] moody black mountain ominous and forbidding in the changing light has been the subject of many myths there are fantastic stories of people who disappeared into crevices and chasms attempting to climb to the top [Music] a few kilometers away on the banks of the endeavour river is cook town it was here that the english navigator captain james cook careened his ship for urgent repair in 1770 when it was severely damaged on the great barrier reef a hundred years later the town bearing his name was settled to service the miners flocking to the gold rush on cape york today this historic little town caters to a new breed of seekers tourists and travelers setting off for the journey to the very top of australia from cooktown we're going to leave the east coast in the tropical rainforest and head west across the cape york peninsula we're not going to drive all the way to the tip of australia and then back again because that's uh well it's up it's about five or six hundred kilometres and back so that's another trip we're going to drive over the great divide and you leave the tropical rainforest very quickly because the great dividing range acts like a a rain shadow on the western side so we get into the savannah woodlands and from here virtually all the way now right through to the northern territory will be on the the dirt roads and the dusty roads and the bulldust and occasionally quite a good gravel road [Music] the road carrying most of the traffic north to cape york is now well maintained but on the western side of the peninsula tracks leading to the aboriginal communities deteriorate into endless kilometers of bull dust that envelops the toyota [Music] these conditions are hard on vehicle and driver and an air conditioner in the cabin is vital the extra air pressure prevents the talc fine dust being sucked inside hence this ritual when the rear doors open to stop dust getting into precious camera equipment and every day the sun sets through a veil of dust [Music] it's late in the dry season and the land is thirsty for rain wild animals and cattle share the drying water holes [Applause] [Music] ah [Applause] as the days grow hotter timid agile wallabies forced from the safety of the bush come down to drink at midday and even at play they're constantly on the lookout for predatory dingoes [Music] when the water level drops the weaker cattle bog and perish in the intense heat and even though it's a desperate measure winching's the only way to get them out [Music] um [Music] hmm this cow's been too long in the mud and she's unable to stand it'll be hours before she manages to scramble to her feet throughout many of the fringe areas of australia the introduction of domestic animals has caused serious ecological damage natural water holes capable of supporting small numbers of native animals are damaged and seriously depleted by cattle and sheep properties that pump water into troughs for the bigger animals are successfully relieving the pressure on wild populations [Music] [Music] stop that nearby another beast with more condition might have a better chance [Applause] foreign [Music] i'm behind [Music] brogas congregate in huge noisy flocks staying close to any water that's still available when the rains arrive they'll disperse to breed out on the plains oh the track ends at the aboriginal community of pompara on the west coast of cape york peninsula at the biggest saltwater crocodile farm in australia it's an awesome spectacle as thousands of crocodiles feed on wild pig [Applause] crocodile farming has been instrumental in saving vast areas of the northern wetlands the swamps provide eggs and breeding stock for a new industry that will employ the local indigenous people and ensure the survival of these prehistoric animals when the biggest and oldest crocodile on the farm turns up the others keep well clear although he's recently lost his last set of teeth at five meters in length his sheer size and weight guarantee that he's still the boss even if his table manners are far from perfect across the coastal plains south of the community roam mobs of wild pig hunters catch them for crocodile food and for sale to germany where wild boar is gourmet fair graham fox and ron cummings are professional pig hunters spending months at a time in the bush hunting these dangerous vermin yeah usually a pretty good run 30 40 k's you go out yeah chase them yeah check water holes pretty dangerous work oh yeah hey if you haven't got a tusk in the leg or anything yet no not yet well how do you protect the dogs breastplates what's that a big that's that big collar you see on the end that's to stop the tusk yeah a good pig dog is a valuable member of the team the men make an individual breastplate for each animal and the thick leather protects the dog's throat when a trap peg lashes out with razor sharp tusks the men hunt in the early morning and late afternoon when a pig spotted the dogs run it down and a long bladed knife quickly dispatches it it's believed that these pigs are descended from a small mob that escaped when captain cook careened his boat in the endeavour river there are few occupations more dangerous once the dogs have a pig down it must be killed and there's always the chance of being ripped by the tusks or badly bitten in the chaos the hunters are superbly fit they run with the dogs then drag the carcasses back through the bush to the toyota oh yes baby with the vehicle loaded it's straight back to camp and into the mobile freezer the lungs and heart are left in the carcass to be checked by inspectors from the department of agriculture and the meat passed for human consumption feral pigs are declared vermin and cause major environmental damage so exporting the meat to germany is a way of controlling their numbers european restauranters will accept only the big mature animals with a rich gamey flavor immature pigs are sold to pompera to feed the crocodiles [Music] [Music] graham and ron bed down for a midday camp at three o'clock they'll head out bush again hunting pigs late into the night malcolm takes advantage of the abundant supply of warm bore water [Music] and then it's into the cape york bulldust again on the road south to [Music] normanton from cape york through the gulf of carpentaria is cattle country and these big brahmin bulls contesting their position in the mob are descended from animals imported from india they tolerate the heat well and are resistant to tick infestation brahmans thrive in these harsh tropical conditions [Music] within a month when the monsoons arrive these barren plains will lie a metre under water to the north after months of cloudless skies the first hint of an early wet season [Music] at the western end of the gulf is normanton once a rough frontier town it's now a solid little community servicing the needs of the cattle stations locals and travelers the purple pub is the town's popular meeting place and watering hole malcolm moves on across the black soil plains towards the northern territory the first threatening storm sweeps in encircling malcolm so quickly he barely has time to boil the billy grabbing a few photos of the dramatic spectacle he pushes on [Music] within minutes the dry creeks flood and the roads awash over the next 24 hours only 200 kilometers is covered as the storms dissipate the day ends in a magical display the sunrise is even more spectacular under clear skies malcolm heads for the coast in search of mud crabs he quickly assembles his boat this practical piece of equipment is ideal for the round australia traveler who uses a dinghy only occasionally the seats lock into place making the craft rigid and a four horsepower johnson outboard provides ample power this mangrove creek behind me looks a pretty good place for a few muddies a few mud crabs got a bit of barramundi here i can use for bait an old head so i'll go and see what i can find bonnie come on bo if you better come that's a girl sit there good girl girl [Music] so [Applause] [Music] an hour later malcolm collects the pots and it's soon obvious that in these isolated gulf rivers there are plenty of crabs [Music] [Applause] [Music] too many mud crabs what a problem so i'll get rid of any of the undersized ones any of the females let them go and the rest will be just perfect for tea when you pick a mud crab up there's two ways of doing it dad if he's a bit tired you can grab him by the nippers or if he's fresh get him on the shell and very quickly you grab him on his two rear swimming flippers and he can't bite you any other way watch out normally their nippers would have to be tied but these will be eaten almost immediately so it's straight into the bag [Music] oh moving on malcolm makes good time to the northern territory border [Music] we're definitely still in the outback this is a border between queensland and the northern territory queensland behind me no signs apart from somebody's litter bag on the fence there saying queensland border two or three hundred meters down the road there i can see welcome to the northern territory [Music] [Music] intermittent thunderstorms and fast-flowing creeks are a constant reminder that before long these roads will be impassable further east well into the northern territory there's no sign of the monsoons and the birds are looking for water since the arrival of europeans many of the bird species have benefited from water supplied for stock seed eating birds like these galas and corellas need water regularly [Music] scavenging crows pick insects out of the cattle dung [Music] so still traveling close to the coast malcolm's keen to try for a barramundi he borrows a big aluminium boat from a local cattle station because dangerous saltwater crocs are a problem in this area several hours trolling and he's rewarded with a nice sized barrel a few days later malcolm's back on the bitumen the stewart highway near darwin he stops to check out the scattered debris of a recent accident watermelons destined for the southern markets most are rotting in the tropical heat but there's still a few good ones left one man's loss is another man's gain [Music] now being sweet hey bonfire come on good uh there's only one problem with finding so many watermelons you can't take them all with you the next day malcolm and bonnie stop for a drink of water a regular ritual on these hot northern days but this day is different for this is the last film of bonnie alive that night beside the stewart highway malcolm stopped to boil the billy and roll out his swag in the darkness bonnie found an illegally laid dingo bait and died in part two of his round australia adventure malcolm explores the wetlands east of darwin [Music] then travels west to the kimberley chasing the elusive barramundi along the oard river [Music] from here it's on to the mysterious bungle bungle then through the wild west kimberley to the friendly town of broome inland at marble bar the hottest place in australia modern day prospectors strike it rich this is a journey full of excitement and drama be sure to watch part two of beyond highway number one with malcolm [Music] douglas [Music]

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Length: 44min 6sec (2646 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 01 2020