Our day today was one of little note worthy activity. Following a great nights sleep, I spent the first couple of hours slowly roasting, as I sat ensconced beneath our awning in the early morning heat, tapping away at the computer while I waited patiently for Bec to awaken from her slumber. I managed to get a good number of chores done online, which I had been putting off for some time, although I feel like I am still behind on a few issues.

Most importantly though, I have launched a new venture on the website, which I will explain at the end of todays post. Suffice to say, this new addition will no doubt leave me with more work to do each evening, but I am sure it will be a big hit with all of our readers out there.

With Bec finally awake, we slowly decided what would be on our agenda for the remainder of the day. There is not a real lot to see and do here in Derby, a fact we were well aware of prior to lobbing here. We had planned it that way so that we could spend some time doing little else but lazing about.

Thus, it was almost 1:00PM by the time we got ourselves going, heading out to explore all that Derby has to offer. Our first stop being the Derby wharf, where we timed our arrival to coincide precisely with the low tide. The wharf is a horseshoe shaped timber jetty, built it appears, at low tide, over nothing but mud flats. There was barely any water beneath it, as the spindly pylons held it aloft nearly 10 metres above the surface of the ocean. It looked almost comedic, if it were not for the knowledge that at high tide, the water would be almost lapping at the underside of the boards upon which we were walking. There is a difference in sea level between low and high tide of between 7 and 9 metres, an influx that is difficult by any means for which to design a pier.

Like a pier out of water.

Whilst you are able to drive the circuit of the wharf, we opted for the more energetic option, leaving ‘The Beast’ safely parked ashore. On foot, we wandered out and around the jetty, looking nervously over the side at what was an almost vertigo inducing drop to the muddy shallow water so far below us. Peering down, we could see schools of small silvery fish, swimming around in the pools of water inside the horseshoe, trapped until such time as the tide has again risen, allowing them their release to the open waters of the sea.

In the heat of the day, the short walk around the jetty was enough, and it was a welcome respite to jump back into the comfort of ‘The Beast’ as we headed for our next attraction. A few kilometres out of town, we came to a short dirt track that led to the Derby Prison Boab Tree. Hollow in the centre, with a small slit for an entrance, in the early days of settlement, this particular Boab Tree was literally used as a prison. Police escorting indigenous ‘prisoners’ enroute to Derby, would imprison their charges within the hollow trunk of the tree overnight.

Bec considers how to intern me within the ‘prison tree’.

It is now a site of Aboriginal significance, and has a wire strand fence around it, with a sign explaining the not insignificant penalties for crossing the wire. The well worn path to the base of the tree would indicate that neither the sign or the fence are heeded too much attention however, a sad indictment on the many ignorant people that travel our country.

On the way back into town, we turned onto the Gibb River Road. A well known route in the four wheel driving fraternity, we only travelled a matter of 3KM along it, all of which was paved, to reach our next stop at the Mowanjum Community Cultural Centre. Less of a cultural centre than a place at which artworks by local Aboriginal artists can be purchased, we were disappointed that the artwork on offer was not as good as we have seen elsewhere. I realise that art is a subjective thing, so others may love it, but it didn’t seem to be as traditional as the works we saw in both Kakadu and Kununurra.

Back into town, we stopped in the main shopping area to collect a few more supplies. It was saddening to see that the sidewalk appeared to be a perfectly reasonable place for some to have an afternoon siesta, while we again noted that personal hygiene isn’t particularly high on the scale of daily activities. It’s an ominous sign when the supermarket must have notices pinned up, stating that you must be wearing a shirt to be served and there are signs in all of the public parks advising that drinking and gambling are prohibited.

For all its folly though, I have so far found Derby to be quite a nice little town. Assuredly, it’s an odd place, with a bit of a wild west feel about it, but it’s like a façade. Like a thin veneer of abnormality to keep strangers at bay, only lending itself to those that care to delve that little bit deeper.

Heading back to the van, the heat had us beat though, and it was a joy to be able to sprawl about in the cool comfort of home. So quickly and thoroughly does the incessant furnace like heat drain you of any trace of energy, we lay down to watch a movie, and I quickly found myself dozing off, periodically reawakening to the snorts of my own snoring. I think an early night will be in order this evening.

Lastly, I would like to officially launch my all new and exciting ‘Kilometre Challenge Competition’. I know a couple of readers have already stumbled upon the new pages, but I’ll give you a quick rundown here. Essentially, I will accept one entry per person, per day, submitted via email to: marcus@myramblingtales.com . Each entry can have 2 guesses at how many kilometres you think we will cover for the entire duration of our trip. Since the closest unique entry will win, you will be able to check up on a regular basis to see what other people have guessed and knock them out by submitting the same number. Full rules, regulations and guidelines can be viewed here at: ‘Kilometre Challenge Rules (The Small Print)‘, and I urge you to closely read them before sending your entries in. Any entries I deem to be in conflict with the rules will be uncerimoniously disqualified. The list of current guesses, which I will update as often as I am able can be seen here: ‘The Tally So Far‘.

So, get to submitting those entries and good luck.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.