Tennant Creek

The Australian Bustard is one of those birds I felt I should have seen by now, and it was almost a relief to find this pair along the highway. They are handsome creatures, with a 6-7 foot wingspan.




We played leapfrog with this giant boat several times during the drive, passing it (which was difficult, despite the lack of traffic) then being passed when we stopped for gas or lunch. There is something surreal about a giant boat traveling through the desert, especially when you know you are hundreds of miles, in any direction, away from water.




This shot was stolen from the car as we sped by, but kind of captures the feel of the area. The Aborigines we encountered seemed lost and aimless; trapped between the old way of life, which I imagine is mostly gone, and modern Australia, which they seem to have no place in. We saw only a handful of Aborigines who were employed; the rest were... just hanging out; walking along the highways, sitting on the medians, gathered on corners.




We stopped in Tennant Creek and spent the night at the Bluestone Motor Inn on the southern edge of town. When we arrived there was a giant mob disgorging from a tour bus directly into the motel restaurant, so we headed back downtown to Margo Miles for some pizza instead. Tennant Creek was a little... rough. Lots of inebriated Aborigines wandering about, some of whom were loudly arguing and/or beating each other up. While we were eating one of the other customers had to run out of the restaurant to check on his truck because someone was messing with it. Its probably one of the few places in all of Australia where I felt somewhat uncomfortable.




The building that the restaurant was in was old in a pleasant way; reminding me of a small-town cafe in Texas.




We had the Margo Special pizza. Check out the inch-thick layer of ham!