My world walk blog Australia 65 - No flies on Crocodile Dundee

No flies on Crocodile Dundee  

I had been dreaming of shooting the iconic Crocodile Dundee movie clip in the very bar that it was shot in: That's exactly what I did!

 In The Walkabout Creek bar I asked  Johanna, a German barwoman to shoot the video while I recruited Rhys to play the baddie would-be mugger. The script was that he would call me over to chat about my walkabout, and then to aggressively tell me to continue my walkabout and to take the flies with me. When I asked him what he would do about it he took out a small knife and said his knife would take care of me. To which I took out the Bowie knife I had borrowed from the kitchen and said those imortal words. " Knife, You call that a knife? I call this a knife!"

Three days later I arrived in Cloncurry and just before the small town I was greeted by Beth and Alli of the town council when they drove out with water and fruit. In town I was kindly hosted by Janine and family for one night and then when I asked for a rest day, the Discovery Park resort put me up the other night..

It was a four day walk to Mount Isa. The first two days were over pretty tough hills, amongst the steepest on my entire Australia route. One day I stopped to ask permission to camp at the entrance to a farm. A farmhand had just gone through the gate so we had a chat for about ten minutes. I could have camped on his land but unfortunately he had to lock the gate and didn't know when he could return to let me out. So, I just camped behind a bush on the outside. He mentioned that on the farm that they muster (round up) the cattle by helicopter. Also, that on that night he was employed to cull kangaroos. He is paid about forty dollars per kangaroo and normally bags about seventy in a night. "Forty dollars, the cost of a slab of beer!" I said, To which he offered me a beer!

I planned a mini-break in Mount Isa as I had some media engagements and speaking commitments lined up. That was thanks to a local woman called Kim-Maree Burton, a walker who took a keen interest in my walk and even walked the 21 km from where I camped the night before to the Barkly Hotel.

 Mount Isa is called a city by many people but it really has the feel of a large town. Bizzarely, it is in the Guinness Book of Records for being the largest city in the world. That's more because the boundaries stretch a long way, two hundred kilometres along the Barkly Highway towards Camooweel. That stretch of highway is by default technically the longest city street in the world. The surrounding districts have also been encompassed into the mining city. Almost in the middle of nowhere and has a strong Irish connection as many young men headed there in the 60s and 70s to work in the mines. Some stayed, some moved on, but those that moved on spoke so fondly about their time there, and the magic of a strong community. 

 I met several Irish people on my way in. Including Derek Barry, originally from Waterford he is the local journo and he even came out to interview me on the walk. I was delighted when Ritchie, from Bray, County Wicklow and his sister Janine Luck also came out. Rebecca, the hotel's great General Manager also kindly offered to host me for as long as I wanted!  The hotel certainly rolled out the carpet.

Any thoughts that I would be putting my feet up to rest on my mini-break were quickly dashed as I was soon packing out my engagements.
One day, I gave an entertainment/motivation talk in the Discovery Leisure Park Centre. That was followed by an interview at the ABC studios. Then a visit to the famed Irish Club where I met a director. Inside the Irish Clubs restaurant I treated Kim-Maree, my minder for the day to a well earned lunch. With barely time to digest our meal we rushed from the club to meet Alvin the CEO of the Young People Ahead project. They provide, advice, help and retraining to vulnerable young people, many of whom are dealing with difficult personal issues.
I was disappointed that there were no young people there and insisted on making a return visit the following day when they would be present. That promised to be another busy day as my whole morning was dedicated to a visit to a school which co-ordinates the "School Of The Air" This is an online school whose children live vast distances away. Typically, 200, 300 or more kilometres away in remote areas. They are effectively educated by teachers via Skype sessions. Isn't that a fabulous concept?
I was told that initially I was asked to talk for only a half-hour but it seemed that the students had been talking about my world walk for a week and were so excited that they demanded a whole morning! Student power triumphed and I was only too thrilled to oblige as there is nothing I enjoy more than talking at schools.