'If one were to paint this country in it's true colours, I doubt it would be believed. It would be said at least that the artist exaggerated greatly, for never have I seen such richness and variety of hue as in these ranges'
An interesting fact: The term Kings in Grass Castles came from Patsy Durack, the main man of the Western Australian Durack pioneers as far as I am aware. He took offence to eastern states media labeling him a Cattle King, and responded by writing "If it's kings we are, it's kings in grass castles that may be blown away in the wind"
The area immediately around Kununurra (I can't speak for it all yet, I have much to explore) is a land of two extremes: Rocky red steep ranges, and flat black soil plains. There does not appear to be much in between! The rocks rise straight out of the black and through the valley runs ribbons of water glinting in the sun and large square blocks of uniform, but different shades of green. If you step back and take it all in at once the natural beauty mixed with the human endeavor of the place, it is majestic ... You react emotionally rather than rationally.
Looking up the valley towards smoke rising near Lake Argyle. The lake is buried in those hills somewhere. Taken from Mirima NP right on the edge of town, and 50 metres from where I am camped. Unfortunately my camera doesn't do the sunset colours justice... And dawn, well that is a whole other perspective, that I am not going to attempt to describe right now.
What I started the computer to write about was what I found in the pages of last weekends Weekend Australian magazine. The demolition of the old city of Kashgar. Kashgar is a melting pot. In fact it is almost 'the' melting pot. Situated not far from Afghanistan (the place I would call the centre of the world minus the americas), Kashgar is in Xinjiang province which borders not only Afghanistan but Russia, Borat-land, Krgystan, Tajikistan, India, and Pakistan. Kashgar is a major city on the old Silk road, an oasis of civilization between high mountains and harsh deserts, and a melting pot of culture and human genes. Kashgar and Xinjiang is home to the Chinese Uighur people, Sunni Muslims you will have heard about prior to Beijing 2008, and after recent riots in the Xinjiang capital. Just as many of our fellow westerners associate just about any Muslim with terrorism, so it seems do the Chinese. Whilst undoubtedly some Muslims and some Uighurs are terrorists, our large dominant 'civilised' societies seem to be very good at oversized solutions. In this case Uighurs are being relocated to the suburbs to live in large apartment blocks away from their narrow crooked streets that the police had difficulty patrolling. They are being relocated because residents were at risk from earthquakes, fires and other disasters. The old 'risky' city is being destroyed and will no doubt be replaced by a more open, safer city - and incidentally easier to patrol. At least Chinese minorities are not subject to the same rigorous one child policy as are Han Chinese, although my understanding is the one child policy is beginning to disintegrate as the threat of an aging workforce looms large.
Whilst I was sad and angry to hear about the destruction of old Kashgar, a place I have wanted to visit ever since I first heard about it 3 or 4 years ago, but mostly the over the top reaction to pockets of extremism in another Muslim population, I was more annoyed to flick through the rubbish that followed in the magazine. This included ads for the Australians Wish magazine, with a cover sporting Rove in a nice suit and the caption 'Leaders in Style: Our top 40 best dressed', as well as food, wine, and star sign pages.
It threw the dichotomy of life on our planet into stark contrast once more!
The typical tourist shot of Kununurra. Ivanhoe crossing just before sunset.
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