Bush Mechanics

Driving out onto Australian Aboriginal lands can certainly be an adventure. It's very easy to wreck your vehicles on, if I may call them such, roads and tracks that lead there - wherever that is. But being 'off the map' like that is a really awesome experience. On many of these roads you need a permit from the Aboriginal governing body and these need to be planned well in advance of your trip. That is unless you have family living at the destination. Also if you are a tourist you are often not allowed to wander more than about ten feet from your vehicle so that Aboriginal Law and protocols are respected.

When traveling in such remote locations you often need to cart your own fuel and usually there are warnings about carrying sufficient food, water and fuel. Often you may also be advised to ring the local Police before you start your journey to check road conditions and to inform them of your movements.

Such roads are usually not considered to be public roads. And this also means that they are not subject to the usual policing that occurs on public roads. For instance your vehicle doesn't need to be licensed. Many remote towns have a 'car depot' a few miles beyond a town border. This is a place where 'dead cars' and cars in varying states of 'car decay' are deposited for use by local Indigenous community members who traverse between town and community in them. On the way back you merely re-deposit the car back into the 'car bank and walk the few miles into town - or wait until someone in a licensed vehicle gives you a ride. The journeys involved are often what would be considered long; often a few hundred miles or so with no roadhouses dotted along the way; though there are waterholes and other important scenic landmarks along the route. If the spirits don't like you, don't recognize you or are annoyed with you you can easily come to some kind of grief.

As you maybe can imagine driving such vehicles demands a high level of ingenuity plus as many spare tyres as you can find and tribal Indigenous people are well known for their 'bush mechanic' skills. On one journey my tires were changed by an eight year old girl and that tire lasted very well for thousands of miles afterwards. In fact I might still be using it.

Some fellahs from around Yuendumu/Wave Hill way in Walpiri country became the subject of a TV documentary series called Bush Mechanics. The series is hilarious and if you are interested in such matters, or are interested in the culture of remote Indigenous Australians may I implore you to buy a copy of the DVD. Well worth your effort.

You can buy it from many locations but I would suggest that you 'go straight to the horses mouth' and buy it from the community shop. This way the community gains support. You can also become a fan on their Facebook Page. I have provided links at the end of this article. Whilst displaying the humor, ingenuity and sheer resourcefulness of these fellahs you also get a peek into aboriginal lands that are often off-limits to tourists. It just may well provide a scenic adventure worth the effort for you.

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