Corryong College students Seb Rowlinson, Layne Klippel and Zoe McKimmie were three of nine young people who were accepted to participate in the recent Kimberley Cultural Extension Trip program.
Seb reports on the trip.

Seb Rowlinson, Corryong Courier

On the morning of July 31st, I boarded a plane to Broome, Western Australia and greeted friends I had met just a month prior. As we flew over Uluru, we captured some stunning pictures before arriving at Broome airport around lunchtime. After passing through security again, we removed some layers and sat in an outdoor food court, operating on what the teachers called ‘Kimberley time’, which essentially meant people arrived when they got there. As a result, we ended up waiting an extra hour for our next plane. When we finally boarded, we sat on the runway for another 40 minutes before taking off for Kununurra.

Upon landing, the pilot was a bit heavy on the brakes!

We hopped into the utes and hit the road, headed for El Questro Station. After a three-hour drive, we arrived in the dark and got dinner ready. The next day, we visited some nearby hot springs, spending the day relaxing. Early the following morning, we packed up camp and were on the road by 5:15am heading to our next stop, Theda Homestead. We found showers there and met a cute dog. Since we were only staying the night, we quickly showered and left the next morning, taking their canoe with us, strapping it down to a drum of helicopter fuel.

Next, we moved on to Carson Station, where we spent four nights at two different campsites. At the first site, we participated in a smoking ceremony before going fishing and visiting an ochre site. Afterwards, we flew by helicopter to the second campsite, first landing atop some nearby cliffs. We climbed down through the brush to a rock art site, had lunch, then climbed back out the way we came, returning by helicopter. This time, we landed on the beach at the next camp, Windjana Rock, which was surrounded by rock art and located next to the Drysdale River. The river was filled with freshwater fish as well as saltwater and freshwater crocodiles. We spent the day catching fish and mussels straight from the water.

The next day, we started early, climbing into the hills on our right and up to Windjana Rock, where we found some bush tucker to snack on. Around lunchtime, we headed back to our campsite, took the canoe across deep water and clambered up the sandbanks. We then climbed over and through rocks to discover more paintings, including the oldest one, an irregular infill-style kangaroo painting that was 17,500 years old.

We left that campsite the next day. While most of the group walked 6kms back to the old camp where we had left the utes, Dan and I paddled the canoe 8.5 kms down the river, fishing along the way. After departing Carson Station, we participated in a cultural burn-off, lighting the grass as we drove past.

We were headed for the Kulumburu community, our first time seeing others in a week, and found a store there. That night, we hung out at the town’s basketball court, meeting local kids before school the next day.

We helped out at the school the following day and returned to the mission where we were staying to find a full bush bull left for us to butcher. We left it out to dry, explored some nearby rock art and found bush nuts. Later, we planned a barbecue.

The next day, we headed for the coast, spending two days resting there before backtracking to the Gibb River Road. We made one last stop at Theda Station for lunch and returned their canoe.

The following week was spent on the road and we could all feel that the trip was nearing its end. We spent two nights at Munurru and from there, it was one night at gorge after gorge, discovering some of the most breathtaking views I’ll ever see. After nearly 2,000kms of driving, we found ourselves just outside Derby, visiting an art centre where we met two med students from Perth who help out in the communities.

After visiting one last art centre in Derby, we arrived back in Broome that afternoon, relaxing and finishing up some work.

Two days later, we left the west coast, watching the sunset and thinking about how there’s “always good light in Broome.”

In other college news, students were the guests of Corryong Health for a celebration, reflection and connection with Aunty Marg Murray and the Mungabareena Aboriginal Corp. The special occasion honored the rich cultural heritage of the Aboriginal community with a ‘Traditional Welcome and Smoking Ceremony’.

Following the ceremony students got to experience a vibrant expression of culture and storytelling through captivating performance by Traditional Aboriginal Dancers, showcasing their rich history and deep connection to the land.

On the sporting front, the following senior students who recently competed at Albury have advanced to the next level:- 

Zoe McKimmie: 1st – 800m & 2nd- 400m 
Gemma McNamara: 2nd – javelin 
Tess Paton: 2nd – 400m 
Mabel Edwards: 2nd – 400m 
Tyson Furness: 1st – javelin 
Quinn Galbraith: 2nd – 1500m 
Ella Grzeschka: 2nd – discus 
Ananda Hyatt: 2nd – high jump 
Charlie Kemp: 1st – 400m, 800m & 1500m 
Jackson McInnes: 2nd – shotput 
Lily McKimmie: 1st – 100m, 200m & shotput 
Madi McKimmie: 1st – high jump & javelin

This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 26 September 2024.