Fitzroy Crossing - Derby

We have seen two caravans roll-overs since we have been on the Highway.  This is the result of one of them.  The rest of the van was strewn along the roadside, nothing left of value.   We came across another one where it seems the caravan had also taken out a backpackers van, as the caravan, tow vehicle and little van were all smashed on the side of the road.   Noone seemed to have been hurt in either of these two instances.   There wasnt a great deal to see or do in Fitzroy Crossing, just the Geike Gorge cruise.  We opted for the 8a.m. cruise which is for 1 hr.  Have to admit it was just beautiful.   (Thanks Grant).  The rock formations here were totally different again to anything we had seen before.  Highly recommend this one.  Will add pics in next blog.   Then we detoured to Derby.  Sounded like a really nice place - lots to see and do.  We were wrong.  Not much here either.   Visited the "touristy" things but nothing exciting.

This was as excited as I got.  Our neice Tantri who is of Balinese/German/Russian heritage is studying to be a hairdresser.  When I saw this Salon in her name I had to snap the pictures.

A visit to the old Derby gaol was humbling.  To read the stories of the aboriginals - around 200 of them were locked up here over the years mostly for stealing cattle.   These "natives" were chained - neck to waist to legs and often marched 24 to 48 kms each day to serve their time in the gaol.  Corrugated iron and bars - bolts in the floor that they were chained to.   No shelter from the heat or the cold.   They wouldnt have understood our language or the fact that what they were doing was wrong.   When you read how they were so badly treated it makes you feel very sad.    The boab tree is called the prison tree.  Sometimes it was used for sheltering the prisoners, or just as a rest stop on the way to the gaol. I must admit that the stories we have read of the early settlement of Australia and the treatment of the aboriginal men, women and children are truly sad.  It was done in their best interests under circumstances that we thought were right, but are so wrong in todays world.       But then on the other hand, witnessing the people today, I sometimes think - Why isnt someone intervening in these families , when you see little kids, dirty and unkempt living in parks etc.