Today gives you a lesson in not believing all you read. You may remember that I finished yesterday’s post with some hifalutin’ statement about magical days? What I didn’t mention was today’s shocker. You see, today’s main activity was to visit the historic Victoria Settlement. That sounded good, as did getting there via a circa 40-minute boat ride across beautiful seas. However, where there are no jetties or ramps, boat rides need to align somewhat with the tides to facilitate embarking and disembarking on beaches. This meant, given the tides this day, having breakfast around 5:30am, to be on the boat at 6:30am! You call this a holiday in paradise we wondered?
Seriously, though, most of us agreed that the early morning wasn’t such a bad thing. It meant we did the 4km, 2-3 hour stroll around the settlement in cooler temperatures than might otherwise had been. Silver linings.
Victoria Settlement (Garig Gunak Barlu National Park)
Hands up you Aussies who haven’t been to this neck of the woods and have heard of the Victoria Settlement? Or, maybe by its other name, Port Essington? I hadn’t – or, if I learnt it at school I’ve long forgotten.
Its history in a nutshell
- In the early 19th century, the British government wanted to establish a settlement on Australia’s northern coastline, partly for trade with Asia and partly for strategic reasons – remember the Napoleonic Wars?
- This area had been explored by Phillip Parker King in 1818 – remember him? – and named Port Essington for his friend, Vice-Admiral Sir William Essington’. He thought it a fine place, likely to become an important port, though he couldn’t find fresh water!
- Bremer took possession of the mainland in 1824 and proposed Port Essington as the first settlement, but it was soon rejected for Fort Dundas on Melville Island (1824) and Fort Wellington at Raffles Bay (1827).
- In 1938, with both Fort Dundas and Fort Wellington having failed (the latter perhaps unreasonably closed down based on premature reports), the Port Essington site was reconsidered. The Victoria Settlement (named for the young Queen Victoria) was established.
- The settlement only lasted until 1849! The initial settlement, partly built using prefabricated buildings (the church and quartermaster’s store) made in Sydney, was destroyed by a cyclone in 1839, but it was rebuilt. However, like those two preceding settlements it suffered from lack of resources and supplies, and of skilled labour, not to mention from disease.
- Ludwig Leichhardt – remember him too? – visited the settlement in its last year. His aim (his second expedition) was to find a good trading route from Moreton Bay to here. Ian, who guided our walk, told us that Leichhardt inspired young people here to undertake scientific research into species, and to record their observations. Ian clearly admired Leichhardt and gives some credence to “foul play” theories regarding his death. Leichhardt documented poor treatment of Aboriginal people, and was hated, because of this. The theory goes that it was known he was returning to Europe at the end of his Third Expedition – what reports would he give? He disappeared during this expedition with no trace.
Other interesting facts included that:
- 100 skilled convicts were brought here in 1844 to build the hospital.
- A mission was established around 1844 too, but it was all too late.
- Indigenous people were apparently friendly, bringing seafood etc to the settlement.
This area is also the site of the first recorded NT shipwreck when the Orontes, which had brought supplies to the new settlement, departed Port Essington on 17 December 1838, and struck an unknown reef approximately 3 miles north of the harbour’s entrance.
A bit of trivia: Essington Lewis who set up BHP was named after Port Essington. His father, John Lewis, was a buffalo hunter in the area in the 1870s.
The things we saw, of the natural variety
- Strychnine tree, identified by its unstriped orange berry (unlike quinine whose berry is striped.) Get them right, Ian said! Best, we think, to avoid all berries!
- The large nest – it was huge – of an orange-footed scrub fowl
The things we saw, settlement wise
Ian noted that we don’t know a lot about life here, because not many records were kept. Hmmm… Anyhow, there are many ruins here, providing a reasonable picture of the settlement’s structure at least. use your imagination Ian said:
- Old wells, near spring-fed fresh water, identified by melaleuca and pandanus plants
- Armoury
- Row of houses
- Kilns for brickmaking on-site
- Quartermaster’s store
- Blacksmith’s forge
- Infirmary/Hospital with kitchen behind
- Officers’ mess
- Cemetery
Getting on and off the boat required a bit of a paddle, but Outback Spirit were prepared with tubs and towels so we could wash and dry our feet before we set off on our walk. Again, such attention to comfort.
Lunch
We got back around 11 am, and an hour later it was lunchtime: a lovely simple salad, served buffet style, followed by brownies and more of those gf friands (which were some of the best I’ve had.)
And here is where the green ants make a second appearance in the blog as I warned you they would – this time in a gin and tonic made from Australian Green Ant Gin. Delicious.
Gunners quoin with Nick
Because of the early start were given the opportunity of either going fishing in the afternoon or going out to Gunners Quoin with Nick. We decided to do the latter, leaving spots on the fishing boats to the enthusiasts.
Gunners Quoin (quoin meaning headland, lookout, Nick said) offered a lovely view of the coast back towards Seven Spirit Bay. We drove out there and dud a little walk along the headland, with Nick pointing out various things of interest including
- Domestic Livistona, though I’m not sure what its actual variety is
- Manta ray swimming in the sea, which was lovely to see
- Large fish in the sea, probably a cod
This point was the site of the convalescent hospital for the Victoria Settlement. The trouble was, Nick said, no one wanted to leave, because they felt healthy here. Depression was a significant issue at the settlement Ian had told us.
Nick then drove to another spot, and walked us to an unnamed beach. This is how remote it is. We saw a monitor track, the remains of the turtle nest that had attracted the monitor, and the monitor’s own nest – but no actual turtles or monitors.
Our small non-fishing group had a lovely time wandering and chatting with Nick on this pristine beach. Nick commented on the changing leadership roles in indigenous communities with women taking more and more of the lead. I wanted to ask how this would affect traditional cultural structures but I missed the opportunity, unfortunately. The point, of course, is that indigenous communities are no more static than ours are – and we should not expect them to be.
Bities
No, not crocodiles, or even snakes (we only saw one), spiders or box jellyfish, but the humble mosquito. We haven’t mentioned them before, but they’ve been well present throughout the trip, necessitating warnings and cautions, such as wear long loose pants and tops, use spray, and turn our lights off at night. Don’t even have your iPad on, we were told, as even its light attracts them. (A major reason little reading was done for days by yours truly. Some nights we were in bed with lights off by 9.30pm) These warnings were particularly strong at Mt Borradaile, but also at Barra Lodge and Murwangi.
You will hear more about bities later!
Dinner
The sightseeing group met the fisher-people on the patio for drinks and nibbles (gf and df pumpkin, preserved lemon and almond patties) before dinner. They were all abuzz because tour member Trevor had caught a 27kg Spanish Mackerel. Dinner that night – we had been informed the day before – was to be barbecue, and the chef, we learnt was going to add some fillets of Trevor’s fish to the mix. It was a delicious meal, with beef, pork, scallops on the shell, and the mackerel, on offer. This was followed by a gf apple crumble dessert with, for me, coconut sorbet. A most jovial evening.
Bliss, really, is all you can say about this place, notwithstanding the shocking early morning start!
Fascinated to read this… ages ago I read a book called Grand Central State by Jack Cross (see https://anzlitlovers.com/2011/09/01/great-central-state-the-foundation-of-the-northern-territory-by-jack-cross-bookreview/) which was about South Australia’s grand ambitions for this settlement. But you know, you read about stuff like this and it just becomes a vague memory, with all the details fuzzy.
But now you’ve been there and I have pictures to see!
At least you read about it Lisa! Thanks for sharing that. I’ll check out your review and comment when I get back. A Wakefield Press book?
Lovely picture of you two!
Thanks Carolyn. We decided we’d better put in a couple of us!
Looks like a rip roaring but lovely boat trip on a pretty early morning run!
Did you discover the flowers’ name on the unnamed beach? It is lovely.
You two look wide awake and happy!
I am behind again and catching up!
Thanks Trudy. We’re behind too!
No, I’m struggling with that flower mightily. It’s a challenge sometimes to track these things down.