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3rd - 4th Febuary 1933 - unreliable numbers, ducks and Glen Helen Station
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All day the camels had been giving us a good deal of trouble. The wind and getting near home had upset them. Murch's camel had to be swapped for Hezekiel's after reducing Murch to desperation and tears and time really got away. The pack camel also broke away twice and had to be repacked. It was too dark to see much of the rock hole but we could hear lots of duck quacking about. The camels were so tired that they hardly raised a murmer while we unloaded them and we were pretty dry and tired too.

I made a couple of dampers and we had a real good tea on the strength of our good progress. Evidently the camel boy had meant 26 miles and not 16 as he had said 10 and then 6 more, meaning 10 and then 6 more than 10 after that. Numbers are very unreliable with all blacks. It is far safer to deal in days rather than hours and miles. Once we asked Hezekiel how long to the next water. He said, " Two-three days boss." After three days we asked again, " Two-three days boss." Two hours later we arrived at the water. He meant two or three days since we last asked and thought our confusion rather funny.

Saturday 4/2/1933
It was just light enough to see when I got up this morning and the waterhole was wholly covered with duck. However, I was brought up not to shoot sitting birds, we had plenty of meat and I let them go and had a swim instead, the duck staying on the water until I actually got in.

1933 photograph: Glen Helen homestead
Glen Helen Station

The rock pool is a huge affair, about 100 yards long and 50 yards wide. It is over twenty feet deep along almost the whole of one side and is enclosed on each side by high perpendicular strata cliffs high perpendicular strata at Glen Helen. I climbed up the west side and saw a station homestead about a quarter to half a mile from the northern opening of the gap (continues...)

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