The Marlgu Billabong

The visit to Marlgu Billabong  was a magic carpet ride.

Three women piled into one 4WD.  I sat in the back of the other, while two of the men in the group sat in front.  Often forgetting I was there, they talked candidly about love and life.  In silence I listened to their sensitive and meaningful perspectives.  How similar we all are!  We all hurt.  We all regret.  We all dust ourselves off and try again.  We all seek meaning to where we were, where we are and where we want to be.  The cycle of life.  I listen in silence and feel grateful for the opportunity to be where I am.

During the usual bone crunching ride we stopped intermittently.  The traffic and views are different here.  We let the yellow spotted monitor cross the road.  The shark was perfectly preserved in fierce heat on the salt flats.  Crisp to the touch, it did not even have an odour.  Soon we were taking the winding road to the Billabong.  We arrive.  In a word, breathtaking!  Acres of white, pink and purple water lilies.  The biodiversity of this place is astounding.  The birdlife prolific.  I should have better photographs but the sheer joy of this place made my hands tremble.  While focusing on the snake I heard an almighty splash.  A crocodile!  But the deceptive beast snuck just below the surface of the water and remained there.  The snake bird emerged and stayed on the bank.  It is a large bird and stretched so far that I struggled with the focus.  The Nankeen night heron found a tasty morsel.  The delightful jacana with a blood red forehead.  Exquisite bird!  The elegant white faced grey heron.  Alive with all kinds of life, the noise at the Billabong was music.  A few hours here was a few hours too few.

For now, I return in memory.  But, I will return, some day soon.

Until next time

As always

a dawn bird