Ti Tree Northern Territory

When The Kombi eventually reached Ti Tree, Northern Territory, the rotary engine that I had fitted in Charleville, Qld was on its last legs.

Apparently it had something to do with oil pressure and not properly connecting those 18 wires from the motor to the non-existent computer.

Ti Tree is 200km north of Alice Springs. Even though it is on "The Bitumen" as this part of the Stuart Highway is known, it qualifies well as part of the Australian Outback.

After a short discussion on the merits of paying their last $5 for a caravan site or spending it in the pub, we decided on the latter. The “Kid” was only 18 months old so she went along with the wishes of her parents for one of the few times in her life.

We were sitting quietly trying to make one beer and one glass of wine last as long as possible while “The Kid” played with a couple of local kids.

After a short while the parents of the local kids, “Mr and Mrs Local”, came over to us for a “bit of a yarn”.

To cut a long story short, I bit “Mr Local” for twenty bucks(A loan of $20), had a really good night, and started work in “Mrs Local’s” gallery the next day.

My first job was to cut up a fallen Athol pine and build it into display benches, hooks and stands for her excellent range of aboriginal art and artefacts.

This eventually led to many other jobs in the town including the standby operator of the power station and water supply, and as the sole council worker. The latter position became available after the incumbent’s employers chastised him for trying to run down a couple of young aboriginal blokes who were throwing rubbish around the street.

The school bus driving position probably came up because no one else out of the population of about twenty wanted it. I enjoyed most of my two or three months in the job until I was sacked for complaining about a series of bus breakdowns which left me stranded in the bush for hours on end. I only had three young aboriginal boys as passengers on an old 63 seat Bedford bus. This had apparently been put off the road in “Alice” a few times so it was sent “out bush”.

These 110km round trips twice a day, almost twenty years ago, are still etched vividly in my mind.

Ti Tree was my first up close and personal interaction with traditional aboriginal people living in their own land. It was an education! It also became a major turning point in my life.

Watch this page and others as I add more stories about my family’s 12 months in Ti Tree.

Clancy: Ti Tree's Outback Legend