Tennant Creek

Our last visit here in 2008 was a fairly quick one, we arrived late in the afternoon, booked into a caravan park in the town and then left early the next morning.

On that trip I was spooked a little by the number of aboriginal people walking the streets in the evening and night yelling and swearing and generally carrying on. It was not a matter of feeling intimidated because they rarely make eye contact, but the experience did make for a degree of uneasiness. Whilst walking the dog later in the evening I noticed that they appeared to travel in groups and alcohol seemed to be a major issue for both  men and women.

This trip we arrived mid-afternoon and found  thing to be very different. We checked in to a caravan park a little out of town.

We noticed that there were fewer aborigines around the streets and those that were seemed to be more family groups than before.

The next morning we decided to visit the Nyinkka Nyunyu aboriginal cultural centre and found an excellent presentation on the Warumungu  peoples.

The dioramas are first class  and the audio visual presentations are excellent as they and tell the story of the fight for land rights and explain just what life was like in the recent past. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly and the walk around the grounds provides first hand information on some of the bush tucker and medicinal plants used in the area. There’s also the sacred site of the Nyinkka (the spiky tailed goanna) in the grounds. All in all this is an an excellent presentation. If you’re travelling through this way, don’t miss it.

Another highlight, we had lunch in the café / restaurant in the cultural centre and had the best cup of coffee since we left home and nice food, well presented.

I’m really regretting the decision to leave my De Longhi  coffee machine at home, most place in the Territory have lousy coffee.

After quite some time in the cultural centre a tour of the areas just outside Tennant Creek was in order.I'll leave it to the photographs to show what we saw.

You may wonder at my obsession with Furphy water carts, It’s just that they are so interesting !! 


Let’s start at the beginning. Furphy water carts were made in Shepparton Victoria. Originally made for farm use and often pulled around by a horse, they were also extensively used in the army in the first and second world war to carry drinking water. 
The reason for their longevity is that the ends of the tank are made of cast material and the cast in the base / tap end was used to show the maker’s name, so it was quite clear who made the tank. 
Mr Furphy also took the opportunity to advertise some of his other products there and also to include some words to the wise, sometimes in shorthand. And the date is also always shown.

You will recall that in our language, a “furphy” is a rumour or an incorrect or unsubstantiated story, that often turns out to be false. This word has its origins when it was used to describe scuttlebutt picked up when troops gathered at the Furphy water cart for a drink of water.

There are still the remains of the cast ends of Furphy water carts scattered right across the country and I have come across many on this trip.

In Tennant Creek at the Battery Hill Mining Centre a 1942 model  is displayed that I believe is the original tank. This is unusual, but I suppose the very dry climate and maybe the fact that it has spent some time under cover throughout its life may have contributed to that.

Next Stop, The Daly Waters Pub.