The last blog titled Derby went too long, sorry. I was going to write about Derby next time we had service, but that may be at the eastern end of the Gibb River Road in two or three weeks time, and then I'll have a heap more to write about. So I thought I had better write before we leave.

We had no expectations for Derby, it is smaller than Broome with a population of around 4500, half of these they say are Aboriginal.

Derby certainly has a long connection with the Aboriginals, and not always for the best. The cover photo on the last blog was of the infamous Prison Boab Tree where it is said that Aboriginals were held inside on their way into Derby. Today we visited the old Derby Gaol where they held mainly Aboriginal prisoners for up to six months waiting to be sentenced, mainly on charges relating to stealing of cattle or sheep. Stock that was suddenly being grazed on their hunting territory.

This gaol looked more like a cage you would keep animals in, three walls of iron bars, one of corrugated iron and a corrugated iron roof. Rings fixed in the floor to chain them to.

It is hard to fathom what has happened in the past and while we would like to think things have improved, there is still room to get better. An example; when we visited the Prison Boab, there are signs before you get to the tree telling you the history and the significance of the tree to the Aboriginals. At the tree there is a fence around it and another sign, again explaining the significance of the tree and that it is unlawful to enter the compound around the tree. When we arrived at the tree there were an older couple inside the compound touching the tree. When the lady came out through the fence I asked her if she was aware of the significance of the tree to the Aboriginals, to which she answered 'no'. So I pointed out the sign and she remarked that maybe they needed to read that first! Does not the fence tell these people they shouldn't enter???

I try to keep my blogs free of my opinions, but on this trip I have seen so many people that either need educating, or they are just plain selfish and this last occasion just took the cake. Sorry.

Back to Derby. It has one of the highest tides in the world at 11.5 metres. While we have been here we had a look at the wharf at high tide and low tide, huge. We also spoke to an Aboriginal couple that were fishing there, which was interesting, apparently she is a better fisher than him! We have also walked around the town looking at the signs telling us about the towns history and its connection with WWII.

We found the museum interesting with artefacts from way back. The Boab trees everywhere never fail to impress. Apparently they can't really date the trees as they don't have a grain in the wood, so no growth rings. They estimate the Prison Tree to be around 1500 years old!

The town has certainly been a lot quieter than most, if not all of the others we have been through. At the visitor centre they told us that at this time of year they would usually see around 400 people a day through their doors, this year it has been around 100. Unfortunately due to Covid a lot of places on the Gibb River Road are closed, all the communities and some of the stations. So they have told us there are very few people traveling it and that there will be no need to book any of the campgrounds. Let's hope they are right!