Reflections of ancient times ... Geikie Gorge National Park represents part of a barrier reef that skirted the Kimberley coastline 350 million years ago.Credit: Richard I'Anson/Lonely Planet
'You are dead, mate,” Bill says, fixing me with a steely look. I swallow hard and a woman behind me gasps. Bill is a big man and a member of the local Bunuba group of Aboriginal people who fought a guerilla war against 19th-century white settlers in the Kimberley, so he has my full attention.
“George here saw it happen,” Bill continues. Others on our tour of Geikie Gorge turn to look at George. “You and George were out hunting when you fell over a cliff to your death. But the question is: did you fall or did George push you? Did George kill you after you argued over the spoils of the hunt?”
Bill devises the hypothetical crime to help us understand the workings of Aboriginal law while we enjoy some bush tea at a campsite on the banks of the Fitzroy River. We have just cruised on the river for an hour beside Geikie's spectacular gold, grey, pink and white limestone cliffs. We are here during the dry, when the water is calm and shallow but in the wet the rampaging river can rise 16 metres as 30,000 cubic metres of water a second rush through the gorge. This torrent carved the cliffs over thousands of years.
Geikie Gorge is part of an extensive barrier reef that skirted the coastline of the Kimberley 350 million years ago in the Devonian period. Movements in the Earth's crust pushed the Kimberley area upwards, exposing the reef as a limestone range that towers over the savannah.
The walls of the gorge contain fossilised marine life from a period before the existence of mammals and reptiles. Today freshwater crocodiles, descended from dinosaurs, line the banks of the gorge as we drift past. Unlike saltwater crocs, freshwater crocodiles eat fish, birds and frogs, not people. They only get snappy if you annoy them so, theoretically, you can swim in the gorge, although there are no takers in our group. The river also contains freshwater sawfish and stingrays as well as the bizarre striped archer fish, which shoots down flying insects with jets of water.
During our cruise to the campsite, Bill points out some of the birdlife of the area, including wrens, warblers and bowerbirds. Although we are hundreds of kilometres from the ocean, sea eagles visit the gorge. Colonies of fruit bats also live here.
But Bill's descriptions of Aboriginal life for the Bunuba people are a highlight of the tour. The Bunuba have lived in the region for more than 30,000 years and Bill points out that any group of people with such a long history must have a strong, workable culture. He describes in detail the complex kinship structures of his people and the strict rules about who can marry whom. He even gets a cheer from several members of our group when he reveals that under traditional Aboriginal law a mother-in-law is not allowed to be in the same vicinity as her son-in-law.
As we sit in the shade at the campsite surrounded by river gums, tropical paperbarks and native fig trees, Bill continues his quest to discover exactly how I died.
“George here reckons he didn't push you but we have ways of finding out if he's lying,” Bill says. “Some elders will visit the area where you fell and they'll examine the ground for footprints and the grass for signs of a struggle. These blokes can tell from looking at the ground exactly what happened. If George is lying, he'll pay the penalty as a murderer.”
“And don't worry, darling,” Bill tells my wife reassuringly. “Now that your hubby's dead, we'll find a good-looking new bloke to look after you.” Did she smile and nod a little too readily?
“Now the elders have looked around at the top of the cliff and reckon George is guilty of murder and the penalty is spearing,” Bill continues. “George has to stand still while some of the best warriors hurl their spears at him from a distance but these blokes don't miss. They can hit a running wallaby from 50 metres, so George knows he's a dead man.”
Bill then gets the group to vote on whether George should be speared. Surprisingly, despite our white laws on capital punishment, most of the tourists – including George's wife – say "yes". George shuffles in his seat and looks dejected. One woman, however, asks if anything can be done to save George.
“If you want to save George you can volunteer to stand in front of him and try to deflect the spears with a very narrow shield,” Bill says. “You're risking your own neck to do it but if you succeed against the odds George will have to do what you tell him for the rest of his life.”
We finish our bush tea and climb aboard the boat for our trip back up the magnificent gorge. We all know that here, in one of the most remote places on the planet, we've just learnt something about the world's oldest culture, and about ourselves. George and I probably learnt a little more than the others.
The writer was a guest of Kimberley Wild Expeditions.
TRIP NOTES
GETTING THERE
Qantas has direct return flights from Sydney to Broome on Tuesday and Saturday and daily return flights via Perth. Virgin has daily return flights to Broome via Perth.
WHERE TO STAY
Broome accommodation ranges from five-star resorts to camping grounds. Advance bookings are advised from April to October. Phone 1800 883 777, see broomevisitorcentre.com.au.
TOURING THERE
Kimberley Wild Expeditions has regular tours from Broome to Geikie Gorge that include the Darngku Aboriginal Heritage Cruise.
See kimberleywild.com.au.
The one-day Geikie Gorge Tour runs on Tuesdays. Adults $269, children $169. The two-day Kimberley Gorges Escape tour departs from Broome on Thursdays. Adult $595, child $495, including safari cabin accommodation. Other accommodation options are available.
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