@farmerman,
Quote:whats involved in a "walkabout" .Is it just a long hike or more of an unfocused wandering about?
There are two types of walkabout. One is where the individual gets pissed with everybody and wants to be by themselves. This can be an unfocused wandering if the season is abundant. The desert is very spiritual. It is no coincidence that Judaism, Christianity and Islam were born of the desert. The second type is where the tribe moves on, usually to move to a healthier area, more game, better water, seasonal migration and so on.
Quote:We have stories of long hikes into wilderness areas but nothing like what I envision as being able to span an entire continent without being encumbered by civilization.
You can be quite encumbered by other tribes lands. That could mean war. What you need is an excuse, such as to arrange marriages, trade, catch up with relatives, etc.
The instance that springs to mind is in 1906 (??) one tribe got a hold of two .303 rifles and drove out the tribe that owned Ulluru (Ayers Rock). When the Australian Governmant gave the Rock to the Aboriginees, they gave it to the tribe that stole it just that century. The other tribe owned it since the dream time. Why dont they correct the mistake ? The true owners went to settle at Maralinga having lost many young men to the rifles and were nearly all killed in an Atomic Bomb test by Britain when they walked into the test area. They were found dying from radiation poisoning near some bushes. But shhh! no one knows that because it never happened....
The worst tasting food I had was turtle. It was a soup and was greasey with a very strong taste. If you like deer you will probably like kangaroo. The best food I had was witchity grubs. Depending on the wood you find them in when they are roasted they can taste like peanut butter. They are firm and oil free and very tasty. I recommend them.
) no horrendous fires, so far! (Crossing fingers extra tightly that there won't be any at all.)
