Nourlangie Safari Camp, Episode 4 - Flemming Jensen

Allan Stewart, author of ‘The Green Eyes Are Buffaloes’, out looking for lunch.

Nourlangie Safari Camp, here is 9SLK is anybody listening? (My radio code) The Diaries of Flemming Jensen, 1968-1969

In the previous episode, Allan Stewart offered Flemming a job as “a sort of guide” at Nourlangie Safari Camp for the summer.

Saturday 4th January 1969

Usually I start the water pump every morning. To get out to it I must wade through fifty metres of swamp and in many places knee high water. Every time we go down there, yes, every time we approach the water, we must be wary of crocodiles.

Last night Allan heard crocodiles roaring, so he went along with me to the water pump this morning. With him he had the rifle. We found, however, no one. Maybe next time, but I hope to have the rifle with me if one happens to show up.

Allan is busy writing a book and if there is nothing that must necessarily be done I have plenty of time to go hunting. The natives who do not live so far from here have no one to provide food, now that Toby is gone. So I went searching for a wallaby, a small kangaroo, but I was not lucky. I do not think that the old people would live long if they have to stay alive for what I caught!

Tomorrow morning Allan and I will go out and shoot a buffalo so hopefully they will get enough food.

"The truly ancient hunters would probably think we were some lazy fellows"

In the afternoon the rain came and it gave me plenty of time to read Allan's manuscript for his first book ‘The Green Eyes Are Buffalos.’ It is being printed and is expected to be in the shops in spring.

It tells everything about Nourlangie Camp how it all occurred, the natives, the hunting opportunities and hunting stories and a description of those who have visited the area. Allan's autobiography and his own opinions about everything and everyone. It's all spiced up with a lot of true stories told by Allan of the natives and some tall tales are not omitted. Indeed, a Northern Territory history book told in a fun and entertaining way.

Sunday 5th January

The first time I was hunting buffaloes I drove the Nissan while Allan watched. The truly ancient hunters would probably think we were some lazy fellows, as they used to run down the crowd on horseback and shoot the colossus. That is how I remember it from the cinema. A buffalo can weigh more than one thousand pounds and their horns span can be over two metres, so they're not such a laughing matter.

The one we got hold of was unfortunately an old fellow, probably about twelve years old. Allan spent seven shots before it died. It was ripped open on the spot but the flesh was not worth much so we took only the best for the natives, the rest we left to nature. There was not any more today but we have to catch a young for ourselves one of these days.

When we came home I drove up to the natives with the meat, now they could do little again. Pat told us that she had met Jack from the camp and he was going hunting for buffalo with his spear! Jack is over seventy years old and currently living with the three ladies: Toby's mom Carla and her two friends Laura and Molly, all over sixty years old. Poor Jack, the ladies did not catch fish today so he had to go out with the spear like the old days. Pat saw him and persuaded him to go home again while we went out looking for meat for them.

Their camp is very primitive. A wooden skeleton is tied together with bark and the roof is made of bark and leaves. They are like the huts that have been built for centuries. They are very simple for they were seldom used for long a time. Aborigines are nomads and bring only a few belongings. Although Aborigines are slightly adapted to the mainstream society they suddenly can go hunting and then just walk away for days.

Aborigines have achieved the same rights with the white man. They get the same pay as white, but often it happens that many are not so keen to hire a native because sometimes the whole family shows up. At a nearby cattle station the owner built fine brick houses for the natives but they slept outside and their dogs slept inside. It is not always easy but obviously it is also difficult to get the adults to understand our life. It's too late but the kids can be changed but it takes time of course.

Monday 6th January

Pat is truly a good cook, we live as counts and barons and I eat and eat. For dinner they found out that I do not like Indian food it was namely the curry mixed with something else I had to hold. My stomach has not forgotten three weeks of indigestion in New Delhi, India. Apart from this she was named the best cook this side of the Stuart Highway. She is also a good mechanic. Allan had given up trying to repair the engine that pulls the generator, but Pat she did it. Women do not know anything about mechanics! Or what?

The morning was spent fishing on the nearby billabong but I caught no fish. After lunch I went hunting for wallabies but they are too smart, yet one day I will get them. Time is just running when you go hunting and even if you do not catch anything it's fun anyway. In the evening Allan beat me in chess again, he is tough, or maybe I'm just not better yet!

In the next episode, our intrepid hunters manage to get not one, but two cars bogged at Nourlangie.

Reproduced with permission: Kakadu National Park Cultural Heritage & Biodiversity Management Unit.