This day was never going to start well. At precisely 4am, all the alarms I had set began to go off, which had absolutely no effect on me but brought David and John to startled awakeness, and I was subsequently aroused by a bottle of shower gel on a ballistic trajectory from David’s bunk. After stumbling through packing, attempting to be as quiet as possible and failing, I found myself in front of the reception area at quarter to five, feeling very sorry for myself. My mood was brightened moments later when I found out that there was someone having a worse morning than me. Her name was Tammy, and her backpack had broken while packing that morning.

All this was in aid of seeing the King’s Canyon, and the tour, once we actually arrived was pretty good, although it was one of those big coaches with a very large number of people. It was also very hot and essential to carry lots of water. If I had come during the summer it would have been unbearable, I’m sure. During the three-hour, six kilometre walk around the top of the canyon and the ‘Garden of Eden’ waterhole, I took in a number of excellent views and learned a great deal about the formation of the canyon and the plants that live there. Tammy revealed that she is doing a PhD in Tourism and is currently studying interactions between backpackers and aborigines.

The Aboriginal culture seems to thrive on privacy and seclusion, and so the way it is made into a tourist attraction by the many tour companies that operate in the area is the subject of some concern. Over the years aboriginal rights have generally become more respected, and the various parties to the issue seem to be edging towards a more balanced co-existence, although a great deal of damage has already been done, and I doubt that there are many Aborigines still living in the same way as they did before the Europeans arrived. There are many aboriginal philosophies which seem strange to the European observer – extreme dislike of being photographed, reliance on abstract stories for passing on knowledge, and disinterest in charting their own history. Interaction with Europeans can only cause changes to this culture.