Settling in to Gunbalanya

I had intended leaving Darwin on Sunday sometime between 12 and 2 but as usual nothing went to plan and it was 3.15 by the time I got away. The drive to Gunbalanya is 275km on the bitumen, followed by a river crossing, and then about 20km of dirt. All up it took a little over 3 hours, meaning I arrived just before sunset - around 6.30pm.

Because most land in remote communities is owned by the local aboriginal people rental accomodation is not available for outsiders. As a result the government leases housing off the local community which they then provide to teachers free of charge. Two years Gunbalanya was hit by a major cyclone and then 12 months ago it was badly flooded. As a result the house they have given me is newly constructed, metal clad, and raised off the ground.


The only down side to that is that it is sitting on a completely bare block of ground, with a thin covering of topsoil and no grass.


The house came fully furnished, in fact over furnished, with a double bed in the main bedroom and two single beds in each of the two other bedrooms. The furnishings are a very curious mix such as an expensive, good quality lounge and recliners sitting next to a bargain basement flat pack plywood bookcase. Still all in all it is much, much better than I was expecting and I am truly grateful.

The teachers seem like a really nice bunch of people and I think I'm really going to enjoy working here. Originally I thought I had the position permanently and was wrapped with that as I fully intended to stay for years. However I have since discovered that the position is still owned by someone who is on extended leave. I was quite put out by that at first, but no one here seems to think there is the slightest chance the person will be coming back, so I'm feeling more confident about making a long term commitment to the place.