“So we head north?”
“Yeah.” He was fairly sure it couldn’t be as old as they hoped. There’d been too many cyclones over the years for the rocks to stay in place.
“Do you think there’ll be any more?”
He had no idea. “Might not be another one until we have to change direction. The river’s a clear path.”
They followed the riverbed until the main road intersected it. They both stared at the bitumen. “Well, this wouldn’t have been here in Lilian’s time.” Georgie swung the backpack off and sat under the shade of the last tree along the riverbed. She passed Matt a bottle of water and then opened one for herself, gulping it down before wiping the sweat off her brow.
Disappointment curled in Matt’s gut. “I never realised the road cut the river in half.”
“They probably didn’t even notice it,” Georgie said. “It’s dry most of the time.”
During the last storm, the water pooled on the edges of the road but hadn’t washed it out. “I’ll let the others know we’re crossing to the other side.” Matt got the radio out and spoke briefly with Darcy.
“You found anything?” Darcy asked.
“We found a stack of stones which could be a directional cairn. Anyone your end know anything about them?”
Silence for a moment before Darcy came back on. “No. None of us built it.”
That was something. “We’ll keep following the river then. Any luck there?”
“Nothing. Let me know when you’re ready to turn back and we’ll pick you up,” Darcy said.
“Thanks.” He finished the bottle of water and handed it back to Georgie. Then he held the fence open so she could slip through. She rolled her eyes as she did so. “You know I fit through easier than you do.” She held the wire open for him.
“I know.” But he wanted to do little gestures for her. Things that showed her he cared.
The other end of the river picked up about twenty metres from the road.
Matt scanned the bank but saw nothing out of place.
“Your mum is coming in on Tuesday to finish reviewing the signs at the national park,” Georgie said. “She seems really happy with the progress.”
“It’s nice to be acknowledged,” Matt said.
“Yeah, it’s far too long in the coming,” Georgie agreed.
Matt understood how important this was to his mother. Their people had been stripped of their land, their identity and their family, and were now struggling to reclaim their language and their culture. A lot of progress had been made in terms of recognising land ownership over the past decade or so, but it was difficult to reclaim culture and language when people had been beaten if they tried to practise it. A lot of knowledge had died with the elders who had come before them. “How long will it take for the signs to be made?”
Georgie shrugged. “I imagine it’ll be a month or more. Then we’ll need to erect them.”
“Mum’s thinking about running cultural tours.” It wasn’t common knowledge but he wanted Georgie’s reaction.
She turned to him. “You mean sharing Bayungu language and culture?”
He nodded.
“That’s an awesome idea. I bet heaps of people would love to learn. Tourists are always asking what else there is to do around Retribution Bay.”
Her enthusiasm made him smile and relax. “I’m trying to help her, but I’ve got no idea.”
“I can help. She could start with one or two options, build a website and then advertise. Are you going to run any of the tours?”
He shrugged. “Mum’s asked, but I’m busy on the Ridge.”
“Darcy would give you time, if you want to.”
