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Western Australia is big.
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I mean, it's massive.
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It encompasses six deserts
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and seven climate zones.
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It's one third of
the entire landmass of Australia.
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It's the size of Western Europe.
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The Little Sandy Desert -
not even the Great Sandy Desert -
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is bigger than Bulgaria...
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...but the population density is
very low.
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In London, where I live,
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it's 5,592 people
per square kilometre.
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Here, in Western Australia,
it's one...
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...and in this particular
square kilometre,
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that person is me.
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Welcome to Bill Bailey's Wild West.
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If you think you know Australia,
think again...
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...because there's an even wilder...
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Here we go.
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Whoa!
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...weirder...
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Even the kookaburras
are embarrassed.
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...and more wonderful version of
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the land down under.
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I don't think there's anywhere
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like this on Earth.
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And it's in the west.
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There's so much space here.
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You could put 13 Britains into
West Australia.
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Let me take you there.
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Imagine a land of giants...
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You look like Bill.
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Yeah, you look like Luc.
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...of alien landscapes...
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I mean, where else in
the world can you see
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a waterfall in the ocean?
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whoa-ho!
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...and a bunch of characters you
won't find anywhere else on Earth.
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Well, if you're Space Gandalf, I'lUl
be... What'll I be? Space Gimli?
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HE PLAYS FAST SYNTH GUITAR LICKS
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You play so fine!
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I know, sounds too good
to be true, but it's not.
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This is the real
Western Australia... Oh, yeah.
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...right here. Yeah.
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I come in peace.
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Because here it is - the most
remarkable part of this
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Great Southern Land is
the western bit.
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Who knew?
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In our DNA, we want this.
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We want to be amongst this.
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Western Australia cracks open
your soul.
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I'm a few hours north of
the WA state capital, Perth,
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but it feels like
I'm on another planet.
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The verdant south seems light-years
away from this alien land -
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the Pinnacles.
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It's quite an eerie
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and beautiful sight when you
first arrive.
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There's all kinds of images spring
to mind.
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The first is of
an ancient, fossilised forest,
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and the next thing is
they look like tombstones.
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And they almost look like
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they've been placed here in a circle.
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There's some kind
of intent behind them.
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But, of course, the truth is
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nobody really knows
for sure how they got here.
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I mean, there's plenty of theories
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that these are actually
old tree roots.
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The fossilised remains
of ancient trees.
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And the other theory is that
they're plants...
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...and that water flowed
into the roots of the plants
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and, then, carried with it
nutrients.
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They dried out, the climate changed,
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and they formed these strange stone
deposits,
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these strange pinnacles.
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But there's actually another theory,
and that's the one I kind of like,
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and that is that...
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...this area was sacred,
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particularly for women.
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Men were not allowed in this area.
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And men who strayed in
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to spy on these women were punished
by the gods...
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...and turned to stone.
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So, what we are, in fact, standing
in is a...is a desert filled with
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the fossilised ghosts of perverts.
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You can still hear them saying,
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"Cor! Look at that! She's gorgeous!"
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Dirty sods!
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BLEEP!
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No-no-no!
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"The fossilised ghosts of perverts."
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You can't say that. Can you say
that? I don't know.
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Not a bad name for a band, though.
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The Pinnacles are the gatekeepers
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for one of the most extraordinary
drives on the planet.
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I'm heading north,
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along a coastline that
defies imagination.
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This part of Western Australia,
all the way to Exmouth,
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is ancient and exotic,
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rich in natural wonders,
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with barely a tourist in sight.
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It's what the locals call
“the big country”.
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And they live in a big country,
so it must be really big.
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About ten hours north of
the Pinnacles -
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so, basically,
up the road in WA terms -
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is the Ningaloo Coast,
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a World Heritage area famed
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for its all-star cast
of marine life.
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We're pulling into Exmouth.
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On first impressions,
a rather tidy, well-kept place.
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Wide boulevards.
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Tree-lined avenues.
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Palm trees, which attest to the more
tropical latitudes we're entering.
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This is the place where we can see
the reef, the Ningaloo Reef,
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and, hopefully, get in the water.
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Maybe do a bit of snorkelling.
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Maybe even see the thing I've been
dreaming about for years.
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The whale shark.
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And here, on the Ningaloo Reef, is
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one of the few places
that you can do that in the world.
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Whale sharks have always
fascinated me.
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They're the biggest fish in
the world.
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Their origins date back
240 million years,
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and they're unique -
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the sole member of
the genus Rhincodon.
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But, to me, there's a romantic
grandeur about them,
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as they glide gracefully through
the world's oceans.
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Gentle giants.
The last of their kind.
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If you think, maybe, it's a bit
foolhardy swimming with a shark,
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they pose no threat to humans.
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They're filter feeders,
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so they just live on plankton
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and small fish -
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not bearded comedians.
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I can't... I don't know what...
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I'm just so excited!
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I can't believe it!
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Finally getting to do this,
after all these years.
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A mature whale shark can grow
as large as a school bus.
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In fact, everything's big
round here.
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And I've just noticed a giant prawn.
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That is magnificent!
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I don't think it's to scale,
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but it's absolutely
anatomically correct.
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I mean, what kind of town are you
if you don't have a giant prawn?
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Before I am immersed in the
wonderful world of the whale shark,
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I'm off to meet another,
more everyday, Australian icon.
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I've just got a tip-off
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that there's a couple of
unsavoury-looking characters
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hanging around the campsite,
so I'm just going to investigate.
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A couple of emus here.
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Quite fearsome-looking birds.
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They're just wandering around
in the street.
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Just bumped into them.
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I'm keeping my distance a little bit,
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because they do have quite
a fearsome reputation.
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There's been occasions when emus
have attacked people.
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And they go for your eyes,
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so I'm just...
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I'm not taking any chances!
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We don't have emus wandering round
campsites in Britain.
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There was quite a famous battle
with these birds
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in Western Australia in the 1920s.
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It became known as the Emu Wars.
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What happened was
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there was a lot of farmers
were trying to grow wheat,
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and it was the Depression,
and times were hard,
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so they didn't want to lose the crop.
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And 20,000 emus were migrating
through the state,
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and, er, they didn't know what
to do.
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So, what they did, they called in
the Australian Army...
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...and, er, they tried to get
the gunners to come
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and, basically, shoot them.
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It was straight out of
the First World War,
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they had these machine guns.
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So, anyway, there were 20,000 emus...
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...and they started shooting at them,
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and then the gun would jam.
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And then the emus would run away,
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and they'd scatter.
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And then they would try
and shoot them,
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and the emus would sort of split up
into groups,
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like they were organised.
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And, basically, it was a disaster.
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There were 20,000 emus,
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the.. the army,
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and they only managed
to shoot about a thousand of them.
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And the guy in charge was this
magnificently-named
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Major Gwynydd Purves Wynn-Aubrey
Meredith,
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and he was in charge of
the Australian Army trying
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to sort of get rid of these emus.
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And by the end of it, he was kind of
defeated,
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and he said, "If we had
a military division
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"of the bullet-carrying
capacity of these emus,
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"they could face any army."
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It's a kind of mix of everything,
isn't it?
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It's like dinosaur feet,
a straw hut,
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there's this snaky neck,
a big dagger beak,
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a kind of slightly
evil-looking demeanour.
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Imagine 20,000 of them bearing down
on you.
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I mean, even with a machine gun,
you'd be like...
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BILL BREATHES TREMULOUSLY
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I'm with Major Meredith on that one!
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I'm lacking a couple of bits of kit,
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so I'm just going to have
a look here,
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see if we can pick
some snorkelling gear.
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Oh, you see there?
Whale shark tours.
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This might be the thing.
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I don't know whether this is
the best model
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for this equipment, though, is it?
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Someone's transfixed,
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like some kind of zombie.
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I mean, look, that's not the best...
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"Yeah, I love snorkelling.
It's great.
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00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:08,375
“Really, really loving this snorkel."
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00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:10,935
I could do a better job.
I could do a better job than that.
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Like...
216
00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:13,535
Or like...
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"Wow!" Something like that.
218
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Come on!
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Just work it a bit.
220
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Idiot.
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Oh, my... Ha! Right.
222
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So, let's get into it.
223
00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:36,775
Now, OK, I'm sensing
a marine theme here.
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We've got the water,
we've got the Hockney-esque ripples.
225
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We've got the... Oh, look, you see,
got the whale shark markings.
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00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:45,775
It's pretty... There's a lot of...
227
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There's quite a whale-shark-heavy
theme going on here.
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What do we think?
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00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:53,695
Is this for...?
Is this for the male snorkeller?
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Yes. Yes.
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Is it...? Does this offer a purpose,
like, of camouflage or something?
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00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:03,495
Um... So, they're SPF50, so they'll
protect you from the sun. Right.
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00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:05,815
And they'll protect you from
any stingies. Stingies. Oh!
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00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:06,815
But, more importantly,
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they'll look...make you look
fantastic. They'll look fantastic.
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00:12:09,680 --> 00:12:12,495
Yeah. They're good for the office,
as well. For yoga, for swimming...
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Excellent. Multi...
Multifunctional. ..functional. Yes.
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00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:19,015
Absolutely. It's context-based,
isn't it, though?
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walking around in West London,
240
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I might attract
quite a lot of attention. Yes!
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But here... But here.
..I'm fitting right in.
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I'm just getting into me
whale-shark-themed leggings
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00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:31,935
and rashie.
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I mean, even if I say so myself,
I look fantastic.
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Are you ready for the reveal?
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00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:38,615
OK.
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What do you think?
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00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:53,095
I think I could pass for
a whale shark.
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00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:55,495
If somebody was snorkelling
and they saw me,
250
00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:57,375
they'd probably reckon
they'd seen one.
251
00:12:57,400 --> 00:12:59,655
But they'd have gone,
"This one had a beard."
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00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:02,375
I might never take these off.
253
00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:04,855
I don't have any inhibitions.
254
00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:08,575
I feel cleansed of my city ways.
255
00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:11,495
I feel at one with nature.
I'm ready to connect.
256
00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:16,615
Oh, I do look like some old bloke
in his pyjamas.
257
00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:17,855
There's that.
258
00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:23,735
Right, cue the soaring music,
259
00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:28,095
because I'm about to tick something
spectacular off my bucket list.
260
00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:30,975
BOLD ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
261
00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:46,455
Hello!
262
00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:48,295
Hi! Ahoy there!
263
00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:49,695
Hello. Right.
264
00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:51,135
Hello. Thank you. Bill.
265
00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:52,375
You're on. }as.
266
00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:53,975
Jas. Hey, nice to meet you.
267
00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,295
You, too. Want to come aboard?
Yes, please. Jump up.
268
00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:58,375
My guide, Jas, has swum with
269
00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:01,775
and studied Ningaloo's whale sharks
for over ten years.
270
00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:03,815
This is fantastic!
271
00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:05,055
We're sort of matching.
272
00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:08,135
It's the attire of the Ningaloo.
273
00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:11,895
It is. I was thinking that
I won't wear it, because, you know,
274
00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:13,855
we're having a serious
conversation... I know.
275
00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:16,455
...about science. But you are
a scientist. I am.
276
00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:18,415
And you're wearing it,
so I feel now at home.
277
00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,695
Exactly. Exactly!
278
00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:21,655
Why are they here?
279
00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:22,735
Why are they here?
280
00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:25,735
So, the whale sharks come
to the Ningaloo mainly to feed.
281
00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:26,815
So, we get...
282
00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:30,135
The majority, about 75% of the
population, are juvenile males,
283
00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:32,495
and, like the males
from most species,
284
00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:33,855
they've got a couple of things
on the mind -
285
00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:36,655
one of them's food. And they really
just come here for the feed.
286
00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:38,975
You're saying there's still
so much about them
287
00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:41,055
that we don't really know. Yep.
288
00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:43,375
Well, we don't know where they mate,
how they mate.
289
00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:45,695
We've never seen them give birth.
290
00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:51,055
We've only seen seven baby
whale sharks in the entire world.
291
00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:52,535
And I'm talking baby whale sharks
292
00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:54,335
about this big. Oh! Tiny babies!
293
00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:59,215
And from that size to about a metre
and a half, they're not seen,
294
00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:03,575
so there's a lot of their lifespan
we just don't know anything about.
295
00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:04,575
How long do they live?
296
00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,855
So, between 80 to 130 years is
what they think. Wow!
297
00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:08,975
Yeah.
298
00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:15,055
Jas tells me that whale sharks can
dive to almost a thousand metres,
299
00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:19,735
and females can have 300 pups,
as they're called, at a time.
300
00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:21,615
And then there's the spots.
301
00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,575
As individual as fingerprints.
302
00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,375
So, here's my question about
the markings,
303
00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:30,375
because I know that
certain creatures,
304
00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:32,695
particularly marine creatures
as well,
305
00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:35,015
they have quite unique markings
306
00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:37,935
by which you can identify
individual animals. Yep.
307
00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:39,535
So, is that the same
with whale sharks?
308
00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:41,855
Correct. Right.
Yes, so pretty much our attire here,
309
00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:43,375
this would be the, ah,
310
00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:45,735
I think it's based off one of
the local photographers,
311
00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:48,095
an actual photo of
an actual whale shark. Oh, right.
312
00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:50,415
But what we do on the left-hand
side of...
313
00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:51,775
this is my right-hand side,
314
00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:54,095
but on the left-hand side of every
whale shark,
315
00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:55,735
just behind its pectoral fin,
316
00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:58,095
the gill kind of area,
just behind that. Yeah.
317
00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,255
So we'll take a picture of that,
send it in to the DVCA,
318
00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,095
which is our governing body. OK.
319
00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:04,815
And they put that through
a little program.
320
00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:07,455
It goes through there, it does all
these little algorithms on the spot,
321
00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:10,375
comes out the other end, and says,
"No, that's this shark that we saw
322
00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:12,735
"three years ago on
Coral Bay" or something. Yeah.
323
00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,215
So that's how we kind of ID them
with their spot patterning
324
00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:16,415
using that program as well.
325
00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:18,735
Spot pattern. Right. OK.
Hard with the naked eye.
326
00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:19,775
Yes.
327
00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:21,535
In the last 75 years,
328
00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:23,855
whale shark numbers have
more than halved,
329
00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:25,695
due in no small part to fishing.
330
00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:30,975
These days, they're officially
classed as endangered,
331
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,295
which makes it all
the more special to be here
332
00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:34,895
and hopefully catch sight of one.
333
00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:36,135
It's not that deep, is it?
334
00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:38,495
Oh, the boys are giving me
the signal for whale shark.
335
00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:39,855
Oh, really? Oh, my God.
Over here. OK.
336
00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:41,215
Oh, my goodness, that's great news.
337
00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:43,055
All right, we'd better get ready,
then, I suppose.
338
00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,055
Do you wanna get ready? I dunno,
what do you reckon?
339
00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:46,295
Let's go. Oh.
340
00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:47,815
Whale shark. Whale shark.
Come on back.
341
00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:49,215
Yeah! Come on!
342
00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:03,255
Go, go, go, go.
343
00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:05,095
All right. That's it. Let's go.
Go on in.
344
00:17:05,120 --> 00:17:06,255
Here we go. Here we go.
345
00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:07,455
Here we go! Wee!
346
00:17:14,360 --> 00:17:17,695
Come on, whale sharks,
I've given you a big build-up.
347
00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:20,055
I'm gonna look a right mug
if you don't show up.
348
00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:31,655
I'm on the Ningaloo coast,
349
00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:34,975
near the town of Exmouth in
Western Australia,
350
00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,975
for the wildlife experience of
a lifetime.
351
00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:44,575
And the whale sharks are every bit
as spectacular as I'd hoped.
352
00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:48,975
This handsome fella is
a juvenile male.
353
00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:50,615
Barely out of his teens,
354
00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:54,935
he's already migrated enough
distance to span the entire globe.
355
00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:04,455
To be this close to such
an extraordinary animal...
356
00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:07,215
...is as good as it gets.
357
00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:10,615
That was...
358
00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:11,615
...amazing.
359
00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:14,615
That was incredible.
360
00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,735
Oh...my God,
361
00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:27,175
that was absolutely incredible.
362
00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:29,215
I mean...
363
00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:31,895
...I've been trying to
see these whale sharks for
364
00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:34,135
as long as I can remember, and...
365
00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:38,335
...to see them, like, for
the first time is,
366
00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:40,655
I've got to say, it's
a bit overwhelming.
367
00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:42,535
I'm a bit emotional.
368
00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:44,135
I didn't know quite what to do there.
369
00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:48,175
I was sort of a bit discombobulated
with the experience.
370
00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,695
Nearly dropped me camera out of my
fins, I was all over the place.
371
00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:52,735
It's...
372
00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:55,615
...an amazing moment.
373
00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:59,255
It's like a culmination of years
and years of...
374
00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:00,935
wanting to swim with them,
375
00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:03,975
but...whatever you know about them,
376
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:05,655
whatever you've read about them,
377
00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:09,215
nothing prepares you
for seeing them right there in
378
00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:10,815
the water,
in their natural environment.
379
00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:12,575
Absolutely...
380
00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:13,935
...spectacular.
381
00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:20,055
There's a timelessness about
this part of Western Australia.
382
00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:21,735
It's almost spiritual.
383
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,535
And the dry land is every bit
as inspiring,
384
00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:28,335
complete with its own
ancient history.
385
00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:35,055
So I'm up on the Coral Coast,
up towards Ningaloo.
386
00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:37,975
I'm going to a place called the
Mandu Mandu Gorge.
387
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,935
I'm here to meet one of
the traditional owners,
388
00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:43,255
Hazel Walgar of Baiyungu People,
389
00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,655
who is a great advocate
for this area,
390
00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:50,055
and someone I wanna learn
a bit more about this region from.
391
00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:54,215
It's one of things I wanted
to do, really, with this trip,
392
00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,415
is to actually talk to
the traditional owners,
393
00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:00,095
hear what they have to say about
the land,
394
00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:01,215
because I'm sure they have
395
00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:03,935
a different perspective on it than
I would.
396
00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:05,575
You know, they would see things,
397
00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:08,575
know things about it that
I couldn't possibly know.
398
00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:12,975
And I think the only way, really,
to get a proper insight into
399
00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,895
the land is to talk to
the traditional owners.
400
00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:24,775
Hello.
Hello, Bill.
401
00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:25,935
Hazel.
How you going?
402
00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:27,895
Really well, thanks.
Long way from home.
403
00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:30,855
Yes. Long, long way!
Long, long way.
404
00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:33,495
It's the first time I've been
to this part of Australia.
405
00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,055
You like it?
I do.
406
00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:37,895
This is Ningaloo. Welcome.
Thank you.
407
00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:39,855
Beautiful spot.
What are you making here?
408
00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:41,695
I'm making some bread.
Ah!
409
00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:44,335
We call this here Johnny cakes.
410
00:20:44,360 --> 00:20:46,335
Just flour, bit of milk,
411
00:20:46,360 --> 00:20:48,655
makes it nice and creamy.
412
00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:50,535
Stick it on the fire you've got
going over there?
413
00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:52,255
Stick it on the fire.
414
00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,975
Yeah, see, this is something I think
I'd be able to knock up.
415
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,015
We're not allowed to really
eat this.
416
00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:00,375
Doctors always say there's too
much sugar in it
417
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:02,335
especially for us,
with diabetes, you know?
418
00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:05,215
After we go and check our sugar,
bloody thing's up high,
419
00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:08,815
thanks to the whole damper. Yeah, I
know, that's the thing isn't it,
420
00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:11,935
anything that tastes good,
does you harm, doesn't it?
421
00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:13,375
That's right.
422
00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:16,655
Cultures as distant
as Native American and Innuit
423
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,735
have their own versions
of Johnny Cakes.
424
00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:23,295
First Nations old people in
Australia made their flour
425
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:27,335
grinding native seeds
from native plants like acacia.
426
00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:30,495
What Hazel made today
was introduced with sugar,
427
00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:32,295
by the European settlers,
428
00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:34,735
who traded the ingredients
as currency.
429
00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,175
Oh, look at that.
Shall we have some... Butter.
430
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,895
...butter and jam or something. Yeah?
Jam. We got honey.
431
00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:41,575
Knock the old sugar right up!
432
00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:43,615
BILL LAUGHS
433
00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:45,495
We're gonna be seeing double!
434
00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:47,855
Oh, this is lovely, Hazel.
Yeah.
435
00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:50,415
We just don't have country
like this.
436
00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,415
It's just a totally new experience
for me. Hmm.
437
00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,415
Hazel's connection to this land
sustained her through
438
00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:01,775
one of the darkest chapters
in Australian history.
439
00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:05,455
As a child, she was re-homed
as part of a government
440
00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,215
and church-run program me
that ran from the early 1900s
441
00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:11,575
until as late as the 1970s.
442
00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:17,775
An estimated 100,000 Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander children
443
00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:21,415
were taken - becoming known
as the stolen generations.
444
00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:24,815
Been mostly here all my life,
445
00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,855
you know, before we were taken away
446
00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,455
and put in missions and stuff,
but this was always home,
447
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:34,775
and that's one thing they never took
from us. Yeah.
448
00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:38,135
Our connection back home.
449
00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:41,655
That must have been quite
a big moment coming back here then.
450
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:46,215
Yes, it was.
Especially coming back home. Yeah.
451
00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,135
Back to country and most of all,
452
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:52,095
our old people that was once here
when we were growing up,
453
00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:53,975
no longer here.
454
00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:58,855
You know, we saw how they had
to try and adapt to suburban life.
455
00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:03,215
Yeah. And we just saw
their heath deteriorate.
456
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,695
We lost a lot of our old people.
457
00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:08,695
But this is where I come Bill,
458
00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,655
when I just want to find myself,
459
00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,455
and do my healing
right here on country.
460
00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:16,935
This is a blessed place.
461
00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:20,175
Just sitting around a fire
doing this sort of stuff.
462
00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:23,935
Hazel's experiences may have taken
her away from this place,
463
00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:28,335
but her traditions and knowledge
are as strong as ever.
464
00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:30,815
See these stones here?
Yeah.
465
00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:36,295
These are ones we old people used
for their grinding stone. Oh, right.
466
00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:40,655
You can feel the...
It's got a bit of...
467
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:42,575
Mm.
468
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:44,855
That's one they'd get,
469
00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:48,095
and they'd hold it like that.
470
00:23:48,120 --> 00:23:49,815
Yeah.
471
00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:53,855
That's for those making the flour.
472
00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:55,415
Yeah.
473
00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:03,935
Lot of our stuff we don't like
to take away.
474
00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:05,535
Mm.
475
00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,415
We encourage visitors
not to take things off country.
476
00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,455
Mm.
Mm.
477
00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:16,295
The tragedy of the Stolen
Generations is the broken families
478
00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:19,055
and disintegration
of a multi-generational
479
00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:20,535
connection to country.
480
00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:25,135
Thankfully, people like Hazel
have come back
481
00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:27,855
to begin these teachings
all over again.
482
00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,815
This quite spectacular canyon,
483
00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,535
this is all part of
the Cape Range National Park.
484
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:49,055
Great deep gorges
485
00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:54,615
and narrow spurs
of rugged limestone.
486
00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:56,935
Spectacular.
487
00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:58,575
Apparently, this is about,
488
00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,895
I think it's something
like over 50,000 hectares
489
00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:07,375
of national park, teeming
with wildlife and endemic flora.
490
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,615
It's a haven of nature,
491
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:13,295
and for bearded travellers.
492
00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:18,215
This is Charles Knife Canyon.
493
00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,735
320 metres above sea level,
494
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:23,055
21km wide,
495
00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:25,335
and ridiculously beautiful.
496
00:25:25,360 --> 00:25:28,295
Wow, look at that.
497
00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:32,655
It's a weird sensation being amidst
such strange emptiness,
498
00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:35,175
but feeling curiously at home.
499
00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:37,895
It's like the crags and cliffs
are speaking to me,
500
00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,895
probably telling me
to watch my step.
501
00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:42,335
I am a Capricorn,
502
00:25:42,360 --> 00:25:45,495
so that does mean
I'm sure footed, apparently.
503
00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:47,815
I mean, don't want to jinx it.
504
00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:51,295
Or perhaps, more accurately,
they tend to land on their feet.
505
00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:57,335
So, I might say that ascribes to me.
506
00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:00,335
They can be headstrong,
sometimes stubborn.
507
00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:04,495
And will eat almost anything.
508
00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:05,735
Again, all of that applies to me.
509
00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:09,695
With my best foot forward,
510
00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:13,415
I'm stepping out
into history itself.
511
00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:17,975
This is an old reef.
512
00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,935
Part of the old Ningaloo reef,
which is out there.
513
00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:24,975
And everyone comes
for the whale sharks
514
00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,335
and the snorkeling
515
00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:30,615
and the diving on the reef
out there,
516
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:32,535
just off the coast,
517
00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:38,255
but this is the remnant
of a huge limestone reef.
518
00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:41,935
You can see it all around in
the evidence of fossilised shells
519
00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:43,535
and crustaceans.
520
00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:47,335
This is probably over
60 million years old.
521
00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:49,015
But that's the science version.
522
00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:53,575
What I'm getting from this is
the beautiful sense of space,
523
00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:55,855
of tranquillity,
524
00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:57,895
stillness,
525
00:26:57,920 --> 00:26:59,695
of the ancientness of the rock.
526
00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:05,655
One of the great things
about canyons is that,
527
00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,695
you know, you're propelled upwards,
528
00:27:08,720 --> 00:27:11,735
and you see these great valleys
all around you.
529
00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:13,255
I don't know, just,
530
00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,535
they're immensely...
531
00:27:17,560 --> 00:27:21,375
...sort of awe inspiring places.
532
00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:24,575
Makes you stop, catch your breath.
533
00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:26,935
It's one of those days
where you think,
534
00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:29,615
I'm glad to be on this earth,
535
00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:31,215
to see this.
536
00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:06,095
As I navigate my way through
Western Australia's Big Country,
537
00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:09,015
I feel connected
to my fellow intrepid explorers.
538
00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,015
So, I'm a big fan of maps.
539
00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:16,535
Always have been.
540
00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:20,055
When I was a kid, my Dad had a great
collection of Ordnance Survey maps
541
00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:25,175
and I just loved poring over them
and finding every detail.
542
00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:27,935
Every sort of contour
in the landscape.
543
00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:29,335
I kind of prefer maps in a way.
544
00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:33,775
Sometimes actually, when we're out
on this trip, you know,
545
00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:35,615
there's been no reception,
546
00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:40,375
so you can't even get the map
on your phone at all.
547
00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:42,415
You can't rely on them.
548
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:45,775
So, let's have a look
and see what we've got.
549
00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:49,375
All the way up here
there's the Pinnacles.
550
00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:51,415
Up past Geraldton.
551
00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,735
Then a bit of a long drive up here,
552
00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:56,495
up the Carnarvon,
553
00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:00,935
and now we're right the way up here
in Exmouth.
554
00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:03,495
And then eventually up
to Port Headland.
555
00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:06,975
And then,
the road just goes off the map.
556
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,335
So, I don't know where we go then.
557
00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:11,855
BLEEP
558
00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:15,895
Map...
559
00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,175
Yeah, much easier
than the old phone.
560
00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:26,215
A good map will take you to places
that reveal the unexpected.
561
00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:29,015
I'm often gob smacked at how people
can drive right past
562
00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:30,895
the most glorious of sights,
563
00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:34,135
simply because they didn't have
a good map.
564
00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:37,975
Just an hour down the road from
Exmouth lies this hidden oasis,
565
00:29:38,000 --> 00:29:41,695
carving its way through an arabesque
of limestone cliffs.
566
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:46,015
It's called Yardie Creek,
and my guide is a man called Boxy.
567
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:50,055
Hey, Bill. How you are? Boxy.
Boxy. Good to meet you, mate.
568
00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:52,335
Come aboard.
Thanks very much.
569
00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,415
Is it fresh water further up, then?
570
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:01,895
No, no.
All salt? Salt right to the end.
571
00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:04,735
Oh. Nearly a kilometre
and a bit to the end.
572
00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:07,255
Oh, so it's just
a gorge that then just... Yep.
573
00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:09,255
A gorge, or they call it a creek.
574
00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:10,815
It just filled up from the ocean,
575
00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:14,015
must be a few faults underneath
where the water still comes through,
576
00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:17,655
and it never, ever goes stagnant
or horrible.
577
00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:20,695
It's always fresh salt water.
Right.
578
00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:23,135
And if you lift your eyes from
the crystal waters,
579
00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:25,855
you might spot an iconic
Australian species,
580
00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,255
but in a place you might not expect.
581
00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:31,415
Like seeing a koala clinging
to a garden gnome.
582
00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:33,735
I'll take you to
the little wallaby just over here.
583
00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:36,055
There's a couple up here.
584
00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:37,975
There's one sitting straight
ahead of us in the sun there.
585
00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:40,335
See him in the edge on the rocks?
Oh, yes.
586
00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:42,295
That's little black footed wallaby.
Look at him!
587
00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,935
There's probably another one
tucked around the corner here.
588
00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,855
This little guy has come out
for the sun.
589
00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:49,655
He's so cute.
590
00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,095
He's called a black footed,
or black flanked rock wallaby.
591
00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:53,575
This is where they live,
592
00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:55,255
and all they eat is the vegetation
around here.
593
00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:57,775
They spend most of their lives
in these rock walls.
594
00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:00,175
They just live in these little
cracks? Yes, in the cracks.
595
00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:02,495
They can swim, but I've never seen
one in the water.
596
00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:03,735
They're very, very sure footed.
597
00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:05,135
When you have a look at their
colour,
598
00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:07,735
when we go further up in the rocks,
they're sitting in the red rock now,
599
00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:10,775
but when they're in the other side,
in the grey and red rock there...
600
00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:12,735
Yeah.
..they're very well camouflaged.
601
00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:16,575
You can hardly make them out unless
you know what you're looking for.
602
00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:18,415
They're funny, aren't they?
603
00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:20,895
They've found this
little environment,
604
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:23,215
and they've just adapted perfectly
to it.
605
00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:24,935
Yeah.
606
00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:26,975
It's not just furry creatures here,
607
00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:28,975
there are feathered ones, too.
608
00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,815
Living rent free in homes built by
their great, great-grandparents.
609
00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:35,495
You can see the osprey in there?
Is she in there?
610
00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:38,255
I think she is. Should be in there.
Yeah.
611
00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:41,575
These guys return to the same nests
every year to breed.
612
00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:52,135
This place is such a sight that I
want to get even closer to it.
613
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:54,935
A paddle board is quiet,
low on the water,
614
00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:56,615
and at one with nature.
615
00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:05,175
Yeah, bet you thought I was
going to go in there.
616
00:32:12,320 --> 00:32:15,495
The age of this land
is just mind-blowing.
617
00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:19,095
I feel like a five-year-old
surrounded by giants.
618
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,455
It's just fantastic
619
00:32:28,480 --> 00:32:32,495
to see ospreys on nests
that have been there
620
00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:34,775
for hundreds of years.
621
00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:37,095
To see rock wallabies,
622
00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:38,815
perfectly adapted
to their environment,
623
00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:41,295
and to see kestrels flying overhead.
624
00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:45,175
But also just spending time
in a place like this.
625
00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:49,575
Getting out on the water,
having a paddle, is just wonderful,
626
00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:53,895
and I can see why people
are drawn to this place.
627
00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:59,375
Starting to sort of get
under my skin a bit.
628
00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,855
In Britain, we think we know "old."
629
00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:11,535
We have the Jurassic coast
630
00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:15,335
with fossils dating back
185 million years.
631
00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:18,495
Pfft! In Western Australia,
that's nothing.
632
00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:21,415
There's an even more antiquated
inhabitant here,
633
00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:25,095
and I'm heading south to Hamelin
Bay to meet them.
634
00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:27,375
SINGS TO HIMSELF:
# Strum out the lights...#
635
00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:33,535
This area teems
with microbial life
636
00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:37,495
in a colony that began before
the dinosaurs walked the Earth.
637
00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:40,095
Too small to be seen
by the naked eye,
638
00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:43,855
these microscopic life forms
are all around us.
639
00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:47,495
Dr Therese Morris is an expert
in planetary science,
640
00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:48,935
which is just as well,
641
00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:52,455
as I need her planet sized brain
to fully comprehend this place.
642
00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:58,655
So, this whole area, then,
is part of this world heritage.
643
00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:01,495
Absolutely, yeah.
Protected site. Yes.
644
00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:05,575
The landscape all along this coastal
area is part of what's called
645
00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:09,975
a sedimentary reserve, because
having a beach made purely of shells
646
00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:14,375
that are predominantly
all the one type does not occur
647
00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:16,935
in very many places
in the entire world. No.
648
00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:18,695
It is truly unique.
649
00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:28,775
So, where we are,
650
00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:30,695
you can see in front of you,
651
00:34:30,720 --> 00:34:32,415
you've got the beach.
652
00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:34,735
And at the end bottom point of that,
653
00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:37,455
you go into this black
coloured material. Yeah.
654
00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:39,415
And then further beyond that,
655
00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:42,455
we go into the structures
that are columns.
656
00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:49,335
So, which bits can we walk on, then?
657
00:34:49,360 --> 00:34:52,095
We're going to minimise our impact
by just staying on the sand.
658
00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:54,415
OK. It's quite squishy.
659
00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:55,815
That's right.
Is that good?
660
00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:57,095
Well, it's full of life.
661
00:34:57,120 --> 00:34:59,455
There's living microbes
all through the sediment.
662
00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:02,975
I feel slightly concerned that
I'm leaving footprints on something
663
00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,295
that's going to be here forever.
664
00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:07,615
We have to be really,
really careful here
665
00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:09,455
because the sediment here is alive.
666
00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:12,015
It's enriched in microbial material.
667
00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:14,335
Now, if we put our feet onto that,
668
00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:17,215
we will move the guys that are
keeping away from the oxygen,
669
00:35:17,240 --> 00:35:19,015
into spaces they don't want to be.
670
00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:20,895
We're really interfering
with their system.
671
00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:24,415
Yeah, yeah, physically disrupting
them by doing that compaction space.
672
00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:26,055
OK.
673
00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:29,175
There's one feature that's unique
to these parts.
674
00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:32,135
They're living fossils,
called stromatolites,
675
00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:35,215
and they're like colossal
microbial skyscrapers,
676
00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:38,575
growing at under half a millimetre
a year.
677
00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:40,135
These things here.
678
00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:43,415
The stromatolites here,
how old are we talking ?
679
00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,495
Up to 2,000 years old.
Wow.
680
00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:50,335
But what we're looking at are
organisms that have been around
681
00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:51,775
a lot longer than that.
682
00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:54,135
The microbial mats
that forms these rocks...
683
00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:56,495
This is the stuff that's...
The stuff that's over...
684
00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:59,055
Flowed over the top of this.
Yep, growing over the top of it.
685
00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:02,895
That community was one of
the first ecosystems
686
00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:04,775
to be on this planet,
687
00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:08,695
all the way back to about at least
3.47 billion years ago.
688
00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:11,575
Wow.
689
00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:14,455
So, this is what the Earth
would have looked like
690
00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:16,415
nearly four billion years ago.
691
00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,215
Yeah, that's our understanding
of it.
692
00:36:19,240 --> 00:36:21,855
Well, not four billion.
Well, nearly. No, not quite.
693
00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:24,255
Three and a half.
You've got half a billion years...
694
00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:26,615
Yeah, but come on,
what's half a billion?
695
00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:29,015
You know, that's the...
THEY LAUGH
696
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:43,855
Morning.
697
00:36:45,720 --> 00:36:48,015
This is one of the things I love
about Australia -
698
00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:49,495
there's bins everywhere.
699
00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:53,015
I mean, from where I'm standing,
700
00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:57,335
I can actually see four bins
in line of sight.
701
00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:02,175
Now, this is obviously
some old heritage bin,
702
00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:06,655
and I thought that might just be
kind of cosmetic.
703
00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:09,575
But, no, it's an actual functioning,
working bin.
704
00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:11,935
There's one over there,
one over there,
705
00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:13,775
and one over there.
This is amazing.
706
00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:16,055
I've just seen another one.
707
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:19,495
That's six! Six bins!
708
00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:21,415
In 100 metres radius.
709
00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:23,335
That's unprecedented.
710
00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:24,975
In London, where I live,
711
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:29,695
there's one bin
for every square kilometre.
712
00:37:29,720 --> 00:37:33,455
In Northampton there's 5,592 bins
713
00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:36,015
per square kilometre.
714
00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:42,095
In a neat reversal
on population density...
715
00:37:42,120 --> 00:37:44,655
BILL LAUGHS
716
00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:49,495
Bin, bin, bin, bin, bin, bin, bin!
717
00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:51,255
Surrounded by bins.
718
00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:59,055
This is Northampton,
Western Australia,
719
00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:01,015
home of the bin!
720
00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:13,575
You'd struggle to find a trace
of litter in these parts,
721
00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:18,135
but one thing WA is knee deep in,
is shipwrecks.
722
00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:21,215
Battered by high winds
off the Indian Ocean,
723
00:38:21,240 --> 00:38:24,095
with perilous reefs
and a treacherous coastline,
724
00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:29,015
WA's so called "shipwreck coast"
is a navigator's nightmare.
725
00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:32,695
It's reckoned
there's 1,600 wrecks out here,
726
00:38:32,720 --> 00:38:35,415
including Australia's oldest,
727
00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:37,735
each with a tale to tell.
728
00:38:37,760 --> 00:38:41,095
And down the road,
off the coast of Geraldton,
729
00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:44,735
lies a legend
of maritime misadventure.
730
00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:49,055
In 1629, a huge Dutch vessel,
731
00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:53,375
the Batavia, set sail from Holland,
732
00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:56,735
on its way to the city of Batavia,
733
00:38:56,760 --> 00:38:58,455
modern day Jakarta,
734
00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:01,975
laden with riches and gold
and lord knows what.
735
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:05,935
The captain, Jacobsz,
was a bit of drunk.
736
00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:08,415
He was a liability, effectively.
737
00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:11,295
Plus, on the long journey
from Holland,
738
00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:14,615
he'd taken up with one of
the fine ladies on board's maid.
739
00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:17,055
So, he was often otherwise engaged.
740
00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:22,855
So, one night, as the boat
approached the coast of Australia,
741
00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:24,415
disaster struck.
742
00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:27,535
The Batavia wrecked on
the Abrolhos Islands,
743
00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:31,055
which are 40 nautical miles just off
the coast here in Geraldton.
744
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:35,455
The Portuguese had even warned
shipping about this,
745
00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:39,055
by naming the islands up here
the Abrolhos Islands.
746
00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:44,095
It means, abre vossos olhos -
keep your eyes open.
747
00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:50,375
Literally, the name of the islands
was the warning
748
00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:53,975
and our Captain Jacobsz
singularly failed to do that.
749
00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:57,215
He had one job. One job!
750
00:39:57,240 --> 00:40:00,495
Literally, the islands were called,
"Look out!"
751
00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:04,455
The ship was wrecked on the islands,
752
00:40:04,480 --> 00:40:08,815
the survivors struggled
onto two little coral reefs,
753
00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:10,495
but that wasn't going to last long.
754
00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:13,095
If you stayed with the wreck,
the wreck was foundering,
755
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:15,415
so they had to find water.
756
00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:20,935
So, the upper merchant,
the VOC man, Francisco Pelsaert,
757
00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:26,055
decided to set off to look for water
with Captain Jacobsz.
758
00:40:26,080 --> 00:40:30,415
And they set off
in that little boat - the long boat.
759
00:40:30,440 --> 00:40:32,455
And they headed up the coast,
760
00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:35,375
and they headed here.
761
00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:37,415
And all this coast up here.
762
00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:39,055
But they didn't find water,
763
00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:41,415
they couldn't find anywhere
to put in,
764
00:40:41,440 --> 00:40:43,855
and on a couple of occasions,
they saw smoke.
765
00:40:43,880 --> 00:40:47,575
And they thought, "Oh, smoke,
that's people. That means water."
766
00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:50,215
So, they came on land
767
00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:52,735
and they met with some
Indigenous folk.
768
00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:57,575
Probably the first time
these people had ever seen
769
00:40:57,600 --> 00:40:59,655
Europeans or white people.
770
00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:01,975
What an amazing meeting
that would have been.
771
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:04,655
So, all of this happened in 1629,
772
00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:07,615
almost 200 years
before European settlements
773
00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,655
on the East Coast of Australia.
774
00:41:09,680 --> 00:41:13,575
So it's quite an extraordinary
moment in maritime history.
775
00:41:18,680 --> 00:41:22,295
There's one final stop on my
travels through the Big Country,
776
00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:25,815
and in keeping with WA's
technicolour grandeur,
777
00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:27,775
it's also the most lurid.
778
00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:32,655
So, this is Hut Lagoon,
779
00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:34,535
the famed pink lake,
780
00:41:34,560 --> 00:41:36,615
just outside Northampton.
781
00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:39,135
I've got say,
it has got a pinkish hue.
782
00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:41,775
Apparently,
it has some health benefits.
783
00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,375
People bathe in it,
people get in it.
784
00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:46,895
I don't know about that.
I might want to get on it.
785
00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:52,615
All right,
get my shoes and socks off.
786
00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:54,095
OK.
787
00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:03,655
So, the reason it's pink,
788
00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:07,535
is that in the water there
is this algae
789
00:42:07,560 --> 00:42:10,615
which produces carotenoids.
790
00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:14,655
It's a naturally produced colourant.
791
00:42:14,680 --> 00:42:16,495
Beta carotene is one of them.
792
00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:19,695
You can find that in
food preservative,
793
00:42:19,720 --> 00:42:21,975
in food colouring,
794
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,255
in medicines, even in cosmetics.
795
00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:28,215
And it is really pink.
796
00:42:28,240 --> 00:42:30,135
I mean, it's just bizarre.
797
00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:34,495
Apparently, it changes.
798
00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:37,255
It varies from a sort of deep lilac,
799
00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:40,575
to a lighter mauve colour,
to this, what it is today.
800
00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:42,815
This kind of bubble gum pink.
801
00:42:47,920 --> 00:42:49,815
When you come to places like this,
802
00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:53,695
you feel a sense of the vastness,
the loneliness,
803
00:42:53,720 --> 00:42:56,015
and a bit of isolation.
804
00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:59,975
And sometimes you associate that
with negative thoughts.
805
00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:03,535
You know, being on your own,
being cut off from people.
806
00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:06,375
But I think, certainly what we've
been through in the past few years,
807
00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:09,935
certainly during the lockdown
and during the pandemic when we were
808
00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:13,415
isolated from others,
809
00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:16,895
it's something that I thought
we could draw some positives from.
810
00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:22,175
You know,
to feel that when you are isolated,
811
00:43:22,200 --> 00:43:26,775
you remember that feeling
of resilience that we all had,
812
00:43:26,800 --> 00:43:31,575
and then use that
as a pathway to happiness.
813
00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:35,375
Fully inspired,
814
00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:39,895
I'm heading out on my board
to soak up the sheer...pinkness
815
00:43:39,920 --> 00:43:42,415
of this curious paradise.
816
00:43:47,240 --> 00:43:49,095
Oh, shit!
817
00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:51,375
Yeah, well, that was a little
bit trickier than I thought.
818
00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:55,575
Because it's so shallow,
819
00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:58,695
I couldn't put the fin on the bottom
of the paddle board,
820
00:43:58,720 --> 00:44:01,055
so you get no stability.
821
00:44:01,080 --> 00:44:03,095
So, when you're tracking forward,
822
00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:06,255
you just go left and right,
and then the wind suddenly got up,
823
00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:09,815
and I was being buffeted
like a leaf.
824
00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:12,095
Then my hat blew off!
825
00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:13,815
It was all going wrong,
826
00:44:13,840 --> 00:44:15,335
but then,
827
00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:18,615
I had a banana stashed in my pocket.
828
00:44:18,640 --> 00:44:23,375
And I realised,
I'm eating a banana on a pink lake.
829
00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:26,495
I feel like I'm in
a Doctor Seuss cartoon.
830
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:37,135
It's hard to truly describe
this part of the world.
831
00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:40,695
It's simply too big,
too old, too beautiful,
832
00:44:40,720 --> 00:44:43,095
to fully take in.
833
00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:46,695
My senses are still reeling
from all this wonder,
834
00:44:46,720 --> 00:44:51,135
but these experiences are already
lodged deep in my memory.
835
00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:56,055
And if I've ever had enough
of grey London,
836
00:44:56,080 --> 00:45:00,575
I know I can retire to the cleanest
country town on the planet.
837
00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:06,935
On the next episode,
in the world's loneliest city,
838
00:45:06,960 --> 00:45:08,855
I make some new friends...
839
00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:10,615
WILD ELECTRIC SOUNDS
840
00:45:14,080 --> 00:45:16,775
Get some tasting notes
from Bill Bailey.
841
00:45:16,800 --> 00:45:18,735
It's got like a big forehead.
842
00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:20,655
These are called karri trees.
843
00:45:20,680 --> 00:45:22,655
You hear a big creaking sound, run.
844
00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:24,935
LOUD THUD
Oh! Easy, tiger.
845
00:45:53,760 --> 00:45:56,735
Subtitles by Red Bee Media