Jigalong is the largest of the Martu settlements and today is home to approximately 400 people. The local climate is best described as hot and accordingly, we spent most of our time during the day indoors.
We were in Jigalong on Monday / Tuesday and stayed in the provided accommodation – which for the middle of nowhere, is quite good! While Mrs Hut was at work, I took advantage of the Corporations newfound love of remote work.
In the mornings and evenings, we’d head out to explore. The local pool was, understandably, where seemingly half the town could be found. It was super refreshing in the afternoon heat and a really great place to spend time – lots of laughter and fun for all.
Around town, most of the houses were quite similar, a solid structure, wrapped in tin and some had working air conditioning to battle the heat.
There was also a well-stocked, if somewhat expensive, store…
… a school…
… and the recently renovated health clinic.
There is also a women’s centre…
… and a welding workshop.
Once the temperature started to abate, we would head off for a walk out of town, past the local sports oval and heading for the nearby river crossings.
While I was visiting, the rivers were dry and looked like water hadn’t been seen for some time.
Just a week later Mrs Hut sent me this photo of a river…
… on her way back to Newman.
We also spotted a few wild horses, but to my surprise – no kangaroos!
We had a much closer encounter with Fitzroy who had made her way from Fitzroy Crossing with one of Mrs Hut’s colleagues. She was full kitten, pouncing on grass, climbing trees and exploring the world. She was also a very feisty feline, chasing much larger strays away!
While we were there, we had a fly out, which is where the RFDS comes to evacuate someone – in this case to Port Hedland.
Pilatus often market the usability of the rear cargo door…
… I was super impressed how effortlessly the door / stretcher / lift combination worked.
After watching them depart, I was less impressed about the performance of the air conditioning in the back of the ambulance!