#video #Back Roads - Season 12 - Episode 02
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Short filmTranscript
00:03big news look who got a boat license join me on backroads as i find my sea legs and dive
00:13into life
00:13off the westernmost tip of australia well this is one way to see shark bay
00:21just try and stop me now
00:27shark bay is an environmental treasure a spectacular world heritage listed site
00:34in the remote gascoyne region of western australia
00:38where calm turquoise waters meet striking red cliffs denise look at this landscape
00:46it's incredible isn't it i don't know a treasured place for the mulgana nanda and yingata people
00:54we actually call them a um moon you plant moon news now shared with thousands of tourists
01:01who come to experience life on the edge
01:09i want to know how can the shark bay community balance the impacts of tourism
01:14and still protect this unique way of life
01:17and can ancient wisdom help preserve the natural environment for everyone to enjoy
01:35if there's one thing shark bay is famous for it's bound to fall marine life
01:41the biggest draw card monkey myers dolphins attracting more than a hundred thousand visitors a year
01:57this is the only place in the world where wild dolphins seek out human contact
02:05for decades tourists have lined these shores eager to experience a close-up encounter
02:16it was shark bay's fishermen who first attracted the dolphins throwing their bycatch into the water
02:28what do you think it is about dolphins that draws people here
02:31i think they're just so charismatic and i think the fact that they actually come and they look at you
02:37i think people get that connection with them and they look like they're always smiling even though
02:41they can't change their face but yeah they're very personable i guess
02:44what we're doing now is we're waiting for the stars of the show the dolphins
02:49after nine years of watching over dolphins
02:52so we're just going to wait and see if they come in
02:53reserves officer kayla porter begins this morning's encounter as she always does
02:59this morning and the dolphins weren't here when we got here some days they're ready to go at 7 45
03:05other days we wait for them there's no set times we don't have any bells whistles
03:08it's entirely up to the dolphins if they want to come in
03:11the dolphins make the rules here they have us very well trained
03:14and they will come into this area here show us a bit of a look roll on their side
03:18anticipation builds amongst the holiday makers
03:22it's one of their main hunting grounds as well
03:24christina crossman's traveled nearly 3 000 kilometers from adelaide
03:28just for this moment
03:31it's a trip 45 years in the making
03:35i was driving in here crying yesterday
03:39had my sunnies down so no one could see
03:43thinking to myself i'm here
03:45this is a big deal for christina and her husband graham
03:51hubby's been unwell
03:53he's in remission with cancer so we thought
03:55really good time to come now in case it doesn't happen
03:59so really happy
04:02don't make me cry
04:05a lot's changed though in the four and a half decades christina's been dreaming of dolphins
04:12it had to
04:14because for many years it was pretty much anything goes
04:18the best way is to pat them along the sides of their bodies
04:22there's horror stories of people putting cigarette butts down their blowholes
04:27trying to ride them showing their dog the dolphin all sorts of things very nasty stories
04:33and sometimes you can kiss it on the nose and she'll be very very mellow
04:38oof it was a different time then that's for sure
04:42thankfully we've come a long way
04:48we've learned from the past um and now we can only feed a strict number of dolphins
04:53the same dolphins and we make sure we um only give them a little bit of food so it's not
04:58going
04:58to impact them throughout the day we still need them to hunt and maintain all those skills
05:01such a balancing act isn't it to give people what they want but to protect what you've got
05:06a hundred percent
05:07so now we have a really great survival rate with the calves born to the hand-fed dolphins
05:11it matches that of the offshore population so we know we're not impacting on them too much
05:16what a relief and they have the evidence to support it
05:20can i have a look every detail of the dolphins lives is carefully observed and recorded
05:28let's go to the og 1982 oh this is how old it is this is the original diary of the
05:36dolphins at monkey mire
05:37yeah yeah it's crazy that's amazing
05:4328th of feb i thought this one was quite funny because it was it was quite a shock to see
05:47the
05:47beach so crowded and then it goes on to say there's only about 30 people on the beach
05:51and today that is extremely quiet for us oh there's something quite gorgeous about it even the way they've
05:59written yeah a real lovely day out here today it's a bit more scientific now but this is how it
06:05started
06:07back on the beach i noticed the crowds thinned it's been over an hour and still no dolphins in sight
06:16feeling a little anxious right at the moment yeah yeah it's like i've been please come please come
06:22just just one but you're not going to give up oh no yeah i'm staying right here until i know
06:29there's no hope of them coming
06:30i mean we could see them right out the back yeah how frustrating it is kind of frustrating for us
06:44because we do really want to have the experiences with them but at the same time it's also good
06:49because we do want them to be wild
06:55joanna olivera sacrificed a lot to be part of the volunteer program
07:01the marine biologist left portugal in 2025 for a job at shark bay's local coffee shop
07:08all so she can spend her days off here
07:12well i really love dolphins and i heard about what this area did with dolphins to have this
07:21experience with them where you are so close but still making sure that you're trying to disrupt their
07:28life as little as possible i feel like it's very ethical compared to other tourism industries
07:34what do you feel that you're contributing um i feel like we have dolphins in the va
07:42oh okay you're going to say something what do you what do you need to do that that's them there
07:47isn't it yes gosh we've got dolphins where's the time look we've got dolphins and oh wow
07:54look magical creatures wild wonders and so close
08:13after all the anticipation this morning it's such a relief
08:17most of the day she's with her car and her sister piccolo and piccolo's car's over
08:23and i'm so happy for christina her wish has come true
08:28they spend their whole life together they hang out together they can sort females together
08:33they will rest together
08:38it happened it really happened
08:42i'm thrilled for you too i was a bit worried
08:46dolphins are very tactile they like to touch each other to show how close they are
08:52that's a lifetime dream come true for me
09:03i'm happy
09:18that makes me want to cry that meant so much to her i can see why this place has an
09:25effect on people
09:30being here feels like such a gift
09:35i can't help but wonder though how would it have felt if the dolphins hadn't come to shore
09:44it's a gentle reminder that we humans aren't always in control
09:50there's something humbling about that something freeing too
09:55letting go and trusting in nature
09:58just as first nations communities have done for tens of thousands of years
10:08we drag this backwards and the shells come out of the sand and roll up onto the tray
10:15for traditional owner bobby holt the ocean's always been his source of income
10:21and that's spent a lifetime of adapting
10:25it's not about the speed i guess
10:27definitely not about speed
10:30bobby's families like many here shifting with the times from purling to shearing and then back out to sea
10:40and you got to do the whole thing walking backwards
10:43uh the only way i've found out so far
10:46i don't think i've ever chatted to anyone like this walking backwards bobby
10:49i've been walking backwards all my life
10:53so we don't find this hard work at all
10:56the hands-on approach gets the job done while respecting the environment
11:01oh wow we've got a stack
11:04right there
11:05yep
11:09there you go a successful hunt for cockles
11:12that's right that's why we're here
11:17net fishing became the traditional way for first nations people
11:22supporting countless families through the years
11:26it became a way of life for bobby and his mates
11:29right up until today
11:33it's a dying heart unfortunately
11:35how long have you all known each other
11:37all our lives
11:38how old are we
11:40bobby's the oldest
11:41they're good aren't you
11:44this is the old fishing crew
11:47they've left the industry behind now
11:49but the memories linger
11:52back after dark
11:54no killers
11:55much like the wildlife officers tracking dolphins at monkey mire
12:00fishermen like gave in poland were meticulous record keepers of their castings
12:06and their catch
12:08thursday the 2nd of april
12:101998
12:12dugongs on corner of bank
12:14what's beautiful though
12:16is these pages also hold records
12:19of enduring friendships
12:21two holts gone south up to spit
12:25are they talking about you bobby
12:27yeah
12:27bobby coming up here too
12:31from clown bluff
12:32to wilson island
12:34not too many whiting along here
12:37so glenn and dennis
12:39they would have gone to the spit
12:40and you're coming up towards us guys now
12:44that's almost 30 years ago
12:46and you're writing down all these notes about who's fishing where
12:49yeah
12:49we all keep an eye on each other
12:52and we join up when we can
12:54and we all get together anyway
12:56and meet up and pull nets together
12:58have tea together or whatever
13:01eagles had a good win over pies
13:05last time
13:06you even got the footy in there
13:10yeah yeah yeah
13:14they've stuck together through it all this lot
13:18including a 20 year fight to keep their connection to the seas and waterways alive
13:24and as ben belotti tells me
13:272018 saw the mulgana people formally recognised as native title holders of large parts of the bay
13:37i don't think the significance of the moment really hit me until probably the next day
13:42and i think it's shit we've done this
13:45it's the beginning of a new journey for us to be honest
13:48the journey's far from over
13:51but there's already promising changes underway
13:57i'm off to learn about a project that has traditional owners genuinely hopeful
14:04so i'm catching a ride with denise mitchell
14:09denise look at this landscape
14:11it's incredible
14:14denise grew up here then raised a family while working across western australia
14:19and now she's back on home ground
14:23and has recently become a mulgana ranger
14:27i was like oh no i'm too old for that now
14:30but i'm so glad that i did it
14:33because it brings back the memories from growing up
14:39but for denise those memories are few and far between
14:43she tells me that as a child her culture wasn't often talked about
14:48and it wasn't often practiced
14:51i wish we were told by our old people the way it was for them
14:59but they didn't acknowledge the culture openly
15:05there was segregation back in the early days
15:08which you wouldn't think it you know
15:10shark bay being such a touristy town
15:13but it was there
15:17we've come to hamlin station
15:19about an hour out of town
15:21hello
15:24sarah gilliland
15:25gilly to most
15:27has been posted here with bush heritage australia
15:30since 2022
15:34hamlin station was once a sprawling pastoral property
15:38stark contrast to how it looks today
15:42so these are the old sheep yards
15:45essentially the remnants of a 200 000 hectare sheep station
15:50which is now totally conservation
15:58gillies worked across half of regional australia
16:01as an environmental scientist
16:03for taking on this job
16:06living and working on a property so large and so remote
16:09was a big call
16:13you're a long way from the city chick in melbourne that you once were
16:17yeah i certainly am
16:19it's a real change of scene being out here
16:22and there's definitely a lot that i that i gave up to take on this role
16:26and that was a really conscious decision
16:28and a hundred percent worth it
16:30the dream job
16:31the dream job
16:32yeah that's it
16:33while gilly's managing the restoration project
16:37she's not doing it alone
16:39from the ocean seagrass i explored earlier
16:42to this arid rangeland
16:45the wisdom held in traditional knowledge
16:48is being incorporated
16:49into modern day solutions
16:57alongside denise and gilly
16:59is fishing buddies
17:01gaven and glenn holt
17:02who i met earlier
17:06the traditional owners are now all working together in this new role
17:10tackling erosion
17:14eradicating feral pests
17:15and above all
17:17spending time
17:19getting to know country
17:23it's a bit different after spending 40 odd years on the water
17:27i quite enjoy it actually
17:29strangely enough yeah
17:33wow there's so much erosion here
17:35it is a little bit yeah yeah
17:37we haven't really had any much rain
17:40but once it starts a bit of vegetation coming back
17:44it'll hold the ground a bit better too
17:49so whenever there's fauna surveys
17:51or vegetation surveys
17:53or it's simply infrastructure work
17:56that needs to be done
17:58i'll reach out to the rangers and say
18:00hey we're doing this project
18:01do you want to come along
18:04it means that we're able to bring traditional custodians
18:08back on country
18:09and we're able to facilitate that connection
18:12where do you think they might be coming through down
18:14from coburn or what
18:16and there's so much that is outside of my knowledge that i will i will never get from a textbook
18:28and the rangers
18:30they may have begun this project feeling unsure about their traditional knowledge
18:34yeah they're actually a bush pair
18:37but their confidence is steadily growing
18:40we actually call them a moonew plant
18:43moonews
18:44so did you eat these as kids
18:46yeah
18:47and all the kids used to you know climb the trees and pick them
18:52yeah we used to fight over them just about
18:54yeah
18:55yeah
18:56yeah
18:56a couple of old aunties used to boil them up
18:58and have them and a bit of honey on them or something
19:01yeah
19:01yeah
19:02they were lovely
19:03yeah
19:05what can i see before me
19:08a strengthening of culture
19:11and at the same time a landscape
19:14showing promising signs of recovery
19:23it flew behind
19:25oh there it is
19:26oh stay here
19:26yeah right there
19:27so it's looking towards us
19:28yeah
19:29um
19:30i see it
19:30it's about to go
19:33beautiful
19:34so i'm pretty sure that was a boo book
19:36so they make this really cute call at night time
19:38and it's boo book
19:39boo book
19:42there he is
19:45well that's good
19:46so if they're here then it means there's other things here
19:49because they wouldn't be here if there was nothing to eat
19:51so that's a really good sign
19:53i'm really happy with that
19:54bringing the place back to life
19:56yeah
19:56back to good health
19:59yay
19:59yay
20:02it was their ancestors who once stood on this very ground
20:07working for others as stationhands
20:10but never with the same freedom or recognition felt today
20:16you're not sort of going oh you can't go down here you can't go there
20:19and we always feel welcome when we come here
20:24and we have this freedom to come on country and work together
20:30we don't have that freedom anywhere else
20:35i think country needs its people as much as people in their country
20:41our culture's starting to come awake now
20:43so we don't want it to go back to sleeping
20:45we want it to be out there
20:47you know
20:48to show on country that we have got our culture alive
20:55things are shifting around here
20:57in 2024 the mulgana people struck a landmark agreement with the wa government
21:04to jointly manage 180,000 hectares of new parks and reserves
21:11in the shark bay heritage area
21:14the great hope is that experience will be as good as the one at hamlin station
21:19and that by working together
21:22they can make this place something for everyone to enjoy
21:32what's encouraging is shark bay's next generation is ready to learn
21:38eager to hear from their elders
21:42the old shark bay sea mullet best eating fish in the ocean i'd say
21:50are they hard to catch
21:51when they're schooling you'll get big schools big schools
21:55and sometimes you get that bit in the net
21:57you've got to open the net up
21:59and you might end up with less than what you wanted
22:01but you've got to look after this place
22:04we never went hungry there's no worries about that
22:07especially when you've got mullet
22:08this is their gift
22:11sharing their stories
22:13continuing a sense of responsibility and belonging
22:17what's the name of the shell anyone tell me
22:19baylor shell
22:21baylor shell
22:21one of our elders
22:23she would make things out of the big baylor shells
22:26so what she would do is cut that there
22:30and take that top bit off
22:32and she'd use that for something else
22:33and then that whole shell would be a fruit bowl
22:37a little bit heavy just be careful
22:39how often would you go shelling
22:42every time the tide was low
22:44auntie maude we called her
22:45she would have a spear
22:47and she'll see a marking on the sand
22:51and she knows there's a shell in there
22:53and us kids that are coming behind
22:55they knew to dig that up
22:57yep
22:59the impact of talks like these grows slowly
23:03i'll take that little bit thanks
23:05but that's the selfless hope behind it all
23:08this is pretty yummy
23:10yep 100%
23:12the days like these will make a real difference now
23:15and in the future
23:16the birds when they go they're non-stop flight
23:20they fly all the way
23:22they're listening there's no worries about that
23:24just to share my bit of knowledge with them
23:27and to pass it on which is great
23:29you know nothing better than that
23:31a bit more you want
23:32okay these guys up there
23:35what a way to spend the day
23:37yeah
23:39shark bay sure has a lot to offer
23:42both at sea and on land
23:45but what it looks like in the future
23:47will no doubt be influenced
23:49by outsiders
23:53tourism's the economic backbone here
23:56and it's easy to see why
24:02look at them
24:03this place is teeming with marine life
24:07now I'm stamping
24:13so the water in shark bay here in monkey mire
24:15it's about one and a half times salt in the ocean
24:18I first met the ridgely family
24:20on a community seagrass restoration project
24:26we gotta go
24:34this is one of the largest bays in australia
24:36we've got 18,000 square kilometres of water
24:38now we also have the world's largest seagrass meadows here in shark bay
24:42for Liam and Jade
24:43there's nothing better than showing off their backyard
24:47well when me and Liam work together
24:49we usually have to say in the safety briefing
24:51that we're not married
24:52it's worse we're brother and sister
24:54so
24:57if we start arguing there's no problems
24:59it's okay
25:01oh the dolphins are just off to the left of us here
25:0311 o'clock
25:05just on the bow there guys
25:06just down the front on the bow
25:07yeah they love surfing the front of the boat
25:10they think this is their uber service across the bay
25:12what heartens me
25:14is the tourists who travel all the way to shark bay
25:17aren't the kind who want to see it ruined
25:22for Christina from Adelaide
25:24that feelings only deepened
25:29I came here thinking about my dream to see the dolphins
25:33I'm leaving here with not only my dream having been fulfilled
25:38but knowing we have to do the right thing
25:40which means we have to look after our oceans
25:42we have to look after these animals
25:45so I'm gonna leave here more informed
25:50is this the shark bay effect
25:54people may arrive chasing personal adventure
25:57but they leave here changed
26:00as ambassadors for a better way of living with nature
26:06shark bay doesn't just welcome visitors
26:09it transforms them
26:14there's a certain fragility about the place
26:17it's made me want to step a little more lightly
26:21mindful of the impact my presence has
26:28the birds when they go their non-stop flight
26:31what's been exciting to see here
26:34is indigenous knowledge leading the way
26:39and how so many people are caring for this place
26:42all wanting to see it flourish
26:44now and for the future
26:47oh wow
26:50my hope for the future
26:52is that I can come back here in 20 to 30 years
26:55and see this landscape absolutely buzzing
26:57and this really strong connection between that
27:00and relationships with traditional custodians
27:03I've got a role that I need to play
27:07and I'm hoping you know like the future generation
27:11will come back on country
27:15I love it
27:17and it is very unique
27:19yeah
27:29next time on back roads
27:31I head to El Dorado in Victoria
27:33where the locals like to do things differently
27:37like living in straw houses
27:39that's good hun
27:40or even teepees
27:42they thought oh god here comes the hippies
27:44and I discover more about human waste
27:48than I ever thought would be desirable
27:50it used to be a banana
27:52then it was a turd
27:53then we've composted
27:55and now we're going to make dazzle
27:56it's good
27:57it is
27:58so
27:59I got everything
28:01I got everything
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