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00:01Get up off your seats and give these cowboys a round of applause,
00:07because that is what the men bear youth!
00:15This is the spectacle of Central Australia's Hearts Range races.
00:21And that's where I'm heading.
00:28Finn's Track, an epic four-wheel drive road trip,
00:32has already taken me on an extraordinary adventure.
00:37OK, that's bulldust.
00:40And I'm only halfway through my journey.
00:44I'm Ray Johnston, and this time my backroads expedition continues.
00:49That started way back at Mount Dare in South Australia.
00:54I'm now about to head into the East Macdonald Ranges,
00:58weaving my way up north to hopefully make it in time
01:02for the Hearts Range races.
01:06The Full Bins Track is a challenging 2,200km adventure
01:11that reveals the hidden gems of Central Australia.
01:15I want to discover how this remote little track
01:19plays such a crucial role
01:22in connecting people and communities.
01:27Buckle up!
01:28There's still so much to explore.
01:32Oh, yay!
01:35There we go!
01:36There we go!
01:54Stretching 150km east of Alice Springs,
01:58the East Macdonald Ranges is a dramatic landscape
02:02of red quartzite ridges and deep gorges.
02:08Caretaker of the land, Damien Ryder,
02:11is welcoming me to Trefina Gorge, or Arrakensh,
02:15out on beautiful eastern Arenda country.
02:21If you're coming out to visit the country and stuff,
02:24you just say your name and stuff like that,
02:26you know, where you're from,
02:27the country can hear you as well, you know?
02:31Yeah, in my country we take a rock and under that one,
02:35so you get the scent and you put it in the river.
02:37Yep.
02:37Do you do that here too?
02:38Some certain areas and just,
02:41some certain areas you chuck rocks into the water
02:44and say, you know, you just, yeah, it's a visitor.
02:47Yeah.
02:47Yeah.
02:49I love it when it rains, when it runs,
02:53nice clean water.
02:55So this is, this is your country?
02:57This is, this is your river?
02:59Yep.
03:00It's pretty much really good to come out with families
03:05and kids as well, you know, from this area.
03:07No, it's a really magic spot.
03:09Thank you for bringing me here.
03:10Oh, you're welcome, mate.
03:11You can come any time, bring your family along.
03:14Tell them, you know, about this place.
03:18Always have respect and stuff like that.
03:20You always welcome you.
03:22Yeah.
03:35Out here, you can really appreciate the beauty of the Red Centre.
03:39The isolation, the wide open spaces,
03:43not too many people to share it with.
03:46Over there, that's where I'm heading next.
03:53My journey along Bin's Track is now following the route many miners took in the late 1880s.
04:01Of course, I have the luxury of driving.
04:05Back then, many of the miners were pushing their meagre belongings in a wheelbarrow in 40 degree heat,
04:12hoping to find their fortune at one of Australia's most isolated gold fields.
04:26These are the remains of the mining town Altunga, 115 kilometres east of Alice Springs,
04:34and still well preserved by the hot, dry climate.
04:43This area is now an historical reserve.
04:47And as you walk around, it's just scattered with clues that give you an idea as to what life must
04:53have been like here.
04:55And the kinds of people that came here, the optimism they must have had.
05:02With help from the local Eastern Arenda people, up to 300 miners tried to strike it lucky here at the
05:09height of the rush.
05:10And Central Australia's first official town was born.
05:17Unfortunately, very little gold was discovered.
05:20And by 1933, hampered by lack of water and isolation,
05:26Altunga's population had dropped to only 25.
05:34Luckily, Altunga today offers a few more comforts than it did back in those days.
05:44This is the Altunga bush pub, and it looks the perfect place to break my journey along the bins.
06:04This lively pub has become an important meeting point for remote communities who live along the track.
06:12Send them, baby.
06:14Belinda and Brad recently reopened the pub and campground.
06:18And as in every new venture, have to do everything themselves.
06:23Beautiful Altunga tucker.
06:25Look at that.
06:27That'll fill you up.
06:29Good shot.
06:32It seems to be a busy night,
06:35so I'm more than happy to put my old hospo skills to good use.
06:40You want ice?
06:41Yep.
06:46It's my first night.
06:47Come on.
06:50Well done.
06:51Thanks very much.
06:52There you go.
06:52No, thank you.
06:53It's also a great opportunity to have a chat with some of the locals from the nearby cattle stations.
07:01Well, good to come over and bring your staff over too.
07:04It's great.
07:05Yeah.
07:05Just get them away from home.
07:07Have a look at something different.
07:08Something to do.
07:09Yeah.
07:10There's another station just by as well and they've got quite a big crew, so it's really
07:15nice.
07:16We organise it between us that they come and we come and our crews can get together and
07:21socialise a bit.
07:23Andy and Jane Hayes run a large cattle station further up the bins.
07:30On this bit of the bins track, there's only two stations that are pretty close together.
07:35How close are we talking?
07:37Because your idea are close.
07:38Yeah, well...
07:39It's probably a bit different to other people's.
07:41It's an hour from here back to home.
07:43There we go.
07:44A lot of people drive a lot further to work every day in the cities.
07:47We just come for a beer.
07:49Oh, that's nice.
07:51Who's that one?
07:52Paul?
07:52Duna Dennis.
08:02Formerly both in the aviation industry, Brad was a flight engineer and Belinda a flight
08:07attendant.
08:08Taking over the Altunga pub is proof that it's never too late to start afresh.
08:18So what brings you out here in the first place?
08:21Why did you decide to set up shop?
08:23Well, Belinda and I are both Territorian people and I've spent a lot of my youth in the Australian
08:29Central Desert region chasing cattle with traditional owners and also pastoralists.
08:34Yeah.
08:34And particularly in this area, I've always loved this place, loved the people and we thought
08:40that we'd give it a crack.
08:43We're both aviation people and cattle people and we like challenges and this has certainly
08:49been a challenge, but we just love it here.
08:52And it was an absolute yes from both of you?
08:56I wouldn't say so.
08:57No, because Brad came home and he goes, there's a bush pub for sale.
09:00I said, good, it can stay for sale.
09:04And the only reason, he kept bringing it up and then he says, well, you come up with
09:08another idea and I couldn't.
09:10After a little while with Brad just persisting, it was hard to say no after a while.
09:18Part of Brad and Belinda's dream is to build self-contained accommodation dotted throughout
09:24the property.
09:25The remote location certainly lends itself to do it yourself.
09:30Should have this all done tomorrow, Nathan.
09:35I think the biggest thing was probably tradies, eh?
09:39Yeah.
09:40When are they going to come?
09:41Slide him up, mate.
09:42But, you know, it's worked.
09:44They are lucky to have local station hand Nathan helping them out.
09:51Spot on.
09:53Brad's far more patient than I am.
09:55I've worked out.
09:56You alright?
09:57Yeah.
10:01Beautiful.
10:06Nearly beer o'clock.
10:12Good getting that floor done.
10:13Oh, look, it would be.
10:15Then the roof.
10:17Then after the roof.
10:19What?
10:19All the side walls?
10:21I think so.
10:21Funny house.
10:23Look, I'm sure that you get help every now and again, but I'm seeing the two of you
10:28looking after this whole place pretty much by yourselves.
10:33Yeah, we pretty much do that.
10:34Although, last night we had a bit of assistance in the bar.
10:36Yeah.
10:37That worked out quite well, thank you very much.
10:40Happy to help, happy to help.
10:42Yeah, that was spot on.
10:44Actually, Saturday night's pretty busy this weekend if you're around.
10:48But how do you manage it with just the two of you?
10:51Are you meticulous planners?
10:53Well, it's all been a learning thing for us.
10:55Yep.
10:56Her experience as a flight attendant, she's a very good hostess.
10:59Of course.
10:59So she talks to people very well, where I might be a little bit abrupt sometimes.
11:04So I'm better off cooking.
11:05But you're a good cook.
11:06I know.
11:06Not necessarily abrupt.
11:08His sense of humour is a bit dry.
11:10But anyway, and I tend to move faster.
11:13Yes, you do.
11:14Yes, you're much better in that bar.
11:15So we've sort of found that just as we've worked along, you know?
11:18Yeah.
11:18And we just went that way.
11:20You just throw yourself into it, you know?
11:22And you've just got to learn.
11:24You've got to do it.
11:25I just love it, yeah.
11:26It seems like you two would get bored doing the same thing every day.
11:29I think so.
11:30Yeah.
11:30That's why we need another challenge in a few more years.
11:32No, we don't.
11:34No, we don't.
11:38Andy and Jane, who I met last night at the pub, have invited me to drop by their cattle station.
11:45I can't miss it really, as I've been told Vin's track runs right through it.
11:54Andy and Jane's organic beef station is called The Garden.
11:59The area once supplied food to miners at another small goldfield northwest of Altunga.
12:09Then a garden cow.
12:10Today, son Steve and the team are drafting cattle to send off to South Australia for processing.
12:17Then a steer and then another garden cow.
12:25How is the bin's track used today by this property?
12:30All our produce comes in on the bin's track and all our cattle go out on it.
12:36They've all got their own personality too.
12:39They're like humans.
12:42Some are cranky and some are friendly.
12:46Do you mark the cranky ones?
12:48They normally go to market.
12:53Then a steer and then a bull.
12:57The extended Hayes family is a multi-generational pastoral family,
13:02well known out here in central Australia.
13:04Now Steve and his two young boys are making that family a little bit bigger.
13:12What's it like living here?
13:14Great.
13:14Been here for 30 years.
13:15I don't know any different, but I love it.
13:19Obviously drawbacks, but there's also a lot of pluses as well.
13:22Like kids can come to work, they can see the country, they can see, like learn probably
13:26from a young age about responsibility.
13:28And I think it's a lucky life.
13:34For properties like the garden, the bin's is not just for adventure or tourism.
13:39It is crucial for connecting them with other industries and communities.
13:50I'm back, continuing north on the track, having arranged to meet up with another local community.
13:56One that I'm hoping will help me discover what lies beneath the bins.
14:14Elvis.
14:15Hey.
14:16Hey, I'm Ray.
14:17Nice to meet you.
14:18Nice to meet you too.
14:20This is the mud tank zircon fields.
14:23And Elvis, along with other members of the Alice Springs Gem Club, are fossicking for semi-precious gemstones called zircons.
14:37So how do you spot a zircon?
14:39How do you know when you've got one?
14:41So first, we're going to need to put some of the rocks we just scooped up into the sea.
14:47Right.
14:50And then you want to go somewhere where you're out of the way.
14:56And then that's how we're going to find our zircons.
14:58Alright.
14:59Gemstones can be hard to find.
15:05So I'm lucky to have 10-year-old Elvis by my side.
15:11Flip it over.
15:12Yep.
15:13And now we can look for zircons.
15:15Right.
15:15So first, we can just chuck these out because they're too big.
15:20So that's too big?
15:21That's too big.
15:23And then you want to spread it out.
15:26Oh, here's a zircon.
15:27Oh!
15:28How can you tell?
15:29So this is a zircon that looks like it might have been a bit on the surface.
15:33So you can see it's very clear like glass.
15:36Yeah.
15:37But you can also find them pink, purple, orange, brown, grey, white.
15:44So it's pretty tricky to tell when you've got a zircon there.
15:47Can be.
15:47But once you know, it becomes a bit easier.
15:49Right, okay.
15:50Oh, that's awesome.
15:53Oh, there's some shiny ones in there.
15:59Elvis' passion has got his parents, Sean and Katja, hooked on fossicking too.
16:05That is quite cracked though.
16:07Yeah, it's a bit fractured, eh?
16:08Yeah.
16:10So you do many adventures along the Bins Track?
16:12Yes, we've been to a lot of the places along the way.
16:17Mostly where we spend time is close to Alice Springs, obviously.
16:20So we do a lot through the Eastern Mack, Sultanga.
16:27He's such an incredible kid.
16:28He's so knowledgeable.
16:30You must be very proud of him.
16:31Yeah, very proud of him.
16:33Yeah, for sure.
16:34I think it's amazing watching him follow an interest like that, to have picked up an interest
16:38and to be so enthusiastic about it, to keep wanting to learn about it.
16:43And watching him follow his dream, I think it's, yeah, a very proud moment for sure.
16:51So what do you love about doing this?
16:53I think it's interesting.
16:54It's a good pastime and it's fun to swing the pick and try to find something cool.
17:02How does it feel when you find something good?
17:05Exciting.
17:05Yeah?
17:06Yeah.
17:07So how long have you been doing this for?
17:11Maybe four or five years now.
17:13Wow.
17:13How old were you when you started?
17:15Maybe around six or seven.
17:17Who got you onto it?
17:19It was actually, when we were in Trephina Gorge, my dad pointed out a piece of fossilised
17:25seabed, and then I made him carry it all the way back.
17:28And I thought it was pretty cool, so I started collecting rocks and stuff.
17:32Yeah.
17:33Oh, wow.
17:35Maybe he'll go into being a geologist or a gemologist or something in the future,
17:40you reckon?
17:41It's one of his plans, yeah.
17:42Oh, it is?
17:43Really?
17:43Yeah.
17:44Yeah.
17:44When he was about seven or eight, he said to me he wants to be a paleontologist.
17:48So I quickly had to go and look up what it was.
17:52Oh, OK, yeah, good choice.
17:54Very much a mind of his own then.
17:56He knows what he wants to do and he goes and does it.
17:58Yeah.
17:59That's incredible.
18:02I think I may have caught the fossicking bug.
18:05I'll probably never find something precious, but I reckon there are many other treasures
18:11to be had out here, even if it's just the thrill of the hunt.
18:27Bins takes you through some beautiful country.
18:30The real beauty is the people along the track.
18:34This is a lifeblood that connects communities here.
18:41The Bins is leading me to my final destination.
18:49I've managed to make it in time to one of the most exciting outback events in the Northern
18:55Territory.
18:56The Harts Range races.
19:05It's a packed weekend.
19:07Here we go.
19:07Let's go rodeo with the young cowboys.
19:10Ranging from rodeo.
19:11And he's napping about the ball.
19:14Come on, let's go!
19:21And novelty children's events.
19:24All with a colourful outback twist.
19:39The event has a fascinating history.
19:43Back in 1946, three brothers were out branding cattle at a nearby station.
19:49They began chatting with the local policemen about who was riding the best horse.
19:56To settle the matter, they raced the horses back to the yards.
20:00The result was too close to call, but the group had so much fun.
20:06They decided to create a proper track and make it an annual event.
20:19Today, the local Harts Range police play a somewhat different role in the community.
20:25How are you?
20:26Good folks?
20:27Good mate.
20:27Off to the races?
20:28Yeah.
20:29Great stuff.
20:30Local policeman Celio is managing the traffic heading into the races.
20:35Hey, how you doing?
20:37Celio, originally from New Zealand, has been out here for just over a year.
20:42Policing a remote region that spreads 500 kilometres from east to west.
20:49So you're over here, you're in the NT.
20:51Yes.
20:52And down here, you're crossing into South Australia.
20:54Up here, you're crossing into Queensland.
20:56That's right, yeah.
20:57And this is all your patch?
20:59This is our patch, yeah.
21:01This is one of the biggest patches for two-man station to police in the NT.
21:06Yeah.
21:07Just the two of us.
21:09And our number one guy, our Aboriginal liaison officer, Pepe.
21:14Yeah.
21:14Yeah, Pepe's our go-to.
21:18Yeah, if you want to head down together with Andrew, yeah, check out the place, scope it out.
21:23Pepe is from the nearby community of Atitra.
21:27So how do you two work together?
21:29How does this work?
21:30Ah, we work together as a team.
21:32Yeah?
21:33Work with them, good fun.
21:34Yeah?
21:34Yeah.
21:35He learn with me, I learn with them.
21:36How's he settling in?
21:38Good.
21:39Yeah?
21:39Yeah?
21:40Only one thing, he just talk.
21:43That's a greeting.
21:45Ah, got it.
21:45That's why we try to teach him more.
21:47Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:48So you're learning language.
21:49Oh, definitely.
21:50Yeah?
21:51And again, it's a pronunciation.
21:53Like, he'll teach me how to say Wura.
21:55Yep.
21:56Yeah.
21:56But I might say it at another community and then they'll look at me and go,
22:00what did he just say?
22:02So I can get it wrong quite easily.
22:05But yeah, working with Pepe, it's leading on him.
22:08Yep.
22:08In regards to, yeah, engaging with the community and just doing things right, culturally right.
22:12Oh, you're lucky to have him then?
22:13Oh, most definitely.
22:14Yeah?
22:14Yeah.
22:15Everybody loved him.
22:16Yeah.
22:17I can't function without this guy.
22:19Yeah, yeah.
22:19And what do the community reckon about this one?
22:22Oh, he's really good.
22:23Oh, that's nice.
22:24Oh, good.
22:25You've got to stay.
22:28Get up off your seat and give the cowboys a round of a band, cos that's important for
22:36you.
22:38Back at the main event and the rodeo is in full swing.
22:42The aim of the game is to stay on for a full eight seconds.
22:47And the bulls are notoriously unpredictable.
22:54The weekend is a celebration of both skilled locals and enthusiastic amateurs.
23:01Having a go in the station buck jump event is Nathan the tradie, who I met earlier at Brad
23:08and Belinda's Altonga pub.
23:29Happy days!
23:30Have a look at that!
23:33Amazing!
23:34Yeah, you did alright.
23:36Probably a bit loose in the saddle, but...
23:39So you've done this before?
23:40Last year was the first time I've only ridden a horse probably like ten times.
23:45So you've only ridden a horse like ten times and you get out there and do this?
23:48Yeah, you're braver than I am, I'll tell you that.
23:54Set, go!
23:56Go Elvis!
23:58Another familiar face is young Jem Fosica Elvis, having a crack at the swag rolling competition.
24:04One step down, presses on, straps through the second ring and...
24:11Under pressure.
24:11Put him tight.
24:12That's time, well done.
24:14Oh!
24:17Okay, people, we are now on to the age of nine to 13.
24:24Let's go!
24:28Elvis' enthusiasm appears limitless.
24:31He's now put himself forward to compete in the junior potty ride.
24:38Elvis' mum, Karchav, is understandably nervous and her heart rate is showing it.
24:44Your hands are shaking!
24:46Yeah!
24:53Elvis!
24:54Anyone know Elvis?
24:57Anyhow, he's a young fella from in town there.
24:59He likes his Jem Fosica and he likes to do all sorts of things.
25:02He's out here to have a good time.
25:04Elvis is going to tear up the arena with his blue suede shoes.
25:12Are you ready?
25:14Are you ready?
25:15Are you ready?
25:15Here we go.
25:16Are you ready?
25:17All right, let's go with Elvis.
25:20Let's rock and roll!
25:22Literary!
25:22Oh!
25:24Didn't quite make it through the time, Elvis.
25:26He did well!
25:26He did well!
25:27He did well!
25:27He felt good!
25:35Would you go again?
25:37Yeah, I would.
25:41Who would have thought that a race between some stockmen and police 80 years ago would still
25:48be going strong today?
25:50Woo!
25:53The Harts Range races certainly seems to bring a variety of communities together.
26:00And out here in such a remote area, it's important to have these sorts of opportunities
26:06to connect with your neighbours.
26:12Well, I reckon this is a pretty special way for me to end my journey on the bins.
26:17The track itself keeps going for a few days.
26:20So, look, I bet there's even more awesome people and communities to discover along the
26:26way.
26:27But how lucky have I been to have had this opportunity to meet such resourceful people
26:34who live and work all along the bins.
26:42I tell you, there is an adventure here every single day.
26:45Not always a welcome one, but always an adventure.
26:48So it is never boring.
26:53Oh, yay!
26:55I got through bulldust, do you?
26:57Do I get a high five for that or what?
27:01Beautiful old Tunga Taka.
27:02That'll fill you up.
27:04I've always loved this place.
27:06Loved the people.
27:07And we like challenges.
27:09And this has certainly been a challenge, but we just love it here.
27:14Just a few million years.
27:16Yeah.
27:17Yeah, there's a lot of special areas around the bins track.
27:20Yeah?
27:21Yeah.
27:24Thank you, too, for listening.
27:27Always.
27:28It's important.
27:29Always.
27:39From Shark Bay to the bins track and Witchy Proof.
27:43We've been to some extraordinary places this season.
27:49We're already out filming on the back roads for our next series
27:53and can't wait to share our adventures with you.
28:03All right.
28:07Bye.
28:11Bye.
28:12Bye.
28:13Bye.
28:13Bye.
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