'Not If You're White'

  Ceduna, South Australia, Australia
Saturday, June 23, 2007

Day Twenty-one: - Streaky Bay - Ceduna

'Fighting in the street, that's so un-Australian. At least do it in a bar..'

We got here yesterday and decided to stay on another night, the foot needed it. This is probably our last stop in terms of amenities and regular civilisation so it made sense to make the most. Like many of the other places we've seen since leaving Adelaide there isn't all that much here. Ceduna's a nice enough coastal village and it's quite pleasant down there at Denial Bay, but what hits you the most, what separates Ceduna apart from all the places we've seen so far is the number of Aborigines that live here. In fact, we've seen a steady increase in each town since we first hit Port Augusta.

Not long after we'd arrived we nipped over to the supermarket to grab a few groceries for dinner. In the chiller section I noticed an aboriginal fella checking out the meat counter. As I turned down the next aisle a two dollar coin slipped from his hand and fell to the floor at my feet. Naturally, I picked it up and handed it back to him. He smiled and with a broad Aussie twang said 'Thanks mate!' and took the coin back. I went on my way, never gave it a second thought. Until today.



The whole racism thing is something I'd wondered about long before I arrived in Australia. We've been in Ceduna less than a day, and already I've heard some pretty sobering words from white Australians towards the aboriginals. I mean it. I've genuinely been taken aback.

I just typed a whole list of some of the things that have been said - because it's real and it's what has been said. And then I deleted it all because it's distasteful and unnecessary. But clearly all this is very complex. And it's something I know far too little about to comment on, other than that I didn't realise Australia had such a problem on it's hands..

Kilometres eaten: 2347