Warumungu, Northern Territory, Australia
Because I want to post a blog from the point where we will leave the Stuart Highway and start our travel east on the Barkly Highway, I decided to work on a blog using the Travelpod App as we came back down the Stuart! There won't be many stops over the two days travelling, but there will be reflection and discussion no doubt!I started to read a book when we left Port Augusta. The author is Terry Underwood and the book was entitled 'In the Middle of Nowhere'. It is one woman's story of love and life on a remote cattle station. It was the perfect choice for the journey up through the middle of Australia. If you haven't read the book and you intend to travel the Stuart Highway in the not too distant future, then wait and read the book then. At various times Terry talks about places you will pass through, or stock routes you will learn about on the way. And at times you will definitely feel like you are 'In the Middle of Nowhere'! Terry's story is about her life at 'Riveren Station' and how she met and after many years of letter writing, married cattleman 'Big John Underwood'.
She shares the trials and tribulations of their life together and developing a cattle station at Riveren, on the headwaters of the Victoria River. The station 'Riveren' is in the NT not far from the WA border and reasonably close (in cattle country kilometres) to Halls Creek.It took me a while to get into the book and I am glad it happened that way. I probably read over half of the book whilst in Darwin. I really enjoyed the way Terry expressed her feelings through times of hardship, adversity, loss, isolation and her love of the outback and her family. Although living at East Yuna for 35 years was no where near as isolated as where Terry started her married life, there were times when I very much related to her story.Delma suggested that Peter should be writing down some of his stories whilst we are travelling. I keep suggesting he get started, but have had no luck! Reading this book has meant I have become more persistent and I purchased a notebook for him at Katherine this morning.
Maybe there is a chance!There are bits from her book and the way she expressed herself, that I would like to include in what has now become 'My Book of Travelling Oz'. This is to be the chapter!Terry was a nurse who did her training at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney. Terry nursed John after he had a back operation and he told her then, that he intended to marry her one day. Terry completed her nursing and midwifery, before she became the 'poor bloody woman' to marry the man, who was going to build his place and own cattle station! This was always John's dream. They wrote to each other for 5 years and both kept every letter. I think Terry was born in about 1946 and when she made the first visit to John's parents cattle station 'Inverway' (which is closer to the WA border) her parents made her younger brother Johnny go with her. Johnny was only 16 and was not impressed about escorting his sister to 'The Middle of Nowhere'. Terry wore her best white crimplene suit for her first visit. The aborigines kept wanting to touch her and thought the two of them had hailed from another planet.
Is it any wonder? I can just picture her 'white crimplene suit'. From Alice Springs they flew on a small aircraft to Hooker Creek. It was stinking hot and the pilot invited them to have a drink from the hessian bag hanging from the bough shelter. When we were first married the 'old water bag' was always somewhere on, or hanging off, the farm vehicle. There was always one 'hanging on the verandah' too!Their engagement party was at the Halls Creek Hotel and in future years they travelled to Halls Creek many times. The 'Halls Creek Races' were a highlight of their year. When they married six months later it was the wet season and heavy rains held them up on the journey from Sydney, to where they would begin their married life at 'Riveren'. They spent one night together at 'Inverway' and John went on ahead and Terry was delivered by the in-laws three weeks later. They lost the caravan somewhere on the way and she arrived to a bough shed for a dining room, a tent to sleep in and a big pile of wood next to the open fire she would cook on! There was no door on the structure over the hole in the ground for their toilet and John laughed when Terry asked for a door! His response was "Who in the hell is going to see you out here"? Terry wrote.
...Mum had taught me well 'what can't be cured must be endured'.Chapter Six in the book starts as: From my first day at our bough shed I became fully aware of the magnitude of our undertaking. There was not a coil of wire, let alone a fence, no herd of cattle, no buildings. From basic beginnings it was ours to develop. There were just the two of us.The birth of their first child was a joyous time and Terry went to Sydney 6 weeks before, on her own. The visit to the Dr when she got there was the first visit! When their son was born there were problems getting through on the telegraph line, and John could not be notified until their son was 2 days old. Sadly they had the heartache and loss of their little ringer dying with leukaemia before his first birthday. I shed some tears in that chapter of the book.Terry and John had another four children and she home schooled the four of them until year 7, when they then had to deal with the heartache of sending them to Sydney for their secondary education.
The only time they came home and they saw their children was for school holidays. Terry became involved with fundraising at Katherine School of the Air. She produced a play called 'Dimboola' which later was featured on 'ABC Big Country'. Horrie was one of the characters and he was the owner of 'Dunmarra Roadhouse' at that time. They all travelled to Katherine for one rehearsal and the rest of the time they had air-rehearsals. The play was a huge success.Terry mentions 'Dunmarra Roadhouse' and their friends there quite often in the book. So when we were deciding where we would stay on Saturday night, Dunmarra seemed a good choice. The proprietor of 'Dunmarra Roadhouse' at that time was Jim Cobb. A chap by the name of Healy was the bush character that had the roadhouse for many, many years. There is information about him at the 'National Road Transport Museum' in Alice Springs. There were display boards in the grounds of the park, telling the 'Dunmarra Stories'.There is also a memorial near the roadhouse for the little boy who died in the bush, 23 kms from the roadhouse.
Terry talks of this loss in the book as well. Their youngest child Becky spent a night lost in the bush and she thanked her creator next day when she was found. Terry was a Catholic and her religion was very important to her. I'm sure it helped her all through her life living in the outback. 1200 men and women joined the search for the little eight year old boy that was found 9 days after he vanished. He went into the bush trying to find an escaped horse. It was one of the nation's biggest manhunts. Everyone was tested emotionally and physically. The Stuart Highway became an airstrip. A hospital was set up and treated 260 people who had searched in 50 degree heat. 'Dunmarra' became a community bigger than most towns in the Territory.Terry talks about the aborigines that worked for them on the station and the times where they could not get them to do anything and at other times, how invaluable they were. Nothing seems to have changed! In Terry's words "The solutions were less obvious. Help was welcome.
Interference was not".She also refers to Wave Hill, Nat Buchanan and the Vesteys. Vestey's were the British brothers, Sir Edmund and Lord Vestey, who took up a lot of land in the Northern Territory early in the 20th century. Their original intention was to breed and fatten cattle for slaughter in a Darwin abattoir, that would be built by them in return for the Australian Government building a railway from Darwin to Alice Springs. Both elements of the agreement were ultimately unsuccessful. They were not necessarily liked by neighbours, mainly because they had such huge holdings in the 'Top End'. Terry does say in her book though "That they did play a significant role in the development of this country". The two road trains that are in the 'National Road Transport Museum' in Alice Springs were donated by the Vestey's and there is a beach at Darwin named after them as well. She also writes about the 'Wave Hill Cricket Club'. I wonder if it is still there today? The book says "Almost a decade after the first match, the Wave Hill Cricket Club was officially opened by one of its greatest fans Daryl Somers.
Rod Marsh led one of the four competing teams onto the oval, but sadly Patron Alan McGilvray couldn't attend. Over 1,000 cricket lovers attended the weekend celebration".
One of my favourite pages is where Terry talks about the fact that they were still answerable to the in-laws and the fact she was always referred to as 'John Underwood's wife'! Announcements were always from 'Inverway'. She felt like she was a heifer in the paddock to be mustered, drafted and relocated as deemed appropriate. If it was difficult for John. It was more than difficult for her. Pressure continued to mount until one night she felt completely cornered and utterly defeated. She says "John had often concluded his courting letter with...Well, I'm not here". She bundled the kids in the car and left. Not far down the road she realised the fuel gauge was low and 'Where would she go and what would she do'? She turned the vehicle around and went home. I love these words........To yield was to gain humility and strength. Love and understanding assisted in my acceptance of what must be. A tiny stitch in the tapestry of life regained its tension and balance.She talks about the three major stock routes converging at 'Newcastle Waters' and we visited the deserted township on Sunday. There is lots of information on the 'Years of the Drovers' in the old historic 'Junction Hotel'. 'Jones Store' also has the history of the town. Obviously the school is still used for aboriginal education. There is an aboriginal community at the end of what was the main street. The little church is well worth a visit and as it was Sunday, we spent a few extra minutes praying for our continued safe travel and everyone back home. There are a couple of the residences that are still being lived in. The lawn in the park was being watered and I managed to run between the sprinklers at the 'Drovers Memorial Park' to get some photos. The 'Memorial Park' was a 'Bicentennial Project' and a 'Social Event' was the last official function in the town. Terry's 50th birthday party was held in the old 'Junction Hotel'. I think it was about 17 years ago. Everyone came from miles around. We found ourselves imagining the place decorated and the fridge stoked up in the bar area! They held fantastic parties in 'The Middle of Nowhere' just like we have held at Yuna! Once the children were older Terry and John became involved with the 'Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association'. Terry was one of the main instigators with their 'Year of the Outback' Project in 2002. It was the 'Katherine Icon'! It is a one and a half times life size, bronze statue of stockman Sabu Peter Sing...1940 - 1993. The statue acknowledges our forebears, salutes those who currently work the land and encourages others to cherish the challenges of tomorrow. 'Sabu is the role model'. He was a member of the Wardaman tribe, skilled bushman, horseman and stockman who represents courageous pioneers and all who faithfully follow the trails they blazed. Terry refers to Sabu often in her book. Terry also took up photography when Becky, their youngest child, went away to boarding school. She decided to hold a week long exhibition of her images in Darwin. It was more successful than she dared to hope and encouraging that people were interested in and moved by her images. Her images not only highlighted the dramatic changes in the cattle industry and lifestyle, they also paid tribute to the members of the cattle team.I was interested to see if I could find out what the Underwood's were doing in 2014, so once again I googled! To my surprise John and Terry had purchased 'Inverway' from his sister in 2007. Michael (second born) is now the 'Cattleman' and married to Georgia and has a couple of children. Not surprising though, that he followed in his fathers footsteps as he was the image of his Dad. My real surprise was that in 2013 the Underwood's sold both properties to the Indonesians for over $35 million. They had become very disillusioned with what was happening with the live cattle trade and decided it was time to do as John had said in his letters to Terry 'Well I'm out of here'!
One of my favourite pages is where Terry talks about the fact that they were still answerable to the in-laws and the fact she was always referred to as 'John Underwood's wife'! Announcements were always from 'Inverway'. She felt like she was a heifer in the paddock to be mustered, drafted and relocated as deemed appropriate. If it was difficult for John. It was more than difficult for her. Pressure continued to mount until one night she felt completely cornered and utterly defeated. She says "John had often concluded his courting letter with...Well, I'm not here". She bundled the kids in the car and left. Not far down the road she realised the fuel gauge was low and 'Where would she go and what would she do'? She turned the vehicle around and went home. I love these words........To yield was to gain humility and strength. Love and understanding assisted in my acceptance of what must be. A tiny stitch in the tapestry of life regained its tension and balance.She talks about the three major stock routes converging at 'Newcastle Waters' and we visited the deserted township on Sunday. There is lots of information on the 'Years of the Drovers' in the old historic 'Junction Hotel'. 'Jones Store' also has the history of the town. Obviously the school is still used for aboriginal education. There is an aboriginal community at the end of what was the main street. The little church is well worth a visit and as it was Sunday, we spent a few extra minutes praying for our continued safe travel and everyone back home. There are a couple of the residences that are still being lived in. The lawn in the park was being watered and I managed to run between the sprinklers at the 'Drovers Memorial Park' to get some photos. The 'Memorial Park' was a 'Bicentennial Project' and a 'Social Event' was the last official function in the town. Terry's 50th birthday party was held in the old 'Junction Hotel'. I think it was about 17 years ago. Everyone came from miles around. We found ourselves imagining the place decorated and the fridge stoked up in the bar area! They held fantastic parties in 'The Middle of Nowhere' just like we have held at Yuna! Once the children were older Terry and John became involved with the 'Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association'. Terry was one of the main instigators with their 'Year of the Outback' Project in 2002. It was the 'Katherine Icon'! It is a one and a half times life size, bronze statue of stockman Sabu Peter Sing...1940 - 1993. The statue acknowledges our forebears, salutes those who currently work the land and encourages others to cherish the challenges of tomorrow. 'Sabu is the role model'. He was a member of the Wardaman tribe, skilled bushman, horseman and stockman who represents courageous pioneers and all who faithfully follow the trails they blazed. Terry refers to Sabu often in her book. Terry also took up photography when Becky, their youngest child, went away to boarding school. She decided to hold a week long exhibition of her images in Darwin. It was more successful than she dared to hope and encouraging that people were interested in and moved by her images. Her images not only highlighted the dramatic changes in the cattle industry and lifestyle, they also paid tribute to the members of the cattle team.I was interested to see if I could find out what the Underwood's were doing in 2014, so once again I googled! To my surprise John and Terry had purchased 'Inverway' from his sister in 2007. Michael (second born) is now the 'Cattleman' and married to Georgia and has a couple of children. Not surprising though, that he followed in his fathers footsteps as he was the image of his Dad. My real surprise was that in 2013 the Underwood's sold both properties to the Indonesians for over $35 million. They had become very disillusioned with what was happening with the live cattle trade and decided it was time to do as John had said in his letters to Terry 'Well I'm out of here'!
Such a wonderful 'Northern Territorian Story'. I'm so pleased after all John's adversity and his ultimate survival through it all, he also knew when it was time that he could do no more. It was time to look after his health and enjoy family. 14 Photos
2025-05-22