TRAVERSE Issue 10 - February 2019 | Page 104

al, something that occurred during his ride. Like many travellers around Australia, Lincoln encountered many challenges; an accident on his way to Cape York Peninsula after an encounter with a bulldust hole, sleeping in areas said to be infested by crocodiles, or the death of a wallaby after it collided with his bike in the outback. A chance en- counter with aboriginals near the border of the Northern Territory and Western Australia had a huge subconscious impact. Lincoln was near Saddle Creek, a truly beautiful part of the world, and decided to venture through a flimsy fence to walk up a small hill. A chance encounter perhaps started a change in psyche, something in the back of Lincoln’s mind was seeing what it meant to be home. “I perched myself on a rock, and spent an hour staring out at the vast expanse of flat flood plain,” he reminisced. A voice rang out in the distance. “Hello? Anyone there?”, the voice called again, seeming to come from the carpark where Lincoln had parked his bike. “Yeah, I’m up here. You alright?”, Lincoln replied to only receive incoherent mumbling. Believing someone was in trouble he ran back to where the voice had come. Lincoln soon faced three Aboriginal men. Enquiring as to whether they were locals he received a reply that took him by surprise. “Yeah,” one of the two younger men replied. “We live oth- er side of the hill. Our land … listen … you got a smoke?” Stunned that he had run down the rocky hillside in the belief that someone needed help only to find they were af- ter a cigarette Lincoln said he had been up on the hill ad- miring the stunning views and apologised for trespassing. TRAVERSE 104