either side, closing in, it is surre-
al, we stepped into another world,
another time. Moving forward we
move back in time, the landscape
changing with every step, the plant
life very different to anything else.
The fortress defences haven’t
worked. I step forward and notice
the shrivelled, mummified remains
of the most dreaded and invasive of
all Australian animals, a Cane Toad.
My heart breaks.
An ancient species, perhaps suit-
ed to this ancient land, were intro-
duced into Australia in the 1930s to
fight the sugar cane beetle in north-
ern Queensland. Scientists released
these natives of South America with
the best intentions, less than a cen-
tury later they have infiltrated the
north of the continent, from east to
west destroying many other species
in their path. A relentless assault
that even nature seems unable to
prevent.
A few metres further and the evi-
dence of the invasion is greatest. A
natural well has attracted the toads
to the water and ultimately their
death as they aren’t able to climb the
stone walls. Ironically someone has
turned the invasive death into art;
an orchestra, complete with conduc-
tor, plays an imaginary tune.
The walls rise higher, the path
narrows as it winds through the
maze-like structures. A cathedral
like chamber opens, dark and cool,
a welcome respite from the heat.
The vast opening seems to be the
end of the trail yet a beam of light at
the far end betrays the defences.
We follow the light and as if head-
ing to the other side find ourselves
in another world. Cracks in the land
lead us further to into the bowls of
this other world, we walk through
the middle of one of the domes be-
fore a blast of heat pushes us back.
The opening reveals the bed of an
ancient river; the ground grey and
rippled, so very different to every-
thing else around us.
TRAVERSE
91