76 Australian Geographic
had eight general managers in the past fi ve years. Meanwhile,
allegations of sloppy governance have become a staple of media
reporting. When lumped together with documented cases of
abuse, family violence and social disadvantage, it’s no surprise
that the region is often portrayed through a lens of political
frustration and despair.
But out here among the people and their stories, there’s far
more to this place than problems. Amata (Musgrave Park) sits
at the Musgrave Ranges’ western end – a former outstation that’s
now a 400-strong Anangu community overlooked by a citadel
of peaks. On a good day you can gaze north from the highest
- 1285m Mt Morris – and spot the inimitable profi le of Uluru,
86km to the north. More than a landmark, it’s a fulcrum of
Anangu spiritual life. The reality of the Tjukurpa narratives
reaches far beyond the APY Lands’ nominal borders. The con-
nections criss-cross inland Australia, travelling deep into the
NT, and south and west through the Great Victoria Desert: part
of a supple ancestral culture steeped in journey-making.
I
T’S ANOTHER BLUE-SKY Sunday afternoon in Amata.
Lee Brady is out the front of his house working on his car.
He and I had an idea to climb Mt Morris in the morning,
but family matters trumped that plan. Instead we’re on the street
changing the shockies on his Falcon. Apart from the occasional
passing car, it’s quiet in town. Kids and dogs wander the streets
and ripples of conversation in Pitjantjatjara fi lter across from
neighbours gathered in front yards or on verandahs.
A burly bloke with dreads and a grey goatee, Lee is a dab
hand as a mechanic. He needs to be. Keeping vehicles going is
a non-stop challenge for locals who regularly rumble across
hundreds of kilometres of dirt roads. We wrestle with spanners
and springs as he refl ects on his early life.
Born in Leigh Creek in the northern Flinders Ranges, he
arrived with his dad and brothers here in his grandmother’s
country in his late teens. Lee embraced the traditional life, trekked
alone with camels in the desert and became engaged with com-
munity work. An energetic cultural advocate, his ties are to theWatch out below. Walakara IPA coordinator
Kate Homes, at right, joins Stizler and Sam
Milera to set up a protective fence that straddles
Pupu Rockhole to keep out wild camels.Among the people and
their stories, there’s
far more to this place
than problems.
Bountiful boulders. The Everard Ranges
(right) are granite hills thought to be more
than 20 million years old. Lee Brady (below)
tells of his days spent trekking solo across
country with camels in his late teens.