We walked up the steep track with its edge very close to the cliff face and I realised that it was important to be focused. I thought about Nukunu kids back in the day climbing up cliff faces without shoes and how many fell and cut themselves and broke things, and how the old people would have fixed them up with different medicines and things that doctors today are only now catching up on.

Once we were over the steep escarpment, we strode across rolling hills covered with wattle trees and then down to another creek bed with gaps in the huge rock faces lining either side.

‘This place is called Death Valley,’ Dad said, looking at Caitlin. ‘Do you know why?’

‘Because there was a massacre here?’ Caitlin guessed.

‘Oh god no, fortunately not,’ Dad said. ‘It’s because of all of the tiger snakes that find their way between the crevices of the rocks there.’

We all moved closer to the rock face as Dad continued. ‘One day, I was coming through here and there were some climbers putting on their harnesses and that, they were about to climb up here. I told ’em, Don’t put your fingers in those crevices there, there’s tiger snakes everywhere. One of the blokes was laughing like he thought I was joking and I told him, True god, you have a look in there before your stick your fingers and toes anywhere near those rocks. Those people had a look in and sure enough, they could see the snakes’ eyes and the stripes on their guts and all. If we have a look now we’ll see them.’

Caitlin shuddered and said, ‘No thanks! Come on, let’s get going.’

Dad laughed. ‘It’s okay, they our family those wangku, those tiger snakes. They won’t hurt us.’

After about half an hour of walking, Dad said, ‘Hey, check that out.’ I looked up and I could see three massive wirltu, eagle hawks, circling above us in the thermals. It was hard to see them and not feel uplifted. I knew exactly what Dad was thinking before he said, ‘That’s a good sign that we’re supposed to be here, right now.’

I knew Dad was right and I was grateful that I wasn’t at school, and that I didn’t need to deal with that stuff for a while. We stood there and watched the wirltu, catching our breath, and I felt the sweat upon my skin as the cool air hit it.

‘This is as good a place as any to have lunch, hey?’ Dad said.

‘Definitely,’ Caitlin said, sliding her backpack off her shoulders. She took out a little gas burner and pot from it and started making cups of tea, with Dad adding some of the bush herbs from the creek bed.