June 1959 School Magazine

July, 1959

Brisban€1 Girls' Grammar Schcol Niagazine

July, 1959

Brisbane Gir'ls# Grammar School Magazine

There is one mine, Golden Ridges, which is not far distant from Wau, still in operation. Visitors are permitted to inspect it. Koranga open-cut, on the edge of the township is also an interesting sight. Immense volumes of water harnessed for the purpose, are directed with tremendous force on to the mountain face, tearing it away while the incessant search continues. Natives do most of thE:? work. The New Guineo: native, as distinct from the Papuan, is darker in colour o:nd slower of movement. Their ho:ircut is different and their meris (women folk) dress differently. The natives we saw around Wau seemed td be o: particularly good- natured, lo:w-abiding· type, although we were told that the Kuku-kukus, a very small built but warlike tribe, are not far away. The water "races" which harness water for sluicing opera- tions in the open-cut mines are in themselves picturesque. There are three; high level, mid level and low level, each with o: cleared path beside it for maintenance purposes, which pro- vides an easy and pleasant walk. The mo:n-made waterways wind endlessly o:round the mountainsides, sometimes just o: channel, sometimes encased with wood. At higher levels clusters of native huts used by the "bois" in charge of the section add interest to the scenery. , We thought thot we really understood before we left ·wau, why a retired Englishman and his friend, a Frenchman, both artists, who have roamed the world and continue to do so at intervals, have settled there and surrounded themselves by a garden containing almost every known kind of flower or shrub, with an Olympic sized swimming pool set in its midst, filled by the Little Wcxu Creek. Almost anything seems to grow in this enchanting emerald valley which surrounds Wau. -LEONIE BUCHANAN, VC. JACARANDA The murky smog envelops all the town , Factories, shops, the newly-wakened streets Are lost in mists of yellow and of brown While the risi.ng sun this pall of vapour meets . Yet look! Against this ugly man-made cloud, This symbol of a leading city's power A jacarandd, by God's hand endowed With silhouetted trunk and purple flower , Stands, clothed in g lorious simplicity; And, oh, what joy, what love, wells up in me! -R. McDONALD, VIA. 29

THE WAU VALLEY Nestled in a basin in the rugged Owen Stanley Ranges lies Wau. Here WE! spent an enjoyable fortnight escaping the endless enervating heat of Port Moresby. The flight to Wau over this majestic range with miles upon miles of tree tops broken only by river gorges, affords a full appreciation of the seemingly impenetrable jungle which confronted the soldiers who blazed the Kokoda Trail. ThE! beauty and grandeur of New Guinea is also striking during the flight. Many of the rivers form a delta before mingling with the deep, deep blue of the sea and the mountain peaks rise so high that pilots seek a course between them. There is no night flying in New Guinea owing to the danger of these peaks and even for day flying, pilots need a sound knowledge of the area to avoid "stuffed cloud" or mountain peaks, obscured by the cloud formation. The light and shade in the valleys forms an enchanting picture. Over one of these valleys we circled and quickly lost height, which produced an eerie feeling as the pine clad mountains completely surrounded us. w·e made an abrupt landing on the strangest airstrip I have ever seen. It is on a steep slope and we tax;ied up the runway to halt at a spot with a pretty view all over Wau. The famous Bulolo pines dotted up the mountain sides made a lovely picture; the dark green of a coffee plantation stretched beyond the foot of the runway. In this plantation lies the wreckage of a huge freighter, which, on its maiden flight, was left insufficiently chocked and careered down the treacherous slope to its doom. Keindi, a peak of gre:Jt altitude, shelters Wau on the east and the morning sunshine rarely reaches the valley early. Sometimes such a thick mist veils the valley to Bulolo that the whole effect resembles a huge lake covering the area. We made a trip to the summit of this peak by jeep, taking supplies to the few miners who now remain there. The wealth of Edie Creek at one time was fabulous. The winding, narrow road has a steep ferny cutting on one side and a sheer drop into the gorge on the other. The scenery was magnificent as the township of Wau gradually vanished, lost in the valleys. At our destination we were amazed to find a delightful garden displaying flowers never thought of for Port Moresby gardens . It seemed incredible that it could be cold enough in New Guinea in the heart of summer to grow these plants. 28