Chapter 2

“We’ll be heading for the edge of the Officer Basin, which dates from the Neoproterozoic Era, from a billion to 541 million years ago. It’s the last era of the Precambrian Super-eon.”

That was the way ‘Reg’ had begun our first group meeting. I’d met Aggie at breakfast and we had walked over to the labs, where we were to meet. When we got there, there was no sign of Lois, but there were two blokes: one, a bit grey, maybe late 40s, introduced himself as “Reg, snakes.”

I responded with “Gordy, ants.” There was a laugh. Then the other one, maybe a few years older than me, said: “Al, mammals.” Just then Lois appeared. Aggie introduced herself with: “Aggie, flora,” paused and said: “Lois, birds.”

“I’m certain we’ll learn more about each other, but right now let’s try to get organized,” Reg had said. “We’ll fly to Adelaide and directly from there to the desert. If we get done here soon, we might get there this afternoon. Otherwise we’ll overnight in Adelaide. I’ve got a map packet for each of you (he handed them out). As it’s over an hour from here to Adelaide and then three to our site, you’ll have plenty of time to read. The plane from Adelaide to our site has 3000 liters of water on board. That’s most likely more than 10% of its total load.”

“I hope so,” I said. “I can live off the land, but not without water.”

“So can I. But will we know how after ten days?”

“I doubt it. The folks who have been here for over 60,000 years seem to have worked it out, though.”

“I don’t know about holes where we’re heading.”

I didn’t either, I knew how get fluid from a plant or a turtle, but said nothing.

“Do any of you have a lot of kit?”

No one seemed to. My guess is that everyone had spent time in one of Australia’s vast deserts. I knew that I’d cope with my swag and my billy ... though clean clothes were a luxury I enjoyed.

“Let’s just get going,” Lois said. “Do you have numbers to call?”

“Yes,” said Reg. And he picked up a medium-sized phone. “Fran? Reg. We’d like to get going. Say half an hour from the Inn? Right. And you’ll call General Aviation in Adelaide? Great. See you in two weeks, then.”

To make it brief, the five of us walked back to the hotel, Aggie and I fetched our stuff from our rooms, and a CSIRO van came by and ferried us and impedimenta to the airport. There we had a two-engine Virgin jet to ourselves for the hop to South Australia. I tried to read the map packet en route.

In Adelaide we landed at General Aviation, rather than the passenger terminal. We unloaded and we all headed for the Ladies/Gents. I stood watch over the dunnage for a few minutes and then Al “relieved” me. When I emerged, I saw Reg talking to a man in a hi-vis coverall. Reg came over.

“They’re loading some fresh food for a day or so. We can leave soon.”

The ladies emerged and we all said we were ready to go. Reg waved towards a bloke standing and chatting up a sheila; he walked over. “We’ll be going whenever you want. Just us five. So, if they’re done loading...”

“Okeh. Might wanna use the facilities. It’ll be two mebbe three hours.”

“Done that.”

“Right. This the load?”

It was a large two-engine Cessna – a 411 with eight seats, I think. We all got in and stowed our personal stuff. Reg and Al took the two front seats, of course. Not knowing the pecking order, I skipped a row and sat down. Aggie sat across from me and Lois sat behind her. I noted everyone belted themselves in, so I did, too.

“OK, folks,” came a crackle. “I hope you’re all belted in. We’re cleared. I expect just under three hours, as there’s a westerly near the Eyre Peninsula. After I drop you off, I’ll be heading to Forrest-Mundrabilla to refuel. I really hope you’ll all help with the unloading. I’ll be back in ten days. Here we go!” And we were off.

Aggie leaned over. “No chance to join the mile-high club.”

“Probably not even near the klick-high,” I responded. “But we’d have an audience.”

“If the basin is half a billion years old, might there be fossils?”

“I doubt it. Old rocks, but not the right kind.”

“I’m not sure. The giant lizards were around for nearly 200 million years.”

“Oh, the arthropods have them beat!”

“Really?” Lois leaned forward.

“And the insects?”

“Oh,” I said. “The oldest confirmed insect fossil is that of a wingless, silverfish-like creature that lived about 385 million years ago. And there are lots of very old rocks on this island. But not where we’ll be. The oldest are up in the northwest. But there are some reptile fossils and footprints just west of Brisbane.”

That let loose intellectual commentary.

“Right-o,” came Al’s voice. “Once upon a time the sand of these deserts was rock. But wind and water did away with the rock. And what was vegetation then is now oil and gas. There’s oil south and northwest of where we’ll be.”