Event:1925/06/10 Journey to Port Hedland

Leaving early the next morning, Edith flies us half way to Derby and we refuel in the bay, then flies to Derby, refuels, and then from there flies to Port Hedland.

We arrive in the afternoon. The aboriginal peoples of the area are the Kariyarra and Nyamal people. They give the name “Marapikurrinya" which translates to "Place of Good Water" to this place. In the town there is a small hospital, the closest asylum is in Perth, and there are no libraries or newspapers. The local bar is Chuck's. People in the town are talking about the time a few years back "that crazy American man came through with 2 dozen (mostly white) men and headed to Cuncudgerie". They describe the man as older, unsettled, and throwing money around. They recommend talking to Robert Mackenzie about going to Cuncudgerie. They also mention dead bodies with punctures all over them being found. A few days back someone said they thought they saw a really big bear. They give us Mackenzie's address.

We go to Robert Mackenzie's house. He's a stout man with a bowler hat and old but fairly nice clothes. We tell him we're looking to go on a mining expedition. He says Cuncudgerie is very dangerous; there's been a lot of strange sightings and weird goings on. He tells us that Arty said he saw a giant city come out of nowhere in the great sandy desert. He'd found some old weird stones that led him to an old city, and he took pictures using photographic plates. The pictures didn't look like they could be faked. A Mr. Huston came looking for him 2-3 years ago, and he hasn't seen him since. He believes MacWhirr's diary is with a friend, Dr. Dodge, in Sydney. Since we asked, he provides the exact longitude and latitude, 22°3'14" South by 125°0'39" East. He mentions that we'll need to be well provisioned if we want to go there, as there's a good possibility of running out of water.