Blood at Yellow Water

CHAPTER SIX

  TUESDAY AFTERNOON - YELLOW WATER

  Japanese Prime Minister, Koshi Ogawa, and his Defence Minister, Youichiro Kenichi, accompanied by their personal staff and bodyguards, arrived at Darwin airport in the early afternoon. After being ushered quickly through customs and immigration the group set off in four armoured limousines to Kakadu National Park. The delegation arrived at the Yellow Water Resort after a two and a half-hour drive and was met at the steps of the resort by the Australian Prime Minister, Neville Murray.

  After welcoming the visitors, P.M. Murray announced that he had arranged to take the Japanese delegation on a boat cruise on Yellow Water before the official dinner. The Japanese P.M.’s party was then issued with security passes and keys and shown to their rooms.

  Having changed into casual clothing, the Japanese party was picked up outside the resort and driven two kilometres to the wharf at Yellow Water. P.M. Murray escorted them onto a small boat where they were taken on an hour’s guided tour of the wetlands.

  Their aboriginal guide explained through an interpreter that Yellow Water is an iconic area of wetlands which contains a unique profusion of plants, birds, crocodiles, fish and other wildlife. Thousands of people come from all parts of the world to see the unique flora and fauna.

  All of the Japanese had cameras at the ready as the tour guide pointed out numerous crocodiles sun-baking on the banks of the estuaries, some as long as four metres. They also saw a huge assortment of birds, magpie geese, whistling ducks, brolgas, jabiru storks, black cockatoos and kingfishers.

  After disembarking from the boat, the group was taken to the nearby Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre and given a presentation on the history of aboriginal involvement in the area over a period of 50,000 years. This was followed by a culture display and dances from members of the Binugy aboriginal people telling “Dreaming” stories.

  The Japanese party were by then showing signs of fatigue and all of them dropped off to sleep in the short ride back to the resort. Once there, they were given an hour to freshen up before the official dinner.

  The dinner was confined to the Ministers and their senior staff and a few top level business people. The menu was designed to show the best of local produce in the Northern Territory with entrées of sea-food containing prawns, crab and lobster, followed by a choice of prime beef, kangaroo or wild barramundi for the main course. After the main course, the Prime Ministers exchanged speeches about how they hoped fervently that the Treaty could be signed at this conference. P.M. Murray explained the significance of holding the conference at Kakadu, the first time a major international conference had been held outside a major Australian city. It was one of the most unique areas in the globe, a world-heritage site, and the finding of uranium in the middle of the national park not only benefitted the Australian mining industry and the Japanese energy sector but also the traditional owners of the land through the allocation of the mining royalties generated.

  The Japanese P.M. Koshi responded, expressing gratitude to Australia for hosting the conference and for inviting his delegation to visit such an amazing part of Australia which he had never been privileged to see before.

  After a dessert of local tropical fruits, the dinner broke up. The two P.M.’s took their coffees and went to a private room for one-on-one talks.