Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback

Davidson recounts her days walking with Eddie. Eddie didn’t speak much English and Davidson spoke little Pitjantjara. However, they developed a way of communicating and enjoyed themselves.

Although appreciative of Eddie’s company, Davidson was eager to reach the next stop so she could reconnect with Glendle, “the community adviser at Pipalyatjara” (164). She was desperate to talk to someone who knew English and with whom she might process her emotions. She was relieved when they arrived and no one at Pipalyatjara seemed bothered by her odd behavior. She and Glendle had many long conversations about her internal experiences and his work with the community. He was an advocate for the Aborigines but encountered obstacles in his work. Pipalyatjara had a unique settlement structure that few tribes had been able to establish. They weren’t interested in turning their leasehold of the land to freehold—they didn’t believe the land belonged to them but believed they belonged to the land. Davidson explains the origin of this thinking, which relates to the dream-time, too.

Before leaving Pipalyatjara, Davidson witnessed a moving interaction between Eddie and his wife. She hadn’t seen this sort of intimacy between a couple before. Then the two set back out, this time heading to Warburton.