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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ002133S
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00:24 William Creek is the smallest town in the outback and probably 00:28 in all of Australia. The entire population is just 10. The town 00:33 the town is located on a salt bush plain 880 kilometers north 00:38 of Adelaide on the Oodnadatta track and is approximately half 00:45 way between Marree and Oodnadatta and 160 kilometers 00:48 east of Coober Pedy. The old saying is really true here. 00:52 Blink and you'll miss it. 00:54 The Hotel at William Creek is the only 00:57 pub and accommodation on the Oodnadatta Track between Marree 01:01 and Oodnadatta and is one of Australia's iconic and most 01:04 loved outback hotels. The town relies entirely on tourism as 01:10 it's main industry. Overnight guests and events can increase 01:15 the population 20 times to over 200. William Creek is entirely 01:21 surrounded by the world's largest cattle station or ranch 01:25 Anna Creek Station. It covers over 24,000 square kilometers 01:30 or six million acres and is even larger than Israel or Wales. 01:38 Anna Creek, the world's largest cattle station and 01:40 William Creek, Australia's smallest town, are situated in 01:44 the desert and both are dependent on one thing for their 01:49 survival, water. It's not a coincidence that both are named 01:54 after the local creeks or streams the run nearby. Water is 01:58 vital and precious. It's scarce out here. Most years see very 02:04 little rainfall in this region. Survival is a challenge. Life is 02:11 tough. But occasionally, about every 25 years of so, cyclones 02:15 and heavy rains in Queensland and northern Australia send 02:20 flood waters on a 1000 kilometer journey south to 02:24 nearby lake Eyre, the largest lake in Australia. As the water 02:29 flows across the flood planes and fills Lake Eyre, it 02:33 transforms the area and starts the greening of the desert. It 02:39 brings life and vitality to one of the driest, most inhospitable 02:43 places on earth. The area just comes alive. Join me on a 02:49 journey to central Australia to visit our smallest town, 02:53 largest cattle station and largest lake and to witness a 02:58 unique and amazing transformation as the water 03:01 flowing into Lake Eyre changes the country and brings green 03:06 luscious landscapes to the dry desert. And perhaps we'll 03:09 discover what water and especially the water of life 03:13 can do for us as well. 03:15 ♪ ♪ 03:34 You don't need a street map when you visit William Creek, the 03:36 the outback's smallest town. Everything is conveniently lined 03:41 up along its one and only street, the Oodnadatta track. 03:45 All the sightseeing attractions are found in a short distance in 03:49 the area between this hotel and the store. You don't have far to 03:53 walk to take it all in. Memorial Park offers displays of 03:59 some unusual means of transport that cover a period highlighting 04:04 mankind's progress in our methods of travel. There's an 04:08 old wooden wagon that was drawn by oxen or camels. Then there's 04:13 an old steam engine next to the remains of the historic Ghan 04:18 railway line that ran through the outback connecting Adelaide 04:21 and Darwin. And there's also the first stage of a rocket from the 04:26 adjoining Woomera Prohibited Area where British rockets were 04:29 launched in the 60s and tests were conducted to send a 04:34 satellite into orbit. You'll sure find the unexpected here in 04:38 William Creek. For example, would you expect to see a 04:42 parking meter in the middle of nowhere. Well there's one in 04:46 William Creek. The parking meter seems to be very odd in such a 04:51 remote place. However, it's for charity and collects donations 04:56 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. This small town is 05:01 completely surrounded by Australia's largest cattle run, 05:05 Anna Creek Station. The Anna Creek homestead is 20 kilometers 05:09 from the town. Anna Creek Station covers an area of 24,000 05:15 square kilometers which is larger than some European 05:19 countries. Now to give you an idea of the enormous size of 05:22 this cattle property, it's two million acres, 1000 square 05:27 kilometers larger than it's nearest rival Alexandria Station 05:32 which is north of here in the country's northern territory. 05:35 It's over seven times the size of the United States' biggest 05:40 ranch, King Ranch in Texas. The property was originally 05:44 established in 1863, but moved to the William Creek location 05:48 in 1873 when the present homestead was built. Originally 05:54 the Anna Creek Station ran mainly sheep but due to constant 05:58 losses from dingo attacks they switched to cattle. In 1935, 06:04 station was bought by Australia's cattle king 06:06 Sydney Kidman who owned large areas of land across Australia 06:11 during his lifetime. Kidman was 13 when he ran away from his 06:16 home in Adelaide in 1870 with five shillings in his pocket and 06:20 a one-eyed horse he had bought with his savings. In his teen 06:25 years he worked as a drover, a stockman and live stock trader 06:28 and made money supplying services to new mining towns 06:32 springing up in the outback. Eventually he had enough to buy 06:39 station. He began acquiring one far after another until he was 06:43 the biggest land owner in the world by World War I. At one 06:48 point the size of Kidman's properties exceeded the size of 06:53 the United Kingdom and ran a herd of nearly 200,000 head of 06:58 cattle. Anna creek remained part of the Kidman cattle empire 07:02 until it was acquired by new owners in 2016. It's one of over 07:08 56 cattle stations in Australia whose size exceeds 5000 square 07:12 kilometers and one of 20 whose size exceeds 10,000 square 07:16 kilometers and one of four that exceeds 15,000 square kilometers 07:22 and the only one that exceeds 20,000 square kilometers. The 07:28 size and remoteness of these cattle stations determines the 07:32 way of life out here. Life is isolated. On some of the 07:36 stations the next human settlement is a day's drive away 07:40 Most of these outback cattle stations have their own airstrip 07:44 and the mail plane will deliver mail and supplies on a regular 07:49 basis. But they're more fortunate at Anna Creek because 07:53 the Coober Pedy/Oodnadatta one day mail run delivers mail 07:57 twice a week 07:58 and also brings a small amount of freight. Children don't go to 08:03 school on many of these large cattle stations. Their school is 08:08 the School of the Air. In the past the teaching medium was 08:12 radio. Today computers and satellites have replaced the 08:17 radios. But the title School of the Air still remains and it's 08:22 one of the icons of the outback. Any medical emergencies out here 08:27 are frightening because of the vast distances in the outback. 08:31 These remote cattle stations are a long way from hospitals and 08:36 medical expertise and so many of the stations depend on the 08:40 Royal Flying Doctor Service in medical emergencies. That's 08:45 their lifeline. The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is 08:50 one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical 08:53 organizations in the world. It provides emergency and primary 08:58 health care services for the remote areas of Australia 09:02 including many of the cattle stations. There are a lot out 09:06 back stockmen and station hands who've been seriously injured 09:10 out here who owe their lives to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. 09:14 These cattle stations are so large and the grazing area so 09:20 spread out that it takes weeks to round up all the cattle 09:24 during the mustering season. Back in the old days, stockmen 09:27 used to ride out on horses to round up the cattle. A lot of 09:31 the mustering is still done on horseback because of the rugged 09:34 nature of the Australian outback however more and more stations 09:38 are now using helicopters, light aircraft, motor bikes and 09:43 quad bikes to help with rounding up the cattle. But horses are 09:48 still important to the operations of many of the large 09:51 outback cattle stations. Most of the large cattle stations 09:56 including Anna Creek still follow the traditional outback 09:59 style of farming cattle. It's a very natural way. The animals 10:04 are basically wild. They are born and grow up without any 10:10 human contact. They are grass fed and rarely require any 10:14 chemical treatment and there's plenty of room for them out here 10:18 on Anna Creek Station, over 24,000 square kilometers and 10:23 they sure need it. This area, the central region of the 10:28 Australian outback is so dry and the vegetation is so sparse that 10:33 a large amount of country is needed to support enough cattle 10:36 to make a living. Basically everything out here depends on 10:42 water. In drought years, the size of the herd at Anna Creek 10:47 station can drop below 5000, but in a good season when the floods 10:52 come, the rains fall and conditions improve the station 10:57 is capable of carrying over 17,000 head of cattle and this 11:03 is a good season. There's water. Finally the floods have come 11:08 from the north and that's evident by what is happening 11:10 near the Oodnadatta Track at Australia's largest lake, Lake 11:15 Eyre. Early European explorers to Australia were confident they 11:18 would find an inland sea in the middle of the dry continent. In 11:24 1914, Edward John Eyre was the first European to lay eyes on 11:29 the huge lake which now bears his name. But as for the inland 11:34 sea, well Lake Eyre was bone dry Today it's officially known as 11:42 Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and to get there we've got to continue 11:46 our journey along the Oodnadatta Track. It's one of the most 11:50 historic outback trails in Australia. It follows an ancient 11:55 trading route used by aborigines for thousands of years that 11:59 follows a series of springs fed by the great artesian basin. 12:03 To cut a long story short rain falling on the great dividing 12:09 range over time travels halfway across the country via an 12:14 underground aquafer, porous rock sandwiched between layers 12:18 of nonporous rock. Where the aquafer bends up to meet the 12:23 earth's surface the water is released as springs and out here 12:27 water is life. These springs proved vital for the early 12:32 aborigines and later for early explorers and settlers. There 12:39 are many of these springs along the Oodnadatta Track and 12:41 throughout this dry region. These spring complexes often 12:46 have numerous active spring groups. One of these is Coward 12:50 Springs whose aboriginal name is peta culti culti. These springs 12:55 were a resting place for the aboriginal people as they 12:58 traveled north for trade. This chain of springs also provides 13:04 sustenance and water for the large variety of native wildlife 13:09 found in the region of the Oodnadatta Track. There are 13:11 kangaroos, wallabies, emus, sand goannas, bearded dragons, geckos 13:17 perentie lizards and several species of poisonous snakes. 13:22 Dingo's are found outside the dog fence. It's the longest 13:26 manmade structure in the world. It was built to protect sheep 13:31 from the marauding dingo's. It marks the boundary between 13:35 sheep and cattle country. Cattle are run to the north because 13:39 they can withstand dingo attacks The more vulnerable sheep are 13:44 run to the protected south. Water from the springs also 13:48 support the numerous different varieties of bird life found 13:52 throughout this dry region such as eagles, bustards or bush 13:57 turkeys, budgerigars, gallars, parrots and futures to name a 14:02 few. With these springs and others providing reliable water, 14:07 this became the main route north Then came the overland telegraph 14:12 followed by the great northern railway, later the Ghan. Finally 14:18 the Oodnadatta Track as we know it today. It's an unsealed 620 14:24 kilometer outback road passing from Maree in the southeast to 14:28 Marla in the northwest via Oodnadatta. Along the way the 14:33 track passes the settlement of William Creek on the southern 14:38 end of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre. The sheer enormity of Lake Eyre 14:43 is mind blowing. This is Australia's largest lake and the 14:48 world's largest internally draining catchment. The rivers 14:52 that feed the lake cover an area of 1.2 million square kilometers 15:00 It's basin is so large that it crosses the borders of three 15:03 states and covers a sixth of Australia, about the size of 15:07 Spain. William Creek is the closest town to Lake Eyre and 15:13 the best vantage point for viewing the lake is 60 15:16 kilometers away at Halligan Bay. It's the lowest point in 15:20 Australia at 15 meters below sea level. Lake Eyre is divided into 15:27 two sections which are joined by the Goyder Channel. These are 15:32 known as Lake Eyre North, which is 144 kilometers in 15:36 length and 65 kilometers wide and Lake Eyre South which 15:41 measures 65 kilometers long and 24 kilometers wide. For most of 15:47 the time Lake Eyre is a dry salt lake. It's seemingly endless 15:52 expanse of shimmering salt crystals has lured explorers and 15:56 travelers over the years and still continues to do so today. 16:01 But four times a century, about every 25 years or so something 16:07 incredible happens. Cyclones and heavy rains in Queensland and 16:12 northern Australia send flood waters on a 1000 kilometer 16:16 journey south. Networks of channels, streams, and flood 16:23 plains including the Diamantina Georgina and Cooper Creek 16:28 catchment all converge and fill the 10,000 square kilometer 16:34 Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre. And when it fills the influx of water, of 16:41 birds and of life in general is one of the most spectacular 16:44 sights on earth. Lake Eyre transforms from parched desert 16:50 and salt flats to prosperous waterway. The water starts a 16:55 rare greening of the desert and brings life to an area that's 16:59 usually among the driest, most inhospitable places on earth. 17:03 The area just bursts into life. What a difference water makes. 17:10 The transformation that water brings to Lake Eyre and the 17:13 surrounding region is a reminder that water is one of 17:18 the most important substances on earth. It sustains and it 17:22 transforms. All plants and animals must have water to 17:29 survive. If there was no water there would be no life on planet 17:33 earth. And of course that includes us as well. Water is 17:38 essential to humans. Without water we can't survive. Water is 17:44 involved in every bodily function from digestion and 17:47 circulation through to the control of body temperature and 17:52 the excretion of waste products. Yes we all need water. And we've 17:59 all experienced the feeling of thirst and the relief that comes 18:03 from drinking water. And just as we have physical thirst that 18:08 can only be quenched by literal water so also we have spiritual 18:13 thirst that can only be quenched or satisfied by living water. 18:18 Consider for example the Samaritan woman. We don't know 18:22 her name or age but her conversation with Jesus is his 18:30 longest one-on-one conversation recorded in the Bible. That's a 18:35 good enough reason to give this woman from Samaria a closer look 18:37 Here's what happened. Jesus was traveling from Judea to Galilee. 18:44 On his way he passed through Samaria. Although this was the 18:48 fastest route it wasn't the only one. Most Jews would take the 18:52 longer route just to avoid the Samaritans. They hated the 18:56 Samaritans because although they in a sense shared a common 19:01 heritage the Samaritans had intermarried with the enemies of 19:05 the Jews and had corrupted their heritage and their beliefs. 19:08 So to the Jews the Samaritans were outcasts. But Jesus chose 19:17 deliberately to travel through Samaria. Why? Well as Jesus 19:22 became weary from his journey he came to a well and at Jacob's 19:28 well Jesus met a Samaritan woman whose life was in a downward 19:33 spiral. Five husbands and decades of loose living had left 19:38 their mark. But when she met Jesus that day her life would be 19:44 transformed, changed forever. This Samaritan woman went to the 19:50 well out of necessity. She went to get something she couldn't 19:53 live without, water. As she approached Jesus was there and 19:59 he asked her for a drink of water. Here's how the Bible 20:03 describes it in John chapter 4 verses 5-7: 20:29 Her response was filled with surprise as she questioned why 20:34 Jesus would break social norms and customs by talking to her. 20:38 As we've already noted, during this period it was culturally 20:43 unacceptable for Jews and Samaritans to have a 20:46 conversation in public, just as it was for men and women. Jesus 20:51 responded by telling her that if she knew who he was she would be 20:56 asking him for water because he alone provided living water. 21:02 Notice how the Bible records it in John chapter 4 and verse 10: 21:19 The woman was confused by Jesus' statement because it seemed 21:22 physically impossible. You see water from the well was still, 21:27 not living or flowing. So here's what Jesus told her. 21:32 It's recorded in John chapter 4 verses 13 and 14: 21:55 How wonderful! Water that will forever satisfy. A spring of 22:01 water leading to eternal life. The woman said essentially, yes 22:06 this is the water I want, living water. Jesus, the one who 22:12 forever quenches our 22:14 thirst, satisfies our souls and leads us into eternal life. 22:20 As this story continues it becomes obvious this woman 22:24 who had been seeking fulfillment, satisfaction, 22:27 significance, worth and value in the ways and things of the 22:32 world, but she was still thirsty You see the ways and things of 22:37 the world may have quenched her thirst for a moment but in the 22:42 end something was missing. She was still longing for living 22:46 water that would never run dry. As she encountered Jesus this 22:51 day she finally came face to face with the One who could give 22:57 her value, worth, satisfaction, fulfillment, joy and eternal 23:02 life. He was the One who could forever and always meet her 23:07 greatest needs and desires. He entered her life with a promise 23:12 of endless water and quenched thirst, a fresh start, a clean 23:17 slate, Jesus the living water. When this happened at this life 23:22 changing moment the woman left her water jar and returned to 23:27 town to tell the people about this man named Jesus. Isn't it 23:33 interesting that she left her water jar. On a spiritual level 23:38 she found something so much better. She didn't need a water 23:44 jar any longer because she had tasted the living water that 23:47 never runs dry. Due to this woman's testimony, the town 23:52 people came to see Jesus and many believed him. Jesus gave 23:58 this woman new story. No longer was she the woman known for 24:03 multiple husbands, but rather the woman who introduced her 24:07 neighbors to Jesus, the living water. Instead of being an 24:11 outcast or a hated Samaritan she was now an heir to God's 24:16 kingdom. Jesus gives all of us a new story, a story of hope, 24:22 joy and a great future despite our failures. His love runs 24:27 deeper than the scars of our failures. The story Jesus has 24:32 for you is so much greater than anything you could imagine and 24:37 so much more powerful than any failure. And remember this: 24:42 Jesus didn't view this woman as an outcast even though the 24:46 culture of her day labeled her as one. Rather, he saw her as 24:52 his created one, a child of God, one he loved deeply and called 24:57 into his family. Jesus knew everything about this woman and 25:02 yet he reached out to her, befriended her, gave her hope, 25:06 inner peace and happiness and eternal life. He gave her living 25:13 water. Yes, living water. Not like the water that flows into 25:17 Lake Eyre that only comes free every 25 years or so and even 25:22 then is soon gone. No, the living water that Jesus offers 25:27 isn't like that. This living water will satisfy forever, 25:33 quenches our thirst forever, satisfies our soul and leads us 25:37 into eternal life. So if you'd like to feel valued, if you want 25:43 true satisfaction and fulfillment, if you want to 25:46 experience inner peace and happiness, if you want living 25:50 water, Jesus, the one who forever quenches our thirst and 25:55 leads us into eternal life, then I'd like to recommend a free 25:59 gift we have for all our Incredible Journey viewers 26:03 today. This book is our gift to you and is absolutely free. 26:09 There are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 26:15 Steps to Christ has brought me hope, peace and happiness and I 26:18 want you to have a copy too. So make sure you take this 26:22 wonderful opportunity to receive the free gift we have 26:26 for you today. Phone or text us at 0436333555 in Australia 26:33 or 0204222042 in New Zealand or visit our Website TiJ.tv to 26:42 request today's free offer and we'll send it to you totally 26:45 free of charge and with no obligation. Write to us at: 27:02 Don't delay. Call or text us now 27:05 If you've enjoyed today's journey to Central Australia 27:08 and Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre along with our reflections on the 27:13 living water that Jesus offers us then be sure to join us again 27:18 next week when we will share another of life's journey's 27:22 together. Until then may God keep you safe and give you 27:26 peace. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father thank you for 27:32 the beauty of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and the gift of water 27:36 that's so vitally important to our health and well-being. But 27:41 above all, thank you for Jesus and his gift of living water 27:45 that brings us inner peace, happiness and eternal life. 27:50 Lord, like the woman of Samaria we need that living water and 27:55 so reach out in faith and accept it now and we thank you 28:00 in Jesus' name, Amen. 28:03 ♪ ♪ |
Revised 2020-07-21