0:00:05 > 0:00:09You know, amongst Australian Aboriginals, there's a tradition
0:00:09 > 0:00:12of going travelling across the country to visit sacred sites,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15relatives and friends,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19to collect wild food and to follow stories,
0:00:19 > 0:00:24and it's very much in that vein that I've come here to Australia
0:00:24 > 0:00:25to go walkabout.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59The great thing about the term "walkabout"
0:00:59 > 0:01:03is that you can use it to describe almost any sort of journey.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06MUSIC: "Mrs Robinson" by Simon and Garfunkel
0:01:07 > 0:01:10So that's just what I'm doing in this series,
0:01:10 > 0:01:14exploring parts of Australia I've never been to before.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16And today, I'm in Queensland.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26People are always asking me whether I've ever met the Bush Tucker Man.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Les Hiddins presented a series of hugely popular television series
0:01:30 > 0:01:32exploring bush foods
0:01:32 > 0:01:35and gathering information from Australian Aboriginals.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37He may come from the other side of the world,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40but he and I have so much in common.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Now we finally get the chance to work together,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47as Les and I take a road trip across his home state of Queensland.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51It's an opportunity to look at how varied the landscape here is,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53learn about the tucker on offer
0:01:53 > 0:01:56and delve into the history of this part of Australia.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01We're starting in the rainforest of the Daintree National Park.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04But first there's something we've got to get out of the way.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07What's the worst thing you've eaten, eh?!
0:02:07 > 0:02:12I was going to say the same, but I think Brussels sprouts, Les, I can't stand Brussels sprouts.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14What about you, what's your worst thing?
0:02:14 > 0:02:19Oh, there've been a few. Really, probably, it's a thing called...
0:02:19 > 0:02:23a common name is cheese-fruit tree or...
0:02:23 > 0:02:24- Oh, Morinda.- Yeah, Morinda.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27I call it the dog's-vomit tree!
0:02:27 > 0:02:31- I said I'd get you one.- I figured you might try and get me to eat that one.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35- Morinda citrifolia, isn't it? - Yeah, you won't get it here, it's more coast.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36On the coast, yeah.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42Here's a funny story. Once I did a sequence on... You know the great big long mangrove worm?
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Oh, yeah, I've eaten those. Nice. I like them.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49- THEY LAUGH - They're good, just like oysters, they're terrific.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52- Yeah, they've got like that crab-pate taste.- Yeah, yeah.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55There are two. There's one with a little chilli hint to it.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59That's right, but I was eating this and it was showing on TV, etc,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and I was in Cape York, and the Aboriginal tracker in a place called Laura up there,
0:03:03 > 0:03:08said to me, and he's an inland fella, him and his wife are inland Aboriginals...
0:03:08 > 0:03:12He's saying, "You know that worm you've been eating on TV?"
0:03:12 > 0:03:15And I said, "Yeah, yeah." He said, "We've been watching that."
0:03:15 > 0:03:19I said, "Yeah, good." He said, "My wife, she just about vomit that!"
0:03:24 > 0:03:28'Well, it's nice to know we're off to the right start.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30'Now it's time to set up camp.'
0:03:39 > 0:03:42One of the great things about travelling by car
0:03:42 > 0:03:46is you can travel with a bedroll, or in Australia, swags.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49The traditional way of setting those up is like this,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52under a tarp of some sort if there's a chance of rain,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55particularly where there are mosquitoes and sand flies.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00What you need is a net with a fine weave like this one.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05And that's important to keep out the small creatures like sand flies.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07They can really ruin a trip.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Sadly, people coming here on holiday often rent this sort of equipment
0:04:11 > 0:04:16but end up with a net like this, which is a real cheap one.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18These are still commonly found here.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19They've got a very open weave
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and these actually catch more insects than they keep out.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26You can wake up in the morning bitten to pieces
0:04:26 > 0:04:28with all the little creatures that bit you
0:04:28 > 0:04:31still trapped inside the net! Not a nice experience.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Always clear the ground where you're going to put up your swag.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Leaf litter can be a place
0:04:43 > 0:04:48where you find scorpions, ants that can bite, and other nasties.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53For this swag I'm gonna need two trees,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57about that distance apart, that'll be perfect.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14You can use poles,
0:05:14 > 0:05:18but trees do the job admirably well.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23Tie that up there... I like to tie that with an adjustable knot.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28Same again at this end, little adjustable knot.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Just need to get the tension right.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35Something like that...
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Now what I like about this is the tightness of the mesh.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Let me show you, you can hardly see through it.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46I could set it like that and put a big tarp over the top,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50which would be ideal, but it does actually come with its own tarp.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14The great advantage of a swag is, it comes with all your bedding.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18You've got your mattress, sheets, sleeping bag or blanket,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20and even a pillow all ready and comfortable
0:06:20 > 0:06:25which, at the end of a long hard day's driving, is brilliant.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45I like to take the first chance I can to explore,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49and no-one knows this part of Australia better than Les.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Within minutes, he's found something for us to eat.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Well, I know what this one is, because it's very unmistakable.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07I've seen it in books here, and in your books, and I know that's the Blue Quandong.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09I've never used one, so what do you do?
0:07:09 > 0:07:12OK, well, it's the flesh on the outside of the stone.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15The stone's inside. I'll show you one in a minute.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19It's a very pitted stone, so just nibble on the outside flesh there.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23- Hmm, it's a big stone.- Hmm, you've got a green, sort of dry flesh,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26- which is a bit sour.- It tastes like...
0:07:26 > 0:07:28hawthorn berries from the UK.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- Oh, does it? - Hmm.- Oh, I haven't had that.
0:07:31 > 0:07:37The purple fruit here, the colour always reminds me of cassowaries, and they love these things.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39They eat them all the time.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Well, that stone's very interesting and I'll tell you why.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- That's what the finished stone's like.- Oh, that's beautiful.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Yeah, it's all...sort of pitted and all very, very regular.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50- Hmm.- Very regular.- Beautiful.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54- Look at that, stunning.- Yeah, it makes terrific necklaces.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- They're very, very ornamental. - Really lovely.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01- They're typical rainforest stuff, particularly in this part of the world.- Really interesting.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06'There's real beauty here, but much of it is dangerous.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11'Like this, called simply and accurately the Giant Stinging Tree.'
0:08:11 > 0:08:15The rainforest has lots of things you've gotta be careful of in it,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19and this is a real classic. This tree with big heart-shaped leaves
0:08:19 > 0:08:21is one you wouldn't use for toilet paper.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24It's got this fruit that looks like raspberry
0:08:24 > 0:08:26and I'm told it's edible.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29I'm a bit ginger in the way I handle it, I'm gonna try it...
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Just very watery, I wouldn't bother eating that.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37It has no real flavour to it, but this is a tree
0:08:37 > 0:08:41that I haven't had a lot of dealings with, but you know about it, Les?
0:08:41 > 0:08:47Yeah, this has got an awesome reputation, this tree, it's called a giant stinging tree
0:08:47 > 0:08:52and you just touch those leaves, whether they're green, or dead like those ones over there,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56and they've got these little fine hairs on the surface which go into your skin,
0:08:56 > 0:09:02and this will continue to sting, not just for a day or two days, up to six months.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- And it can sting through a rubber glove, can't it?- Yeah, because the hairs
0:09:06 > 0:09:12are penetrating, or initially, your skin, of course, and the hairs seem to be hollow,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14which is allowing... Yeah, be careful...
0:09:14 > 0:09:18..which is allowing the outside air temperature to get into your nervous system,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22so every time something's hot it reacts to everything...
0:09:22 > 0:09:30Something's warm, it reacts to it, etc, etc. And the only way to really provide some sort of relief is to...
0:09:30 > 0:09:35People shave the skin where it's affected, and then cover that area
0:09:35 > 0:09:41with something that's latex-based, ointment or cream,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44or there's some plants around here you can get sap from and put on top
0:09:44 > 0:09:48stopping the outside air temperature entering your nervous system,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50which of course tones it all down,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54but it's a problem you'll have to learn to live with for several months.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02There are also signs of the animals of this rainforest.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06This is a nest, and you'd be forgiven for thinking it belongs to T.rex.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Now, Ray, just have a look at this, what do you reckon that is?
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Well, I'm not familiar with your bird life here,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16but if I saw this in other bits of rainforest, I'd think, megapode's nest.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19You're almost right, because it is a scrub hen
0:10:19 > 0:10:24and they're a little bird about as big as a chook, you know, and they come round the joint and they just
0:10:24 > 0:10:28scratch it up, scratch it up all the time like that and just build it up.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- It's massive for a small bird. - Yeah.- Astonishing.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36These are communal nests, re-used year after year.
0:10:36 > 0:10:42But the incredible thing is how they provide the perfect environment for the scrub-hen eggs.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45The bird's got a sort of thermostat in their beak
0:10:45 > 0:10:48and they plug it into the ground here, and whack it in there,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52and they can tell what the temperature is because the eggs are buried down below,
0:10:52 > 0:10:57and they keep it around about 33 degrees, and if it's too hot they scratch some dirt off,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and if it's not hot enough they scratch more on the top.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04It's incredible, cos conservationists trying to incubate eggs like this,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08struggle to get the conditions just right, and the birds, you know,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11by evolutionary process have learned this method. It's fantastic.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Of course, this is part of your bush-tucker cycle too, cos the eggs...
0:11:15 > 0:11:20Aboriginal people used to go for the eggs because the birds were a bit hard to get.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22They'd go for the birds if they could,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26but once those birds are in that scrub country, bit hard to follow,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29so they'd be looking for the sort of the tunnels, the chutes,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32that the birds used to dig and drop the eggs in,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35and they'd feel that by shoving their spears in the ground,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38and where it went down further... Ah! Loose ground, something here...
0:11:38 > 0:11:40..they'd shove it all the way down,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44pull them out and if it was wet on the end, they knew there were eggs and they'd dig.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Today scrub hens and their close relatives, these scrub turkeys,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52are protected, as are their eggs.
0:11:53 > 0:11:59Even in a country the size of Australia, wildlife and habitats are under threat.
0:12:02 > 0:12:09However, there are still plenty of wonderful wild places for us to explore, like Bloomfield Falls.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11I want to know more about Les's past.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I know he studied bush tucker when he was in the Army,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17but I want to know how he started going out into the bush.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Come and have a look at this, mate.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23This is absolutely unreal.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Did you grow up in Queensland, Les?
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Yeah, I did, and my introduction to the bush actually was via my father,
0:12:31 > 0:12:35who used to work for the... what we called the P&G in those days, telecoms,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39and he'd go round all the old properties up here
0:12:39 > 0:12:42fixing up the telephones in the cattle stations
0:12:42 > 0:12:45and quite often in school holidays I'd go with him.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49So that's how I got round the place, and that was my introduction to the bush.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51When you were working with the Army,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53did that involve going to lots of Aboriginal communities?
0:12:53 > 0:13:01Well, it did in so much as, I moved later on from Infantry across to Army Aviation Rotary Wing,
0:13:01 > 0:13:06and I used to fly around all these areas up here, Cape York, the Gulf and that sort of thing,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08and often called into those communities.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13We were there for exercise, and that gradually introduced me into cataloguing bush tucker
0:13:13 > 0:13:17because you fly across this country, it's so vast, as you're finding out...
0:13:17 > 0:13:22It's so vast you've got to ask yourself the question when you're in a helicopter with one engine,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24"What would happen if...?"
0:13:24 > 0:13:27and, "How would I get on?" and that's what kicked it all off.
0:13:27 > 0:13:33Les's chosen occupation was greeted with some scepticism by his colleagues.
0:13:33 > 0:13:34Now I have it on very good authority
0:13:34 > 0:13:39that when you started doing all this, nobody ever saw you on barracks after that,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42that everyone used to say you'd just gone fishing. Right?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44That's right. Little did they know!
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Back in those days, I wasn't even carrying a fishing line,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51but the accusation was there, and understandable too.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55But, yeah, they all thought that... "How's the fishing trip going?!"
0:13:55 > 0:14:01I think there was a little bit of envy around the place, but it was a terrific job and I worked very hard.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07That went on for ten years like that and covering hundreds of thousands of kilometres
0:14:07 > 0:14:12in an Army vehicle by myself, in very, very remote areas.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15And you had some of these plants tested in labs.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19You did comparative trials with soldiers surviving,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23some using plant foods and some using meat, didn't you?
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Yeah, we did and... it was really interesting.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31One particular test we did on a whole group, a bunch of me mates, all pilots.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36We had about eight of them, and we knew that the candlenut, which you get in the rainforest,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39also caused diarrhoea if you ate too many,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43so we wanted to find out how many you had to eat before you got diarrhoea.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48So we gave each pilot one nut, and you can have two nuts, you can have three nuts...
0:14:48 > 0:14:52and thanks to Lieutenant Andy Hastie, we know it's eight nuts!
0:14:55 > 0:14:57That's fantastic!
0:14:57 > 0:14:58It's very easy being here with Les,
0:14:58 > 0:15:03partly because we actually met for the first time a year ago.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05MUSIC: "Pleasant Valley Sunday" by The Monkees
0:15:18 > 0:15:23I was filming for my Wild Food series, but we got on so well, it inspired me to save the footage
0:15:23 > 0:15:26and return for a whole series on Australia.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31The depth of his knowledge was self-evident as soon as Les started talking.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38The local Aboriginal people come down here all the time to fish and to hunt
0:15:38 > 0:15:43and you see them driving down here and they're walking through here and camping in the bush there,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and they paddle through this stuff and go for water lilies
0:15:46 > 0:15:49and lotus lilies and some magpie geese as well, you know.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53So there's a lot around and in the water, of course, you've got the mobile foods,
0:15:53 > 0:15:59fish or eels or sometimes you get a thing called file snake as well. Which you can eat as well.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04We took a trip along the Roper River to find food to eat that evening.
0:16:07 > 0:16:13I could tell instantly that here was someone driven by the same things as myself.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15OK, here we go. There.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19It's a Cayratia, it's part of our native grape situation, but you've gotta watch them
0:16:19 > 0:16:23cos they're classified as one-beer grapes, two-beer grapes,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27cos they burn the back of the throat, how many beers you've gotta have after!
0:16:27 > 0:16:30But anyway, have a nibble on that and see what you think.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Try that one... Funny shape, isn't it?
0:16:32 > 0:16:37Yeah, flattish, and you'll find probably about three seeds inside.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- Oh, that's nice. - It's not bad, is it? Yeah.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41- That's great, Les.- Yeah.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- Two seeds, big seeds.- Two seeds. Yeah.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48They do burn the throat a little bit.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Not much taste. Real grape-like.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55Well, these ones here, the burning will be less cos they've got so much moisture.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59but the ones that grow on the dry ground, because the roots are in the water in this lot,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02they will be, you know, a bit more intense.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06But they're probably a two-beer grape.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- No, I reckon that's a four-beer grape, definite!- Definitely do?!
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- They're really tasty. - Yeah, they're good, aren't they?
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Wherever you go in northern Australia, Les knows just the place
0:17:35 > 0:17:39for great tucker, and this was no exception.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48This is exactly the sort of place to look for something like this, for yabbies.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50The overhanging vegetation?
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Yeah, they like it in soft, sandy banks like here
0:17:53 > 0:17:56so we put this probably in this spot there, tie it off.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03They eat all sorts of things, bits of meat, bits of vegetable.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Even went in after potato, would you believe?
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Ours are the same, we've a problem with an invading species, the American one.
0:18:10 > 0:18:11It destroys our native ones.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15So hopefully people'll go out and catch the American ones.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17- Yeah, I reckon.- That'll be good.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23Bush food may not always be the most convenient to find, but I never tire of gathering my own.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28It's such a great feeling, eating something you've collected only minutes before.
0:18:28 > 0:18:34Now the best place is round the vegetation stuff now, right here...
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- There. - We get these in the UK as well.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41Ah, got one! Here we go.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42Little one.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49You know, once you find one, you get a whole lot of them.
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Yeah.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55They're very gregarious, I think, they like each other.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Lots.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00Oh, dear, look at that.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07We used to, of course, and still do,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11get freshwater mussels, but we don't have this habitat so often now
0:19:11 > 0:19:15because all our waterways are more or less tidied up and cleaned up.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19With fertilisers running off the land, the vegetation's changed.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24- Well, we're tidying this up too. - Yeah, well, someone's got to!
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- Depends whether we want to eat it or not.- Yeah, exactly.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32Who better to find bush tucker with than the Bush Tucker Man!
0:19:32 > 0:19:35There's so much for us to learn from each other.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- Les, do you have a use for these? - What is it? No, what are they?
0:19:38 > 0:19:40This is a type of fungus.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45We have something very similar to this growing in Britain, which is in the genus Daldinia.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48- And they've concentric rings inside. D'you see that?- Yeah.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53Now this is really useful. You can use this for fire-lighting.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56If you drop sparks on this, it'll glow like a charcoal briquette.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00- Is that right?- Let's have a look, I've got a spark for you here.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12And keeps insects away. You can even cook on them.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Fascinating, new to me. I've never heard of that before.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20- You learn something every day.- Yeah, well, that's the fun thing about the subject we both share.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25- It goes on like that.- The more you learn, the more you realise you don't know.- You never stop.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38- Oh, yes, look.- Ah, look at that.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40They're a size, aren't they?
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- That's a good mussel. - That's a good one, that one.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Good meat in there.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Yeah, quite oyster-like, these. They're looking good.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Tell you what, Les, one of the things I want to ask you about are these.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00These maps that you produce.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Oh, the snack maps, snack maps.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06- Was this your idea?- Yeah, well, actually it was sort of my idea.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11I was giving a lecture in an Army office in Canberra and thinking about doing wall posters
0:21:11 > 0:21:15and the bloke who was in charge of the Army Survey Corps at the time said,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18"Why don't you put your information on the back of my maps?"
0:21:18 > 0:21:20I thought, "What a great idea."
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Yeah, the back of a map's normally white.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Yeah. And I've done about 700 of these now, and if you look at this,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29this is Roper and that's Roper River there, of course.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32It's got a lot of coastal area, see?
0:21:32 > 0:21:37Now, soldiers are terrific at cutting up maps, and they just take that section with them,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40but if you turn it over, you'll find that the information there
0:21:40 > 0:21:44- is relevant to that sort of coastal area.- That's clever.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Yeah, there's the mussels there, we're gonna be eating here tonight.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53- Oh!- Oh, look at that.
0:22:00 > 0:22:01Beautiful.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13- That looks good. - Yeah, it comes with the right price too.- Hey, you can't have it all!
0:22:13 > 0:22:14How about that one?
0:22:14 > 0:22:16- That looks great.- Good on you.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18- Brilliant.- Terrific, thanks.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25- Hmm, good, isn't it?- Mm.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29The only thing I don't like is the biscuit! It doesn't compare.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33- No, it doesn't. I'll have this one. - Hm, cheers, very good.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37- People pay for this sort of thing, you know.- Amazing. Fantastic food.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40We've got it on the back doorstep.
0:22:44 > 0:22:50What a great meal. And a year later, if anything, we're getting on better than ever.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- Stunning, isn't it? - Pretty good, pretty good.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Les, this is a massive green ant's nest here.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13- I've eaten these, and I know the Aboriginals use it as a medicine. - Yeah.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- But I've never seen what they do with it.- OK, well,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19as you can see, they've got all the leaves and moulded them together
0:23:19 > 0:23:22and made a bit of a nest or a house out of it.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25It's all the green leaves and they've moulded them together.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Some have died off and that sort of thing,
0:23:27 > 0:23:32but you can see it's still active cos the ants are on the outside here walking round the place.
0:23:32 > 0:23:33They know that we're here.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37They can sense our presence here and they're very, very protective
0:23:37 > 0:23:40of their nest, because inside there there'll be a queen ant
0:23:40 > 0:23:42that they're always gonna protect.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47And this is one of those things that fits into one of the three categories that I reckon,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50bush foods, bush medicine and bush technique. This is bush medicine,
0:23:50 > 0:23:56because you crush it up, or you try and get the larvae from inside and boil that up and stew it up,
0:23:56 > 0:24:01and it's a bit like a lemon drink, a hot lemon drink, cures your sinuses and all that sort of thing.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06So we'll open this up in a minute, and of course, once we do that they'll swarm everywhere.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09They'll be over, you know, you and I, etc, etc.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12And they're not injecting, they're biting.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17Pincer, little nipper thing and they'd be, I'd reckon there'd be thousands of them in there,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- but we'll see when we start to open it up.- Go for it.- Right-oh.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22You'd better come in close.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25OK, here we go. Look at them in there.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30Look at it all. There's the white larvae I was talking about, OK?
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Now they're biting me like crazy at the moment. Have a go at that.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36- Yeah.- OK?
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- Oh, the formic acid they're giving off as well!- Yeah.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Now get that white larvae and just pinch it together like that, OK,
0:24:42 > 0:24:47and just whack that in your mouth. Mm. It's very astringent, isn't it?
0:24:47 > 0:24:52- Yeah, and the lemon taste from the ants, very strong.- Can go straight up your...
0:24:52 > 0:24:55I read that scientists in Australia are studying these ants
0:24:55 > 0:24:58cos they don't get bacterial infections.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00They have some means of protecting themselves
0:25:00 > 0:25:03that maybe medicine can use, it's really exciting.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08Les has championed the knowledge of the Australian Aboriginal for years.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11But it's only recently that the rest of the world
0:25:11 > 0:25:15has begun to catch on to just how valuable this knowledge may be.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Back to camp and time for a brew, I reckon.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23I love these trees with amazing buttresses like that.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Quite incredible. Good sound, isn't it?
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Of course, buttresses could also be quite useful,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31and I notice there's one here with a natural hook in it,
0:25:31 > 0:25:35and on the other side, this vertical branch close to this buttress.
0:25:35 > 0:25:41What it means is, if I put this stick across there, I've got a perfect bar
0:25:41 > 0:25:45to suspend my billycan from, and as long as I keep the fire small,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47so that I don't scorch the tree,
0:25:47 > 0:25:50this'll be a perfect place to keep my brew fire burning.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Brand new billycan.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20I think it's about time it lost its virginity.
0:26:40 > 0:26:46Now that the fire's dying down a little, I want to lower the billycan
0:26:46 > 0:26:48and arrange it so that I can easily take it off,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52so I've just made a very simple pot hanger.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57I'll just put that on there and hang that over the fire,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and the fire's gonna burn down, just a small fire,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02just right for brewing the billy.
0:27:12 > 0:27:17Well, that billycan's already boiling and that's just five minutes, it's a good hot fire.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20What I've just done is very simple.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23All I had to do was find a piece of wood that was standing
0:27:23 > 0:27:28and relatively dry, and then by shaving it finely with a machete,
0:27:28 > 0:27:32I can ignite it and get this fire going simply and efficiently.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Very simple, but a lot of people can't do it
0:27:34 > 0:27:37and that skill can be a life-saver.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41And the buttresses turn this tree into a perfect fireplace,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44reflecting all the heat back towards me.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52Les isn't the only person I've flown halfway round the world to see.
0:27:52 > 0:27:58This part of Australia is home to someone else I've wanted to meet for a very long time indeed.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01A real unsung hero of Australia.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Syd Kyle-Little was one of the first policeman in Arnhem Land.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07He arrived in 1946
0:28:07 > 0:28:11and spent the best part of four years living among the Aboriginals.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15As a law enforcer, he was one of a kind.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16First thing they said to me,
0:28:16 > 0:28:23"Where's your irons, where's your handcuff, your chain?" and I said, "I don't need them."
0:28:23 > 0:28:27"Why don't you need them?" I said, "Because I trust you",
0:28:27 > 0:28:32so they learned to take my word. They used to refer to me
0:28:32 > 0:28:35as that man not using rifle.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37You're all the same, black fella.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40It must have been quite unusual in that time, wasn't it,
0:28:40 > 0:28:42that wasn't a normal white attitude?
0:28:42 > 0:28:48No, it wasn't. Most of the police used to handcuff and chain them,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51round the neck and all sorts so they could walk.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54I couldn't see the sense in that when they gave their word.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56I took a man's word of honour.
0:28:56 > 0:29:02They've got a code of honour that's absolutely, well, in many ways it's better than ours.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06They stand by their code of honour, every inch of the way.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11It's Syd's attitude that makes him so special to me.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16He was willing to learn from others and keen to earn respect on their terms,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19especially from an elder called Mahrdei.
0:29:19 > 0:29:24But what about the time when he turned to you and he said you can't travel in this country
0:29:24 > 0:29:27if you haven't got a swag and a mosquito net and a rifle?
0:29:27 > 0:29:30That's right. Yeah.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33He said... I said, "I can, but it's gonna be hard."
0:29:35 > 0:29:41And I did a short trip, leaving everything behind.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45I just went out as I am now, with nothing, and...
0:29:45 > 0:29:50- You didn't take clothes, did you? - No, but not stark bollocky naked,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54I had a...what they call a narga on.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56A little string round the front here,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02and I had that on because I didn't want to get my penis bitten by mosquitoes!
0:30:02 > 0:30:05And I walked out.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10- Did you have boots?- No, barefoot.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14I just wanted to prove that I could do things they could do.
0:30:14 > 0:30:19He certainly did. His book, Whispering Wind, is a catalogue of adventures.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Many feature his guide, a man called Oondabund.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25I swam a river once,
0:30:25 > 0:30:32and Oondabund had my swag on a raft, a little raft he'd built,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35and he was swimming beside me, a bit at the back of me.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39And we got out and I got up on the bank, I helped him pull up the bank
0:30:39 > 0:30:44and we walked up the bank, and under the shade of a big tree
0:30:44 > 0:30:51there was a massive big crocodile, and he lay there watching us
0:30:51 > 0:30:56and I thought, "Oh, my God!" and Oondabund said, "Oh, boss, we're lucky."
0:30:56 > 0:31:02I said, "Why, what's lucky about that?" He said, "Lucky him being fed, look, look, look!"
0:31:02 > 0:31:06And all around him were scraps of meat and bits of legs and things.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08He must have eaten about two or three wallaby
0:31:08 > 0:31:12or God knows what it was he ate, but he had a bellyful.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Syd's photos are a priceless record,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18but they weren't all taken by him.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20Some of the rivers up there, not all,
0:31:20 > 0:31:24but there's not many of them have got quicksand on the bank,
0:31:24 > 0:31:29and I went into it and I started to wade ashore, and I ran straight into quicksand,
0:31:29 > 0:31:33and I was down to my waist bubbling and going away
0:31:33 > 0:31:38and I said, "Oondabund, Pete's sake!" Oondabund said, "Wait, boss, give me that camera!"
0:31:38 > 0:31:44I said, "What for?" "Yeah, I want a photograph." I said, "To hell with the photograph, get me out of here!"
0:31:44 > 0:31:47"No, boss, getting a photograph first", and he took his time!
0:31:47 > 0:31:53I'm going bubble, bubble, bubble, down I'm going into the quicksand, and he even says, "Smile!"
0:31:53 > 0:31:58And he took a photograph and I'm cursing like hell
0:31:58 > 0:32:04then he threw me a rope and he and a couple of other Aborigines
0:32:04 > 0:32:10got on the rope and pulled me out of this quicksand and dragged me up the bank like a muddy fish.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12RAY LAUGHS
0:32:12 > 0:32:16So you must have witnessed all sorts of amazing things when you were there.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18When you look back on it, what do you think you learned?
0:32:20 > 0:32:23I learned to respect other people,
0:32:25 > 0:32:31regardless of colour, race or creed or religion.
0:32:31 > 0:32:36A great attitude, but Syd was no sentimental liberal.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38He brought many criminals to justice,
0:32:38 > 0:32:43but he fitted in so well that he was given his own Aboriginal name,
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Marlenemar, or Whispering Wind.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50And Marlenemar is the...
0:32:50 > 0:32:54It happens at the rising of the sun at dawn,
0:32:54 > 0:32:58as the first bright bit of sky comes over the horizon.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01That is called the Maleema,
0:33:01 > 0:33:06and I used to catch my murderers always at that time of day,
0:33:06 > 0:33:10early morning just as the sun was just rising over the horizon,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13coming up from the Earth, rising over the horizon.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20As far as I'm concerned, the world needs more people like Syd Kyle-Little.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40# Slow down, you move too fast
0:33:40 > 0:33:43# You got to make the morning last
0:33:43 > 0:33:47# Just kickin' down the cobblestones
0:33:47 > 0:33:50# Lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy... #
0:33:50 > 0:33:55If there's one man whose name you can't escape here, it's Captain James Cook.
0:33:55 > 0:34:02The Queensland coast is littered with references to him and his ship, The Endeavour,
0:34:02 > 0:34:08because this is where he and his crew faced a disaster that could have ended their voyage altogether.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11So, Les, why don't you draw me a map to show what happened here?
0:34:11 > 0:34:16Well, Cape Trib over there, that was named by Captain Cook.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20- I'll explain to you why.- Yeah, tell the story.- OK. There's Cape Trib there,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23and the coast comes along here and up here a bit,
0:34:23 > 0:34:27we haven't crossed it yet, but we've got a big river like that called the Bloomfield, OK?
0:34:27 > 0:34:29And then right up here...
0:34:31 > 0:34:34we've got a great big harbour in here like that,
0:34:34 > 0:34:39with river system in it and all that sort of thing, and that's where Cooktown is.
0:34:39 > 0:34:44Now, back in 1770, if we were way out here, something like that,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47which is way out there on the horizon,
0:34:47 > 0:34:52that's where what we call Endeavour reef is today because Cook had come sailing up here
0:34:52 > 0:34:56and hit the reef there, so here he is on the other side of the world,
0:34:56 > 0:35:01stuck on the Barrier Reef which goes for almost 1,000 mile that way and 1,000 mile that way,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03and what's he gonna do?
0:35:03 > 0:35:06He's got a hole in the side of his boat that big.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10Fortunately, it was plugged up with the lump of coral that caused the hole,
0:35:10 > 0:35:12and it was sort of half securing it.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15So he got the men out and they're on the pumps and all the rest,
0:35:15 > 0:35:19they were stuck there for some time with the tide coming in, and they managed to get off.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22He said, "Right, in tribulation I'll name that cape, 'Tribulation'".
0:35:22 > 0:35:27That's exactly what he did. And then he got the longboats out and anchored them off the...
0:35:27 > 0:35:29bow of the Endeavour and they started rowing north.
0:35:29 > 0:35:35So they've rowed from there, the Endeavour Reef or what we call now the Endeavour Reef,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39all the way, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, right up here to this big harbour
0:35:39 > 0:35:41and pulled in there, and that's where we'll go.
0:35:43 > 0:35:49Cook was an incredible navigator, and the charts he made during this trip were so accurate,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53they are reputed to have still been in use by the American Navy
0:35:53 > 0:35:57170 years later during World War II.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00This chart shows the Endeavour River,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03the natural harbour Cook chose to repair his ship.
0:36:14 > 0:36:20Cook's trip was typical of British exploration of the time, a real voyage of discovery.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24He had with him men of science, including naturalist Joseph Banks.
0:36:25 > 0:36:31Even stuck in this bay facing disaster, these men were still determined to go out collecting.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34And there was plenty for them to gather.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36They worked hard, didn't they?
0:36:36 > 0:36:40- They were really hard workers. - You look at the plant listing you've got in Kew Gardens,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44of the plants that they actually listed while they were here,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47- and it's hundreds of them. - It's phenomenal.- Yeah.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54- Very, very pretty up here, isn't it? Stunning.- Top spot, top spot.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56All these mangroves have bush tucker. Mud crabs,
0:36:56 > 0:37:00and lots of your shellfish and that sort of thing in there as well.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02A lot of people have got into trouble in Australia,
0:37:02 > 0:37:04avoided them because of the crocodiles,
0:37:04 > 0:37:08- and yet their best feed is in amongst the mangroves.- Yeah, yeah.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14No, you can live off the mangrove stuff round here, and I think Cook and his mates did too,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18because they traded with the Aboriginals while they were camped here.
0:37:18 > 0:37:23I'm not surprised Les is as fascinated by Cook and his crew as I am.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Cook's leadership and his determination,
0:37:25 > 0:37:30not just to survive, but to succeed, are qualities we both admire.
0:37:30 > 0:37:35Look at the hills there, mate. You know if could take away all the boats and everything here,
0:37:35 > 0:37:40it really hasn't changed that much, I don't think, from when Cook came through here.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43I'm trying to imagine what it was like on board that ship.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45It must have been a nervous time.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48I'd reckon. They had to throw all sorts of things on board
0:37:48 > 0:37:52to get off that reef, they had to chuck over the cannons and all sorts of stuff,
0:37:52 > 0:37:56but here they are on the other side of the world stuck with a big hole in the side of their boat.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59- Drifting in here. - And it's a long voyage.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Fantastic test of leadership, I think, as well.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06Everyone's gotta pull in the same direction and salute the same flag at that time.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10Of course, you think about how long the voyage had been at that point as well.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15Yeah, yeah, and there's a bay just down the way here, it's called Weary Bay.
0:38:15 > 0:38:16He named it for a good reason.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20- Yeah.- So it gets pretty weary when you're rowing, you know?
0:38:20 > 0:38:25But the reason we've taken to the water is that we're both familiar with a famous image of the Endeavour
0:38:25 > 0:38:28as it lay careened on the shore under repair.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31Les and I are looking for the artist's vantage point.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38Now that painting that depicts the careening of the Endeavour,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41it must be this hill and that one, isn't it?
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Well, that puts the Endeavour down here.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48- Down there, yes.- Yeah. I can remember as a kid coming up here with my father
0:38:48 > 0:38:55and that park there, there was still the tree in the banks of the Endeavour River here,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59- the tree that the Endeavour ship was tied up to.- That's amazing.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03And that tree, they filled it up with concrete cos it was dying and going rotten,
0:39:03 > 0:39:05and it's up at the museum there now.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08I can remember that being on the banks here.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13It takes a bit of tracking back and forth
0:39:13 > 0:39:16but then suddenly we find we're not just finding the same point of view,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18we're part of the picture.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23And there's an even better surprise to come.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25Look at that, there's the... I can't believe it...
0:39:25 > 0:39:28..a boat on its side careened just like the Endeavour,
0:39:28 > 0:39:29in spitting distance.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34Yeah, and that's just about exactly where I remember the tree being when I was a kid.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37I wonder if they realise!
0:39:37 > 0:39:41'We were obviously meant to take this trip today.'
0:39:47 > 0:39:53'It was during Cook's enforced stay here that a Briton first heard the word "kangaroo".
0:39:53 > 0:39:57'The Aboriginal name for this indigenous marsupial is different
0:39:57 > 0:40:02'all across Australia, but this was the first name heard, and it stuck.
0:40:03 > 0:40:11'This hill is where Cook came to plot his passage through the reefs, but our journey lies inland.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14'Ahead of us now, two days of hard driving.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19'We'll be passing plants that were here when Cook was here. In fact, he fed his pigs on them.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26'These are cycads, one of the oldest plant types on the planet.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29'They grow incredibly slowly.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33'Each metre represents 100 years of growth,
0:40:33 > 0:40:37'which means the taller trees here were standing when Cook passed through.'
0:40:39 > 0:40:43There, I don't know but I reckon that'd be four, five metres, bit hard to tell from here.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Yep, well, it's... What do they reckon, a metre every 100 years?
0:40:46 > 0:40:51- Yep, metre every 100 years.- I'll use a stick then get you to pace it out and we'll know.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54- Stick and pace?- Perfect. - Right, let's do that.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59Right, let's have a look, put the top of the stick at the top of the cycad,
0:40:59 > 0:41:03and my thumb to the base... Right, I've turned it 90 degrees...
0:41:03 > 0:41:05If you pace it out, Les, I'll tell you when to stop.
0:41:05 > 0:41:11- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...- Stop.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14OK, you're 500 years roughly there.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16Crikey, 500 years! That's old.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18500. There you go, roughly.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21- That's amazing. - Lot of history standing there.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23If only trees could talk, eh?
0:41:23 > 0:41:25If only. There's so much history here.
0:41:32 > 0:41:38Even the road we'll be travelling, it follows routes pioneered by the early explorers.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42Men like Ludwig Leichhardt, one of the first explorers
0:41:42 > 0:41:46to give any thought to the Aboriginals whose land he was crossing.
0:41:50 > 0:41:55Tell me about Leichhardt, cos he's one of your favourites among the explorers up here?
0:41:55 > 0:41:56Yes, he is a favourite.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59He ate a lot of wild food, didn't he, on his journey?
0:41:59 > 0:42:02He tampered in that direction all the time.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06Every time he'd get into an Aboriginal camp, he wouldn't disturb it that much,
0:42:06 > 0:42:08but he'd see what they were eating.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Sometimes he'd eat a bit, or taste it,
0:42:10 > 0:42:13and then he'd leave something behind as a present,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17a knife or something like that, and then move on,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20but he was forever, you know, trying this and trying that.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23In fact, funny story, he got so hungry that at one stage
0:42:23 > 0:42:26he actually boiled up his saddle bags and ate them!
0:42:26 > 0:42:29- Oh, he must have been desperate. - Oh, I reckon, yeah.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Leichhardt showed resourcefulness and respect,
0:42:37 > 0:42:41attributes both Les and I employ in the way we work and travel.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04Les, I thought I'd make the tea a little bit more traditional outback.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Oh, good on you, just for me.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Add a couple of gum leaves to it.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10You got the best ones off the tree, too.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12That's the tradition, isn't it?
0:43:12 > 0:43:15Well, yeah, once upon a time, not so much these days,
0:43:15 > 0:43:18but once upon a time that sort of thing happened quite a lot
0:43:18 > 0:43:21where gum leaves were chucked in to add a bit more flavour,
0:43:21 > 0:43:23bit more character to the brew.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26But, yeah, that's right, that's traditional.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28Couple of teabags in the billy.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31It's quite interesting, in Canada, they do the same,
0:43:31 > 0:43:35and if you come to it late in the day it's been boiled and boiled and boiled, it'll be black.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37So you stick a couple of those in.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40- Works out pretty well.- Mm.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44This is the country Les went to school in.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48This landscape was his playground. It had a profound influence on him.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50It's been a long old drive today.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Oh, yeah, well, we've come quite a few clicks, you know.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57But we're doing it in comfort compared with what they used to deal with.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00I went to boarding school in the town not far from here,
0:44:00 > 0:44:05and it catered just for bush kids, and I can remember all the ringers in those days, the stockmen,
0:44:05 > 0:44:11we called them ringers back then, I can remember all the ringers in those days, they used to wear a hat
0:44:11 > 0:44:17just like this one here, and that bash was quite common then, you never see it these days.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21- That's the shape of your hat? - That's right, the shape, that's the bash.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25You never see it these days, but it was part of the scene way back then
0:44:25 > 0:44:31and it went right back to the Sir Sidney Kidman era, so it's got quite a heritage.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34That's amazing... It's probably brewed now.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37It's due to my growing up in this neck of the woods that I knew about this.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40Hence the famous... your trademark really, Les.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42Well, it is a bit, isn't it? Yeah. It is a bit.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44THEY CHAT
0:45:10 > 0:45:17Even with modern equipment and full support, over 700 miles across Queensland is tough going.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21There are still hours to go, but just up the track we come across our support crew.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Their trailer has shed a wheel.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32But travelling is all about dealing with the incidents that happen.
0:45:32 > 0:45:39A short stop for provisions, some exchange of equipment, and tonight I'm ready to provide dinner myself.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45It's one of those moments.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47It's been a very long day, we're all very tired.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51A lot of driving. Massive country, Australia.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54Beautiful though, stunning scenery.
0:45:54 > 0:45:59But despite that, you know, you get a fire going, and you feel like you're at home, it feels good.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02And a few minutes later you've got hot water.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06Now if I can get this lid to go on the kettle, I can pour some!
0:46:06 > 0:46:09Got to be very careful when you're tired, that's when mistakes happen,
0:46:09 > 0:46:13accidents happen, take extra care with things like that.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19Have to say, I feel a bit like Captain Cook at the moment
0:46:19 > 0:46:22because I've done a bit of press-ganging, let me show you.
0:46:24 > 0:46:31These are my sous-chefs, and this is Frank and Nigel from the Daily Mirror,
0:46:31 > 0:46:35and of course I've got them peeling potatoes, what would you expect?
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Come on, you 'orrible little man, move yourself!
0:46:37 > 0:46:39And in the background I've got Cassie,
0:46:39 > 0:46:43she's part of our production team, and doing a stalwart job on the vegetables.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45Bit of team work, goes a long way!
0:46:49 > 0:46:51I'm doing the chopping.
0:46:51 > 0:46:56Doing the chopping. Oi, mind the knife!
0:46:56 > 0:46:59The press are only with us for one day.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01What a day to choose.
0:47:01 > 0:47:07My sous-chef has prepared the necessary vegetables. I've got celery, carrot, onion,
0:47:07 > 0:47:10all going in, two hot camp ovens.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12FOOD SIZZLES
0:47:14 > 0:47:17Soften those off... It's very hot by this fire at the moment.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20Hot to start with and I've let it cool off.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22SIZZLING CONTINUES
0:47:23 > 0:47:25Sounds good, doesn't it?
0:47:44 > 0:47:50Due to the rapid nature at which we exchanged equipment and food
0:47:50 > 0:47:54with the logistics vehicle this afternoon,
0:47:54 > 0:47:58we haven't got the lid for the camp ovens,
0:47:58 > 0:48:00so I'm having to improvise here
0:48:00 > 0:48:06with a frying pan full of embers to do the browning off of the...
0:48:06 > 0:48:10- SIZZLING - ..Shepherd's pie,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13but that should be nice. Going to cook that for a little while.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19Yeah, that looks good.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Right, well, help yourselves.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24- I think that's a...- Grub's up?
0:48:24 > 0:48:27- Yeah, grub's up. - Great stuff, well done, Ray.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31- It's rather improvised, but there you go.- Thank you, mate. - After you, Frank.- Cheers.
0:48:34 > 0:48:36Excellent, thank you.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41Jolly good. Burny bits round the edges.
0:48:45 > 0:48:47- Mmm, very good.- Is it all right? Yeah?
0:48:47 > 0:48:50It's not very bush-tucker, is it?
0:48:50 > 0:48:54But I'll tell you what, I've saved a few Blue Quandongs for you if you really want.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56'Every trip needs good teamwork.
0:48:56 > 0:49:01'It's very late, and Barry and Tim have been slogging away on camera and sound,
0:49:01 > 0:49:05'continuing to film when we should all be eating and resting.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08'It's finally time to call a halt for the day.'
0:49:08 > 0:49:09- Cut.- Tell the truth now.
0:49:09 > 0:49:10Will you come and eat?
0:49:16 > 0:49:20Today we reach our destination, the reason we've crossed Queensland,
0:49:20 > 0:49:23the scene of an epic survival story.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26A story as relevant to survival today
0:49:26 > 0:49:27as it was when it happened.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36This is desolate country, the worst place to get stranded.
0:49:40 > 0:49:46But that's exactly what happened to six American airmen during WWII.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50Early on 2nd December 1942,
0:49:50 > 0:49:55the crew of an American bomber called Little Eva got lost returning from their mission.
0:49:57 > 0:50:03Running out of fuel and wrongly believing they were near home, they started to bail out.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06The pilot, Norman Crosson, landed near the burning wreck
0:50:06 > 0:50:12and made his way towards it, meeting up with Staff Sergeant Loy Wilson.
0:50:14 > 0:50:19Being here on the ground, it's easy to imagine the drama of that evening.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23When Crosson and Wilson got here, this was all still burning.
0:50:23 > 0:50:2650-calibre bullets were exploding in there.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28Other things greeted them as well.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32Inside there were a couple of their crew members dead,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35and attached to this hatch somewhere was a parachute.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37One man had tried to bail out through here.
0:50:37 > 0:50:44His parachute had snagged on the fuselage and his body was still attached to the harness here, dead.
0:50:44 > 0:50:48When no-one else joined them, they set off east.
0:50:48 > 0:50:53They were lucky, but it was still well over a week before they were found.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56The four remaining members of the crew fared far worse.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00They had landed a lot further away from the plane.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02You've got to put yourself in their situation.
0:51:02 > 0:51:08They've just parachuted down into this wilderness, and in every direction it looks identical.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10Now they've got to make an important decision.
0:51:10 > 0:51:15Do they head to where they think the plane crash is, or do they move in a different direction?
0:51:15 > 0:51:19They chose to walk north from the aircraft,
0:51:19 > 0:51:22unwittingly away from the chance of rescue.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24They had little or no survival training
0:51:24 > 0:51:26or knowledge of the local plants.
0:51:26 > 0:51:31But even if they had, this country provides little opportunity.
0:51:31 > 0:51:37Even the legendary Bush Tucker Man is struggling to find anything suitable to eat here.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41Right. This is one of the very few bush tuckers I've seen round the place here.
0:51:41 > 0:51:46It's a thing called Cochlospermum. It's one of the Australian native Kapok species.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50And you can actually eat the little flower petals here.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59It's actually got quite a nice flavour.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02A bit...flowery, if you'd excuse the pun.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06'But it's not enough to keep you alive.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10'One man stands out in the group of survivors,
0:52:10 > 0:52:12'Grady Gaston.
0:52:12 > 0:52:17'He seized every opportunity to improve their chances of survival.
0:52:19 > 0:52:25One of the things that Gaston kept doing that was really good, was making marks, breaking branches,
0:52:25 > 0:52:30and leaving other sign that searchers might come across that could point them in their direction.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34In fact, a search was already under way,
0:52:34 > 0:52:40but for weeks every step they had taken was away from rescue.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44They lived off scavenged fish and meat, eaten raw.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48People have wondered why the crew didn't use
0:52:48 > 0:52:51the old Boy Scout trick of rubbing sticks together to make fire.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54Well, even if they'd known how to do that,
0:52:54 > 0:52:58which they didn't, they'd have had to do it almost as soon as they hit the ground,
0:52:58 > 0:53:04because you very quickly run out of carbohydrate, and with it the energy to make fire that way.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Even local Aboriginals who could make fire that way
0:53:07 > 0:53:10still carried burning embers with them when they moved camp.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14You've got to remember how limited their options were.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17Their plane was completely destroyed.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19The land offered virtually nothing.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23After almost a month they began to die.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28Starvation has an interesting effect on people.
0:53:28 > 0:53:36It increases people's susceptibility to thoughts of defeat, of giving up.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40In a real sense you've got to make your psychology work for you.
0:53:40 > 0:53:45If you think of it like a balance sheet, everything that you do well counts as credit
0:53:45 > 0:53:51and keeps you in the black, but small obstacles that upset you can really tip the balance against you.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55And of course as these men got closer to the edge of starvation
0:53:55 > 0:53:59that effect became more and more pronounced.
0:53:59 > 0:54:04After nearly two and a half months, Gaston was the only one left.
0:54:04 > 0:54:09Fate rewarded him when he stumbled across an Aboriginal spear.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12Here is a man who's already determined that he's going to survive,
0:54:12 > 0:54:15he's going to have a girlfriend and buy a car,
0:54:15 > 0:54:19and all of a sudden he finds the tool that may make that possible.
0:54:19 > 0:54:25I think the psychological boost that gave him is far greater than is often imagined.
0:54:25 > 0:54:32On 22nd April 1943, an incredible 141 days after he'd crashed,
0:54:32 > 0:54:36Gaston was rescued by an Aboriginal stockman,
0:54:36 > 0:54:41drawing to an end one of the longest survival stories on record.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45You know, the crew of this plane were brave men even before it crashed,
0:54:45 > 0:54:49but it's rather sad being here because six men made it onto the ground
0:54:49 > 0:54:52and only three made it out alive.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57Today, air crew are much better equipped and better trained,
0:54:57 > 0:55:01and far better supported in terms of rescue and pick-up.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04But you know situations like this can still happen,
0:55:04 > 0:55:09and in those circumstances ultimately it all comes down to one thing,
0:55:09 > 0:55:10the will to survive.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15We've reached the end of our journey.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19It's been quite a trip, getting on for 1,000 miles across Queensland
0:55:19 > 0:55:22in the company of a man I feel I've known for years.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26Les is one of the few people I've ever met who really understands
0:55:26 > 0:55:30the connection between the landscape and the way we live.
0:55:30 > 0:55:35It's been fabulous working with someone so open to other ways of doing things.
0:55:39 > 0:55:44- Well, Les, I guess this'll be our last breakfast on the trail together.- Yeah, I reckon.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46You're heading one way, I've got to go in the other.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48- Yeah, but it's been good fun.- Hmm.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50Really enjoyable.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52I've really enjoyed it.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56I've particularly enjoyed getting this personal view of Queensland from you
0:55:56 > 0:55:58cos this is your back yard.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01I was thinking of all the places we've been together here.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03We've just scratched the surface of Queensland.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07But I think Little Eva will stick in my mind for a very long while.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10Cos in a way, what happened to that crew
0:56:10 > 0:56:13in many ways validates the work that you did when you were in the Army.
0:56:13 > 0:56:19It does, and it was things like that that actually made me sort of spur on in those directions,
0:56:19 > 0:56:24because I can remember flying over that exact country we've just been to where Little Eva crashed,
0:56:24 > 0:56:27in my Army helicopter days.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30I remember flying over there and thinking, "What if?"
0:56:30 > 0:56:35How would I get on, if something happened here and we had to ditch down here, sort of thing?
0:56:35 > 0:56:41And that really spurred me on to start looking at vegetation, that sort of thing.
0:56:41 > 0:56:46But I was also reading stories like the Little Eva story,
0:56:46 > 0:56:49but also the explorers like Kennedy and Leichhardt.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52And they all came up with the same sort of question,
0:56:52 > 0:56:55"We haven't come to grips with this landscape yet",
0:56:55 > 0:56:59and that's what really encouraged me to get out there to start doing it.
0:56:59 > 0:57:04What do you think the future holds in terms of bush tucker and Australia?
0:57:04 > 0:57:05It's really interesting,
0:57:05 > 0:57:11cos the word "tucker" had almost died out in the Australian vocab
0:57:11 > 0:57:18before we came along getting towards 20 years ago and created a new series called Bush Tucker Man,
0:57:18 > 0:57:23which wasn't meant to kick off the way it was,
0:57:23 > 0:57:28but it really went, and it brought that word back into play. But it's also done something else.
0:57:28 > 0:57:35I think it's brought an interest in the landscape that wasn't there before and people sort of think,
0:57:35 > 0:57:39"Yeah, that's interesting, you eat that thing that I remember seeing once upon a time",
0:57:39 > 0:57:41you know, or whatever it was.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46And Australians today, I think, are much more embracing of their landscape
0:57:46 > 0:57:48and I think they will be in the future too,
0:57:48 > 0:57:52and Australians are much more educated about their landscape and the vegetation
0:57:52 > 0:57:54and what it's got to offer.
0:57:54 > 0:57:59And I think we're seeing that all the time, the way they now respect the landscape
0:57:59 > 0:58:02a lot better than they did perhaps 50 years ago.
0:58:02 > 0:58:06- Les, it's been a real pleasure. Cheers.- Yeah, cheers, mate.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09It's been great working with you. Maybe we'll do it again.
0:58:09 > 0:58:10- That'd be good.- Cheers.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23# Slow down, you move too fast
0:58:23 > 0:58:26# You got to make the morning last
0:58:26 > 0:58:30# Just kickin' down the cobblestones
0:58:30 > 0:58:33# Lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy... #
0:58:33 > 0:58:35Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:35 > 0:58:37E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk