The receptionist is looking after an indigenous child, a cute little girl of two, who is asleep on the sofa when we arrive. Like any two-year-old she’s inquisitive and lively when awake, but she has no toys and nothing to occupy her and is expected to sit still on a chair all day. This leads to a certain amount of tension between child and adult and the latter seems to have no compunction about threatening her with smacks and other punishments such as being sent to the toilet if she doesn’t remain seated. In fact smacks are administered in front of us – obviously corporal punishment is not disapproved of in this neck of the woods. There is an element of thinly disguised racism too, as the receptionist points out to us that this is an indigenous child and indigenous people let their children run wild.
By the time we get away, it is too late to make a trip to Katherine Gorge as planned. So, after sending another email of complaint to Wicked, we visit the hot springs which are just outside the town centre, instead. The spring is not actually hot rather luke warm and flows through shady pools which are probably the only safe place to bathe around here. The water is a few degrees below the ambient temperature and very refreshing. There are some Ozzies and a couple of Aborigines sitting in the water chatting and we get talking about the alcohol restrictions which are pretty draconian in the Northern Territory. There are many areas where the sale and drinking of alcohol is restricted. In some areas it is an offense to be carrying alcohol In Katherine alcohol can’t be drunk in public places within two kilometers of the town, including the hot springs. Although this doesn’t deter some in the group we are sitting with who have a stash of beer with them and are drinking in the creek when we arrive. In certain circumstances there is a limit on the amount of alcohol that can be purchased in a bar or off license (bottle-o) without providing id. As we sitting chatting the police turn up, beer is hastily poured away and the empty bottles hidden under water. The police want to know if anyone is drinking and whilst they don’t catch anyone, they do find the stash of alcohol and pour it away. It seems that there is a very paternalistic attitude to drink and drinking which may be primarily designed to protect the Aborigines from themselves, but is applied to everyone in the name of even-handedness and seems to cause a certain amount of resentment in both communities.