All language subtitles for Tropic of Capricorn 3of4 Australia_Subtitles01.ENG

Imagine a line more than
22,000 miles long

that cuts through the most remote
areas of the southern hemisphere.

And look what's up ahead of us.
Look at this! Look at this sight!

The Tropic of Capricorn
marks the southern edge of
the Earth's tropical zone.

It runs through southern Africa,
Australia and South America.

This is just nature showing off.

Following the line will
take me to beautiful
but troubled regions of the world.

Oh! Bloody hell!

Capricorn passes through areas
of desperate poverty,

political conflict
and environmental devastation.

Just ripping it down. Look at this.

This leg of my journey takes me
thousands of miles across Australia
through the red earth of the outback

to the tropical waters
of the Great Barrier Reef.

They are one of the great
natural wonders of the world.

Oh, my God, that is incredible...

That makes the tears well up,
that's just such an awesome sight.

Off the coast of Western Australia,
just to the north
of the Tropic of Capricorn,

hundreds of humpback whales
are resting on their epic annual
migration south to Antarctica.

Look at the size...look at this.

Exmouth Gulf plays a critical role
in the lives and survival
of these awesome giants.

It's a quiet spot where whales
can bring their young to rest
and put on half a ton of fat

before travelling thousands of miles
to their Antarctic feeding grounds.

Ha ha, look at them...

I just got some spray
over me from them.

Humpbacks were once hunted to
near-extinction and need these rare

sanctuaries to survive, as biologist
Curt Jenner knows only too well.

He's been studying them
for 20 years.

It's a privilege on this planet
in this day and age

to have a place like this
that is so unique, so undisturbed.

These are baby animals that need
some place to rest and to grow.

But like any nursery,
there are silly things that go on.

These are precocious little animals
that'll be rolling over
Mum's nose one moment,

falling over backwards and getting
their blowholes full of water...

they'll come up, "Brrrrrrrfffff!"
There's a lot of just sort of
playing that goes on.

To be able to see that
in a place like this...

where literally there's one whale
every square mile...

it's phenomenal,
it's a fantastic place.

They're that close...

and hello to you... Look.

'Curt's wife Mich is
also a marine biologist.

'She keeps a photographic
record of thousands of whales
to help identify individuals.'

We've got a cow, calf
escort pod here.

And an escort is believed to be
a male whale that is
accompanying the female.

Now you might think that's noble.

For what purpose? Really only
because she is deemed successful,

she has a calf already,
and the breeding season
means to pass on genes.

Ah, so she might be able to
have another one. Exactly.

One of his. Men, eh! That's it.

She invests two years of her life.

And he invests two hours.
And the male might invest
two hours or two days.

But over dinner, Curt tells me of
plans he fears could see the whales
leave this area for good.

In last 6-12 months there's been
plans put forward to develop

a salt mine, an evaporative salt
mine on eastern side of gulf.

It's a huge area from north
to south, an extensive range.
Of salt pans? That's right.

Apparently the world has an amazing
appetite for plastic these days,
as if we haven't noticed...

this is the key use for salt
these days is in making plastic.

So we all have an evil hand
in the need for this product.

How worried are you about the impact
on the whales who are coming here?

Basically what we're
looking at as a key threat
in this resting area is noise.

Shipping noise
and that sort of noise
is not compatible with resting.

Imagine trying to rest with
your newborn baby somewhere quiet

with dump trucks going by and
people banging garage doors shut.

I'd want to move.
And that's what we're worried
will happen with these whales.

It's a critical habitat for them.
They have to rest here.

If they can't do that it's
a population-threatening event.

It's that serious.
Exactly. If these calves can't rest,

they'll probably perish
on their way to the Antarctic
and that'll be the end of them.

'Out on deck I could still see
whales all around the boat.'

The pregnant female has been lying
on her back and slapping her fins

on the surface of the water
and it creates an incredible sound.

It's an amazing sight.
We've been so fortunate.

The salt company say their plans
won't affect the whales

and they promise an economic boost
to the area.

But it was time for us to leave
the coast and start our journey
east across this enormous continent

more than 2,500 miles wide.

We would be zig-zagging along
Capricorn, crossing the vast
emptiness of Australia's outback.

And the next morning
I met my companion for
the first leg of my trip.

This is Steckie who is going
to be driving and guiding us across
a large chunk of Australia.

And for some reason he seems
to find our improvised hairnets

to keep the flies off our faces
amusing.

What's so funny about this,
Steckie?

Well, if you didn't open your mouth
so much you wouldn't catch so many!

What's your advice for keeping
the flies off?

Just ordinary Black & Gold
fly spray.

Just ordinary Black & Gold fly
spray. Personal insect repellent.

Have a look.
Just spray it on yourself.

Right, I'll be quite pleased to get
rid of the... Sand flies, midgies.

You can spray your face with it,
close your eyes, spray your face.

I'm very trusting...
Is it ok to use?

It only stings a little.

What's this pass the salt...
100 years of opportunity.

It's a local campaign for the salt,

the evaporated ponds
over on the salt mine
on the other side of the Gulf.

So you're in favour of it?

Oh, definitely.

You can't stop progress.
It's a good industry,
but the town's divided a bit, so...

Progress, we need a boost
in our economy quite a bit.

Why?
Because it's the way it happens.

It's all going ahead. Western
Australia, land of milk and honey.

Western Australia is enjoying
a huge economic boom.

This state, bigger than
Western Europe, is stuffed full
of valuable natural resources.

But it hasn't always been
the land of milk and honey.

In the 1930s, miners started hacking
thousands of tonnes of asbestos

out of rocks in
the beautiful Pilbara region.

A large asbestos mine was situated
next to what's now
the Karijini National Park.

The mine closed down 40 years ago

and the nearby town of Wittenoom
has been in decline ever since.

The town is still there,
but it's now closed.

And why's it closed?

Cos the government consider
the asbestos is now
hazardous to our health.

The dust is quite contagious
to our lungs

so therefore the government in its
best interest now closed the mine.

Steckie, can you just slow down.
What does this say?

Warning, asbestos fibres and dust
are present and may be airborne
in and around Wittenoom.

Let's not try to kick up
too much dust if we can,

let's just drive in nice and slow.

'We'd studied the risks posed
by visiting Wittenoom
before making the journey.

'Most reports suggest the threat
to visitors is low,

'but the signs made me nervous.

'The state government has said
the nearby mine is the most

'asbestos-contaminated area
in the world.

'So we planned to make just
a short visit to the town.'

Look at this!
You've got houses that are

overgrown with weeds growing in
the gardens and...boarded up there.

This is creepy.

When the nearby mine was operating,
this was a dangerous place.

Studies estimated hundreds,
possibly thousands of workers
have died from cancer

after inhaling toxic fibres while
mining the asbestos-lined rocks.

The town of Wittenoom
has been dying for years.

Almost everyone has moved-out,
the government has flattened houses
and taken the town off maps.

But a few hardy souls
are refusing to leave.

Hello. Hello. How are you going?

Would you be Meg? Yes, I am.

Hello, Meg.

'Meg and Frank Timewell are two of
the eight stalwarts who remain.'

Who would want to go anyone else
bar living here?

Look at those mountains, beautiful!

'Frank's been here in the Pilbara
for more than four decades.

'But the couple have been
offered Government money to leave.'

Some people say Wittenoom is the
site of one of biggest industrial
disasters in Australian history.

Why do you want to stay here?

It's our home. It was the first
house in the town. This was
the first house built in Wittenoom.

The first house in the town?
Yes, it's the first house,
cost me $1,000 to buy.

How much is it worth now?

Well, the Government reckon
it's only worth $40,000.

It's worth nothing, because we don't
want to sell it cos it's our home,
we don't have a value on it.

It's a bloody insult
to come and offer us $40,000

for our home of all these years.
Is it not possible the Government
wants you out

just because they're worried
about your health?

Ohhhhhh!

That's crap! Sorry!

Absolute crap.

'Despite evidence the threat
from asbestos has declined,

'the local government isn't taking
chances and wants Meg and Frank out.

'Gradually, all lifelines
to the town have been cut.'

What services have you lost, what's
been turned off by the council?

We've lost our power,
through the grid, power grid.

We now have to provide
our own water, rubbish collection,

street lighting, road maintenance,
we've lost our postal services,

police, the only thing we haven't
really lost is our communication.

And the other thing you
haven't lost is each other.

Cos two of you quite
a formidable partnership.

We will never lose each other,
despite any adversity,

we will never lose each other.

In actual fact this has made us
all the more resilient
and the more determined.

We're just not bloody well going.

And Mr Government can't kick us out,

because it's freehold country.

It's our country, it's our home.

Otherwise, we'll have to
get Pilbara law going. Pilbara law?

We don't talk about Pilbara law.

Meg's trying to stop you there,
what could that be? Pilbara law?

What have you done to these people?

Are we going to drive down the road
and find bodies hanging from trees?

No, we will deal to them
as they deal to us.

If they steal our gear,
we will steal some of their gear.

Not their life of course,

but we might break a leg
or an arm you know,

just teach 'em a lesson
of some sort,

but I'm not saying that we would.

No, no of course not - perish
the thought. That would be terrible.

'Meg and Frank are
a tough outback couple determined
to stay right where they are.'

Is it a long way?

'But there's not much of
the town left to stay for.
It's been pulled down around them.

'Even their local church has gone.'

So just around here, in this area,
was where you got married?

Yes, come over here, love.

You were standing that side of me.
Yes. I want you to come over here.

Because when we were getting
married we were so nervous,

I had to put the ring on
Frank's finger and instead of
getting this hand,

I lent across
and tried to push it on this finger.

And it wouldn't go on the
knuckle and I'm thinking
"what have I done wrong?"

And Frank said
"Here, give it to me,"

and he pulled it out of my hand
and put it on this finger himself.

This is where we were standing,
arm in arm.

I find it sad and I think you two
are amazing to have been able to
put up with it.

It's more than a lot of people
could face. If you let it
get to you, it destroys you more.

It makes you bitter and you get ill
from the stress.

We knew it had to go so
yeah, that's it, let it go.

'Asbestos can be deadly, and I can
understand why the authorities

'might want to get the residents
out and bury Wittenoom.

But I think the state government
might have met its match in two
of the most extraordinary

characters I've met on my journey
around Capricorn.

'The next morning, I hitched a ride
in one of the world's
biggest trucks.

'It's called a road train -
this 50 metre giant costs half a
million pounds, and today it's

'carrying 120,000 litres of fuel
towards the Tropic of Capricorn
and the town of Newman.

'Graham Wilcox, owner of
the Capricorn Roadhouse,

'the local petrol station,
was giving me a lift.

'He's making a small fortune
out of the extraordinary
resource boom gripping the area.'

Can you just explain to me
what's this resource boom, what is
happening in this resource boom?

It's all the minerals in the ground
in this area,

it's all the iron ore that goes
to make steel and countries

like China and India that are
starting to lead the world market.

They need the resources
to make the steel and we've got
the iron ore that makes it.

Ten years ago there were 6 mines
in this area, now there's 18.

So they say China's going to go
for another eight years
and then India will be online

and go for another ten years
after that, so the resource boom
for Australia is looking good.

Just up ahead

is a sign by the side of the road
that says Tropic of Capricorn.

Ahh fantastic, I feel we have to...
HORN BLARES

We're on the line.

Well, thank you very much indeed
for that ride, Graham.

Hope you enjoyed your trip down
to Capricorn in a road train.

We're here, we're back
on Capricorn.

Fantastic!

'Newman, the town at the heart
of the resources boom.

'Workers are flooding here
from all over Australia
to make a quick buck.'

Well, you can see they are
bringing in houses on the back of
trucks now

cos there's such a need
for accommodation in this town

to try and cope with all
the influx of new workers.

'And this is what the boom
is all about.

'Mount Whaleback is the world's
largest iron ore mine.

It's more than three miles long
and a mile wide.

Each year, they dig up 22 million
tonnes of iron ore to send to Asia

to make steel to feed
the world economy.

People from across the country are
packing in office jobs and coming

here to drive huge mining trucks
for huge pay packets.

Justin Edwards is one of them.

What brought you here?

Money.

In a nutshell. In a nutshell, money.

What were you doing before you came
here? Bricklaying, then I tried to

get out of the physical work side
of things and get into suit jobs,
I did sales and then I became

a recruitment consultant for a bit,
but yeah, it didn't suit me,
I'm not a suit person at all.

You're originally from Melbourne.
How did you hear about Newman?

I actually had a mate who I worked
in sales with five years ago.

I didn't hear about Newman until

half way through January this year
and by end of February I was here,
just to try it out.

As quickly as that. Since we've
been here, it was originally
was just going to be me

and a partner for two years, but we
can't see us leaving in short term,
might turn into five or six years,

cos it's just so cruisey
and better lifestyle too.

Justin drives the monster
of all dump trucks.

In a country where wages are lower
than in the UK workers here
can earn £50-75,000 a year.

This is your truck.

It is, this is mine, for today.

Before we start we have to walk
around the truck for damage.
So we walk under here.

You walk under the truck?!

The engine, all the way along there.
Oil leaks and things like that.

'These beasts, when full,
weigh in at nearly 400 tonnes,

'the same as a fully laden
jumbo jet.

'I left Justin to go and work
his shift and headed down
to the railway yard.'

In front of us just here is
the end or front of a huge train.

Trains from here are the longest,
heaviest in the world.

'Trains leave the mine every day
each filled with around
26,000 tonnes of iron ore.'

This iron ore down here is going to
be sent to the coast, put on boats,

taken to China and turned into
consumer goods that China is
pumping out at this ferocious rate.

It's extraordinary, really,
cos this is globalisation,

this is what is feeding this
great Chinese economy that's
emerged in the last few years,

these raw materials coming out
of ground here in Australia.

'As the train headed off north,
I continued my journey east.

'I followed Capricorn into another
country-sized chunk of Australia
the Northern Territory.

'We flew to Alice Springs in the
baking centre of the continent.

'Around 600 miles
from the nearest beach,
this is the centre of the outback.

'Alice is home to more than 24,000
Aussies living the desert life
in air-conditioned comfort.

'As we explored the town I came
across a refuge for one of the
country's most famous residents.'

Just spotted on the other side
of the road, this Baby Kangaroo
Rescue Centre.

Well, I've got to have a look.

'Joeys orphaned on the roads around
Alice are cared for by Chris Barns,

'outback man turned surrogate
kangaroo mum.'

What are the names of these two?

This little one here's
Tilly Grace and this one's Amy.

So one little girl is about
five-and-a-half to six months,

this one six-and-a-half
to seven months at a guess.

Once you've got them in a pouch
and you hold them to your body,

the breathing
and the warmth of your body,

that motion of the body,
calms them down.

If you don't have them in the bag,
they're gonna kick you in the face!

I've got to ask.

Can I hold one next to my little
beating chest?

Certainly, mate.

I'll pass Amy on to you.

Just make sure she doesn't kiss you.
Does she often try that?

She can do, she does with me
and my partner cos we're mum

and baby kangas take a lot of
saliva from their mum's mouth.

How far does your devotion go?

We take it all the way.

I've given up my job now, I don't
work any more, other than running
the kangaroo rescue centre

to talk with travellers.
That's the whole idea.

Trying to educate people to the fact
that a dead animal out here is not

just a dead animal, could have
a baby still alive in its pouch.

So check the pouch. Check the pouch.

'Kangaroos have an unfortunate habit
of jumping out in front of cars.

'We'd been warned against
driving at night because of
the high chance we'd hit one.

Chris takes in about 80 Joeys a
year, hand-rearing them to 16 months

until they're ready to go back
to the bush.

Alice Springs is becoming famous
as an important centre for
Aboriginal paintings and culture.

Aboriginal people have been here for
tens of thousands of years and their

extraordinary artwork adorns
gallery walls around the town.

The paintings are internationally
prized, with price tags to match.

This is number eight.
So this is about £11,000.

OK, 12's not too bad -

it's still costly about £1,500.

This is about £4,000,

About £3,000.

Number 52,

well, it is fantastic,
but that is about £20,000.

'The paintings tell ancient stories
of the first people of this land,

'but the recent history of
the Aboriginals is perhaps the
darkest aspect of this country.

'And at the moment Aboriginal people
are at the centre of the biggest
controversies in Australia.

'I needed a guide to take me out
into the Aboriginal heartland,
traditionally closed to outsiders.'

Hello. Hello.

Just come to meet up with
a guy called Vince,

who's a respected member of
the Aboriginal community.

Don't know who this is.
Good morning, Vince. How you going?

I'm all right. Hello. Simon.

Welcome, Simon. Nice to meet ya.

Welcome.

Welcome.
Is this what they call a swag? Yes.

That is the swag! That's the swag.

It's my precious's swag.
Can Daddy use your swag?

This has got your name on it, eh?

Can daddy use your swag.
Daddy gonna go bush. Yep?

All right, then.
Daddy can use your swag.

You always travel
with your bed, hey?

Very sensible. You can lose
everything except your swag.

As long as you've got that and
a glass of water, you can survive.

Vince Forrester, an artist and
Aboriginal elder, agreed to take me
to visit some remote communities.

He lives an integrated life with his
wife in Alice Springs, and campaigns
hard for Aboriginal rights.

And he hasn't lost touch
with the outback traditions.

On the way out of Alice he thought
he'd spotted something
in the undergrowth.

You see him?

He was about that long.

What were you looking for, Vince?

I was looking for a... An iguana?
A lizard about this long

and when you see one,
you can hypnotise him.

You can do what?
You can hypnotise him. When he walks
along you say the word "ullbaloo"

and he turns his head that way...
so you can hit him.

Is it good eating?

Awww, white meat, like chicken,
mm-hmm, yeah.

A lot gamier, of course,
and not as tender as a chicken.

'We were too late for any hypnotism,
the lizard had got away.

'But Vince took the opportunity to
stock up on a bit of bush medicine.'

When you have a wound
that won't stop bleeding,

you put this in the hot ash
of the fire and then you run

the smoke over the wound.
This will congeal the blood

and it'll stop bleeding.
They've also got antiseptic in it.

Antiseptic as well?
And this one here,

you can cook like beans
in the hot ash of the fire.

These little seeds.

So this is my supermarket
and pharmacy all in one.

'While they still maintain
some of the traditions of
their hunter-gatherer past,

'most Aboriginals were forced
or encouraged to live in permanent
settlements decades ago.

'We travelled to Titjikala,
a community of about 200 people just
south of the Tropic of Capricorn.

'On the outskirts of town we spotted
someone who'd been a bit quicker

'than Vince at catching
a bush tucker meal.'

Where did you get it?
Not far from home.

It took off to climb up a tree.

So you had to climb up
the tree after him?

No. You waited?

I just stunned him with an axe.

And this was today or yesterday?
Today. Today.

So it's a fresh kill,
some fresh lizard
ready to be cooked just over here.

You'll cook it on the coals after
putting the sand on top of it?

'Ever since white settlers arrived
in Australia more than 200 years ago

'the indigenous people
have been marginalised.

'Alcoholism, poverty,
violence and poor healthcare
means the life expectancy of

'Aboriginal people is now nearly 20
years less than white Australians.

'But I have arrived in the Northern
Territory during a critical period
in Aboriginal history.

'A recent government report
has revealed that

'some Aboriginal settlements were
rife with child abuse and suffering.

'A national emergency has been
declared, and a powerful army-backed

'taskforce has descended
on Aboriginal communities.

'So I've come here,
in the middle of a dust storm,

'to meet the head of the taskforce,
Major General Dave Chalmers.'

This intervention is as a result
of a study done into

child abuse in remote communities.

The intervention is primarily
designed to protect children.

There are many measures we have
to take and these are measures
to increase the level of policing,

to reduce the amount of alcohol
that's coming into communities,

to break the cycle of violence
in communities.

The report said alcohol abuse
was fuelling widespread violence.

So the taskforce is entering
aboriginal communities
to restore law and order.

Government has tried many programmes
in the past to address these issues.

The difference now is that, for
first time, mainstream Australia

has really understood that we have
people living in third world
conditions of poverty in Australia.

Can you understand why remote
communities like this might feel

intimidated, given the history of
white and Aboriginal relationships,

when you turn up in your
combat fatigues, can you understand
how that's intimidating for them?

Sure, but I'm not a scary guy and
most people, when I talk to them,

then we get past that and get
over that, I'd say for example...

Let's just shelter over here,
I think, between the cars cos the
dust is gonna get out of control.

If you look about you'll see that
there are government officials

from the department of employment
and workplace relations, Centrelink,
our welfare organisation,

from the department of education,
so there's no army invasion.

After decades when the authorities
left Aboriginal communities
to run their own affairs,

the government has now re-taken
command of dozens of settlements
across the Northern Territory.

Alcohol and pornography
have been banned.

The taskforce is even taking
control of how Aboriginal people
spend their benefit money.

Some settlements have welcomed
promises of improved healthcare
and new police patrols

and there's no question
that domestic violence has
plagued many Aboriginal communities.

To get to one of the communities at
the very centre of the controversy,

I headed south of Capricorn
towards one of the most important
indigenous sites in the country.

Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock.

Wow! Yeah, what a sight.

It's just a wow sight, isn't it?

It is this country's most famous
natural icon, an image used to
promote Australia around the world.

Yet just a few hundred metres
from the rock is Mutitjulu,

an aboriginal community in the
spotlight for violence and abuse.

It's Vince's hometown.

My community that I belong
to is Mutitjulu, just there.

It's a third or even a fourth world
community in this rich country.

Them things didn't happen overnight.

It took decades to
create the poverty. What about
the problems of sexual abuse?

At the present time,

we're being demonised
in our own land.

Demonised. Not every man bashes
his wife,

not every man is a drunk,
not every man is a paedophile.

They're saying
that's what we do in our culture.

That's rubbish, that's
lies, that's demonising,
that's racism at its best.

'Vince believes the problems
in aboriginal communities

'are caused by the appalling
conditions people are living in.'

If the Australian knew the truth...

..they'd be shocked.

Hang on a minute,
the conditions of the community,

that's neglect from the government
so they're blaming the victim.

Vince invited me into Mutitjulu,
a community normally closed
by law to outsiders.

The people here own Uluru
and receive a rent for its
inclusion in a national park.

But within sight of
the great rock, the poverty
and squalor was shocking.

Alleged child abuse in Mutitjulu was
said to be one of the main reasons
for the formation of the taskforce.

Yet in the months since officials
first appeared here, no-one has
been charged with sexual abuse.

It's something that confuses
Dorothea Randall, the secretary
of the local Aboriginal Council.

Why was this community targeted
so intensively by the task force?

Well, that's a good question
cos none of us in the community

really understand that, because we
don't know what we've done wrong.

Have you been told what the taskfor
is trying to achieve here,

what they're planning to do,
or what their goal is?

There's no communication between
the government and community people

and that's what's really frustrating

to individual people.

We're going past these houses here.

Are people living in them
at the moment? No.

Housing is very crucial here because
we do have an overcrowding problem.

They need to be
debolished or refurnished.

Money is filtered down but, by the
time it gets down to the community,
there is never enough.

On the other side of the rock

tourists got everything

and people living on this
side of the rock got nothing.

One of the most striking things
about Mutitjulu is the rubbish.

The situation here is desperate,
but I was puzzled why people

haven't done more to improve
conditions for themselves.

It's as though the decades
of deprivation

have sent many Aboriginal people
into a spiral of self-destruction.

The conditions are bloody shocking.

Any person can see that,

but this hasn't happened overnight,
we've got to understand that.

It still seems hard to understand
why this community is in the state
it is. Mm-hm.

Well, oppression and
all that sort of thing.

Oppression. And overcrowding of
houses and all this type of thing.

These houses,
you've got 20 people in one house.

20 people? In one house, yeah.
You'll see.

I'd love to know what you feel,
Vince...

Ahh, my country...my country has
just been...

Look at the bloody rubbish.

It would take nothing
to clean this up but now,

since the invasion happened,
what's going on?

People are dropping the bundle
and all that type of thing.

Dropped the bundle, what, they've
lost civic respect? Hope, yeah.

The taskforce says it wants to
help communities and improve
conditions and services.

But the problems affecting
Aboriginal settlements have deep,
dark roots.

That evening,
the mood on the other side of the
rock couldn't be more of a contrast.

Each year, up to 500,000 tourists
come to see Uluru.

Hundreds of millions of years old,

it is one of the most impressive
natural sites on the planet.

Well, there are coaches
pulling in here all the time,

loaded with wealthy tourists
who are here obviously to see
this incredible sight.

You can hardly begrudge people

the experience of a lifetime,
coming to see Uluru,

but...

it does feel weird to have come
straight out of the community

which is, what, 10 minutes away
down the road? And the conditions
they've got there.

And then to see people
having this much fun.

It does jar.

The tourist industry makes millions
here every year,

but Vince's community,
to whom this rock is so sacred,

seem to get little benefit.

After the visitors have gone,
we sat down to watch the sunset.

Daytime,
the tourist industry own Uluru.

Nighttime it belongs to me.

I sit out, recharge my battery.

We have stories of the land.

I don't know how many ancestors of
mine have walked through this sand

I'm putting my hand through now,
I don't know how many generations.

Do you object to the
tourists coming here?

If only we can benefit
from the tourist industry,

but in equal partnerships.

They call that one Ayers Rock.

Who's Ayers?
I got "ayers" on the back of my bum.

If we can show...

the world our land,
let us participate, hey?

Let us show it.

I came here...

I've been very excited coming
to Uluru, seeing Uluru,

and then you see how people
are living just around it.

I don't think it's going
to change...

very quickly any time soon.

It was time to move on, leaving the
Northern Territory and following the
Tropic east to the Sunshine State.

Queensland is famous for its
rainforests and tropical coastline.

But I was travelling
through its parched interior.

The town of Longreach sits
right on the Tropic of Capricorn,

and there's even
a monument to mark it.

It's not particularly big, but
there you go, Tropic of Capricorn,

a line running across here.

Temperate zone here,

a little bit chilly.

On this side,
the torrid zone, scorching.

This is the planet turned on its
side. This is north, this is south.

This line here is the equator, this
is the Tropic of Cancer,

and this is the Tropic of Capricorn
in the southern hemisphere.

You've got the sun

up here at the top.

But this really explains what it is.

The Tropic of Capricorn marks
the southern boundary
of the Tropics region of our planet.

Longreach is famous
throughout Australia as
the home of the stockman.

This is cowboy country,
where the hats are big
and farms are even bigger.

But the future could be
bleak for these stockmen,

as they face up to a crisis
that may one day affect us all.

I drove south to visit a local
farm to find out more.

It was three hours away, just a
short hop by Australian standards.

The nearby hamlet is called
Stonehenge, but this is far from
green and pleasant Salisbury plain.

The area is the centre
of a modern-day dust-bowl.

This is about as desolate
as the planet can get.

You look to the right, there's not
a single tree or bush to the horizon

I was in the middle of the Big Dry,

a harsh drought that has gripped
vast areas of Australia.

For miles I had been crossing
a farm called Eldwick, but the
weather appeared to be on the turn.

Looks as though that's rain.

Whether it's enough to end
the drought, I doubt it.

It's a bit of an oasis here.

And here we are, this is Eldwick.

Hello!

Hi, I'm Simon.

I'm Donna. Lovely to meet you,
and this must be Peter.

Hello, Peter. Simon.

Nice to meet you. How are you?

So you found us, eh? Found you, yes.

Eldwick is a farm, or station, about
half the size of Greater London.

The population's
a little smaller though.

Just Donna and Peter Batt
and a whole load of sheep and cows.

They've been farming
here for 19 years,

and it seemed I might have brought
a very welcome present with me.

We've just got here,

and I can just feel
a couple of little drips.

Little bit, little bit.

This is what they say
about the English, they
bring the rain with them.

If you can bring a couple of
inches, that would be excellent.

You'd welcome that, wouldn't you?
Yeah.

'Sadly, the clouds were teasing us.

'After a few moments of a few drips,
the rain was gone.'

That is a parched land.

I'm just wondering if you find it

a bit depressing?
Well, yes, just willing those
clouds to bring us some rain.

I do look out and think,
"Why do I live here?" Yeah, you do.

On the best years,
when you've had enough rain,
what do you see out here?

Beautiful, lush.

The ground's just covered in grass.

When it's green and when it
hays off it's that lovely yellow.

We get magnificent wildflowers.

It's just something you
wouldn't believe, it's beautiful.

And how many years is it
since you've seen that?

Seven. Seven years?

Yep. Seven dry years.

Seven dry years, yep.

'Seven years into the Big Dry,
they're still struggling
to farm this land.

'With the green grass gone, there's
little for the animals to eat,

'so I headed out with
Peter to feed his cows.'

Maybe it's just my eyes,
but they are looking

at you or us and licking their lips.

That's it!

They know what we're bringing.

COWS MOO

Right, Simon, shovel some in there.

You'll have lots of friends,
they'll like you.

Here you go, ladies.

Every time I come up here I tell
them it's going to rain next week,
I think they still believe me!

You tell them that every time? Yep!

Poor girls.

Some people will attribute this to

climate change, the global warming.
What's your view?

Ah well,
bloody hell, Simon, I don't know.

The jury is still out, I think.

I mean, what does it mean to
you out here?

Well, better go and pack our port.

If that's the case.
You think it would be the end?

I'm certainly not giving in yet,
by no means, but if the rain is
going to stop, we stop, don't we?

Have you said to each other
as a couple, if we have another
summer, another year with no rain,

we're going to have
to think seriously about leaving.

Have you set yourself
a target at all?

Another summer without rain,
I don't know. Yeah, don't know.

We don't want to leave,
we love living here, but...

economics will drive us away,
won't it. We live in hope

that it will stay green, as it is!

Australians have been among the
world's worst emitters of greenhouse
gas per head of population,

and Australia may be the first
developed country experiencing
the effects of global climate change

But it's not just a problem
for Australia, the Big Dry has
helped push up world food prices.

That evening,
some of Peter and Donna's
neighbours popped round for dinner.

Next door is 60 miles away.

Jim Nunn has been
farming there for 24 years.

What do you think about
the scientists who think the Big Dry
is global warming?

Nah, nah.

Well, look at it this way. The world
has been here for millions of years.

It's not going to die
in my lifetime, surely.

Sometimes nature works quite
quickly.

No, I reckon it's a cycle.

I have not given in.

It's a cycle.

You're pinning your hopes on this.

Yeah, what else can you do?

Otherwise just throw
the towel in and what?

What then?

So you carry on.

Carry
on. That's it, carry on.

I don't...I'm not going to chuck the
towel in yet, I'm going to hang

in here till they give me some rain,
they'll give in.

They'll give in upstairs.

They'll give me my
40 inches they owe me.

They'll give in before you do,
basically. They will. Well,
let's hope for that.

Optimism is clearly
vital in the Outback.

But scientists predict
that over the next few decades,

Australia's droughts will
get significantly worse.

If that's the case, this land
will only get hotter and drier.

The life of a farmer is tough,

and the next morning Peter
dragged me out of bed at dawn.

Peter, I haven't ridden
a motorbike for years.

I can't even remember what you do.

What have you done to it, Simon?

Let me have a look.
Let the expert get on.

ENGINE SPUTTERS

What did you do?

You were talking
to it the wrong way.

I'll give you talking to it!

The farm covers almost 300 square
miles and Peter's animals can be a
long distance from his front door.

It was a 20-minute ride
to where sheep needed moving
to a different field.

So why are you moving them?

Into a paddock that has got some
grass in it. Not much, but some.

Grass?! It's not green grass.

Can it be(?)

We're going to put these sheep into
here. This is your last lot of sheep

that are going into your last paddo
that's got the last bit of grass

on your whole land.

Pretty well.
That'd be about it, Simon.

How big is this paddock?

That paddock we're putting in is
16,000 acres.

That's just colossal.

Trying to save it for... Yeah.

For a rainy day? That's it.

Or the opposite of. Yeah.

Save it for an un-rainy day.

You're always smiling and you
tell a few jokes about it,
but this is crunch time, isn't it?

Well, I suppose it is really.

But it's going to rain.
I'm sure it is.

THEY LAUGH

There's no green pasture, but Peter
hopes the 25-square mile paddock

will keep his
sheep fed for a few weeks more.

Well done, Simon, well done!

Once this is gone, that's it.

He either sells the stock or starts
the expensive job of buying in feed.

Where to, Peter?

On the way back
we passed the reservoir that
supplies their farm house.

So this is the dam for your
house, or is supposed to be.

House supply, yeah.
House supply, it is.

There's not a lot in there, is ther

No, it's had it.

When I hear the facts,
it sounds pretty bad to me.

But nothing is ever easy out in
the Outback, on the land here, is it

It's a pretty easy life, it is.
It's an easy life?! Yeah.

Oh, come on!

You've got 40-degree heat here!

But that's... Big deal.

Bring it on!

There's a lot easier ways
of making a living as well.

Ah, yeah, yes and no.

Pain in the arse when it doesn't
rain, but that's part of the deal

of where we're living!
Let's go and get some brekkie.

Righto!

Throughout their history, the
Aussies have been brilliant

at adapting to the tough conditions
of the outback.

If the warnings about
climate change prove true,

it's a skill they're going to need.

After breakfast, I left Peter and
Donna and got back on the road.

The last stage of my journey,
a drive

east along the Capricorn Highway
for hundreds of miles.

Leaving the heat and the dust of
the outback, I headed for the warm,
tropical waters of the coast.

I was leaving the dust bowl behind,

but I couldn't escape
the whole issue of climate change.

In this part of Australia they're
shipping out huge quantities of
coal.

What a graphic illustration.

We've got a train coming back empty
and another one going out full.

But then just a few hours to the
west of here, the environment is
changing.

These trains wind their way
to an industrial coastline,

home to one of the largest
aluminium plants in the world.

To find out more about how climate
change might be affecting Australia,

I headed east,
away from the mainland.

As the world warms, out here is
one of our early warning systems.

We're aiming for a tiny patch
of land called Heron Island.

It's home to one of the pre-eminent
marine research centres in the
world.

It's slap bang next to Capricorn,
and it's also at the southern end of

perhaps Australia's greatest natural
attraction, the Great Barrier Reef.

This is a tropical paradise.

The waters teem with a multitude of
colourful fish and exotic sea life.

And this tiny dot of an island,
less than a mile long, is
home to up to 100,000 birds.

But just what does the future
hold for this stunning ecosystem?

Heron Island Research Station.

Hello?!

Are you Doctor Ward? Hi, I'm Selina.

Hello, Selina. Simon Reeve.
Nice to meet you.

What hellish conditions
that you live and work in(!)

Hard, isn't it? How do you cope?!

We manage, just. Just about.

Marine biologist Dr Selina Ward
is part of a team researching the
impact of climate change on coral.

She took me out for
a walk on the reef flats.

This is a sea cucumber.
Beautiful things.

So soft. Isn't it?

What exactly is it? It's a sea...

See it's spitting out
that sticky tentacle?

We don't really want it to do that!

So it shoots out superglue as a form
of defence? Yes, because they can't
escape at high speed!

No. Another trick they have is that
if something is about to try and

eat it, it can spit out its entire
digestive system and leave it behind

in the hope that the predator
will eat just that bit and be
satisfied and let it get away.

How does something evolve to do
that?

Who knows?

Selina, we know that
coral is very susceptible to changes
in climate and its environment.

How do the changes manifest
themselves? Is there something we
can see?

The main change if you have...

warmer than usual water temperature
is that the corals will,
what we call, bleach.

So, if we look at this piece...

See this branch is really pale,
these branches are really pale.

If we turn it over, this is
the colour we'd expect it to be.

Hmmm.

I've heard coral described as
the canary in the coal mine.

It offers us a warning.

Yes. In 1998 we lost 16%
of the world's corals
in one bleaching event.

16%? Yes.

You have no doubt that this is
down to temperature change?

I have no doubt at all.
I'm convinced of that.

I can't think of any
coral scientists who wouldn't make
that statement, not a single one.

If we want coral reefs for future
generations, we have to act quickly.

We have to reduce emissions
globally, and we have to
reduce them a great deal.

We're seeing
big bleaching events with, so far,
a small increase in temperature.

I don't think we can say, well,
we'll aim for a three-degree
increase

this century, or even a two-degree
increase this century.

If we do have that as our aim, we're
aiming to lose these environments.

The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change is predicting
catastrophic mortality

for the Great Barrier Reef
before the end of this century,
unless climate change can be slowed.

I crossed this vast continent
expecting to find

insular communities
isolated from the rest of the world.

But the issues I've seen here
don't speak of isolation.

Their resonance is global.

I've really enjoyed travelling
across Australia.

It's an amazing country,
and the people,

to a person, have been welcoming
and generous with their time.

I can only hope
we have as much excitement

on the next leg of our trip,
as we head east to South America.

Next time on Tropic of Capricorn -
I'll be crossing the driest desert

in the world and
the high Andes mountains.

I'll be trying to round up some of
the shyest animals on the planet.

Can you please stand still?!

And visiting one of the world's
most anarchic border towns.

It's crazy here!

To find out more about the journey,
visit our website.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk