Such Was Life: Starring Water
In the decade before CY O’Connor’s famous pipeline brought fresh water from far away Perth to the arid towns of the Western Australian Goldfields there was something more precious than gold. Water. Water becomes the star of this film with a supporting cast that includes gum trees, gnammaholes (water holes) and water holding frogs. Yes, frogs. To the local tribes they were desert water bottles and they shared their knowledge about these and other life-saving water sources with the first Western explorers and prospectors. But the discovery of gold changed everything. Hordes of thirsty prospectors and miners made the 250 km overland trek to join the latest rush. Following them came camel and horse trains carrying supplies. But the camels and horses also drank the gnammaholes dry and polluted the water holes with their dung setting the stage for a decade of disease and deprivation.
