Before we venture out, it is important to do a ceremony, to honour those that support us, both seen and unseen, the powers that work with us and to give thanks, that we are privileged to have this opportunity to be of service to the planet and to the beings that call her home. We focus on shifting our approach to “do no harm” rather than the extractive and exploitative business that is all too common in Western Australia – a state that is incredibly wealthy due to the resource and mining sector.
Our March trip is the first step for Project PanGaia, working with Dr Romy Zyngier and the community to prepare and set up the trial sites. Four sites have been selected and will be approximately a hectare in size. We are truly blessed to have this opportunity, to be on land that is ancient and wise and yet carries the scars from seismic testing carried out around 50 years ago by Hunt Oil. You can see an aerial view here: https://explorer.land/x/project/pangaia
The erosion and degradation caused by bulldozing paths across the landscape is difficult to comprehend and even more painful to hear the community expecting that the land will eventually heal itself, with time. Large swathes of land carrying evidence that without intervention, the healing might not ever happen, the land never able to fully recover. So why has this company been allowed to walk away and leave the scarring? The community sharing stories that after Hunt Oil finished doing the seismic testing, they dug an enormous hole and pushed all their equipment and vehicles into it, covering it up. How wasteful when the community in and around this area would have welcomed a donation.

Due to some “bush telegraph” miscommunication, our arrival was received as a bit of a surprise which meant we spent the first couple of nights in one of the massive sheds, generator whirring noisily. Kanpa (pronounced gum ba) used to be a thriving community with a shop, playground, central community meeting place, basketball courts, several houses, five or six accommodation units, shower and toilet blocks, community centre and massive workshop. But over the past decades it has been nothing more than a ghost town. Preston and his wife and family had for years hosted juveniles that were, without intervention, on a trajectory to prison. The courts are ordering these kids to be with Elders on Country and Preston will tell you, if he has the good fortune to cross paths with these kids, they usually are incredibly grateful to Preston for saving their lives. Yet this successful program was ended as government funding ceased.
For our first trip, we made sure we had enough food for the whole community – with eleven adults (six in their twenties) and then our crew of four, it was fabulous to meet every night for a meal around the fire. Since our visit in September last year, a Telstra tower has been installed for the township and most fell under the spell of being on screens! There was something really magical about the September trip as nobody had connectivity and the digital detox was a refreshing reprieve!
Whilst our arrival was a little rocky, Dr Romy had us sorted and we soon had three or four areas to initiate the baseline studies for the trial. Project PanGaia is about demonstrating that mimicking the missing marsupials by using technology, in the form of an autonomous, solar powered rover to dig micropits, that we can aerate and hydrate the soil as a first step in regenerating soil. Incredibly exciting to see many of the younger community turn up for the trials as you’ll see in the photos.
Four trial sites have been chosen, the site parameters and markings are in progress, diggings have begun and soil samples sent off to the lab for analysis. We were watched by three goshawks whilst visiting the trial sites – one of them coming into the township to check us out. The butcher birds, magpies, mudlarks and pink and greys that are township regulars not too happy with the visitor who was quickly ushered away. We also watched small numbers of zebra finches and budgies coming into the recently filled small water hole, just on the periphery of the township.
And despite seeing some diggings on the edges of more healthy landscapes, yet to see kangaroos, wallabies, bilbies, dunnarts, etc. We did hear dingos and were told that a white dingo comes into the township and has been seen sitting on the basketball court. And of course, camels, many camels spotted on the roads, mostly on the way to Warburton.
We have been allocated a house in the township which is now base camp and FLOW office, the township has been cleaned up thanks to Uncle Bobby and his bobcat, fridges and washing machines delivered.
After our return to Perth and our first catch up Zoom call with the community, we were thrilled to hear that spinifex is collecting in the holes and an animal had burrowed into the soil in one of the pits. Nobody keen to see exactly what it could be (snake?) with camera traps now installed to see who’s made a home.
Thanks to Elder Preston Thomas, Matt, Athie, Jaiden, Nicolie, Jerimiah, Elder Bobby, young Bobby, Enrique and Aunty Lynn. We came into Kanpa like a whirlwind and so appreciate your patience as we got ourselves sorted. One of our lessons is for us to slow down and land before we “get to work”. To have a project that is earth centred, deeply listening to all life, whilst fulfilling our funding obligations and project “outcomes”. Such a tricky dynamic whilst trying to shift the mindset of consumptive, exploitative, time sensitive, western thinking to one that is truly in service to the earth, in partnership with this remarkable community.
This project is proudly supported by Lotterywest, our partners in rewilding inner Australia and we’re incredibly grateful for their support. We are seeking additional partners, whether that be funding or corporate, and happy to explore opportunities to rewild the heart centre of Australia.
Our next trip is May to complete the trial micropits, take additional soil samples and finish marking out the sites.