Ok, the last post didn't make it sound like the guys ever have to do any work. They just happen to have to do slightly different work. Here we see six guys who have built a rock carrier in order to move these large stones from the river up to the airstrip to be used as foundation points for a house. Unfortunately they have to walk about fifty meters horizontally, and twenty meters vertically to get from the riverbed up to the airstrip. And it's not an easy walk. Again I find myself unable to do it with less than one hand out in front of me to keep from sliding back down the muddy bank. These guys just dig their toes into the clay and get to the top quicker than I can just carrying myself! Everything here seems to be more work that it's worth, but this will keep the house supports from rotting as they won't be buried directly into the ground, so a little (a lot?) more work now keeps the house (hopefully) from falling down in three years, which is typically the time that a traditional house lasts in the bush.
Can you imagine building a new house every three years with just a bush knife and an axe to aid you? That probably partly explains why houses here are so small and typically don't have any siding.
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