Survival in the Australian Outback: A Story of Two Children
Survival in the Australian Outback
Key Events and Questions Answered
The following summarizes the key events and answers questions about two children’s survival in the Australian Outback.
1. Where did the plane crash?
In the middle of the Australian desert.
2. Why did Mary tell Peter to run?
Because the plane was on fire.
3. How old were Mary and Peter?
Mary was thirteen, and Peter was eight.
4. What did Mary do when she woke up?
She went to the river and swam.
5. What happened to Peter’s legs?
There were many insects all over them, and his legs were red.
6. Who was waiting for them? Where?
Uncle Keith was waiting in Adelaide.
7. What did they have to eat?
A piece of chocolate.
8. Why did Peter dance happily when they got to the top of the hill?
Because he thought he had seen the sea.
9. How long did they walk to get there?
They walked for four and a half hours.
10. What did they find to eat on the second day?
They found some red and green fruit balls on the trees.
11. Can you describe the bush boy?
The bush boy was black and naked, with big blue-black eyes. His hair was different, and he was browner than the black people in Charleston. He was young and looked friendly.
12. What was he carrying?
He was carrying a dead baby wallaby.
13. Why did Peter and the bush boy laugh?
Because Peter sneezed very loudly, again and again.
14. Why didn’t Mary like him?
She didn’t like the bush boy because he was naked, and because he was black. In Charleston, blacks and whites were separated.
15. What do the words “Yeemara” and “Arkooloola” mean?
“Yeemara” means food, and “Arkooloola” means water to drink.
16. How did Mary and Peter understand the bush boy?
They understood through body language, matching gestures with their hands.
17. How did the bush boy help Peter and Mary?
He gave them water and food.
18. Why did the bush boy take water from the bottom of the river?
Because the water was better and colder there.
19. What did the bush boy do after he ate?
He danced an Aboriginal dance around the fire.
20. When the bush boy looked at her, Mary was afraid. What did that mean for the bush boy?
For the bush boy, that meant he was going to die. He saw his death in Mary’s eyes.
21. How long did the bush boy have to live alone in the desert?
The bush boy had to live alone in the desert for six months.
22. How many kilometers did the boy usually walk? And now?
He usually walked 45 kilometers, but now they walked 25 kilometers.
23. How did the bush boy get fish?
He threw a rock into the water. When the fish came to the surface, he took them and threw them onto a rock, then hit them on the head with a rock.
24. Why did Mary shout at the bush boy?
Because he was watching her while she was swimming naked in the river.
25. Why did the bush boy die?
Because he caught Peter’s cold, and he wasn’t prepared for it.
26. What did Mary learn about life?
She learnt that there weren’t two different worlds for white and black people; there was only one world for everybody.
27. How did Peter know they had to go over the mountains?
Because the bush boy told him to climb the mountain, as there was food and water there.
28. How did things change between Peter and Mary?
At first, Mary was like a mother (she wanted to be in charge). In the end, they became friends again and played happily.
29. Why did Mary prefer the people they found to be black?
Because she was naked, and she thought black people would be more understanding because of her experience with the bush boy.
30. Did Mary feel happy to go home? Why?
No, she didn’t. She was happy where she was.