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In Mem.jpg

Mungilli - Poor Little Fulla

The Desert Dingo Dog

In 2002 during an expedition into the deserts of Western Australia, a starving and very sick dog wandered into our camp. He was just skin and bone with cuts and wounds on his body. The pads on his feet were worn red raw and infected.

It appeared that he was surviving on some muddy water in a nearby claypan. What was he doing here in the Gibson Desert hundreds of km's from any outstation?

Where had he come from?

Our party had some important business to the North, so we left little dog with some food and left him to his fate.

Two days later we returned and before we turned our motors off, little dog staggered out of the sand dune near our camp. He was a pitiful sight and could hardly walk. He was so weak.

What to do? Should we put him down, or try to save him?

The Aboriginal Lawmen in our party indicated that, "we should give him a go - poor little fulla." So it was agreed, little dog would become a member of the expedition. The lawmen gave their consent to name little dog Mungilli, a traditional name of the area in which he found us - Mungilli Claypan.

From that time on Mungilli travelled far and wide around this great country on many trips and expeditions. From the far south west of Western Australia to the tip of Cape York in Far North Queensland and lots of interesting places in between.
He was known by many people in Australia, and visitors from other countries. People would say "you should write a book of his adventures".

After eleven wonderful and action packed years with us, Mungilli died.

The memories never will.

Trevor and Maureen Herbert
Bunbury WA 2013