First Dog on the Moon and the guest of honour in the desert who never turned up | First Dog on the Moon

Rangers and scientists and a white cartoonist converge for the night parrot but where is the night parrot???

Greetings from Paruku. I'm here at the Species of the Desert Festival having a lovely time. We are 12 hours drive eastish from Broome on the shores of (currently empty) Lake Gregory (Paruku) near the community of Mulan. It is very in the middle.

This festival is a gathering of Indigenous rangers who live and work on country and also sometimes get together at events like this to share knowledge, do some organising and have a friendly chat. For a humble and very white cartoonist from rural Tasmania it is another world and I am feeling very lucky to be here and thoroughly enjoying myself - although the red dust gets into literally everything, even one's undies (sorry TMI but it really does).