Iminyaka Engaphezu Kweli-120 Kucandwa Ilizwekazi
NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! EOSTRELIYA
NGOFEBRUWARI 3, 2004, uloliwe ongaphezu kwekhilomitha ubude ugaleleka kwisikhululo sikaLoliwe eOstreliya esikwisixeko esiseMantla saseDarwin esinebathwana labantu. Kwakukho amawaka abantu awayeze kubona ukufika kwakhe. Lo loliwe ubizwa ngokuba yiGhan, wayesandul’ ukuqukumbela uhambo lwakhe lweekhilomitha ezingama-2 979, ukusuka emzantsi ukusa emntla ecanda eli lizwekazi.—Bona ibhokisi ethi “Imvelaphi Yeli Gama,” kwiphepha 25.
Abantu abangaphezu kwama-2 000 ababephethe iikhamera bexhage umzila kaloliwe, njengokuba uloliwe wayesondela kwesi sixeko kwakufuneka athob’ isantya. Ngenxa yoko wafika emva kwemizuzu engama-30. Kodwa akakho umntu owayekhalaza. Abantu babesele belinde ixesha elingaphezu kwenkulungwane. Lo loliwe wayehamba kwezona ndawo zomileyo, zishushu nezona ziyinkqantosi emhlabeni, umzila kaloliwe osuka eAdelaide ukuya eDarwin uthabathe iminyaka engaphezu kweli-126 usakhiwa.
Isizathu Sokuba Kwakhiwe Lo Mzila
Ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yee-1870, iphondo elincinane laseAdelaide, elikummandla osempuma yeOstreliya, lalifuna ukuphuhlisa uqoqosho kulo mmandla nokwakha umzila owawuza kudibanisa lo mmandla nomntla. IUnited States yagqiba ngowe-1869 ukwakha umzila wayo odibanisa impuma nentshona. Abahlali baseAdelaide babecinga ngakwakha umzila kaloliwe odibanisa iphondo lasePort Darwin, njengokuba yayibizwa njalo iDarwin ngezo mini. Lo mzila kaloliwe wawungazukwanela nje ukuhamba phakathi kweli lizwe kodwa wawuza kunciphisa ixesha olichithayo xa usiya eAsiya naseYurophu.
Kwakubonakala ngathi kuza kuba lula ukwakha lo mzila, kodwa kwakuza kufuneka ucande ezintabeni, kumatyholo ashinyeneyo nasentlango—maxa wambi ezo ntlango zazisiba yimigxobhozo emva kwemvula. Ekugqibeleni uJohn Stuart owayengunocanda wade waphuma kule ntlango emva kokuwa phantsi izihlandlo ezibini. Ebudeni bolu hambo yena nogxa wakhe baphantse bamnabel’ uqaqaqa ngenxa yokunqongophala kokutya namanzi.
Ilanga Eligqats’ ubhobhoyi, Iinkqwithela Nezikhukhula
Nangona kwakukho le miqobo, abantu baseAdelaide abazange batyhafe. Ngowe-1878 baqalisa ukwakha lo mzila kwisixeko sasePort Augusta. Lo mzila wakhiwa ngabantu abangama-900 besebenza ngezandla, amahashe neenkamela. Lo mzila kwakufuneka unqumle kulo mmandla kuba olu hlobo lukaloliwe lusebenza ngamanzi.
Iikholomitha ezili-100 zokuqala zalo mzila zathabatha iminyaka emibini enesiqingatha ukuwakha, ehlotyeni maxa wambi iqondo lobushushu lalifikelela kuma-50 ngokukaCelcius. Ngenxa yaloo ngqatsini yobushushu, iinzipho zazichachamba, i-inki yayisoma kungekabhalwa ngayo ephepheni yaye iintsimbi zemizila kaloliwe zazigoba. Kwakuxhaphakile ukuba uloliwe aphume kumzila wakhe, emva kwesivunguvane kwakufuneka kususwe iingqimba zentlabathi ezigqume umzila kaloliwe iikhilomitha eziliqela, ezinye zezo ngqimba zaziba ziimitha ezimbini. Abasebenzi babedimazeka kuba le mizila yayisoloko igqunywa yintlabathi.
Emva koko kulandele imvula. Ngemizuzu engephi, imilambo eyayitshe khonkqo yayizaliswa ngamanzi akhukulisa imizila neyayithabathe iinyanga ezininzi xa yayisakhiwa yaye oololiwe bengenandlela yakuhamba. Omnye umqhubi kaloliwe wade wabulala inyamakazi ukuze ondle abantu ababehamba naye. Kanti ngesinye isihlandlo emva kweminyaka emininzi, ukutya kweza ngenqwelo-moya.
Emva kwemvula izityalo zasentlango zazihluma yaye zazitsala iintethe. Kwesinye isibetho, umzila wawuncangathi ngenxa yeentethe ezazifele apho, kangangokuba kwafuneka omnye uloliwe ukuze azidudule. Neempuku zazibangela ingxaki. Ezi mpuku zazisitya kwanto ezidibana nayo—izinto zokwakha iinkampu njengeseyile, izingqwashu neesali zamahashe kwaneebhutsi. Kukho amangcwaba angekude kuyaphi kulo mzila—asisikhumbuzo sesifo esasibulala abantu ngenxa yokungacoceki kweendawo ababehlala kuzo kulo nkampu xa wawusaqalwa lo msebenzi.
Ukuze bazonwabise abantu abasebenza kuloliwe maxa wambi babedla ngokuntlontana. Ngesinye isihlandlo xa uloliwe wayecanda kwinkqantosi yaseAlice kwakukho imivundla emininzi, abasebenzi bakaloliwe bayithabatha eminye bayifaka ngaphakathi kololiwe. Incwadi ethi The Ghan—From Adelaide to Alice ithi ngosuku olulandelayo xa abantu bevula amakhareji abo besiya kwisidlo sakusasa, babona “kudakasa imivundla yasendle” ezipasejini. Kolunye uhambo, bafaka ikangaroo kwimoto eyayilele abantu.
Abemi bomthonyama abahlala emagqagaleni maxa wambi babesiza baze kubukela uloliwe. Bemi mgama babebabona abantu abangaphakathi. Siyaqondakala isizathu sokuba aba bantu babemele mgama besoyika. Abanye babecinga ukuba uloliwe “yinyoka enkulu” eginya abantu bephila.
Ukuphazamiseka Komsebenzi
Emva kweminyaka eli-13 yokusebenza nzima, xa umzila kaloliwe wawumalunga neekhilomitha ezingama-470 ukusuka eAlice imali yashokoxeka. IAustralian Geography ithi: “Lo msebenzi mkhulu kangaka. . . walongamela eli phondo.” Ngowe-1911 urhulumente kazwelonke wawuthabathela kuye lo msebenzi yaza imizila kaloliwe yaya kufika eAlice Springs. Kodwa lo mzila awuzange uye kufika eDarwin, eyayimalunga neekhilomitha ezili-1 420.
Yathi isakufika iGhan okokuqala eAlice Springs ngowe-1929, abantu abangama-200 ababekule dolophu bathi xhonkxosholo bevuyela esi siganeko. Abantu basekuhlaleni babemangalisiwe likhareji lokutyela, kodwa eyona nto yabachukumisa kakhulu ligumbi lokuhlamba elalilihle ngendlela engathethekiyo. Ngezo mini ukuba negumbi lokuhlamba kuloliwe yayiyinto engaqhelekanga nekumgangatho ophezulu. IAlice Springs yaqhubeka isisikhululo sokugqibela sikaloliwe kwade kwangowe-1997. Ngaloo nyaka urhulumente wade wavuma ukugqibezela umzila kaloliwe osuka eSprings-ukuya eDarwin. Lo msebenzi waqalwa ngowama-2001.
Kwafika oomatshini abakhulu abazitshintshayo bokwenza umzila kaloliwe ozikhilomitha ezili-1,6 ngosuku noxabisa ngaphezu kwesigidi samawaka seedola zaseOstreliya (ngaphezu kwamawaka ezigidi ezisixhenxe ezinesiqingatha), lo mzila wawenzelwe ukuba ukwazi ukumelana neempuphuma. Wachazwa njengowona “msebenzi mkhulu wokwakha owakhe wenziwa eOstreliya,” lo mzila uziikhilomitha ezili-1 420 wagqitywa ngemali engaphantsi kwaleyo yayiqingqiwe yaye waqosheliswa ngo-Oktobha 2003 ngaphambi kwexesha elalicetyiwe.
Ubuhle Basemaphandleni
Namhlanje lo loliwe usanduluka kwesi sixeko saseAdelaide kanye ngeveki emva kwemini, ucanda amathafa nemimango unqumla elo lizwekazi laseOstreliya. Isishiya ngasemva isixeko saseSuburbia, iintloko ezimbini zikaloliwe nomrhutyululu wamakhareji angama-40 enjenjeya ukunqumla kulo masimi engqolowa asePort Augusta, emalunga neekhilomitha ezingama-300 ngasentla. Kulo mmandla umhlaba uyatshintsha ube ngathi yintlango ibe ubona elundini phaya.
Ngaphaya kwePort Augusta, lo loliwe uhamba kwindawo enazo zonke iintlobo zemozulu emalunga neekhilomitha ezingama-250 zala mmandla wawuthandwa ziimpuphuma. Kuqalisa ukurhatyela xa isentlango, abantu bayalala yoyi njengoko uloliwe ehamba enqumla kwelo dike lesalt elisoloko lome khonkqo kodwa lizala qhu ngamanzi emva kwemvula. Ngobusuku obuzolileyo isibhakabhaka sizaliswa ziinkwenkwezi. Noko ke, asisavakali isandi sikaloliwe njengakwiminyaka yangaphambili, imizila kaloliwe idibene ukuze kungabiyomfuneko ukusoloko ilungiswa.
Xa ukwintlango yaseAlice Springs kuthi qheke ukusa kuvele umsobomvu. Omnye umhambi uthi: “Lo mbono ukushiya ubamb’ ongezantsi. Ngaphakathi kuloliwe liyavakala ifuthe lelanga. Livela kule ntlango ingumqwebedu imqengqelezi ibanzi, ibhonte-bhonte, iyinkqantsosi neyoyikekayo. Le ntlango ikwenza uzive uthobekile.”
Ukusuka Emaphandleni Ukuya Kweleenjiko
Emva kokuma kancinane emva kwemini eAlice Springs, lo loliwe uqhubeka nohambo lwakhe esinge kwidolophu yaseKatherine aze aye kwisikhululo sakhe sokugqibela eDarwin. ULarry Ierace ongumphathi walo loliwe uthi: “Amakhareji alo loliwe anemitshini yokuzipholisa yala maxesha nto leyo ekwenza kube ngamava amnandi ukuhamba ngaye. Xa bejonge ngaphandle ngefestile zalo loliwe, bakhumbula iinzima neenzingo abatyhubela kuzo abantu abaqala eli phulo.
Ngaphandle kokuba ekhuthaza urhwebo kwaye engomnye wabona loliwe basemagqabini ehlabathini, lo loliwe ucanda phakathi entlango. Intombazana eneminyaka eli-19 ubudala engummi womthonyama walapha eyabona uhambo lokuqala lwalo loliwe ngoFebruwari 2004, yathi: “Andizange ndimbone uloliwe oko ndabona ilanga, mhle ngendlela engathethekiyo.”
[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 25]
Imvelaphi Yeli Gama
UGhan sisishunqulelo segama elithi Afghan Express. Akwaziwa ukuba kwakutheni ukuze lo loliwe athiywe ngokuba yiGhan. Kodwa eli gama lisikhumbuza ngeembacu ezafikela kwintlango yaseOstreliya. Ezi mbacu zazibizwa ngokuba ziiAfghans nangona zazisuka kwiindawo ezinjengeBaluchistan, eYiputa, eMantla EIndiya, ePakistan, ePersi, naseTurkey.
Babesenzisa iinkamela ukuhamba kule ntlango yaye zaziphulaphula xa ziyalelwa kusithiwa hooshta ngokuthi ziphakame okanye zihlale phantsi. Ungcelele lweenkamela ezingama-70 ezithutha abantu nemithwalo zazihamba umgama omalunga neekhilomitha ezintandathu. Kwathi kwakuhanjwa ngezithuthi noololiwe abantu bayeka ukuhamba ngeenkamela. Namhlanje inzala yezo nkamela ebetha kumakhulu amawaka iyabula kulo mbindi wentlango yaseOstreliya.—Funda uVukani! wesiNgesi ka-Aprili 8, 2001, iphepha 16-17.
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 23]
Northern Territory Archives Service, Joe DAVIS, NTRS 573
[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 25]
Train photos: Great Southern Railway