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  Bindi Wildlife Adventures 09: Lost!

  ePub ISBN 9781742743028

  Kindle ISBN 9781742743035

  A Random House book

  Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  Level 3, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney NSW 2060

  www.randomhouse.com.au

  First published by Random House Australia in 2011

  Copyright © Australia Zoo 2011

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Random House Australia.

  Addresses for companies within the Random House Group can be found at www.randomhouse.com.au/offices.

  National Library of Australia

  Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry

  Author: Irwin, Bindi, 1998–

  Title: Lost / Bindi Irwin, Jess Black

  ISBN: 978 1 86471 854 6 (pbk.)

  Series: Irwin, Bindi, 1998– Bindi wildlife adventures; 9.

  Target audience: For primary school age

  Other authors/contributors: Black, Jess

  Dewey number: A823.4

  Cover photograph © Australia Zoo

  Cover and internal design by Christabella Designs

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Imprint Page

  Dear Diary

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Animal Fact File

  Bindi Books

  Become a Wildlife Warrior!

  Bindi and Robert stood back from the rock-shelter, staring at the distinctive stripes running down the tiger’s back.

  ‘He’s out of this world!’ cried Robert, admiring the ancient painting on the rock’s surface.

  Their Aboriginal friend, DJ, laughed. ‘You’re right, Robert, he is out of this world, considering he’s extinct!’

  ‘I didn’t know Tasmanian tigers had ever lived as far north as the Northern Territory,’ said Bindi, surprised.

  ‘They sure did!’ answered DJ, with enthusiasm. ‘The Tassie tiger, or thylacine, once lived all over Australia. Aboriginal rock art like this is very cool because not only does it mean a lot of different things to Aboriginal people, it’s also more than just art for tourists and non-Indigenous Australians. It’s a historical record as well.’

  Terri Irwin smiled at DJ’s dad, Tommy Yibarbul, who was an old friend and lectured in Indigenous art at the university in Darwin. ‘He’s becoming a chip off the old block, Tommy.’

  Tommy grinned. ‘Yep, DJ loves an audience.’

  The Irwins took a few more moments to study the Indigenous rock painting of the tiger. It was one of many paintings they had seen that morning, but this one struck a particular chord with the family. They had been in Kakadu National Park for only a few hours and already their heads were filled with wonder at this incredible place.

  ‘Why did the thylacine die off on the mainland but still live in Tassie?’ asked Bindi.

  ‘Nobody knows for sure,’ answered DJ, vaguely. He was eager for them to move on to the next painting, but when he noticed the disappointment on his friends’ faces, he continued. ‘Well, they were probably hunted for food, and they had major competition from dingoes. I doubt those two species got on well,’ he offered.

  The Irwins were spending a few days with Tommy and DJ. Their people, the Bininj, were some of the original custodians of the land in Kakadu and they were the perfect tour guides to lead Terri, Bindi and Robert around the Ubirr rock art galleries.

  DJ and Bindi walked on ahead. The boy gave his friend a good-natured nudge. ‘It’s good to see you again, Bindi.’

  ‘Likewise!’ exclaimed Bindi.

  As they walked, Bindi assessed her friend. It was really good to see DJ again. It had been a while. Their families had been on lots of camping trips together when they were little but, despite the children being penpals, it had been years since they had actually hung out.

  DJ was a few months older than Bindi, but he was so sure of himself that he seemed much older, and was happy to treat her like a younger sister. Tall, with a mop of dark hair that hung over his eyes, today he was dressed in dark denim jeans, a skate shirt and a cotton hoodie. He was fun to be around, and whenever he and Bindi were together, they always managed to get into trouble.

  Tommy drew the Irwins’ attention to the next painting. It was a freshwater crocodile. ‘If you look closely at the croc’s markings, you can see he’s painted in the large naturalistic style of the pre-estuarine period.’

  The others stared back with blank expressions. Animal names they understood, but now Tommy was speaking a different language!

  DJ laughed. ‘Allow me to translate. Dad means that this piece of rock art is about 20,000 years old.’

  ‘Now that’s really old,’ said Bindi.

  Tommy nodded. ‘Kakadu’s human history dates back at least 50,000 years. It’s an ancient place.’

  As Bindi listened to Tommy talk, she gazed down from the top of the rock escarpment. The view of the grasslands below was incredible. She noticed a cute little chestnut-quilled rock pigeon hopping about as he foraged for food. The pigeon was startled by a young woman hurrying along the gravel path. As she drew closer, Bindi could tell that the woman had been crying. Bindi scrambled down to meet her.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Bindi asked.

  The young woman shook her head. She wiped the tears from her eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke in a strong German accent. ‘Nein. I mean, no. I don’t know what to do! My boyfriend began a hike yesterday and he has still not returned. He’s never done this before! They have organised a search for him!’

  Bindi felt bad for the woman and her boyfriend. The Australian bush could be scary and dangerous if you were unfamiliar with it. She smiled encouragingly. ‘My name’s Bindi. I’m visiting here too, but from Beerwah in Queensland. I’m sure the rangers will find your boyfriend.’

  The woman distractedly shook Bindi’s outstretched hand. She looked to be about twenty years old, with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail.

  ‘My name is Ines. You don’t understand. I don’t know whether to call home or not … I am very frightened!’ With fresh tears streaming down her face, Ines quickly walked away in the direction of the rangers’ station.

  Bindi turned back to the others who had followed her down from the rocks and had overheard the conversation. ‘I think we should join the search party.’

  DJ nodded his agreement. ‘It’s a bit of a worry if he’s had a night in the bush already. I agree with Bindi, we’d better help!’

  DJ began followi
ng Ines towards the rangers’ station. Bindi raced to catch up with him. For the two friends, it was as if no time had passed at all. They were back to having adventures together, although this time the adventure seemed a little more grown up!

  Kakadu National Park was huge, and a daunting place to look for a lost tourist. It stretched through flood plains and lowland hills, up to the high sandstone cliffs of the Arnhem Land escarpment, and down to the rugged stone country in the south of the park.

  Ines’s boyfriend, who was called Jonas, had only started his trek the day before, so the head ranger decided the search party would focus on the surrounding woodland area, made up mostly of eucalyptus trees and tall grass. It certainly looked like a place it might be easy to get lost in.

  The search party included five park rangers, seven local volunteers, the Irwins, DJ, Tommy and Ines. Ines had given the group a description of her boyfriend and told them what he had been wearing before he set out. Bindi tried to picture the young man. He was described as being in his early twenties with scruffy fair hair, pale skin and blue eyes. He was wearing a red short-sleeved shirt with a collar, beige cargo pants and black hiking boots.

  After a briefing from the head ranger, the search party fanned out across the area in groups of twos and threes. Each group carried a walkie-talkie, a map, water bottles and snacks to sustain them until they regrouped at lunchtime.

  Bindi and DJ did their best to distract Ines from worrying too much about Jonas. Robert wasn’t helping matters by listing all the names of venomous snakes in the park.

  ‘What brought you to Kakadu?’ Bindi asked the backpacker as she handed her a bottle of water.

  Ines gratefully took the drink. June might be considered cold weather time in Kakadu but Ines thought the temperature of thirty degrees was very warm, especially as it was only ten o’clock in the morning. ‘We are both studying plants, and this area has such a, how do you say, diversity of plants. I like to draw the plants and Jonas photographs them.’

  Bindi’s eyes lit up. ‘That’s so cool. There’s so much beauty here, I wouldn’t know where to begin. You must have sketched heaps.’

  ‘Yes.’ Ines gave a half-smile but looked troubled again as her thoughts drifted back to her boyfriend.

  DJ tried desperately to think of something to say. ‘Did you guys know that the name Kakadu comes from the mispronunciation of “Gagadju”, which is the name of one of the languages people speak in the park?’

  Ines shook her head, distracted. ‘This is fascinating but I can’t stop thinking something bad has happened to Jonas.’

  Bindi exchanged a glance with DJ before she tried to reassure Ines the best she could. ‘We don’t know that for sure.’

  Ines’s eyes welled up again with tears and she stopped to take a deep breath. ‘Jonas is a very experienced hiker. He had food and water with him. For him not to come back must mean that he is hurt.’

  Bindi frowned. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll find him.’

  Despite Bindi’s best efforts, Ines was becoming more and more panicked. ‘But will he be okay? He’s had a whole night alone in the Australian bush. You have snakes here, crocodiles … It’s a dangerous place.’

  Ines was right, the bush could be unsafe, but that was no reason to panic. Bindi reached up and placed an encouraging hand on Ines’s shoulder. She suddenly looked much older than her twelve years. ‘Most so-called dangerous animals just want to be left alone and won’t attack unless they feel threatened.’

  Ines was startled by the change in Bindi’s tone.

  DJ laughed. ‘Ines, you’re talking to an authority on Australia’s native animals. You better believe what Bindi has to say.’

  Ines looked confused. ‘Is this so? But you are just a little girl.’

  Bindi nodded seriously. ‘When it comes to wildlife I’m older than I look.’

  With DJ’s help, Bindi managed to put Ines more at ease. But she and DJ shared a knowing look. Who knew what had really happened to Ines’s boyfriend? The sooner they found him, the better!

  An hour later the search party was still scouting the area. Robert was very keen to help find the German tourist but there was so much to see at Kakadu. The National Park was included on the World Heritage List for its amazing cultural and natural resources. There were many different types of mammals, birds and reptiles but Robert was particularly interested to hear that there were more than twenty-five species of frogs living in the area.

  As far as Robert was concerned, Kakadu was like Jurassic Park, but for frogs, not dinosaurs. It wasn’t as though people discovered new species every day, but it did happen in Kakadu. He had seen three different types of frogs that morning. Unfortunately they had all already been discovered.

  ‘You are a beaut example of your species.’ Robert crouched down by a dried-up waterhole and turned to a brown tree frog who was watching him. ‘I know there are species of frogs here that nobody has ever seen, so why don’t you let me know where they are?’

  The amphibian eyeballed Robert.

  ‘Come on,’ he coaxed, ‘I can be trusted.’

  But the frog continued to look at the boy suspiciously, giving nothing away. Robert wasn’t impressed. Here he was on the brink of a major scientific discovery and the wildlife wasn’t coming to the party.

  ‘Robert!’ called Bindi, for what felt like the tenth time. They were meant to be looking for Jonas but she was spending most of her time keeping tabs on her little brother.

  An exasperated Bindi peered down from the rock she was standing on. ‘Robert Irwin! We’ll never find Jonas if I have to keep track of you all the time!’

  Robert gave a small sigh as he rejoined his sister. ‘I’m sorry, Bindi. I want to find Jonas too but I also have some frogs that need my attention.’

  Bindi shook her head in amusement. It was difficult to stay cross with her brother for long.

  Robert decided DJ might be able to help with the frog hunt. ‘Tell me more about the lizards and frogs around here. Do you think I might be able to discover a new species?’

  DJ shrugged. ‘I’m not sure but Dad would know.’

  Robert sped off in the direction of Terri and Tommy who were searching nearby.

  Bindi groaned, ‘Uh, oh, we’ve lost him again!’

  Ines stepped in. ‘I’ll keep an eye on the boy. I want to check in with the others anyway.’

  Bindi knew Robert couldn’t get into too much trouble with Ines watching. ‘Okay. DJ and I will keep following this creek bed.’

  The children moved off in the direction of the dried-up creek and continued their search. Bindi looked over at DJ. ‘Remember that time we hid from our folks to avoid bathtime?’

  DJ laughed. ‘We were, what, about five years old? We thought we were so clever hiding in the cupboard under the stairs until we accidentally locked ourselves in!’

  ‘I seem to remember it was your idea, DJ. I also seem to remember we got sent to bed very early that night!’ They both laughed.

  The two friends walked on in companionable silence when, all at once, Bindi stopped and stood quite still. She cocked her head to one side. ‘Did you hear that?’

  DJ listened. Aside from the usual chatter of birdlife and the chorus of nearby frogs all he could hear were the distant calls for Jonas from the search party. ‘You might need to be more specific.’

  A sulphur-crested cockatoo in a nearby paperbark tree let out a loud squawk.

  ‘There!’ Bindi pointed to the bird.

  ‘You mean that fella?’ asked DJ. Bindi nodded.

  The cockatoo let out another squawk and flew to a different tree a few metres in front of where Bindi and DJ were standing. The bird turned its head towards the friends and fanned its yellow crest as if trying to gain their attention.

  Bindi began jogging in the direction of the cockatoo, indicating for DJ to follow. She tried not to get her hopes up in case it turned out to be nothing, but some instinct told her to listen to this bird.

  She called back to DJ, ‘Cockatoos
are very clever creatures, and they’re good at communicating. I think it’s trying to tell us something.’

  ‘Errrkk!’ The cockatoo let out another loud shriek as it hopped from one foot to the other on a low branch in a nearby tree. It was a very handsome-looking member of the parrot family with a dark grey, almost black, bill. It kept flapping about while it jumped and seemed very proud of the yellow wash that ran down the underside of its wings.

  ‘What a show-off!’ observed DJ.

  ‘Takes one to know one,’ giggled Bindi.

  DJ pretended to be hurt. ‘Unfair.’

  Bindi turned her attention back to their new feathered friend. ‘It’s definitely persistent. Don’t you think it’s going to a lot of trouble to get our attention?’

  Bindi continued walking in the direction of the cockatoo and motioned for DJ to follow. ‘Let’s see what happens when we approach it.’

  The cockie began to nod its head up and down as it watched the children draw near. The bird didn’t seem the least bit shy. ‘Erk! Erk!’ Its head bobbed up and down and its crest fanned out beautifully.

  Bindi and DJ stood beneath the tree the cockatoo was perched in and looked up. ‘Now what?’ Bindi asked.

  Before DJ could answer, the cockatoo flew into the air with a screech and landed in another tree. It was in the opposite direction to where the search was being conducted.

  ‘It wants us to follow,’ announced Bindi, with certainty.

  ‘It sure looks that way,’ agreed DJ.

  Bindi was unsure of what they should do. ‘We shouldn’t leave the others. We don’t have a walkie-talkie or a phone with us.’

  DJ dismissed her concerns with a wave. ‘I know this place like the back of my hand. It will only take a minute to see what this fella wants to show us.’