Derain accompanied Chloe, Tanya, and the group to the pool in the Blue Mountains in April 2025. Everyone wanted to be there. It was predicted to be a watershed event in the life of the now very well-established community.
'There aren't enough horses for everyone,' said Chloe. 'We could take about fifty people, but that's too many. Fourteen's the number, plus Tanya and me. We'll decide by ballot, apart from a few.'
Derain was asked his opinion. 'Same as first trip, too many people there last one, two years. Ancestor not like it so much.'
The Bandstand was asked to fill four places, as they did on the first trip. Roger, Rachel, and Kim were also allocated places. The other seven were allocated by age group ballot, so one person each from ages thirteen to nineteen were selected. There was some grumbling, but most accepted the procedure was fair.
David was asked if he wanted to take part in, perhaps, the last visit to the pool before the collapse of the Ice Shelf.
'There's no need,' he said. 'I've been there many times with Derain. He told me roughly what time the moon will emerge and strike Tanya standing on the rock. We can arrange a barbecue on the parade ground and be with you all in spirit.'
The group were now very experienced in the bush; setting off very early one morning, travelling light, since they were only to spend the night at the sacred pool. The sun was setting just as they arrived at the pool and camp was efficiently and quickly set up. Derain met a contingent of fifteen from his village at the pool.
There was an enormous air of expectation among the group.
'It would be smart to have finished dinner by eight thirty,' said Tanya.
Derain was quite unconcerned. 'Moon come up when moon come up, makes no difference if you eat then or not.'
Nine o'clock came and went. Then nine fifteen. By nine thirty there was some fidgeting among the contingent from The Settlement. At ten o'clock, Derain and the Aborigines performed a dance in front of Tanya, lasting about thirty minutes.
'What's going on?' asked Chloe.
Tanya concentrated on the ritual. Halfway through the dance she stripped off and swam to the rock. Effortlessly, she drew herself up on the rock, facing the group, as the moon emerged and bathed her nakedness in its unearthly, ethereal light.
The group silently watched, as the Aboriginal dance continued. Tanya was about to dive off the rock, when she saw the distinct shape of a crocodile in the water. She quickly looked over at Derain. He had his eyes closed and appeared to be in some sort of a trance. A feeling of intense euphoria came over Tanya as she realised there was no danger, so she dived off the rock and swam twice around the pool as she had done now for seven years in a row. There were some shrieks from The Settlement group as they saw the crocodile swim alongside her, but make no move to touch her. It then disappeared as Tanya emerged from the water to dry off and dress.
'My God, my God,' said Chloe, shivering, as she touched Tanya all over as if to make sure she was alive. 'I really thought you were done for! Didn't you see the croc?'
'Oh yes, I saw it all right,' answered Tanya, as the rest of the group gathered around. 'Somehow, I knew there was no danger.'
The Aborigines had all melted away into the night. There was excited chatter from the group, who were far too animated to contemplate sleep.
'Where have they all gone?' asked Rachel, expressing the group's curiosity.
'We should wait and see,' said Tanya. 'Most of this has never happened before. They will come back, probably at dawn. Tonight is obviously seen as a very special occasion.'
The chatter continued for another two hours after which they all fell into bed except for those on watch. Tanya shared her tent with Chloe. There was no need for supervision anymore as the group ran the camp competently.
'I think that having sixteen of their own people at the pool tonight was a sign of equality and a willingness to share this land,' Tanya said to Chloe. 'They believe the floods will completely change the fortunes of the wider Aboriginal community.'
'How on earth do you know all that?'
Tanya shrugged, 'I just do.'
'Does that mean trouble for The Settlement?'
'I don't think so. It is more of a live and let live sign.'
They were having breakfast as the dawn broke when all sixteen of the Aboriginal group appeared out of the half-light.
Derain came to Tanya and said, 'Waters will rise three hundred and sixty-five days from today. This is the word of our ancestor.'
'That means April 25th 2026,' said Tanya.
'Anzac Day,' said Chloe. 'Extraordinary!'
'The Ice Shelf will probably collapse about a week earlier than that around mid-April 2026. So now we know,' added Tanya.
Some of the group surrounded Derain. They all knew him well from his bush craft expeditions.
'Crocodile?' said Derain in a genuinely disbelieving voice. 'There was no crocodile.'
'Yes there was. We all saw it swim around the pool with Tanya.'
'No, too much cold for crocodile here, definitely no crocodile.' He did not seem to be joking and was quite certain.
'There was definitely a crocodile swimming beside me,' said Tanya.
A confused Derain began an animated discussion within his group. They then came and prostrated themselves in front of Tanya.
'What's all this about?' asked Tanya as the hairs on the back of her neck stood out.
'This ancestor, not crocodile,' said Derain. 'Will look after you always. This very big sign. Maybe happen only once before, long ago, long ago.'
The conversation and arguments went on for some hours and the group decided to stay another night at the pool.
Derain and his people had left when Tanya emerged from her sleeping bag before dawn.
At the community meeting the following day, Kim, Rachel, and Roger described all the usual and unusual events at the pool. Most people were by now quite used to the naked images of Tanya appearing after these visits and took no notice. But in all the pictures from the trip, there was no sign of the crocodile. The whole group, including Tanya and the ever-sceptical Chloe, swore they had seen it in the pool with Tanya.
'Anyway, we now have a date for the collapse of the Ice Shelf. We, as a community, must really focus on that and make absolutely sure we have done all that we need to help us survive into the future. There are community people regularly travelling to places outside, and we have people at university in Sydney and elsewhere. Individuals will have to make their own choices, but I would suggest the whole community should be safely back here no later than the end of March 2026. That will give some leeway for mistakes in the forecast.'
Over the next few months, Tanya tried unsuccessfully to persuade her police contact and friend George and her Aunt Cara to move to The Settlement.
Cara paid one visit but said afterwards, 'I'm too old to move to such a place. If it happens, then I will die here among people I know.'
George wouldn't even visit.