From the recording Wandering Whilst Im Wondering
10 Miles out is a song about my hometown of Roebourne in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
It’s a small town on Ngarluma Ngurra, mainly an Aboriginal town but has many people come and go from living there over the decades, blackfellas, whitefellas, Asians, Maori family’s and everyone in-between. A lot of people enjoy coming back and visiting, asking for old friends that may or may not still be around.
It has a long history, also being the oldest town between Geraldton and Darwin, so our families have a long association with the place and surrounding areas going back generations in their families.
It’s a town by the river, it’s a town by the hill.
Many people have come and gone, but this is my home still.
Lyrics
Finally, I see some hills, I’m ten miles out of Roebourne
I’m heading home, been away too long, been away too long
I look around I see familiar faces, all my friends I left behind
Some things have changed, other have stayed the same
In this old town
I’m ten miles out of Roebourne, I’ve been away too long
I wonder if people will know me, has it been that long?
Standing on the hill, overlooking my great country
Rolling hill and spinifex plains, as far as your eyes can see
Town by the river, town by the hill,
many people have come and gone
But this is my home still
You know its good to see you,
after all these years
And its good to see that time has treated you well
Yirramagardu
Yirramagardu