Falklands Quest Tour

This was our day to fly to Darwin, a small settlement on the mainland of East Falklands. Our hosts Keith and Fiona live there at Darwin House where we were booked for the next two days. It is a large, rambling two story house with lovely views of the surrounding countryside and waters. In whichever direction you looked you were rewarded with large patches of yellow gorse. Gorse was introduced from the U.K. and thrives in the Falklands, but is very intrusive and has a root system that defies removal.

After lunch we hiked along the shoreline to the next settlement of Goose Green. Along the way we passed one of the uncleared minefields left behind by the Argentines from the 1982 war. Apparently some of the mines may never be removed since they are made of plastic and can only be found by probing - which can be a hazardous undertaking.

At Goose Green we had tea and cookies at the local diner, 'The Galley'.

We had arranged to be picked up by Keith who then offered to take us on a side tour to the Bodie Creek Bridge. This bridge, which as span of 400 feet, was built in 1924 by the Falkland Islands Co. to facilitate the movement of sheep to the shearing sheds at Goose Green from outlying farms and eliminated a three day walk for the sheep. This is the southernmost suspension bridge in the world and deserves its place in history, but due to its deteriorating condition has been closed since 1997. It is only 8 feet wide and was not designed for vehicular traffic, although vehicles did use it at times. There is no road leading to the bridge, just the tracks made by Land Rovers and other vehicles traveling to the bridge from Goose Green. Local people who care about their past are not looking forward to its eventual fate - falling into the creek below.