Willis's Walkabouts Newsletter 133, June 2025 ― Does WW Have a Future?

WW 2025 ― Last Chance

Our bookings are the worst they've been for years. I've been told that it's similar across the tourist industry. People aren't booking holidays well in advance in these uncertain times. Without bookings well in advance, we can't run trips. We've already had to cancel a number of trips. More are almost sure to follow.

Definite Departures

• Koolpin to Maguk: 6-17 July. List price: $4295
  Fully booked. Guide: Graeme Spedding.
  This trip is full but we are taking a wait list for people who can make changes at the last minute.
• Mitchell Plateau No. 2: 20 July - 3 August List price: $7995
  Transport includes both light aircraft and helicopters. Two sections, either of which can be done on it's own.
  Special offer: $1500 discount on the full trip or $700 on either section. This is a very small group, running only because the guides were so keen to lead it that they suggested taking a lower wage to make sure it went.
  I've run the numbers and expect the price will have to go up substantially next year.
Cassie's Special trips
• Kakadu Yoga Retreat: 20-26 July. Special conditions apply to this trip.
  Fully booked. We can take a waitlist.
  Contact Cassie direct for more information.
• Kakadu Mindfulness Retreat: 19-27 August. List price: $3650.
  Early bird discount: $2850. Valid until 19 June. Special conditions apply to this trip. Use this link to contact Cassie direct for more information. You'll have to change the subject line.
• Drysdale River: 21 July - 9 August List price: $7500.
  This trip is being run by Sébastien Heritier through his own company, 'No Traces Bushwalking'. Given that you fly to the Mitchell Plateau then take a helicopter to Drysdale River, I can hardly believe the price, cheaper than I could have listed it if I had to pay a full wage.
  Click the bottom left links on the page above for more info.
• Chilean Patagonia: 17 December 2025 - 18 January 2026 Price: $2995
  Fully booked. We have sometimes taken larger groups so we can take a wait list.
  Guides: Judy and Rob Clayton. There are many links & photos so you can see what it will be like.
  Judy was there in January and checked out a number of new things for us.

Need bookings

The following trips are still available but will be cancelled if we don't have enough bookings to run them two weeks after this newsletter goes onto the website.

• Kakadu Highlights No. 7: 24 August - 6 September. List price: $5495
  Two walks, either can be one on its own. This is the only trip in this section which already has bookings.
  Special offer: We will leave the 20% advance purchase discount in effect until two weeks after this newsletter goes onto the website.
• Judbarra/Gregory, Lake Gregory & More: 27 August - 5 or 8 September. Special price: $1795
  New trip. Additional expenses apply. The rain in late May was enough to get me to create a new trip, visiting places I've never been or haven't been to for a very long time. Day packs only. Quite a lot of driving.
• Kakadu Short Overnight: 31 August - 7 September. List price: $3395
  Trip includes two 2-night walks, two cruises, an Aboriginal cultural experience, two nights in accommodation and one in a campground.
• Kakadu Day Walks: 1-5 September List price: $2295.
  Additional expenses apply. Trip includes two cruises, an Aboriginal cultural experience, visits to major art sites and a moderately strenuous walk to a waterfall and plunge pool.
• Kakadu Highlights No. 8: 7-20 September List price: $5295
  Special offer: We will leave the 20% advance purchase discount in effect until two weeks after this newsletter goes onto the website.
  Three sections, any of which of which can be done on it's own. This had been a 'definite' departure, but the person sho guaranteed it had a heart attack and the rest of thr group dropped out.
• Finke Gorge and Watarrka National Parks: 7-20 September. List price: $4795
  Exceptional rain in late May makes this a very good year to visit the Centre.
  Additional expenses apply, details in the notes.
  Special offer. We will leave the 20% advance purchase discount open until 2 weeks after this newsletter goes onto the website.
  Super special offer: $2995 Book this trip along with the Gregory one and the price drops to $2995. No other discounts apply with this offer.

2026 and Beyond

Good news. We have one trip tentatively fully booked.

Southern Africa will be back on the program. Please drop me a line if you might be itnerested.

Bad news. Ever increasing risk aversion and other restrictions could kill half of what we now offer. It's so bad, I've put it in a separate section toward the end of this newsletter.

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Your Health

Our Health System Is Breaking

• Need to see a specialist? You might have to choose between high costs and a long wait. Here's what needs to change
  "Wait times for a free appointment at a public clinic can be months or even years. In Victoria and Queensland, people with an urgent referral ― who should be seen within 30 days ― are waiting many months to see some specialists."

Covid ― Then & Now

• Emails show Melbourne COVID curfew was not based on health advice, opposition says
• Covid's Deadliest Effect Took Five Years to Appear *
  The privatisation of public health. If we're not careful, something similar could happen here in Australia.

To Have Or Not To Have Children

• Fertility drop off with age.
  Women put off having children but few realise that their fertility begins to drop off by the time they are 30.
• There Is One Tried and True Way to Keep Birthrates Falling *
  If we did less shaming of child-free people, could we create a more pro-child culture? This seems counterintuitive, but when people feel judged or coerced, they're more likely to dig in their heels. When name calling starts, it's easy to see it devolve ― the flip side of childless cat ladies is parasite moms. It is notable, of course, that the criticism around low birthrates is targeted at women; though men are involved, they're never the ones insulted.
  Lots of other interesting insights. Well worth a read.
• How Did Having Babies Become Right-Wing? #
  "The government wants to encourage Americans to have more babies. An eclectic male-dominated coalition has some ideas about how. Can they succeed?"
  On the left, natalism is often seen as a form of bigotry. Liberal commentators have argued that it is a nationalist project to outbreed people from other parts of the world. They've argued that it's a racist or eugenicist plot to yield more white, genetically perfect babies. They've argued that it's anti-feminist—stop telling women what to do! ― or, at the extreme, a form of "violence against women."
  We live in an aging society. There is a lot in this article that should make you think. Sometimes, there are no simple answers.
• The Unspoken Grief of Never Becoming a Grandparent *
  A growing number of Americans are choosing not to have children. Their parents are grappling with what that means for them.

Preventative Medicine

• Brain disorders such as dementia are linked to viral infections. Scientists are finding out why
  Researchers found those who received the shingles vaccine were 20 per cent less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who did not receive the vaccine.
  There's a lot more than the above. Well worth the read, especially if you are older.
• How to eat and drink fewer microplastics **
  Scientists are finding microplastics throughout the human body. Here are some simple strategies to limit your exposure.
• Why the WHO has recommended switching to a healthier salt alternative
  The main lower-sodium salt substitute is called potassium-enriched salt. This is salt where some of the sodium chloride has been replaced with potassium chloride.
  Potassium is an essential mineral, playing a key role in all the body's functions. The high potassium content of fresh fruit and vegetables is one of the main reasons they're so good for you. While people are eating more sodium than they should, many don't get enough potassium.
• The Hack That Doctors Should Take From Pop Stars and Quarterbacks *
  Better outcomes for all but it's not currently accepted practice so I suspect is unlikely to be taken up. Besides, it might cost a bit extra in the short term even if it saves money in the longer run.
• Ozempic economics: How GLP-1s will disrupt the economy in 2025 **
  Weight loss drugs are saving lives, shrinking waistlines and shaking up the economy.
  Lots here I hadn't thought about. Well worth the read.
• Surgeon General Calls for Cancer Warnings on Alcohol *
  Dr. Vivek Murthy's report cites studies linking alcoholic beverages to at least seven malignancies, including breast cancer. But to add warning labels, Congress would have to act.
  "alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer, after tobacco and obesity, according to the surgeon general's report." The story differentiates between absolute and relative risk. Absolute risk, as here, is often less scary than the headlines.
  "For example, the absolute risk of breast cancer over a woman's life span is about 11.3 percent (11 out of 100) for those who have less than a drink a week. The risk increases to 13.1 percent (13 of 100 individuals) at one drink a day, and up to 15.3 percent (15 of 100) at two drinks per day. ' A 4% rise in absolute risk is a 35% increase in relative risk. (15.3 is 35% more than 11.3)
• Vaccination rates among Australian teens are dropping. Here's how we can get back on track
  Decline is small but trend is concerning
• Fluoride in drinking water is in the spotlight again. Let's not forget how it transformed our oral health.
  "In 2015, Buffalo, New York removed fluoride from its water supply. Dental problems increased so much parents sued the city for harming their children."
  This story reminds me of my own youth. I grew up in a town where fluoride was not added to the drinking water. I saw the dentist regularly and almost always had a cavity or two that needed repairing. When I went to uni, I roomed with someone who had grown up in a town that had fluoride in the drinking water (I'm not sure whether it was natural or added). He had never had a cavity, but did get one or more when he got to uni and no longer had fluoride in his drinking water.

Organ Transplants

• For Patients Needing Transplants, Hope Arrives on Tiny Hooves *
  "Some scientists are confident that organs from genetically modified pigs will one day be routinely transplanted into humans. But substantial ethical questions remain."
  Some of those questions seem just as applicable to the animals we eat.
• Alabama Woman Receives Nation's Third Pig Kidney Transplant *
  The patient, Towana Looney, was in better health than previous recipients, and her case could signal progress toward solving the organ-supply shortage.

Misc

• Swearing is linked with increased pain tolerance and strength **
  Researchers are working to understand why swearing may help in a number of circumstances, with a major focus on pain, and how it can more effectively be used in a clinical setting.
• Annual Physical Exam: Checklists & What to Expect
• Why Am I So Tired All the Time? *
  Chronic exhaustion is pretty common, but it's also treatable.
• How Virtual Appointments Taught Me to Be a Better Doctor *
• New coeliac disease blood test set to enable diagnosis on gluten-free diets
  It's not here yet but should be relatively soon.

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Corruption

A British Scandal ― Could It Happen Here?

Browse the articles below and decide for yourself.

• The Biggest Peacetime Crime ― and Cover-up ― in British History #
  The serial rape of thousands of English girls went on for many years. Few in power cared. Then Elon Musk started tweeting.
• How the grooming gangs scandal was covered up
  The child victims of rape were denied justice and protection from the state to preserve the image of a successful multicultural society
• Elon Musks Dishonest Demagogy on Grooming Gangs *
• U.K.'s Starmer Slams 'Lies and Misinformation' After Elon Musk Attacks *
  Without naming Mr. Musk directly, Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced the billionaire's spreading of falsehoods about a child sex abuse scandal.

Gambling in Australia

Our politicians are hooked on the money they get as their share of the take so nothing is done to curb the damage it causes. I consider that to be a form of corruption.

• Pokies line the coffers of governments and venues ― but there are ways to tame this gambling gorilla
• The gambling industry has women in its sights. Why aren't policymakers paying attention?
• Gambling in Australia: how bad is the problem, who gets harmed most and where may we be heading?
• Will the government's online gambling advertising legislation ever eventuate? Don't bet on it
  "There is convincing evidence that Australia's world-leading per capita expenditure on gambling and the integral role of sport gambling ads cause harm to a considerable number of people, families and communities."
  "A recent poll found about 72% of those surveyed wanted to ban online gambling ads, while another of AFL fans reported 76% supported television and radio ad bans. Even these more modest reforms did not proceed as anticipated."
  "The reason, it has been widely reported, was heavy lobbying by the sport, media and gambling industries."
  "An Australian Communications and Media Authority report discovered capital city free-to-air television featured 1,381 gambling spots per day between May 2022 and April 2023. Gambling companies spent $162 million on free-to-air television advertising during this period, not including further investment on subscription platforms."

The NT ― Hard to Believe

• Editorial: CLP Government's refusal to investigate Darwin Waterfront Corp finally explained
  Most of the stories are behind a paywall. this one isn't. It's hard to believe that our level of corruption could be any worse. Similar things happen in other states and will continue to happen until we stop giving one of the major parties a majority making them unanswerable to anyone until the next election.
• How an obscure consultancy firm is helping fracking companies influence traditional owners
  Leaked documents claim Good Advice promised private deals, gathered signatures and hired land council members to smooth way for Northern Territory gas sales
• Here's what you wouldn't have known if the NT Independent didn't exist
  The NT Independent has won awards for their journalism. We are all better for it, but I can't help but wonder if I live in the most corrupt state or territory in Australia.

Opportunity Lost

• 3 years on from the 'integrity' election, how is Australia tracking on corruption reforms?
  Australia now has a National Anti-Corruption Commission(NACC), a huge reform for public accountability.
  However, compromises were made on the promised model, most notably that the Commission only has the power to hold public hearings in “exceptional circumstances”.
  The article details of a lot of other reforms I think should be essential. Given the Labor landslide, I don't expect much more. Sadly, I think the only way we'll get true reform and accountability is if we have a minority government where the independents make passing such legislation a condition of their support.

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America

The People's Republic of Manhattan

• The People's Republic of Manhattan #
  It would appear that the probable next mayor of New York city is a left wing version of Donald Trump. As someone who grew up in the New York suburbs, I've been following the campaign. If Zorhan Mamdani does win in November and manages to implement most of the things he's promising, I think New York will be bankrupt in next to no time. We live in interesting times.

Trump

• Niall Ferguson: Donald Trump Is Crushing His To-Do List #
  But is he crushing the economy in the process?
    • "It always shocks me when people say they are shocked by Donald Trump. The president told us exactly what he was going to do. All you had to do was look."
    • "Since his second inauguration, the president has issued no fewer than 211 executive actions (including executive orders, proclamations, and memoranda). Around a quarter of these addressed aspects of the federal government, including seven aimed at curtailing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The rest have been concerned with the economy, energy, immigration, national security, education, foreign policy, and health. Almost all of these actions were prefigured on Trump's campaign website."
    • "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." That is the best of H.L. Mencken's aphorisms in his A Little Book in C Major (1916). It seems highly apposite. Less well-known is another political aphorism in the same book: "The majority always has its way in the end. So does the undertaker. But neither gains in pleasantness by the fact."
    • It's a long article but well worth a read. If you prefer to listen, there's is a link to a podcast near the top.

The Dumbing of America

• Producing Something This Stupid Is the Achievement of a Lifetime *
  "Thirty percent of Americans read at a level that you would expect from a 10-year-old child." He continued, “It is actually hard to imagine ― that every third person you meet on the street has difficulties reading even simple things."
  Scores for children at the top of the distribution are not falling. It's the scores of children toward the bottom that are collapsing. The achievement gap between the top and bottom scorers is bigger in America than in any other nation with similar data.
  My biggest worry is that behavioural change is leading to cultural change. As we spend time on our screens, we're abandoning a value that used to be pretty central to our culture ― the idea that you should work hard to improve your capacity for wisdom and judgment all the days of your life. That education, including lifelong out-of-school learning, is really valuable.
  This value is based on the idea that life is filled with hard choices: whom to marry, whom to vote for, whether to borrow money.
  
• Performance in Reasoning and Problem Solving Tests is Declining
  True for both adults and children.
  These charts show the progressions of two different data sets measuring reasoning skills of teenagers (left chart) and adults (right). Both seem to have started declining in the 2010s.
  That timing suggests possible connections to mobile devices and/or social media. John Burn-Murdoch, who compiled this data, points to something more fundamental: a change in the relationship between our brains and information. We let algorithms choose the topics we engage with, while the shift away from longer articles and books to short, self-contained posts give us pre-packaged thoughts. No critical thinking required.
• Politicians Shouldn't Get to Delete Inconvenient Facts *
  My mind is made up. Don't try and confuse me with the facts.
• This Is the Lecture That the Naval Academy Didn't Want Me to Give #
  We have gotten to a place where even a basic defence of intellectual freedom is now considered 'too political' for a government institution.
  "You can't beat something you don't understand, that you will be better equipped to beat something you understand than something you don't understand. Something you have closed your mind to.
  "almost 400 books have been removed from the Naval Academy library. I suspected at first that it was an April Fools' joke. The idea that the best and brightest stars in the country are seen as too fragile, too easily manipulated, too susceptible to be exposed to works that people don't like or disagree with."
• The New Rules of Podcasting Are Making Our Debates ― and Us ― Dumber #
  I celebrated the rise of new media. What could go wrong with 'democratizing information'? As it turns out, quite a lot. Witness the Douglas Murray and Dave Smith debate.
    •"in the entertainment world, words do not have meanings, they have feelings. And thanks to the woke left's misuse of the word Nazi for the last decade, in Podcastistan the term is not a descriptive label, but a vague, meaningless insult used to cancel people."
    •"arguments are then judged not on whether they are true, but on whether they sound true."
    •the world of entertainment is not driven by truth-seeking, and the claim that someone’s ideas are false is no longer an effective critique. Podcastistan is a place where people scold the mainstream media for failing to live up to their standards on honesty and accuracy while having none of their own.
  Highly recommended

Worth Remembering

• The Zionism of Martin Luther King #
  As a shaky peace settles over Israel once more, it is imperative for all who believe in democracy to remember King's words: "Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality."
• Letter From a Birmingham Museum This has been republished every year since it first came out.
  Some people want to forget history. We do so at our peril.

Electricity Transmission ― USA vs Australia

• America's Transmission Shortage
  Transmission capacity growth is falling, not rising. It's nowhere near the pace needed to reach the Energy Department's 2030 and 2035 targets.
  This has nothing to do with the energy sources. Whether renewable or fossil fuel, it still needs a way to reach energy consumers. This could be a big problem.
• When I read the above, I wondered what it was like here in Australia. Same problem.
  Australia's Transmission Shortage
  It gets worse.
  Australia needs tradies and materials to build the power grid of the future. So where are they?
  Everyone wants a white collar job. Wait a few years and the tradies will be able to hold the rest of us to ransom.

Misc

• Tourism to the US is tanking. Flight Centre is facing a $100m hit as a result
  Tourism is not just a big part of the economy; it's also a soft power, shaping how the world perceives a nation through its culture, values and hospitality. Every visitor who feels unwelcome, scrutinised or disappointed is not just a lost sale, but a lost connection.
  Research group Tourism Economics forecasts the US could lose up to US$10 billion in international travel spending in 2025 if current trends continue. And while manufacturing job announcements grab headlines, the slow erosion of America's tourism brand may leave a longer, deeper scar on its culture, its communities and its place in the world.
• How the US 'war on woke' and women risks weakening its own military capability
  Despite Pete Hegseth's claim to be increasing "warfighting"capability, then, there is a real chance the move will decrease operational effectiveness, situational awareness and problem solving in conflict situations.
• DOGE Is Making It Harder to Track Extreme Weather. What Could Go Wrong? *
• The Intellectual Godfathers of Protectionism #
  Once shunned, globalization's doubters turned out to be right about its destructive economic and social consequences. What do they think of what Trump is doing?
  Links to a podcase if you prefer to listen
  "If there was any doubt that America had put its security at risk in allowing the Chinese to take over so much manufacturing, Covid put it to rest. A closer look showed that the U.S. needed China to build its ships, to gain access to rare-earth minerals, to export its semiconductors and literally thousands of other necessary products. The real world had shoved economic theory aside."
  Foroohar, who has written several anti-globalization books, put it to me this way: "People finally woke up to the fact that 80 percent of our supply chain had been outsourced to our biggest strategic rival."
• The Trump White House and the New Opium Wars #
  The unravelling of U.S.–China economic ties echoes a darker chapter of history, when a trade dispute between the East and the West escalated into the First Opium War.
  "Afterward, Europe's perception of China changed. It was no longer seen as a splendid empire commanding respect, but as a paper tiger ripe for exploitation. China paid the price for rejecting trade collaboration and underestimating the will and capabilities of newcomers. At the same time, China's elites suffered from an opium addiction that only compounded the corruption that was eating away at the empire from the inside."
  There is an echo in America's fentanyl crisis today, albeit in reverse: China makes the precursor chemicals that Mexican smugglers turn into the opium of the 21st century. Which prompts the question: As we begin our own trade war with China, it's worth wondering which role America is playing in this story. Are we a rising power like the British at the end of the 18th century? Or are we like the Qing Dynasty, imposing and intimidating to outsiders, but hollowed out and corrupted within?
• America Loves an Anti-Elite Elite #
  Donald Trump is not the first president who has promised to drain the swamp ― just look at the man on the $20 bill.
  Interesting historical perspective few will be aware of.

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Wondrous Wildlife

• A century after its discovery, scientists capture first confirmed footage of a colossal squid in the deep
  Story includes a short video
• We found the only kangaroo that doesn't hop ― can teach us how roos evolved their quirky gait
• Wildlife on our trips Viewing the wildlife is always part of our trips. Sometimes it's amazing.
  • Omaruru Game park, Namibia
    Now a wholy 'natural' experience, but there is something magical about hand feeding the African wildlife.
  • Limmen & Lorella Wildlife
    This was the fourth year in a row I've gone there. That says how special it is. We hope to do something similar next year.
  • Kurrung Kunumeleng in Kakadu
  • Mamukala Billabong, Kakadu
    You can see sights like this only during the 'Build Up'

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Stop Press

The Iran War

The war is changing our world in ways we cannot foresee. You may have seen a lot in the mainstream press. Here are a few articles that might give you a different perspective. Whether or not you agree with them, it's always good to know what other people are thinking.

• Niall Ferguson: Israel's Attack Restores the Credibility of the West #
  A blow for the good guys in Cold War II.
• From Geopolitical Futures, How Israel Took Iran Off-Guard
  "The ongoing Israeli campaign against Iran, code-named Rising Lion, shows that Iran ― which continuously brags about its technological achievements, cyber and military intelligence, and information analysis ― failed not only to anticipate the Israeli offensive but also to prevent Israel's Mossad intelligence agency from penetrating deep into the country."
• How the Iran Strikes Seal Netanyahu's Legacy #
  One or two nuclear bombs would destroy Israel ― the "second Holocaust" Bibi has always feared. And what he has been determined to stop—no matter the cost.
• Donald Trump Sides with Israel ― and Rejects the Restrainers #
  'What happens next will define Trump's presidency,' said Tucker Carlson today. He doesn't know how right he is.
• My Terrorists Face Judgment Day #
  For most people, the commanders Israel has just eliminated will be foreign names. For me and for the people of Iran they are the monsters who have terrorized our families.
• As war breaks out with Israel, Iran has run out of good options
• Did Iran Just Sneak Out Critical Nuclear Material from Fordow? #
  Before the U.S. struck, 16 cargo trucks entered the fortified mountain complex and moved unidentified equipment to another location.
• Do all Iranians hate the regime? Hate America? Life inside the country is much more complex and nuanced
  If the regime should fall, no one knows what would replace it. One would hope it would be better, but it might not.

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