How important are the Indigenous people tothe experiences Gordan has when he is at Cape Don in the novel 1988?

I think they're incredibly important. But, I think they're set up to be incredibly important and life-changing experiences that Gordon screws up and ruins. 

Gordon’s life becomes increasingly wretched. His writing has stagnated, his body is falling apart, and his mind is a shambles. This mirrors the ending of Praise, but here there is a small glimmer of hope in the form of the trip to Cobourg with Allan Price and the rest of the Gurig clan. McGahan isn’t one to ram a theme down your throat, but he seems to be suggesting that the lifestlyle (and perhaps spirituality) of the Aboriginals is preferable to the ennui and self-destruction of the whites.

1988: you'd think reading about other people's incredibly pointless lives (6 months spent drinking at a remote weather station) would make me feel better about my own, but i just ended up feeling even more sluggish. it was somehow an enjoyable read though, despite the many incidents that were built up to be potential life-altering, character-building moments, which the protagonist then either messed up or just ignored. i'm not sure if the ending was meant to be hopeful or just another such non-event. it was vaguely similar to bright lights, big city in that regard, actually.