A Rough Welcome

Many people we've met along the way, Australians and travelers alike, describe the drive from the east coast to the Red Centre and back out without much enthusiasm. The road was rumored to be treeless, flat and completely lacking in points of interest. All of the rumors are true, but there is definitely novelty in exploring the outback for the first time. The roads are indeed the opposite of our coastal and country drives, but each stretch of road and each small town has its own feeling and its own characters. We drove west from Townsville to a town called Hughenden, a town similar to all the others we would come across--fuel station, caravan park, last month's magazines.

We stopped at a decent looking park, drove through the grounds and pulled back up to the reception where we were greeted by the owner who had come chasing after us on his scooter, "What the f**k are you doing? There's a f**king English stop sign right there!" Obviously perturbed by the fact that we drove through his camp after noting that he was absent from the reception, we calmly explained that since he was not in the office upon our arrival, we took a little look around. After realizing we hadn't destroyed his park in our little look-see, he calmed a bit, and we settled in for the night. Seeing as he placed us in the only area of the park that was muddy and adjacent to the trash cans, we moved to a better spot after dark. Most parks, big or small, will upgrade you or put you in the best spot of the numbers are low--not the status quo for this guy. At 6:40 am the next morning we heard footsteps in the gravel behind our van, and as the back door was open, mosquito net dutifully attached, we ducked low so as not to be observed by the passerby. "What the f**K are yous doing over here? I put you over there! You have been a f**king pain in my ass since you got here!" He was back. Both shocked into being awake, we washed up and got out of there. It took over an hour before either of US were able to talk--a rough welcome to the outback. For the next 3 days, we averaged about 600 ks a day, passing through towns boasting marine dinosaur fossils and the record for Australia's hottest day--127.5 F, but it was this crazy guy that most impressed us.

To see photos of the Outback, please click me