….next description of my trip from an email to a friend.

“The road traveller is at Bendigo at the moment. 🙂 Not exactly where I expected to be, but accommodation shortages channeled me here.

Lightening Ridge was beautiful. The soft cloak of green was spectacular. I decided to go to Bourke to have a look at the land since they had 10 inches of rain 2 weeks ago. It was phenomenal. Water everywhere. I could feel everything was relieved. I could also see the struggle of life though. Trees with dead extremities with fluffy green half way along their limbs, determined not to succumb to thirst. Some trees were just skeletons, but most were really flourishing. It is phenomenal to realise how such a thin strand of existence can hold on until the rain comes.

I stopped t Cobar in a funny daggy motel. Cheapie, clean, and I was the only one there. Outback towns are struggling with tourism at the moment. No –one is driving around. Buses have cancelled their tours. Cobar pool was fabulous. The local radio was broadcast from grey speakers high on the posts, toddlers were squealing under falling sprays of water, teens were bomb diving at the deep end, lap swimmers – stroke after stroke going up and down the vinyl black line, and adults were in clumps laughing and chatting about the rain. It was such a lovely atmosphere.

I decided to take the dirt road to Ivanhoe. It took me 3 and 1/2 hours to do 230 kms. Such a challenging drive, but probably the best I have ever done. The red land was beautiful. The ditches made by trucks in the soft dirt and the corrugations seemed insignificant compared with the beautiful country. Wedge tailed eagles, emus, brown speckled goannas, rough scaled lizards , and a beautiful big white feather blew across the road just in front of me.

I haven’t had the radio or my cd’s playing. The only sound in the car is the road noise of the tyres, the occasional thump of a pothole, – and my thoughts. When I stop, as soon as I open the car door, another realm of sound becomes apparent. Melodies from the leaves, and morse code of crickets and grasshoppers as they flick from spears of grasses and bombard my legs. Along the road to Ivanhoe the westerly wind was strong. I stopped the car and got out. It was amazing. Driving along I don’ notice the sounds of the bush. All that is missed unless I stop. I closed my eyes and it sounded like the rolling of surf as the waves slid up the sand, just like at night lying listening to the waves across the esplanade when we were at a beach house for the holidays. The wind came in sets. Building then abating. The birds let the wind speak, and then when it was their turn they did their thing. Communities of nests and chatters clumped sporadically across the land. There was also silence. I have never felt so far from anywhere as along this road. It was beautiful.

I thought I would top up my fuel at Ivanhoe. The population of 330 were at Ron Stanmores funeral – a note was on the shop, and sure enough, just up the road, hankies and black suits and Akubras. 5km left on my trip info got me to Hay. 🙂

Deniliquin was quiet. Saturday afternoon with nothing open was quite lovely really. The thought of people home with their families, doing their jobs or laughing with friends and family was so much nicer than having all the retail open with us all buying more stuff that we didn’t need, and people working all week without connection time.

What a boring drive around Hay. Desperate country with parched land, pastures replaced with prickles. I was aiming for Echuca, hmm, Celtic festival left no beds, Rochester?, Annual Show, Elmore 4 rooms attached to the pub, Bendigo – concert and Olive festival. Found the last bed in town. Dumpy but clean and somewhere to have a sleep, so all is good and I’m on my way to Melb today.”