At journey’s end

First posted on January 9, 2013

This little road trip wouldn’t have happened without Joseph’s off-the-cuff invitation to his family party when I couldn’t make his 'friends' party in Brisbane. And it wouldn’t have been the same had Alison & James not shown me such hospitality in Canberra. The kindness of strangers along the way lifted the spirits of this solo traveller. Thank you to dear friends and to angel strangers.

I set out with no plan other than to see some country NSW towns. I wondered at the wisdom of it – being both hot and holidays, when so many places would likely be closed. Yes, the heat was tiring at times, but not paralysingly so. That places were closed turned out not to matter. Seeing all the old buildings, not-ripped-down rather than preserved probably, was a beautiful sight. Pressed metal ceilings too, to shop verandahs and hotel doorways. Going inside any of them wouldn’t have improved on that – they would have been gutted and made over for modern day usage, or else they would have been empty and dusty, no longer in use at all. That Canowindra had been used as a film location caught my eye, but any one of the smaller towns could be similarly used.

I was amazed at how much new housing was being built in a number of places, both small towns and the outskirts of Canberra, which is changing rapidly. In just about all of these I was struck by the craziness of their design. No eaves, no verandahs. The wide eaves and extensive verandahs on the old homes are not only beautiful but practical. The new places have the harsh sun beating down on them without protection. You don’t notice it quite so much in suburbia but a farmhouse in the middle of a paddock … they’re building themselves ovens, not homes.

There was water in dams and rivers. Evidence of broken drought? Or a superficial gloss on a still present threat. Similarly, the towns looked mostly comfortable, if not prosperous. But does the town recovery mask still existent pain on the land? Doing a drive through as I did, even at a slower pace than those passing through quickly on their way to Sydney or beyond, you really can’t tell, only hope.

But after 2,485.6km door-to-door, can I draw a line under this trip just yet? At the Melbourne side of Kilmore, I changed lanes and accelerated to both pass a slow moving vehicle towing a boat as it exited the services and also to get a bit of oomph to go up the approaching hill. Damn! Round the slight curve I’m now doing close to 120 instead of 110 – a camera! So beautifully placed to raise a heap of revenue in that scenario that must be played out so many times each day. Waiting now to see if a certain envelope lands in my letter box. Oh well, can’t fight it if it does. And it won’t blot out the great experience that I’ve just had.

Deo gratias

Next? Well, arrived from Book Depository today … the Trailblazer Trans-Siberian guide! I love trains but think this one really is a fantasy!

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Later notes:
- Escaped a speeding ticket ... whew!
- Seriously considered the trans-Siberian railway but ... much as I'd have loved to do it, not as good value for money as all I managed to do and see on my Last Hurrah overseas holiday before I retired in 2014.