22/11/10
Its official today marks the inception of my first blog endeavor and the three amigos epic road trip from Sydney to Darwin. Along for the journey is a New Zealand/ spanish combo of smelly and melli and yours truly Liv- today I also acquired a new nickname from the Spaniard who once observed my gimpness and sped behavior is now referring to me as Mrs. Bean, I reciprocated with Mellie as the correct pronunciation of her name proved slightly problematic and every Aussie loves a good name shortening.
It was a somewhat stilted exit from Sydney plagued by heavy traffic and road works, the exodus did not resemble my fantasy scenario of leaving Sydney with George Michael’s freedom blaring from the car stereo rather we had classic nine at nine and Ellie’s confusion over which thermos contain coffee or tea, once identified the coffee had a delightful metallic thermo taste compared to Burning mouth syndrome by Ellie.
The drive to Katoomba along the M4 was reminiscent of early morning drives to Uni, the ever changing speed limits from 60 to 80 to 70 to 50 added an interesting if not painful component to the undulating road. The drive also marked our first murderous stare from a truck driver: recipient Ellie. A quick bank and coffee stop off complete with driver change in the Blue Mountains , then on to Mudge via Lithgow and a chance for some experimental and much frown upon car photography. Ellie has adamant views on car photography whether or not these views will remain intact throughout the trip is questionable.
Its official today marks the inception of my first blog endeavor and the three amigos epic road trip from Sydney to Darwin. Along for the journey is a New Zealand/ spanish combo of smelly and melli and yours truly Liv- today I also acquired a new nickname from the Spaniard who once observed my gimpness and sped behavior is now referring to me as Mrs. Bean, I reciprocated with Mellie as the correct pronunciation of her name proved slightly problematic and every Aussie loves a good name shortening.
It was a somewhat stilted exit from Sydney plagued by heavy traffic and road works, the exodus did not resemble my fantasy scenario of leaving Sydney with George Michael’s freedom blaring from the car stereo rather we had classic nine at nine and Ellie’s confusion over which thermos contain coffee or tea, once identified the coffee had a delightful metallic thermo taste compared to Burning mouth syndrome by Ellie.
The drive to Katoomba along the M4 was reminiscent of early morning drives to Uni, the ever changing speed limits from 60 to 80 to 70 to 50 added an interesting if not painful component to the undulating road. The drive also marked our first murderous stare from a truck driver: recipient Ellie. A quick bank and coffee stop off complete with driver change in the Blue Mountains , then on to Mudge via Lithgow and a chance for some experimental and much frown upon car photography. Ellie has adamant views on car photography whether or not these views will remain intact throughout the trip is questionable.
Arrival in Mudgee signaled our first supermarket shop and Amelia’s introduction to the country town phenomena of angled rear parking to the curb. Mudgee Woolies made shopping an easy $20 slip in breakfast and lunch supplies, followed by lunch in the town park and the decision to speak Spanish at lunch time. Ellie relished in displaying our picnic pack to Mellie, complete with miniature cutting board. Mellie’s economical cheese cutting was met with much chagrin and humor given the purchase of a hefty and cheap block. Post lunch leg breakdown: Ellie driving, frequent taxi stops blamed on the change from manual to automatic, AUDIO BOOKS. First installment Cold Mountain, which I have to confess, did ever slightly change my perception of audio books as it contained alternating character voices and intonation however unfortunately for Ellie, Mellie totally tuned out and I fell asleep.
Accommodation in Dubbo, a quaint family room in a local hotel proved cheaper than a pubstay. The room complete with shower and toilet combo in one meant any bathroom visits were clearly audible to all. I enforced strict standards of privacy which meant Ellie and Mellie took their first cup of tea outside. Afternoon activities: nap for me, walk for Mellie and Ellie during which Mellie learnt about the dangers of thrush in hot climate. Since then Ellie’s obsession with contracting thrush has reached lesbian proportions, as she has convinced Mellie of commando sleeping habits -given the ma and pa set up of double beds I object on grounds of common decency.
Pub dinner: bargain $7 chicken parmi, which trumped my ill fated attempt to be healthy with salmon patties, (had just woken up from an afternoon nap and had a momentary lapse in judgment) salmon patties = Salmon flavored potato = rookie mistake. Ellie and mellie had their game faces on with several failed attempts at flirting with the bar tender most notably was Ellie’s comment in response to “ Another?”, “No I’m a lady I pace myself” hahhahah. The moonlit streets of Dubbo set the scene for some snaps by resident photographer Ellie, Mellie and I played the role of models trolling the streets and probs could have been mistaken as ladies of the night as a photo drew attention from a passing copper. A seemingly quiet Monday night in Dubbo was broken by the hoards of young male driver pumping music from their loaded cars, clearly entertainment in Dubbo is limited
Pub dinner: bargain $7 chicken parmi, which trumped my ill fated attempt to be healthy with salmon patties, (had just woken up from an afternoon nap and had a momentary lapse in judgment) salmon patties = Salmon flavored potato = rookie mistake. Ellie and mellie had their game faces on with several failed attempts at flirting with the bar tender most notably was Ellie’s comment in response to “ Another?”, “No I’m a lady I pace myself” hahhahah. The moonlit streets of Dubbo set the scene for some snaps by resident photographer Ellie, Mellie and I played the role of models trolling the streets and probs could have been mistaken as ladies of the night as a photo drew attention from a passing copper. A seemingly quiet Monday night in Dubbo was broken by the hoards of young male driver pumping music from their loaded cars, clearly entertainment in Dubbo is limited
The nights events finished with myself intoxicating Ellie with lavender oil on her pillow as an attempt to curb her need to frequently get up in the night, unfortunately I got a little pour happy and the lavender fumes could be smelt from the adjacent bed, room and outdoor surrounds.
Things that have already been banned:
My singing, ellie’s mouth clicking references to the Wolf Creek and psycho, food pretention and Ellie raping the camera.
Day 2: Dubbo to Bourke.
After a very civilized breakfast in the hotel room, we packed up and headed in to town for internet access and then continued along the Mitchell Highway bound for Bourke via Narromine, Nygnan and Coolabah. On the road we had our first road train experience, drove past an inflamed hay truck, witnessed baby tumble weed floating past and came into contact with a entourage of butterflies whose remains are now plastered all over the bonnet and windscreen. As we bundled down the highway, a group of camels meandered across the road in front of us, pursued by driver Ellie the sighting was manically documented and then the attention was diverted back to the audio book. For today listening pleasure a saucy tale of a London Call girl, a third resort after multiple technical problems with other audio books, given the entertaining content, this audiobook undoubtedly received more passenger attention. On the drive I learnt of Mellie’s fetish for ginger red headed men that is, and preferably Irish a joke which has become a standard with every ginger or miner sighting. Mrs. Bean was in full form today, I struggled quite savagely to successfully throw a banana peel from the moving vehicle, the first few attempts resulted in a lovely banana stain/ smear near the coat hanger hook device.. which Mellie affectionately named the tattoo of the car - a permanent (semi) of my gimpness :)
Tonight’s accommodation is a lovely guesthouse in Bourke, in close proximity to the pub and wharf. Upon arrival in Bourke, also known as ‘the gateway to the real outback’ we settled in, downed a quick cuppa, talked to other residents and set out on a walk around town. We be-friended several long staying guest among them a Texan girl who had been working in the pub for a few months and a Scottish girl the former informed us that Bourke is a great place to save as there is only two things to do: work and drink. Unfortunately for us, Ellie’s overfriendly attitude to a group of teenage aboriginal boys resulted in our trio being accompanied by a bike gang around town. The boys were quiet keen on Ellie, wanting dates and photos to be taken. I on the other hand was informed that I looked better with my glasses on and should therefore keep them on all the times. After a walk including Ellie’s teenage entourage we took refuge in the pub for happy hour during which Ellie discovered Resch’s. After a quick cold beverage, Ellie and I strolled the streets, checking out the heavily barricaded bottle shop, and was informed of new laws which require a car or a motel key to purchase liquor.
The country has the uncanny ability to make any female feel extremely attractive and desirable, despite been favoured with glasses on only , I have received several comments and offers for dates none of which have been legal or socially acceptable.
Dinner, the Port of Bourke pub $10 meal with an Everest proportion of a variety of salads, the cheapest meal: chicken strips =chicken nuggets over which Mellie and I traded a part of our driver music time for audio books in an exchange for a massage from Ellie the exchange was done in the presence of an accountable witness therefore she must deliver. Mellie and I also noticed Ellie’s has adopted a tea like drinking habit of pointing her finger whilst drinking beer – we mocked her relentlessly.
Dinner, the Port of Bourke pub $10 meal with an Everest proportion of a variety of salads, the cheapest meal: chicken strips =chicken nuggets over which Mellie and I traded a part of our driver music time for audio books in an exchange for a massage from Ellie the exchange was done in the presence of an accountable witness therefore she must deliver. Mellie and I also noticed Ellie’s has adopted a tea like drinking habit of pointing her finger whilst drinking beer – we mocked her relentlessly.
Back at the guesthouse, a frog sighting, initiated by the frog seeker Mellie, generated much excitement for me, I proceeded to acquire and befriend one green tree frog, however no prince appeared in its wake =disappointment central
Day 3: Bourke to Backall
Bourke Bakery is definitely the early morning hotspot, a fact which venerated the tourist info man’s excessive references to the 100 year old establishment. The coffee, brewed on site proved a lengthily wait. Back on the road again, another accident sighting this time, a wild boar dead and a rolled over car. The stretch to the Queensland border was rife with dead animals in particular roos, very unfortunate for Mellie who has not yet seen a real live one. Across the border and into QLD passing Cunnamulla and Charleville, during which the temperature began to climb into the 30’s and I became a butterfly and bird killer after one bird committed a kamikaze dive for the bonnet. Tonight’s destination: Backall and accommodation in an old pub complete with wrap around verandah. After unpacking the car and a long days travel = hard earned thirst which was easily quenched. Whilst basking in the surrounds and remaining sunlight outside our presence in town caught the attention of a P plater car queue wolf whistling, cat calling and flashing, the car full of 16+ year old circled the block about 6 times their dedication was fairly amusing and confirmed the lack of females and corresponding skewed perception of one’s own attractiveness.
The cheapest food in town, a takeaway joint known as Sharkys, a dinner at the pub equaled one night’s stay and therefore was not viable option Dinner: aussie burger and a gin followed by some naughty tequila and rambling Spanish. Ellie piked early.
Day 4: Blackall to Mt Isa.
Until now Ellie has retained the self appointed title of team leader a role which mainly entails accommodation enquires. However today marked her savage demise after multiple mishaps: the first misplacing the car keys – attached to a lanyard, whilst in a nanna coma the night before she placed them in the most obscured place imaginable: behind the curtain on a hook. The second occurred during our lunch time stop off, another picnic spot another shot from the where the bloody hell are you campaign. Me searching for the rice thins, only to find a almost full packet stale as Ellie secretly open them days ago and left them open awesome leadership skills
First memory of the day: witnessing a roo hitting - the car infront very sombre start to the day….During our drive through western QLD It became apparent that many towns claim to be the gateway to the west or the outback or Australia’s heart. Another noticeable thing about country QLD: town advertisement and information boards which build anticipation from about 70-60km in advance from actual town location. Another odd signage appearing on the QLD roads are bicycle warning for an 80km distance yeah a pleasant bike ride 80km+ down the highway to the nearest town. The heat continued to climb reaching 38°, Amelia witnessed her first live kangaroo woohooo, Ellie officially became the most annoying back seat passenger, the combo of an aussie burger and tequila became very apparent: from me= sad bowel times queue an extended period of windows down and Queensland drivers displayed the talent of driving in the middle of the road and dodgy take overs.
The landscape started to become more arid, the billowy cumulus clouds seemed to float, suspended in the sky and wangees began to line the road a change which excited photographer Ellie immensely. BO checks self regulated or companion confirmed were initiated by me We passed Longreach, who ostensibly gave Qantas to the world, Winton home of Australia’s Dinosaurs, McKinaly and the Walkabout Creek hotel from Crocodile Dundee, the Hotel looked as if it had been transplanted there and was in immaculate condition, photographer Ellie refused to degrade herself to tourist based on aesthetic grounds.
Something worth mentioning for future intrepid travelers is the smell and taste of the water: Blackall and Clonclurry perhaps are the worst offenders, the smell: gaseous similar to methane, rotten eggs or mouldy ass, the taste hoorrriblee. After general dehydration and decrease in bottled water supplies the suggestion was bought forward to buy cordial to mask the smell and taste: cordial failed to do either of these things and seemed If anything to enhance the smell. If opened the contents of the bottle can be smelt throughout the entire car.
A petrol refill after 800km of driving and 3 very tired passengers with nothing in town meeting our price range, we approached the somewhat feared caravan park option only to find it was actually quite pleasant, despite being on the edge of town. We set up camp in a donger/ cabin complete with ma and pa double bed/ privacy curtain and bunk beds for the kiddies. After a much needed shower- the night temperature in Mt Isa was a comfortable 34° we made our way into town in search of food and a cold beer. Despite the vast array of fast food joints we settled for some ‘chinese’ – in hind sighting cooking would have been the best option but we were all too tired to function. In the hot weather, food sweats occurred almost simultaneously upon consuming the stir frys. Then on to the happening Mt Isa Hotel – a flat g n t and two beers, I was almost hot enough to drink beer. Team leader Ellie bought up the topic of the time difference again, neither of us being sure about whether QLD was different to Sydney only certain that NT was an hour and half behind, as we began to recount the day a few things didn’t quiet add up – time wise, I turned sheepishly to ask the local girls next to us what the time was , their reply revealed that there was in fact a time difference of one hour – which meant we woke at 5:30 instead of 6:30. Upon this discovery the team leader position was in jeopardy. The night failed to deliver on cute miners despite learning that next to our caravan park was a camp of 150 single miners !!!! However I did succumb to peer pressure and had my first beer of the trip no doubt many more will follow in this climate.
Day 5: Mt Isa to Tennant Creek
Another day, another early start. A few quick errands in town: bank, food shopping, coffee, cute miners spotting and we were off again our destination: Tennant Creek via Camoweal and Barkly Homestead. Crossing the border into the Northern Territory was a bit of a non- event, with minimal to non-existent sign posting. Just before the much anticipated second border crossing we had to make a petrol stop, with prices sky high, Ellie: ex team leader began filling the car up with premium unleaded at a price of 171.9 a litre thankful she realised at the 10L mark- no biggy really
Driving in the NT can by summed up pretty easily straight and flat – although it has a sedative effect you can practically feel your stresses melt away into the burnt orange landscape and….. Wangees galore. All drivers give you a friendly wave as they approach you in the opposite direction at about 110km/h plus. The temperature reached 39° queue intense sweating with every move made outside the air conditioned haven on the car.
The drive today was relatively short and it was nice to arrive in the early afternoon – which left plenty of time for laundry, a swim and blogging. Tennant Creek cheap accommodation options = very sketchy the backpackers a concrete box with jail-like barred doors and furniture on the lawn was down a side street, the caravan park very wolf creek complete with drunk and sweating manager and coffin bunk bed, with the other park fully booked we decided to ‘splurge’ on a motel room which included free wireless and a pool.
Cooling off in the pool provided us with some helpful info from the other guests regarding best food options in town– all long staying government workers. One of which caught Mellie and Ellie’s eye a middle aged new Zealander/ aussie resident– in their defense he was middle aged man cute and we had reached Tennant Creek our ‘if nothing happens then we have each other landmark’ but come on – Ellie’s reaction to his friendliness was particularly disturbing, however I later discovered that this was in fact transference from her pinning over childhood sweetheart and Wyndham resident who day by day we are moving closer to. She last saw Jake ten years ago, he recently resumed contact- Ellie is nostalgically smitten with the prospect of a future reunion.
The night wore on favorite songs of the locals: working class man, khe shan and total left fielder- Tina turner – simply the best.
On the DF Ellie bonded with her man over their team leader status simultaneously commenting “how hard it is” clearly demonstrating the dictatorship which Mellie and I have been living under. Ellie later divulged that Aaron said he ‘maybe’ has three children I wondered like so maybe his partner is pregnant with triplets or he neglects child support payments. General confusion entailed the jury is still out on that one. Other disturbing quotes from the night. Creepy old local drunk to Ellie and I “ I can’t decided which one of you take home with me tonight” = shocker. A policeman to Ellie, I have 3 question for you “What’s your name, what do you do and why are you here?” Ellie: “My name’s Ellie, I am a journalist just passing through on my way to Darwin.” Policeman: “You can quote me on this Aboriginals smell” Ellie no reply, Policeman “they stink”. – would have been shocked if she hadn’t already heard it in the pool before welcome back to NT Ellie
Day 6: Mt Isa to Katherine
Nothing major to report on today, actually….. the bananas and lettuce went rank after been frozen black by the arctic temperature of the mini fridge---> mmm black bananas Ellie was offered first taste.......came across the most expensive petrol to date: 197.5c/L. Past through a few ghost-like towns that could resemble small town America, one of which contained a Pink panther themed caravan park with all things pink and a huge metal pink panther mascot outside. After unsuccessfully locating a picnic area/ rest stop and with my driving stint coming up we stopped at Fran’s teahouse for a cuppa and or coffee, only to find that tea was not a possibility due to the urn been turned off due to lack of customers= nobody around – ever obviously, none of us didn’t understand why the old school kettle wasn’t an option. Feeling guilty after only ordering a single coffee when presented with several food and beverage options we succumbed to scones a “ginger” beer and lemon squash which came to the grand total of $25 clearly included a surcharge for disturbing Fran’s afternoon and making her dress for the day or perhaps the price increased after Ellie enquired about the origins of the Café only to be corrected that it the 20 year old establishment was not a café but a ‘tea house’ sans tea. Continued towards Katherine when the sky’s opened signaling the change from dry to humid heat. It was also established today that Amelia is the cleaner and drinker of the group, I the music and leisure co-ordinator, leaving Ellie to retain her position as team leader.
Tonight a quiet night watching TV and with take- out and beer and de-briefing on today’s borderline excessive messaging from last night miners- clearly sleeping in an 8 bed dorm is resulting in cabin fever, at the time giving out a number seemed harmless and for the purpose of in case of emergency potential friends over the Christmas period clearly we will have to revise this policy. Most sms received in a 12 hour period: 11 recipient me from cage fighter aka hemi – yikes !! displaying a day in the life of a miner on a rest day
Another disturbing quality of Zeb: facebook stalking the next day whilst checking her email Ellie receiving a friend confirmation from him at 4:30am the morning before- Mellie and I questioned how creppy Zeb came to possess her full name, Ellie recounted how she naively gave her full name upon request to a seemingly harmless short men, what’s even more creepy is he extracted my name from her friend list by process of elimination argggggg this behavior reflects a potential wolf creek miner character given his location in Tennant Creek.
Day 3: Bourke to Backall
Bourke Bakery is definitely the early morning hotspot, a fact which venerated the tourist info man’s excessive references to the 100 year old establishment. The coffee, brewed on site proved a lengthily wait. Back on the road again, another accident sighting this time, a wild boar dead and a rolled over car. The stretch to the Queensland border was rife with dead animals in particular roos, very unfortunate for Mellie who has not yet seen a real live one. Across the border and into QLD passing Cunnamulla and Charleville, during which the temperature began to climb into the 30’s and I became a butterfly and bird killer after one bird committed a kamikaze dive for the bonnet. Tonight’s destination: Backall and accommodation in an old pub complete with wrap around verandah. After unpacking the car and a long days travel = hard earned thirst which was easily quenched. Whilst basking in the surrounds and remaining sunlight outside our presence in town caught the attention of a P plater car queue wolf whistling, cat calling and flashing, the car full of 16+ year old circled the block about 6 times their dedication was fairly amusing and confirmed the lack of females and corresponding skewed perception of one’s own attractiveness.
We spotted a body of water across the road from the pub and decided to investigate out of the need to use of legs despite general fatigue after 8 hours of driving. Our relocation was noted by the boys who followed. The body of water obvious not a river but flooding drew a small crowd of locals; an event we were informed has occurred only 4 times this year. The setting provided some lovely snaps, I even got a bit acrobatic and climbed a wooden totem pole structure, of course not without assistance. A task which show cased my lack of sporting skills/ balance and agility and resulted in multiple wasp stings to the hand.
The cheapest food in town, a takeaway joint known as Sharkys, a dinner at the pub equaled one night’s stay and therefore was not viable option Dinner: aussie burger and a gin followed by some naughty tequila and rambling Spanish. Ellie piked early.
Day 4: Blackall to Mt Isa.
Until now Ellie has retained the self appointed title of team leader a role which mainly entails accommodation enquires. However today marked her savage demise after multiple mishaps: the first misplacing the car keys – attached to a lanyard, whilst in a nanna coma the night before she placed them in the most obscured place imaginable: behind the curtain on a hook. The second occurred during our lunch time stop off, another picnic spot another shot from the where the bloody hell are you campaign. Me searching for the rice thins, only to find a almost full packet stale as Ellie secretly open them days ago and left them open awesome leadership skills
First memory of the day: witnessing a roo hitting - the car infront very sombre start to the day….During our drive through western QLD It became apparent that many towns claim to be the gateway to the west or the outback or Australia’s heart. Another noticeable thing about country QLD: town advertisement and information boards which build anticipation from about 70-60km in advance from actual town location. Another odd signage appearing on the QLD roads are bicycle warning for an 80km distance yeah a pleasant bike ride 80km+ down the highway to the nearest town. The heat continued to climb reaching 38°, Amelia witnessed her first live kangaroo woohooo, Ellie officially became the most annoying back seat passenger, the combo of an aussie burger and tequila became very apparent: from me= sad bowel times queue an extended period of windows down and Queensland drivers displayed the talent of driving in the middle of the road and dodgy take overs.
The landscape started to become more arid, the billowy cumulus clouds seemed to float, suspended in the sky and wangees began to line the road a change which excited photographer Ellie immensely. BO checks self regulated or companion confirmed were initiated by me We passed Longreach, who ostensibly gave Qantas to the world, Winton home of Australia’s Dinosaurs, McKinaly and the Walkabout Creek hotel from Crocodile Dundee, the Hotel looked as if it had been transplanted there and was in immaculate condition, photographer Ellie refused to degrade herself to tourist based on aesthetic grounds.
Something worth mentioning for future intrepid travelers is the smell and taste of the water: Blackall and Clonclurry perhaps are the worst offenders, the smell: gaseous similar to methane, rotten eggs or mouldy ass, the taste hoorrriblee. After general dehydration and decrease in bottled water supplies the suggestion was bought forward to buy cordial to mask the smell and taste: cordial failed to do either of these things and seemed If anything to enhance the smell. If opened the contents of the bottle can be smelt throughout the entire car.
After passing Winton, Clonclurry: “the friendly heart” we proceeded onto our final destination for the night, Mt Isa- a large mining town which boasts your’re a ‘real’ aussie after visiting along with being the rodeo capital of Australia and and an Oasis/Paradise of the West. Driving into Mt Isa the horizon was scattered with plantar of varying heights spewing out pollution, general impression is it is a mine with adjacent town – a beautiful oasis although mining town = cute miners
A petrol refill after 800km of driving and 3 very tired passengers with nothing in town meeting our price range, we approached the somewhat feared caravan park option only to find it was actually quite pleasant, despite being on the edge of town. We set up camp in a donger/ cabin complete with ma and pa double bed/ privacy curtain and bunk beds for the kiddies. After a much needed shower- the night temperature in Mt Isa was a comfortable 34° we made our way into town in search of food and a cold beer. Despite the vast array of fast food joints we settled for some ‘chinese’ – in hind sighting cooking would have been the best option but we were all too tired to function. In the hot weather, food sweats occurred almost simultaneously upon consuming the stir frys. Then on to the happening Mt Isa Hotel – a flat g n t and two beers, I was almost hot enough to drink beer. Team leader Ellie bought up the topic of the time difference again, neither of us being sure about whether QLD was different to Sydney only certain that NT was an hour and half behind, as we began to recount the day a few things didn’t quiet add up – time wise, I turned sheepishly to ask the local girls next to us what the time was , their reply revealed that there was in fact a time difference of one hour – which meant we woke at 5:30 instead of 6:30. Upon this discovery the team leader position was in jeopardy. The night failed to deliver on cute miners despite learning that next to our caravan park was a camp of 150 single miners !!!! However I did succumb to peer pressure and had my first beer of the trip no doubt many more will follow in this climate.
Day 5: Mt Isa to Tennant Creek
Another day, another early start. A few quick errands in town: bank, food shopping, coffee, cute miners spotting and we were off again our destination: Tennant Creek via Camoweal and Barkly Homestead. Crossing the border into the Northern Territory was a bit of a non- event, with minimal to non-existent sign posting. Just before the much anticipated second border crossing we had to make a petrol stop, with prices sky high, Ellie: ex team leader began filling the car up with premium unleaded at a price of 171.9 a litre thankful she realised at the 10L mark- no biggy really
Driving in the NT can by summed up pretty easily straight and flat – although it has a sedative effect you can practically feel your stresses melt away into the burnt orange landscape and….. Wangees galore. All drivers give you a friendly wave as they approach you in the opposite direction at about 110km/h plus. The temperature reached 39° queue intense sweating with every move made outside the air conditioned haven on the car.
The drive today was relatively short and it was nice to arrive in the early afternoon – which left plenty of time for laundry, a swim and blogging. Tennant Creek cheap accommodation options = very sketchy the backpackers a concrete box with jail-like barred doors and furniture on the lawn was down a side street, the caravan park very wolf creek complete with drunk and sweating manager and coffin bunk bed, with the other park fully booked we decided to ‘splurge’ on a motel room which included free wireless and a pool.
Cooling off in the pool provided us with some helpful info from the other guests regarding best food options in town– all long staying government workers. One of which caught Mellie and Ellie’s eye a middle aged new Zealander/ aussie resident– in their defense he was middle aged man cute and we had reached Tennant Creek our ‘if nothing happens then we have each other landmark’ but come on – Ellie’s reaction to his friendliness was particularly disturbing, however I later discovered that this was in fact transference from her pinning over childhood sweetheart and Wyndham resident who day by day we are moving closer to. She last saw Jake ten years ago, he recently resumed contact- Ellie is nostalgically smitten with the prospect of a future reunion.
Dinner at the pub restaurant, Mellie attempting to take over as team leader and confidently set about ordering with the waitress, the meal arrives with two near identical pizza's - Capriosca and the Italian, lost in translation the waitress heard Italian instead of Vegetarian queue Mellie's first shame spiral of the trip.
Thankfully the night delivered on the Northern Territory promise of young miners/ drillers. After dinner we set up camp at the pool table and queued up only to realise mid-game we were disturbing the Friday night of the pool obsessed locals who were already lining the table with $2 coins in anticipation. Needless to say we crumbled under the pressure of a hoard of locals observing our game – going from poor to shameful. After the pool game fiasco the bar was the safest bet and we moved between the bar and juke box whilst being assured by the bar tenders that come 10pm the place would be packed. Small chat with the Victorian trapped in Tennant Creek for 2 years bar maid and selecting songs was a great start to the night.
The night progressed and sure enough the place filled out. A group of miners introduced themselves, most of whom were from Bendigo with the exception of a New Zealander ex-cage fighter. We paired off- Ellie made a bee-line for the one who refused to remove his cap- she admired his dedication and David Wenham looks. Amelia went for the unattractive nice one, who could have been potentially paraplegic as he never left his seat and I started off getting vibes from a dark, intense, thin tattooed miner who later left early due to an early morning drive to Mt Isa. Stranded I became the victim of Zeb. – a short miner who reeked of desperation and possessed a dancing deficiency. He also had the tendency to tongue flash his piercing which was weirdly positioned on the tip of his tongue as if his tongue length corresponded to his short stature. The cage fighter stepped in and won the battle not without copping several cage fighting related jokes. All the miners were true country gentlemen- buying rounds of drinks and excessively proffering bar seats for our delicate city behinds, this did not include Mellie’s driller- the oldest and most rotund of the group being the big boss – literally.
The night wore on favorite songs of the locals: working class man, khe shan and total left fielder- Tina turner – simply the best.
Funniest response to a song selection Ellie to Oasis Wonderwall,
Miner: ‘Did you put this on?’
Ellie:‘ Yes I did- don’t tell anyone’,
Miner – pointing to Ellie yelling ‘Everyone she put this on!!’ general outcry from the bar.
Another stella choice by Ellie – shake ya tailfeather by Nelly as she liked the sound of this voice when she was 14. I was affectionately known as sexy librarian for the night... a name which had all of us in tears...
On the DF Ellie bonded with her man over their team leader status simultaneously commenting “how hard it is” clearly demonstrating the dictatorship which Mellie and I have been living under. Ellie later divulged that Aaron said he ‘maybe’ has three children I wondered like so maybe his partner is pregnant with triplets or he neglects child support payments. General confusion entailed the jury is still out on that one. Other disturbing quotes from the night. Creepy old local drunk to Ellie and I “ I can’t decided which one of you take home with me tonight” = shocker. A policeman to Ellie, I have 3 question for you “What’s your name, what do you do and why are you here?” Ellie: “My name’s Ellie, I am a journalist just passing through on my way to Darwin.” Policeman: “You can quote me on this Aboriginals smell” Ellie no reply, Policeman “they stink”. – would have been shocked if she hadn’t already heard it in the pool before welcome back to NT Ellie
Day 6: Mt Isa to Katherine
Nothing major to report on today, actually….. the bananas and lettuce went rank after been frozen black by the arctic temperature of the mini fridge---> mmm black bananas Ellie was offered first taste.......came across the most expensive petrol to date: 197.5c/L. Past through a few ghost-like towns that could resemble small town America, one of which contained a Pink panther themed caravan park with all things pink and a huge metal pink panther mascot outside. After unsuccessfully locating a picnic area/ rest stop and with my driving stint coming up we stopped at Fran’s teahouse for a cuppa and or coffee, only to find that tea was not a possibility due to the urn been turned off due to lack of customers= nobody around – ever obviously, none of us didn’t understand why the old school kettle wasn’t an option. Feeling guilty after only ordering a single coffee when presented with several food and beverage options we succumbed to scones a “ginger” beer and lemon squash which came to the grand total of $25 clearly included a surcharge for disturbing Fran’s afternoon and making her dress for the day or perhaps the price increased after Ellie enquired about the origins of the Café only to be corrected that it the 20 year old establishment was not a café but a ‘tea house’ sans tea. Continued towards Katherine when the sky’s opened signaling the change from dry to humid heat. It was also established today that Amelia is the cleaner and drinker of the group, I the music and leisure co-ordinator, leaving Ellie to retain her position as team leader.
Finding accommodation in Katherine proved difficult and expensive in comparison to all past stop offs. After staking out all viable options including two backpackers joints which resembled torture chambers and one which played eerie jazz music as if some random was sitting in the corner playing jazz flute it was unanimously decided on a cheap motel slightly out of town which assumed the usual ma and pa set up.
Tonight a quiet night watching TV and with take- out and beer and de-briefing on today’s borderline excessive messaging from last night miners- clearly sleeping in an 8 bed dorm is resulting in cabin fever, at the time giving out a number seemed harmless and for the purpose of in case of emergency potential friends over the Christmas period clearly we will have to revise this policy. Most sms received in a 12 hour period: 11 recipient me from cage fighter aka hemi – yikes !! displaying a day in the life of a miner on a rest day
Another disturbing quality of Zeb: facebook stalking the next day whilst checking her email Ellie receiving a friend confirmation from him at 4:30am the morning before- Mellie and I questioned how creppy Zeb came to possess her full name, Ellie recounted how she naively gave her full name upon request to a seemingly harmless short men, what’s even more creepy is he extracted my name from her friend list by process of elimination argggggg this behavior reflects a potential wolf creek miner character given his location in Tennant Creek.
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