| After doing summers in Europe, the long flight down
under is usually the next option -- the climate in Australia offers the chance to break
away from frosty mornings, and long dark evenings, of the crueler months back home. Around Australia -- An Introduction.
Many
youngsters, under 26, take a whole year out and apply to Australia House for a working
visa. Fewer funds are needed if you can work your way around the continent, and it can be
a good experience to muck in with other nationals.
Walkabout in
Australia -- Travelling Futility.
On the
walk-about, an arrival is not sought, just the sensation of the movement in travel; A
Travelling Futility, as D.H.Lawrence termed it.
Hitching in
Australia -- If You Dare.
Not
everyone chooses to hitch for rides on the world's largest island. Because there is so
much of nothing in between anything, the waits can be long and not without dangers.
Melbourne to
Adelaide -- To Party Street.
Rock music
plays all night, as Rick and Bennie share the driving. Approaching Adelaide, the DJ on the
car radio predicts an afternoon high of 36 degrees Celsius. It is Grand Prix weekend.
North of Adelaide
-- The Real Journey Starts.
There are
some oil paintings in the back of the car that the couple hope to sell around the pubs.
They are not artists; it's just another way to earn a buck.
From Port Augusta
-- Towards The Track.
When you
join the Stuart Highway, it is your last glimpse of the coast for 3,000 kilometres.
To Coober Pedy
-- Almost Dark.
It is soon
apparent that you are not picked up for the company. Once the formalities of introduction
are over, the two men speak to each other in Danish.
The Aborigine
-- In Coober Pedy at Least.
The former
hunter/gatherers are now unkempt and disorientated, in a world that is not theirs to
handle.
More to Come.
Travel Notes:
Australian Travel Guides. |
