Green tree frog. Quite harmless. Loves cool, moist environments. Especially campsite toilets. Bowls. Even U-bends. Always best to look before you sit down. Carefully. Screams from the Ladies not unknown.
Ken's Blog
Kissing a Prince?
April 28th, 2011Hair shirts and hot crumpets
April 28th, 2011Yorkshire accent. Strong. His name was John. Where did I hail from, he asked. Manchester, I replied. Quickly adding I’d long since lost my accent. Not that I was that sure I’d ever had one in the first place. In any case, I explained, I’d moved around quite a bit. Thought I might pass as a soft Southerner. He disagreed. Definitely a northerner.
Curious as to how he’d managed to keep his accent after decades in Oz. Plain stubbornness? Knew of another Yorkshireman whose dulcet tones had somehow surviving the finishing school we’d once both shared. Not the approved type you understand. But we’d passed through its hallowed halls at a time when strong regional accent attracted mandatory elocution lessons. Suspected he’d the resilience born of a Jesuit education. Speaking proper when required. Even joined up writing to boot. Something to do with hair shirts and hot crumpets.
John’s answer was plain and simple. He’d arrived as a teenager with his "Ten Pound Pom" parents. And married an English lass. Lancastrian.
Looking for Bob
April 28th, 2011It hadn’t been easy. Looking for "Two Bob". So called because he was such an affable chap. Worth far more than one of his kind. Small matter of first locating the right van park. Town of Proserpine. Upriver from the Queensland coast.
I’d stopped at a small cafe on the main street. Had they heard of him, I enquired. No, the owner explained. But there was a site off to the left. Not too far. Next to the swimming pool. This jolted my memory. Claire and Wayne, the Aussie cyclists who’d suggested I look up "Two Bob", had mentioned this. Smiling, I thanked the proprietor and headed off.
Finding the site without too much difficulty, I’d asked enthusiastically at Reception if "Two Bob" was around. Blank looks. Quickly added I thought he ran the place. No. Definitely not the woman explained. But there was a permanent resident of that name. Glimmer of hope. Sure I was in the right place.
Found him later in the camp kitchen. Wanted to know why I’d not pitched my tent inside. Plenty of room. Had asked, I explained. But told I might be in the way. He laughed. Claire and Wayne had spent a week or two sleeping there, he replied.
Cost of doing business
April 27th, 2011"Sorry" I said. "Let me get this right. You’re short staffed. So rather than seventy bucks an hour, it’ll be a hundred? I pay thirty dollars more because you’ve got a personnel issue". I was bewildered. They bemused. Computer shop. Bowen. Second one.
First shop had been very helpful. But there’d be a five day wait before they could take a look at my now defunct netbook computer. Died unexpectedly. Fortunately, just after I’d brought the blog up to date. Uploaded all the latest photos and videos.
I left the shop without the usual courtesies. On the road within the hour. Southbound to Proserpine, fifty or so miles down the coast. Small place so unlikely to get the problem fixed. But a few more days would see me in the much larger town of Mackay. Hopeful I’d get things resolved there.
Beyond Bowen
April 16th, 2011Flood waters subsiding. Especially at low tide. Rain easing. The road south from Bowen now open. As far as Proserpine certainly. A day’s ride away. And a chance to track down "Two Bob". Runs a really decent campsite there I’d been told. Reliable sources. Then on to Mackay. Shown on the sketch map below. Couple of days riding. Time to press on whilst the going’s good.
Tropical technical troubles
April 16th, 2011As ever, I’m a little ahead of the blog – now over a third of the way down the east coast of Australia. Queensland’s Capital Brisbane firmly in my sights. Unfortunately, my little netbook computer has died – twice now – and I fear it may soon be cast off to the big byte shop in the sky. As ever, I’m on the case. Have a plan. But there is likely to be a short intermission before further posts, videos and photos appear. So please be patient. Normal service will be restored as soon as possible…
Bowling into Bowen
April 15th, 2011
Pleased I’d ignored the tempting signs for the "tourist village" on the edge of town. Sounded a bit expensive. Choosing instead to ride the gentle incline into town. Curious to see how big the place actually was. Glad I did. Beyond the rise the heart of Bowen. Coastal town in north Queensland. Besides, I’d plenty of daylight left to explore. Despite a pretty testing headwind pretty much all the way from the previous night’s stop at Gumlu. Grinding along in the lower gears.
Spotted a small hostel towards the seafront. I’d intended to camp but, pretty spontaneously for me, thought I’d enquire as to how much a room might be. Low season still. Until Easter. A few bucks more than some campsites. Decided I’d take it. Chance to catch up on domestics, update the blog in the dry, wander around a bit.
All of which proved to be a particularly wise move. As you’ll see. When the rains really arrived….
Murals wedding
April 15th, 2011
Bowen. Small town on the north Queensland coast. Two facts. Much of the 2007 Nicole Kidman film "Australia" filmed here. Pretending to be Darwin. And the place festooned with murals.
Wet and windy
April 15th, 2011
Wet and windy from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Early morning scenes in Bowen, north Queensland. And again. Quite a bit later.
Trapped!
April 15th, 2011
Trapped! from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Trapped by heavy rains- even for the wet season – flooding the highway south, Ken debates whether to remain in his dry hostel room, or push on and sit it out in the tent….
Clue: Like the film "Titanic", you can probably guess how the story ends…
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