Gary's back at last - but just for two days, then it's back out to Peak Hill to do more track work for Alchemy Resources. The generator has blown up so there is no working fridge or air con at the homestead; luckily they have a genny over at the miner's camp & are feeding him there. If it's not insanely hot this week I may pop up for a day or two with the dogs. He spent this morning putting up the new blinds in the back bedroom and replacing my bike innertubes (again - bloody double gee thorns), and tomorrow we're going to go exploring out around Cue & Walga Rock in the ute.
The Bonzle Digital Atlas of Australia on the internet is a lot more detailed than Google maps - it has most of the wells, bores and geological features marked, and it's incredible to see what's around us. It brings to life the busy history of the area; I love the names: Government Well No. 23, Quartz Bore, Hit and Miss, Horseshoe Lights, Poison Hills, Dummy Bore, Mount Frustration, Try Again Mine. There are wells and bores everywhere for the cattle; if you got lost in the bush you'd have a good chance of finding one if you kept your eyes peeled (as long as the burning sun didn't peel them first). Sometimes you can just see the tip of a rickety windmill peeping up over the bush; sometimes all that's left is a termite-ridden wood frame and a hole in the ground, grown over. Find cattle tracks and follow them to water; the cows know where things are.
I can't have camels here! They're a feral pest and the whole region has banned them, dammit! Gary is overjoyed, but I warned him that this means I will have to get baby pigs or something instead. At least they would fit in the bus.
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