.
ACT 4
In which the roads are long but not winding, Birtles is plagued by wind most foul, and an old art form is observed.
Cobar to Cunnamulla ....
Crikey, that's not much to look at, is it? Try the satellite view ....
Service roads run alongside the highway south of Bourke. Good enough to ride on at Birtles’ speed, but there is always
a risk of punctures from the occasional glass and metal debris.
Bourke was closed … no tennis today, thank you.
… and definitely no pole-dancing.
Leaving Bourke.
Since crossing into NSW the wind has been against us, literally. When it’s full-frontal our speed is reduced to a wide-
open-throttle 50kph. Birtles struggles to make progress, then when it changes to the side he shows off his dancing
skills by waltzing left and right in time with the gusts, cutting a dapper sine-wave path down the road. The big test
is to remain on our half of the road when passing shelter belts of trees as the alternating gusts and lulls force Birtles
into an even more vigorous dance - possibly a two-step.
Crossing into Queensland at Barringun the wind becomes a relentless gale and we stop frequently to take a break
from it - and to laugh at the fences and sheep being blown over.
In amongst it all there are calm spots where it would be hard to keep a kite up, and the temperature is rising.
After the last food-related post there was a veritable
flood of comments and requests for more in the
same vein, so here it is. Compressed bread is nice, but when it comes to fine food I have to confess to being a true
gourmet. Below is another handy road food tip, a bit more upmarket this time - Sandwich Thins. In packets of six
and resembling thin buns, they are lightweight, cheap, and last well. Their main advantage is that each thin is pre-sliced,
thus saving an awful lot of time when it comes to adding a filling. Peanut butter improves them …. anything improves them!
Cunnamulla
I like Cunnamulla. Hard to say why - perhaps it’s the music in the name.
“Dream with ya heart and not ya head”
Sounds like one of those sayings that we believed would change the world way back when we were seventeen - remember?
Pity about the spelling, but the sentiment is there.
- “If you love something, set it free”
- “You are a child of the universe”
- “Never trust anyone over thirty”
In the back blocks, people make their own fun, and it’s great to see
the ancient art / sport of stone stacking is alive and well out here.
Starting in 17th century Scotland as “stane stook” it became more popular than tossing the caber or even haggis hurling,
but lost popularity in the 20th century when radio broadcasts started. This one is just a beginner’s attempt.
We hope to see more advanced examples as we move into more remote areas.
Another NZer ?
Whatever the attraction of Cunnamulla, this guy likes it enough to stay
Us? We’re off to Eulo and points West …..
To be continued ……