Vicki Powys wrote:
> on 6/11/02 1:02 PM, Walter Knapp at wrote:
>
>
>>>I kid myself that the tent will keep the crocs away as well!
>>
>
>>It's just floss for their teeth. Right there with the meal, nice and hand=
y.
>
>
> The tent, and the mic cables too!
>
>
>>I was only near Kakadu one night back in 1979, as part of a long foray I
>>did through the outback. Maybe it was the time or something, but few
>>mozzies. It was a wet year, all my problems in the center with my rented
>>camper were from mud.
>
>
> It was nice in the Centre (of Australia) back in the 70s, not too many
> tourists about. There's too many now. The idea in the Centre, if it rai=
ns,
> you just stay put on your boggy dirt road and enjoy the wildlife. The ro=
ads
> only take a few days to dry out. I was camped out in the Centre in 78, 7=
9
> and 80, all of them wet years, in fact 1979 was the wettest year in 100
> years according to the locals. The heavens opened, dry river beds turned
> into muddy rushing torrents, birds sang and frogs croaked everywhere. Wh=
at
> I noticed most about rain in the Centre was that birds did not seek shelt=
er
> from the rain but instead sat out on bare branches with their wings sprea=
d
> out, fluttering and splashing and thoroughly enjoying themselves.
> Wonderful!=20
My problem coming down through the center was that I was out with our
two sons, one in diapers, and due to meet my wife in South Australia who
would be flying in from the states. So, I could not sit it out, I only
had a few days pad by the time I left Ayers Rock. 1979 was the year. We
picked her up and went right back bush.
> Oh how I wish I'd had a tape recorder in those days!
Yes, I have all the sounds recorded in my head, but was only carrying
lots of photography gear. Took lots of photos.
> Yes indeed Walt, many more outback roads are now tarred, which means...mo=
re
> tourists, more generators, more noise, more scenic flights....
Some of the places I got to are probably still quiet. Alice and vicinity
was pretty busy when I went through even back then, after long stretches
where I saw very few cars in a whole day it was rush hour. I enjoyed the
Olga's more than Ayer's rock as the tourists mostly only went that way
as far as the sunset spot. The road out to Ayers Rock was not paved back
then.
I spent a lot of time looking under rock underhangs at the paintings
too. Ones where you would stop at the station and they would hand you a
key to the gate and send you on your way were real enjoyable. I remember
one like that out in western NSW where a bower bird had set up just
outside of the gate. So I got extra there.
Walt
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
|