Page 247 - Mit dem Wohnwagen durch Australien

OUTBACK WISDOMS
We know we are in the Outback because:

- More death Kangaroos lie alongside the reads
- 53 m Road trains with two trailers overtake you on roads without hard shoulders
- We are bombarded by huge clouds of locust and the highways a plastered with death insects
- The stars seem much closer than in the cities
- The wattle trees flower bright yellow and the bottlebrush shrubs have abundant red and pink flowers.
- We have to check if the planned route is open to traffic or flooded.
- People call me Sweetie, Doll or Deary
- Most Campgrounds offer surprises like a campfire, Country singer or bush poet
- We can free camp at the most beautiful spots and remain totally alone

MURPHY’S LAW
Too good to be true! We are now six months on the road and except for two flats, everything went smoothly. We had
no problems with parking our Caravan in the Campgrounds, despite not having an electric Mover installed. Beat
elegantly backs the caravan in every space, no matter how small. His fears were quite unfounded. We so far never
felt the need for a generator. All Campgrounds provide electric power and water. Our batteries and gas supply even
allow us to camp free for a couple of days. So, i was just a matter of time until Murphy would hit us with his
unswerving truth: “if anything can go wrong, it will! “And he did it in Emerald, a mining town in the Outback. After our
sporty experience in Carnarvon Gorge, we had to restock on victuals and diesel. Routine? Murphy decided otherwise.
I happened to look out of the window of the Troopy and yelled: “Beat STOPP!!” and for once he obeyed immediately.
The pump window already showed 10 l until we noticed, that today, Diesel has not been marked with a yellow but a
black nozzle and Beat took gas instead of diesel. I swore vey un-ladylike, I can, you know. My unconscious stores
profanities like you would not believe. I just hope, nobody in the vicinity understands Swiss German. But now, what
to do? Under no circumstances start the engine, so the attendant closed off our pump. It is almost 5 o’clock and the
garages will soon close. We could not get a telephone number of the Toyota garage, they have changed their name
to something very illogic. Luckily it was not very far away, so we sprinted there. Only to have to wait for the return of
the chief mechanic who was on a test drive. Luckily our Troopy has two tanks and he gave us green light to drive
with the untainted one to the garage. After cleaning out the polluted tank, two filters and AUD 234 we arrived one
hour later at the Camp Ground. Ufffffhhh just scraped the Iceberg, get lost Murphy!!

COOKTOWN
Cooktown has completely thrown us. Most of the so called highlights on the Coast were overflowing with the rich
and beautiful or backpackers, Hippies and Australia-in 5-days tourists. That was reflected by the wares on sale:
everything you never wanted and certainly did not need, but bought to punish your friends and neighbours with.
Cooktwon is the notable exception. The northernmost Town on the east coast which is reachable via bitumen road
has history and class. The township was initiated by Capt’n Cook in 1770 when he was hauled up here for 48 days
to repair the damage on his ship “The Endeavour”, which it got when running up on a reef outside Cape Tribulation.
His memory is cherished up to today. The Cook Museum invites to an evening with film and theatre and nibbles. The
film was made during a recent re-enactment of Cooks stay. In the intermission we are served with hot and cold
titbits and drinks to the hilt. Afterwards the cast reads from the various journals of the expedition. All this for a
voluntary donation in the hat. 90 guests and we have enjoyed a royally entertaining evening.

Not far, near the Lion’s Den Hotel, a bush pub, we see the astonishing aqua blue jade vine and he orange flowers
and large round fruits of the canon ball tree. Enchanting.

In Cooktown we found the friendliest Campground yet. Mary and John are rue hosts. They care efficiently for all
their guests, call us by name and organise each afternoon from 5 pm a happy hour on a long trestle table. Everyone
brings their drinks and nibbles, cheeses, sometimes olives or sausage pieces are on the table. We are allowed to
use their WIFI internet connection for a nominal fee. This is quite special, since Internet inAustralia is very expensive
and not easily accessible. Nothing is impossible. Mary has even given me her freshly bought fish, since I just
missed the fiash wagon. We really felt at home here and leave with a laden heart, but now we go west.