STILL THE LONG CROSS

Early next morning we hit the road again, leaving behind Fraser Range Station. The plan was to go as far as Madura Pass - the concept of free camping beside the road had somewhat lost it's appeal. Sadly, as you travel you become victim to all sorts of caravan myths and legend. These generally take the shape of 'crook stuff' that can happen to unwary caravanners. One of these oft told stories revolves around the bad things that happen to people who camp beside the road - we are almost sure that in most cases these stories have grown in the telling, but, have I mentioned that we are a couple of cream puffs? Well, we decided discretion was the better part of valour and so we stayed in parks all the way across. I dare say, we will do some free parking at some stage, but we will pick our time and place very carefully.

We did arrive in due course at Madura Pass, somewhere around early afternoon in fact. Once again, this was a desolate sort of place, but with it's own inimical beauty. I am fascinated by the bushland in these regions and would love to really explore it fully. Trouble is I'm an unfit fat old woman and I am not sure that I will ever realise this ambition! I think I may have to do quite a bit of 'going without' and 'going within' before I am fit to do this kind of exploration.

It seems that at these sparsely populated roadside caravan parks/road-houses, you meet the real characters. I guess there is nothing else to do except talk to each other, so lots of interesting stories come out.

As we were setting up camp for the night, one fellow, travelling alone except for his beautiful old blue heeler, wandered over, stubby in hand, to introduce himself. Turned out that he had been widowed a couple of years earlier and after the death of his long time wife had hit the road with his dog and aged cat. He had lost the cat, of old age, in Victoria the year before he said, with a bit of a catch in his throat, and he and the dog were just returning home. They were going into a retirement village and his next escapade was going to involve buying a race horse!! Don't people lead interesting lives?

As he was telling us pretty much his life story, a man -mountain approached us, also with stubby in hand. This bloke was the proverbial six axe handles across and was wearing an enormous black cowboy hat. The overall effect was quite overwhelming. Our other guest took one tremulous look and departed for parts unknown, and our new mate promptly made himself comfortable. Turned out that he was a cattleman from the north of NSW (God's own country he informed us several times), was only six months or so out of a 29 year marriage,and looking to have some good blokey fun. He was a real character, he wanted to borrow TBBITW and take him back to the west for a fishing and surfing holiday - I think it would have been the end of my lad, this bloke was on the tear and looking to burn off a whole heap of energy. It appeared that he had lost his heart in SA on the way across, but I don't think that would have stopped him from 'having a bit of a look around' at any other talent he may have stumbled across. He eventually ambled off to find some tucker and other drinking partners and we saw him again late that night after he had tired of playing with the people in the local bar/restuarant (I do use those terms lightly!). We saw the night out with him, once again under a canopy of dazzling stars, and then said a warm goodbye to him before leaving in the morning. He will remain one of the best and most memorable characters we have encountered so far.