Camping in Aussie Land

Bobbie, my Aussie friend, collected me with her 4 wheel drive - which has a pop up camper on top. I am starting to talk like an Aussie.  We left straight for the outback (we were kind of already there) and camped every night.  For sure, this is open country.   

There are places to stop but they are miles from each other. There may be just a big pub or sometimes a little pub with a little restaurant that would not pass America's health department. They love their beer and they have good ones, and they love a good time. Free camping is often allowed and sometimes the campgrounds are HUGE. 

Australians are so friendly, and so outdoorsy. One night we had a ball with a very good band and lots of campers parked on a large flat, dirt area. Pubs serve meals and be assured the slabs of meat will fill any persons belly.  They do their best trying to feed me, but vegetarians are a "plague". :) Here is a truism:  This kind of camping is woozy compared to the hikes in Yosemite. 

We've gone through some opal mines and most of the time we drove miles and miles to the next site. There are lots of HUGE fields and HUGE areas of cattle raising.  We see very little traffic, but what is on the road is big. They grow cotton, canola, sorghum and grains. The cotton bales are HUGE and the trucks that haul them cover a lot of area. The cattle trucks are 3 trailers long and 2 stories high and they are always hauling stuff that covers both lanes.

Nanny Joey

Animals:  We have seen kangaroo and wallabies, and lots of other Australian animals all the time, often as road kill. The emu do not get on the roads much, but they are all around. Almost every car has roo (or bull) bars in front of their cars to protect them from collisions with the animals.  The country is full of beautiful birds.I have been trying to get to Cobber Pedy, the town where people mine opals and because it is so hot, they live underground. There is an underground hotel...with a pool. But transportation to get there is difficult and it is too far to have Bobbie take me. I will keep working on it. I may have to wait until I get to Sydney where I may find a tourist package. Getting on the computer ain't so easy. 

I decided not to go to Tasmania on this trip. It is too cold this time of year.  I sure will miss seeing the wonderful people there.

We are at Bobbies house now so we may go out camping again.  

I am getting a little homesick......

Thanks for all your messages!