Raining on the rock

Pastel red to burgundy and spinifex to gold,

We've just come out of the Mulga where the plains forever roll.And Albert Namatjira has painted all the scenes,

And a shower has changed the lustre of our land.
And it's raining on the Rock,

In a beautiful country,

And I'm proud to travel this big land,As an Aborigine.

And it's raining on the Rock

What an almighty sight to see,

And I'm wishing and I'm dreaming that you were here with me.

Everlasting daisies and a beautiful desert rose

Where does their beauty come from heaven knows.

I could ask the wedge-tail but he's away too high,

I wonder if he understands it's wonderful to fly
It cannot be described with a picture,

The mesmerising colours of the Olgas.

Or the grandeur of the RockUluru has power!
And it's raining on the Rock,

In a beautiful country,

And I'm proud to travel this big land,

As an Aborigine.

And it's raining on the Rock

What an almighty sight to see,

And I'm wishing and I'm dreaming that you were here with me.

Lyrics John Williamson

Yulara... Yulara.... Yulara

Back in Alice. I reckon i spend the last month , most of my time in Yulara. A big job over there. Cleaning a 4 million water tank , repainting it, and checking for any leaks.


This time no 6 star resort, just a big house that power and water (government company that provides the northern territory water and electricity) owns, back to making own meals , making your own bed, cleaning the house, etc.

The main issue of the moment is the weather. Nowadays, its pretty unique , almost tropical, very humid, hot and wet. Its been raining for more then 5 days a year. Even the temperature makes incredible curves, from 25 to 45 degrees, in just a few days. The weather makes it here in the red centre really amazing. Beautiful sunsets and sunrises, rivers are flowing for more than a few days. People get bogged everywhere on the dirt tracks, Plants are growing, while looking at it, green grass everywhere, increase from 1356 to 28 553 983 in the population, constantly an orchest playing, trying to keep you a wake, cicadas (kind of cricket ) are competing with the frogs on musical level. It has become no longer the silent dry red centre but the wet loud green centre of Australia.



The weather is also bringing the boys out in the manly population. Surfing on the Todd river, trying to get your personal fourby as dirty you can. Creating the highest splash in a paddle. Fun everywhere. I also have become a selective member of an unique club of individuals in the world. Being at the rock, i saw the spectacular view of rain on the rock. I had to create a private post to this fantastic view with lyrics from a true blue singer John Williamson. Enjoy, it`s really a rare view, people that lived here for several years even never saw the rock in this grandeur.



So all this made this month a great one, and another bonus is, that i encounter twice one of my favorite animals in the wild. The thorny devil. Amazing animal, a true survivor, untouchable, about 200mm long, high tech camouflage . The horny devil looks like a miniature dinosaur of long gone times. Most angry and dangerous looking animal around but with a heart of gold.
Even took a moment for me to pose for several pictures.

Todd`s flowing

Mayor evenement here in Alice Springs. It`s been raining a bit for the last days, so it`s cooler too. We almost hit the 40 degrees last week when it started to cool down again and raining. Yep, its one of those 5 days that it rains here. The rain is also in a mayor part of the northern territory, so it causes the Todd river to flow.

So it is rush hour here in Alice, the only time there are traffic problems , that you drive bumper against bumper to get to the river. Except when the Ghan (train with about 132 wagons)is passing in town and you find yourself at the wrong way of the railway, so you have to wait for about 1 hour and 24 min before you can cross the railway. But it`s amazing, the river flowing, it`s almost another town, it is another town, not a town somewhere in the red dessert. Dust storms, everything dry ,driving 243 ks to find a waterhole full with tourist, 42 degrees, sand everywhere. Even the map mention the river, Todd river (usually dry), no joke, its written on the map like this.


When the river is flowing for 6 hours , 35 min and 51 sec every 2 year, you can imagine, that everybody wants to see the usually dry river. And i mean everyone, people, dogs, birds, insects, etc. Mostly it is one dark red flow, but who care`s, the river is moving. So people swim, dogs swim, photographs, even the main newspaper is somewhere at the river. The river divide the town in two parts, it runs straight in the middle of Alice with just one bridge, another traffic problem. but who care`s. In the 2 years i`m living in Alice i have seen the river flow 5 times, and it is good, especially the days after. everything is greener and cleaner.

Besides that mayor evenement, life continues, back on full day`s. My eyes are fully recovered. Only i noticed that my mind sometimes still function in holidaymodus. Played some golf, hitting the gras less and less. Finishing another painting. . Maybe one day i have enough to really have an exhibition, who knows.

Half days

Almost back to normal life. My eyes are almost healed, so i`m working half days for the moment. But i have to confess, i like this way of life, a half day to earn that hard money, and another half day to paint, and do what you really want to do.

The last month a half went pretty fast, two weeks Thailand, one week bush in yulara,one week struggling blind in my unit, one week sick leave and one week on half days. Life is beautiful.
The life drawing course started again on the Wednesday, so i`m back there drawing. It`s hard to find a model, you imagine asking a woman. Hey can you pose naked for me, i would love to make a drawing or painting of you? You see them immediately thinking .....
Maybe just finding a girlfriend is the solution, but i don`t think that `s gonna work. She will be probably bored by just sitting or standing for hours naked under a spotlight without a conversation and touching her. And after a while she starts feeling used. So that`s no good idea.

So, i`m starting to draw faces, again with oil paint, that`s along time ago, damned, i didn`t knew it was so hard. My unit starts to look like a paint workshop, paint on the wall, paint on the floor, paint on the dishes, paint on my clothes, paint on the ceiling, paint on the furniture, paint on the beer bottles, paint rags everywhere, i think you got an idea now. Mmmh, i wonder what the real estatement will think about it?
One thing is fun, i seems to be always high by the fume of the oil and turpentine. That`s maybe why i see those strange lines in the faces or was it because i couldn`t see properly. And i have to confess, i like this painting, its pretty big, it`s 1m20 on 1m40 and i like the strenght of it. Maybe i need that conjunctivitis back, to make paintings that i like.

So, next week back to "normal" life.

Revenge

Not again, you will think, that bastard is going on a holiday again !

No, i truly have to confirm you that i `m not going on a holiday again. The revenge that i`m talking about was not mine. It was time that work and nature had to have there payback.

So, two days after i got back, not even fully recovered of my big expedition in Thailand, work send me on a bush trip to Yulara. Again the rock, i`m thinking to relocate to that rock, after the eight bush trip to the resort. This time the job was a bit more dirty. We had to clean out the area where all the unclean water ends up. Quite a big area, we had to dig a 250 square meter of dirt away, about 1 meter deep, fill it with plastic boxes and fill it up with dirt again. So it was time to learn to drive a bobcat and tipper. That was fun. Driving like a madman, i was well trained back in Thailand, scoping out dirt , throwing it in the tipper, and back again into the dirt. And after a hard days work , relaxing in my 6 stars room. It was almost that i never left Thailand, except he nighttime hours.

But nature had something in petto for me, My eyes were a bit red the last days. It started with one eye, and soon my other eye started to look red too. No worries, it will go away, i`m forty, so my body was a bit exhausted i thought. But after a few days my eyes were almost popping out of my skull. Swollow and almost no more white in my eyes, scary i know. It`s not a photo that i would place on a datingsite.

So time to see the nurses in Yulara. Mmmhhh, thats no good, we will have to send you back to Alice with the flying doctors. At that time , my sight was going backwards too. I had a view of the world , like when you are under water and open your eyes . So, almost blind, and hitting the wings of the plane with my head, i stepped on the plane , and flew back. It was almost that i was in the series "the flying doctors"of a few years back. I only couldn`t see if it was the same crew.

So i can add a new experience on my list, flying with the flying doctors, it is not something everybody can do.

The hospital, Alice Springs, after several tests they found out that i had a severe conjunctivitis on both eyes with an infection as bonus. Highly contaminated.

So the last days i`m living constantly under water avoiding people and people avoiding me. The good thing was i had a free week, mmmh i thought it was a good thing. Pretty boring , living like a blind man. No movies, no books, no painting. Imagine going to the toilet and trying to aim at a blurry toilet opening, but i have to confess, i`m getting better in my aiming.

I`m living under constant heavy painkillers, antibiotics and some creme i have to put in my eyes every 6 hours. I just wonder where the thoughts where from the doctors when they told me to put some cream in my eyes. For godsake, i can`t even see my eyes, lets say putting something in it. I almost blinded myself the first time with the tube.

But i`m recovering , as prove this post on my blog, and with a prospect of another week paid sick leave.

My revenge part 2

It was sweet, oh so sweet. Going on a holiday and being paid for it. That`s how life should be.
Thailand, a land full of contradictions, 9 star resorts and as neighbour a shed fabricated out of garbage. A family town in daylight that transforms by night into a place where even a priest become a hunter or pray of the beautiful Thai ladies or lady boys. It`s a place where a single man lays on the beach in the day and burn wounds been taken care of during the nightly hours. The place to celebrate my delayed birthday as a single man. How the path of life change. One moment you are making plans to extend the family, and the next day you are in the middle of an ex(r)otic nightlife, suppressing your midlife crisis.

Acting as a young boy, i went canooing around the 1253 little islands around the mainland, see the famous "man with the golden gun" island. Going on ATV (4wd scooter)tour in the green wilderness, doing rafting in the Thai jungle, with as result that the next day you are confronted with the real age of your muscles. But no worries, they have thought about that. The Thai massage ladies have developed a second sense to pick out the rafting causalities. Picking them out the crowd and offering them a massage. And who would refuse when you are struggling to getting around and in mind the prospect of the nightlife that still has to come.
Night time, where the dead town turns in a wild turbulent life. Where were all the people hiding themselves during the day. I still don`t have a clue.

It`s pretty exhausted exploring the late hours, being hold up by every tailor man , who wants to have a chat and convince you should wear a suite, that he could make for you. Every restaurant offering you a meal . Walking souvenir shops who trying to sell `the made in china `useless accessories . From every bar beautiful ladies calling you to have a drink or a challenging game.
So after one hour walking about 24 metres, you are happy that you didn`t refuse the Thai massage . So you are ready to take the next metres without a problem.
But after a while you get thirsty, so after 169 times refusing the bar ladies, it`s time to say yes.
Dragged into the bar , you order your first drink for you and the lady that managed to get you in the bar. Having a chat in very prehistoric English with support of strange sign or body languages they managed you to play little bar games, what extend your time in the bar. Games like 4 on a road, domino, `loser pays a drink` games,etc. And as an ignorant tourist you win the first games, but than you suddenly start loosing from the daily trained lady. Hurt in your male pride , you play again, and again still hoping you`ll finally win a game. Frustrated , you take a run out of the bar. Time to walk another 5 metres, ending up , playing another game . This time you managed to play with 5 ladies at a time, building all kind of weird constructions with those little wooden blocks. With new energy, 1 to 5 changes you have to pay, thinking about winning my drinks back. You devoted yourself to the new game. Only one little detail, you lose, you pay the participants a drink, you win you receive one drink. No worries, 1 to 5, i can`t be that bad in the game. I never saw constructions like this before, ignoring gravity and insulting every physical law. (normally one game exist about 50 blocks i think, can`t remember the name of the game, so if somebody knows , but the bar use like 4 individual games to play one big game).
There goes my male pride again, so your are ending up in the early mornings,(maybe one of the reasons why there is nobody around during daylights) provided the half bar with free drinks for the night and hoping for a revenge the next day.

My revenge

Finally the day of my sweet revenge, the fact that i had to work on my birthday when i entered a new decade in my life.
A decade of the start of discovering grey hears, finding out that the body sometimes argues with the mind and who knows what more.

So my dear readers, i`m off to celebrate the start of this new period in my life, also known by people as the more mature time in a humans life.
I will be back in touch in two weeks.
Revenge is mine!

Canteen Creek

Back from a job in an aboriginal community. I spend a week in Canteen Creek. It`s a little dry settlement , i figure around 30 living souls, somewhere in the dessert. With "dry" i mean , no alcohol permitted on the premises. By law you commit an offence when you have an alcohol beverage over there. So after a week you feel really dry. It`s a 632 k drive with the fourby. Imagine going to work , spend an 8 hour drive, start working for a few days, and have another 8 hour drive back home. Only possible in Australia. I`m telling this story to give you, my few returning readers, a bit more details about a bushjob. The job that we had to do, was replacing a gen-set to a newer one. I have also more photo`s, i `m finally a proud owner of a digital camera.

We left dear Alice at 600 am with a fully loaded fourby. It`s a 400 k`s bitumen up north before you really disappear in the red centre. From there another 200 k`s dirt road is waiting direction east. The only living souls you encounter before entering the community is a cattle station with a property bigger then Belgium and around a million cattle, just 40 k`s from the Stuart highway. So we cruising alone , once a while changing from seat between the sleeping and the one with the steer. Everything went fine till we got on the dirt track. A 20 k on the rocky road was to much for the tyre. The rubber was ripped in pieces, time to have a break, normally with some alcohol beverages, but not this time, we were heading to a "dry" town, so technical there was no alcohol in the surroundings. We replaced the wheel , and off we went again, with only one spare left. That's why people who drive a lot into the bush have more then one spare on the car. You always have to get back and some aren`t that lucky. The weekend before a Canadian tourist got killed on the same dirt track , by loosing his wheel , roll over, felt out the car, and the car landed on him.

We arrived at Canteen Creek safely, went to the house where we should stay for a few days, nothing special. A four room house with common shower and kitchen. Cardboard windows , 10 mm of red dust on the floor and some mattresses who are inhabit by who knows what kind of species. Good thing we have our own bed with us, our precious swag. We start unloading the car , look to the job , cook a meal, and dive into our swag.

The work went pretty well, its always a bit creative, because the only tools and materials you have , are the one you brought with you. The next tool or workshop is 300 k`s further in Tennant Creek. So to be inventive is the word. We installed the new genset, made up a new exhaust and all the things you have to do with it. Penetration into the wall, re-sheting, repainting , etc.

Canteen Creek is not new for me, been there five times now, i had the chance to see my old friend again. Rilly, named after our boss. He is one of the 100 dogs that are gathered around the camp. The most miserable one, but nowadays, he looks pretty good. There is a lot of coming and going of tradesman the last two years, and clever as he is, he always stayed around the house and being feed well. It`s also the place where i met the flying sheet. I can say that the place has a special place in my heart.

Job well done, lets get the hell out of here. First say goodbye to the locals, some donkey`s who are scrolling in the camp, and Rilly. Give him the rest of the food we brought with us, and off we go, back again to a "wet" town.

Another eight hours of driving before i can get my first beer.

True Blue

Damned, winter in the dessert. Its almost that i was back in Belgium. Freezing temperatures at night and in the day, no shorts, no singlets and no thongs. Together with my 40 years midlife crises and the weather i felt almost depress. It`s a good thing alcohol can keep you warm.

The days are filled, waiting for the post, my passport would arrive soon. And it did. I`m now the proud owner of 2 passports, 2 Belgium ones, the new one for another 5 years and the old one with my permanent visum inside. Mmmh,? No, they couldn`t put the visum in the new one. That's another department who deals them out. So, that means , paperwork !, and because the lost month, i start specializing in this kind of business, maybe a career movement, who knows.

But we getting there. I did the citizen test. And i`m proud to say i`m a true blue. Twenty questions, and twenty correct answers. But i didn`t had my passport, so i have to go back, not to do the test, but to show that i`m really Hans Hertsens. After that , it takes a couple of months before they invite me for the ceremony, where i `ll become an Australian citizen. But for certain reasons i think, a not official true blue test will follow .

I went for the first time to an Australian court. Yep, quite amazing, two years in Australia, and already a hearing. It`s was pure sci-fi in the middle of the dessert. We entered the courtroom, a lot of people seems to wanna have a divorce nowedays. Sitting with about 11 people in an oval room against the wall, a big tele screen in the front and a web cam. Waiting till the judge appears on the screen, and then suddenly start talking to you. Damned , he has a web cam too. Mr Hertsens would you be so kind to approach the bench? It talks too. Are you Mr Hertsens? Are you Mr Hertsens ? Again. You can speak in the micro if you please! Damned, Yes, I am, your honour. He can hear me too. I didn`t felt anymore in the middle of the dessert, where i cook my meals in the camp oven, and heat my billy above the campfire. The divorce was granted, so officially, i will be divorced after one month and one day.

2 years australia

yep, 5 July, i`m here now for two years. I celebrated it on fire cracker night the fourth. I blew up 260 aud together with my brother. We went to the river, and shaked the town awake with some firework.
I went for a drink in bojangles, where i would met Sylvie, she was travelling around Aussie country together with Sara. It was her last night here. It was good to see Sylvie again, it was almost that i flew back in time, drinking with her and Sara. But that`s just a strange twist in my mind, because there was a great difference.
This month stands in the sign of administration. My passport is running out, so time to get a new one. I`m here for 2 year, so i can ask for citizenship. And the divorce papers had to be done. It`s the NT-time , they call it. Not today, not tomorrow, not Tuesdie, not Thursdie. So there are just 2 work days left on a week. So i managed to do none of those papers, but we getting there. I have an appointment to do the test for citizenship, i have to study who was the best cricket player, the horse that won legendary races, national flora emblem, and all the useful things you need to know to get trough life. My passport, that's a story about Pontius and Pilatus, and a third guy, who`s name i still try to get. But we getting there. The divorce, what would you expect, still waiting for papers that need to be translated, but we getting there. It`s a good thing we live in an Internet communication world, where you have to do everything with the post.
This month i had also the crazy idea to put my private life on a blog, to relive everything i went trough the last 2 years. But it`s nice to read all the comments on the blog, so i decided to continue bothering you with my boring stories.
Excuse me for my cynical writing, i just came back from a bushtrip, from Yulara again, had even to work on my birthday, 40 years, time to get into my midlife crisis. But the sun was with me. She gave me the most beautiful sunrise that day.
I didn`t even had the chance to celebrate my special day, but one day i will have my revenge and it will be sweet.

May- June 2008

After i dropped Marc and Inneke at the airport, i drove back to work.
Waking up early in the night, doing my cleaning, To drive to my other work, but i was trying to save some money. To get out of town.
The cold was getting to me, yep, its cold here in the winter. It`s around 4 degrees at night and 18 in the day. I couldn`t even were my shorts anymore . The whole day with a beanie and jacket.

I painted in the weekends, and in the week i slept and worked and slept. The new relation didn`t work, more on my side then on Kate`s. Something deep in me wasn`t ready. So we decided to stop our relation, and to stay friends.

There was also a big bushjob coming up. At yulara, staying at a 7 star resort, would be nice. I saved up some money, and found out that my early nights were getting at me. In the weekends i had no more energy to do anything, so it was enough. I stopped with the cleaning business and went back to normal waking hours.
Every year in Alice , the advocate, Alice Springs main newspaper, has an art award for the locals. And after 2 years spending bush, seeing the todd river flowing, riding a bull, , knowing some slang words, using the f -word in every sentence, practising the mainactivity of an aussie and once a while taking a sickie for no reason then not feeling to go to work and having some roadkills on my name ,i consider myself almost local. So i thought , i give it a try.

Yes, i`m on the bushjob. Before i left Alice, i brought the painting to the art centre and off i go. So the next month i stayed more at the 7 star resort , then in my own 1 star unit. The days were going fast at the rock. On one of those days i received a phone call from Byanka . Before I left, I received an invitation from the art centre for the opening, i would be in Yulara , so i gave it to them. I knew byanka was interested in art, so they would go. I had won a price. My painting had won `the encourage price`, a 400 aud price to spend in the local paint shop. I couldn`t believe it. First time in my life i won something , and i wasn`t even there. And the problem was, i couldn`t even celebrate it with a large amount of alcoholic beverages , because the next morning , the next 12 hour workday was waiting.

April 2008

That month , Marc and Inneke were travelling around Australia.
Having a good time, while i was waking up at 300 am . They also planned to visit Alice , a good thing. Seeing some friends from Belgium is always something to look forward to.

It was great to see them again, and to see how they enjoyed Australia. They were having a great honeymoon. I had to show him how special the outback was, so i proposed an overnight camping under the southern sky. The place where we would go, was just 40k`s out of Alice. A little waterhole , i discovered together with Luke a while ago. Yep, on boring Sundie afternoons, we explore the area, follow tracks, they have to go somewhere. that`s how we found that place. On one of those boring Sundays, we also discovered some cave, the bat caves , they are called. A network of caves and tunnels underground. Amazing, open for everybody to get lost and never be found again. Northern Territory, my kind of country.

Marc and Inneke agreed to go camping to the new discovered camp ground. All together at the front seats of Mrs Dee. The backseats of my car are taken out, to get more place for my survivors camping gear, golf clubs, bundies, my noodle seat , etc. I installed some platform, with draws. Place for a eski, and in case you go camping on one of those 7 days in the year that it rains here in Alice, you could sleep in the back of the car.

The track is pretty easy, just made a bit narrow by never ending growing bushplants, because not often somebody has the idea to take that lost track to run down the branches. We arrived at our spot, i was trying to get a bit closer to the waterhole, but one big rock was in the way. So we had to reverse, and camp on the rocks, above the waterhole. We had a good night, cooked some dinner, had some wine, looked at the stars. Interesting conversations about the sky. I even learned how easy it is to remember first or last quarter of the moon. Thanks Marc.
At night and even in the morning we had a lot of visitors, kangaroos everywhere, looking at us, if they never had seen a human, maybe it was.

We had some coffee, and went for a little walk in the area. Marc even tried, the game `bushgolf`.
To close the visit from Marc and Inneke here in Alice. Me ,Kate and the honeymoon couple decided to have a last tea . We went to a restaurant, where we all had different meals, and stayed till the last guests.

February - March 2008

A new year in Alice, amazing how the time goes by.

Here in the little town with 30 000 people in the middle of the outback, i started working again. Only there was one little difference in town, Sara was living here too now. We decided to have a drink one night in a new bar in town. It was a nervous night for me, it was more then a year a half ago that i saw her. I wasn`t angry at her, she didn`t mistreated me, Sara saw no future in our marriage anymore when she left me. Don`t get me wrong, i had moments i was furious at her, but can you force somebody to stay? She hurted me a lot, and there are still moments i miss my wife. But i think about the kangaroo and emu. That night we also decided that is was time to divorce.



At work , there was no bushwork ahead, so i found an evening course life model drawing. Every Wednesday , 9 weeks , i followed the course. I found my passion again for the human form. My landscape paintings became human paintings.

Since i came back from the holiday , there was a big hole in my finance, so i decided to take another job, otherwise i would be stuck here forever with the 30 000 people. I found a job as a cleaner. So the next months , i woke up at 300 am. Jumped in the car , mostly more a sleep then awake, drove to a administration building , cleaning all the desks, floor, etc. At 730 i arrived at the workshop to start my day job that finishes at 500 pm, and on a Wednesday i arrived at 600 pm at the art class till 900 pm.



There was something special in the morning, while i was cleaning i knew 29 999 people where a sleep , it was almost that i was the only living person in Alice, the town was mine that moment in the morning.

At the art class i met a nice girl, Kate. We had the same interests and we were getting along. She became my girlfriend. It was my first attempt to have a relation again. In the weekends we drove away from civilisation , away in the red centre. The thing here is, when you leave on a Fridie, the next living person you meet , is on a Sundie night when you drive back in town. So you can imagine, that i felt like Adam and Eva on those trips.



So it were pretty busy days.

December 2007-January 2008

Two good things were happening.

My sis was coming and i had a month holiday.

I left Alice 14 December direction Adelaide. My sis was arriving 16 December at the airport. That morning , i was nervous, it was more than a year ago, that i said goodbye to Belgium. The plane was on time, with my sis on. It was good to see my sister again , after so a long time.

We decided to spend the night in a hotel in the city. We had big plans for our trip, so we could use a good night sleep, after all the emotions and long flight. We discussed our plans, and the morning after, we were on our way.

The plan was to do the great ocean road, direction Melbourne. Our first night , we went to the beach , we even saved some Australian tourists from being bogged, funny sight, Australians rescued by European tourists. We thought to spend the night on the beach, but to much wind drove us in the dunes. It wasn`t such a good night for Anja, her swag was invaded by sand flees, while we were on the beach, so all night those little animals were attacking my sis who entered there new conquered territory.

The next days , we travelled along the coastline, saw a few shinglebacks escaping on the road, we were just wondering if it was always the same one we saw. We did some 4wd in the dunes, slept in the wild, slept in caravan parks, till we arrived at the Great Ocean Road. My sister saw more wildlife in those few days that i saw since i arrived in Australia, all kind off kangaroos, emus, birds, shingle backs, sand flees,kookaburra`s,etc. The only thing that was bothering us , was the bad weather we had.

Once we arrived at the Ocean road, we noticed it by the invasion of all the tourists , coming from all directions from the country or globe. It was a nice road, but civilisation has made it a bit to artificial. We went to a place were we could see some seals swimming and playing in the sea, while Anja again was invaded by animals, this time the flies wouldn`t leave her alone. We explored a national park in 4wd, where we found the most beautiful spot to camp. But it was taken by a lesbian couple, who probably planned a romantic evening in the wild. We did some night walking to magnificent waterfalls. Walked in the tree`s in a tropical forest, the only one in the south coast. Fixed the spring of the car with a rope, we lost some bolt on the way. And the wildlife kept coming, some ducks who were doing our dishes, a kookaburra who stole the pizza of my sis, a parrot who was interested in the interior of the car. We went to a sanctuary, we wanted to see a kaola, smile. There she had the chance to talk to a wombat, i never figured out what they were talking about.

Our next stop would be Melbourne, we were invited by Luke`s mom to celebrate Christmas and to have a fresh seafood meal.I think Anja was glad to spend a few nights in a real house, instead of being attack by the curtain in the car. The meal was unreal, fresh from the sea market. Sis even introduced cocktail sauce. We had a few relaxing days there, visiting Melbourne city. Discovering some night life together with Luke, Byanka and Tim (Luke`s brother). We met Rosemarie (Byanka`s mother). Tim brought all his diving gear with him, so we could even have a dive in the ocean. Moments where we thought we saw our life passing by in a few seconds. The second dive was more relax, the moment we really saw what was under water. The time was getting closer to move on. We were heading to seaspray, where Byanka`s dad had rented a house at the beach to celebrate new year. We stopped one night at Rosemarie`s place, wonderful lady, a place where Anja for the first time saw a real bed since here arrival in australia, even had to see a doctor. because her eye had decided to take some dirt back from the beach. We visited Walhalla, oldest mining town, on our way to Seaspray. First stop at grandma`s place to meet the rest of the family, picking up some gear , direction beach house. At the beach house, we had a few relaxing days, visiting the beach. First time i had a fishing rod in my hands. Swimming in the sea. Trying a total new barbie receipt,` chouck on can`, best chicken meat i ever ate. Thanks Lee,You take a whole chicken, throw some herbs in his body, put a can of beer up in his ... , and ready for the weber. But it was time to head back to Alice, Anja, had one more week to go before she had to return to Belgium.

On the road again, we took a complete other way to go back. Melbourne, Bendigo, Mildura, Renmark, the high country road, to catch up with the Stuart highway in Port Augusta. Back in Alice, we visited the reptile centre and other highlights of the city. Most of the time, we took it quite relax. Time to see the famous rock in the red centre. We spend one night at the Yulara resort, close to Ulurru and the Olga`s. Only a few days left of our holiday. We drove back trough running waters and boggy hole, Anja had even the privilege, to drive with Mrs Dee, my car`s name. My sis didn`t yet experienced a real bushcamp. So we spend the night at my favorite spot. Had a black pizza in the campoven, my bush skills weren`t so good that i thought. We didn`t hear the dingo`s howling that night, but the next day a big bull decided to rest a bit aside the track. The last days, we closed our holiday with a night out in Bojangles. Time to put my sis back on the plane. Me and Luke drove Anja to the airport, had a few beers and said goodbye.

Goodbye sis, thanks for a good holiday, and till soon.

Bushwork

More details about my job, especially those bushtrips , who are always different. I have been to many places now, Canteen Creek, Utopia, Willowra, Yulara, Tennant Creek, Ormiston Gorge, Ti Tree, Napperby, Murray Downs, Kings Canyon and more. Most of them are aboriginal communities, some are stations and some are resorts. All have there own story. Some are close to Alice and some takes a whole day to get there. But its always a minimum of 200k`s. Some are reachable on bitumen, and some only on dirt track and permit only.

So, i start to get to know my way around here in the red desert. But still a lot of places to discover in an area bigger than Belgium ,France and Netherlands together.

Its a good thing those jobs, it breaks the boringness of the workshop, and you are able to see places where you never are allowed to go, spend nights in a 4 star resort and restaurant, where i don`t have the money for. Sometimes it`s very basic, especially in aboriginal communities, a donga that falls apart, doing own cooking and dishes after a 12 hour workday in the bloody heat. Sometimes relax, no dishes, no cooking, even your bed is made up for you. And the time you spend on those trips ,everything is payed by the company.

On one of those trips i had that encounter with the flying roof sheet. we were putting up a roof on a big shed and the wind catches the sheet and threw it in the air, direction my poor forehead. Blood was dripping from my forehead, nothing to worry about, a face always bleed like they cut a big piece out of your skin, the only thing were i worried about was, the scar. Imagine going trough life as the new Harry Potter, with a scar in the middle of your forehead in the shape of a symmetric curved line. Happily, the sheet just scrapped some skin away, and didn`t left a print behind of this typical profile.

We also chased a big bushfire once, we were working one day and in the distance we saw some big smoke, at night time, we saw a red glow in the distance. So 3 guys jumped in the car, 2 in the front, i in the back of the Ute ( car with only 2 seats and a trunk at the back), drove into the bush, take a track to the left, to the right, again to the right, trying to get closer to that red glow. After a hour drive ,we were close to the fire. Amazing beautiful, it was like the sky was on fire, you could see all the colors of the spectrum between red and yellow. And the heat. We enjoyed the spectacle for a few minutes, but it was time to get back. How. We had taken so many turns in our fire chase. And once you drive in the opposite direction of the fire, everything becomes black. No lights and roadsigns are available in the bush. We were in the middle of the outback surrounded by 400 k`s nothing else than bush, and somewhere there is a little community. Damned. So we start driving on good luck and direction, one thing we knew was , the fire should go away from us. Driving to the left, right, right, left, amazing how many little tracks there are in the middle of nowhere, putting out the lights of the car on occasions, to see if we could see a bit of light in the horizon of a little village with some electricity. After a couple of hours driving, we finally saw some lights in the distance, we were on the good track.

After another 17 days bushtrip, we decided to stop and visit the waterhole nearby, police waterhole, some 500 K`s away from our workshop. We deserved it, a relax day before heading back. Nice waterhole, and its above the tropic of Capricorn, so it means the water was perfect, even warmer than being out the water. We used the top of our eski as a floating table, filled with some food , and drinks. In my eyes this was better then some swimming pool in a 6 star resort, except maybe the absence of some female diversity. The night was falling, we cooked our self a nice meal on the self made barbie, and went to our swags.
In the middle of the night i woke up abrupt of something that hit my swag. Nothing to worry about , complete normal if you sleep on the ground in the middle of nature. So ,i felt a sleep again, for ten minutes, till i felt the same, but this time different, it was still on my swag. F@#k , i hit it away with my hand, it felt a bit slimy. After that time, it took me a while to get back a sleep, and yes again , something jumped on my swag. This time i took my torch, to see what was happening. And there he sat, my sleep disturbant, a little frog was looking straight into my eyes.
He jumped away , on his way to the water. After that i felt several more jumps on my swag. But i didn`t moved anymore. I was convinced that i probably was sleeping on the frog main way from the bush to the water.

Running Waters

Running waters, it`s not like the word says. There is no running water available. Just a big pole of water, i have been there twice. On an Easter weekend and later one with my sis. The first time , the water was alright, but the second time , it was a dark muddy large pool, about 30 cm high. So ,you have to be lucky to have a good swim over there. The view is great. The rock or little mountain nearby is easy to climb.

It`s a good overnight on a long weekend, what we did on Easter 2007. We drove to boggy hole, and the 4wd track continue till it reaches Running Waters. The track is really enjoyable, nice turns, cruising along over rocks and sand. Sometimes blocked by a stubborn goanna, who don`t want to leave. So jumping out the car, trying to get a picture close from him, and then to scar him away. Wrong, one of the defence tactics of those big animals is, running to the highest point. So you can imagine where he`s gonna run to in the bush where almost nothing is higher than a metre, if you are in a bad spot. Right, to your head, and i guarantee you, that`s not a pleasant thought if you see the nails of that crazy animal.

We also, mmh, i`m lying, Luke managed to catch some yabby`s, to be honest, just one. We thought to have a good meal by catching some, cook and eat them. But with our catch, we putted the poor bastard again in his own waterpool with the mission to multiply for the next trip. And like you see , the bundy was always present on camp trips.

Rainbow Valley

Not one of my favorite places.
But i think , the time you go playes a big roll. Rainbow Valley is known for the spectacular colors the mountain produces by sunset, something about the different rock material that exist in the mountain.


The road to the Valley is bitumen, part dirt. But easy, no 4wd necessary, just one spot that causes problems with low clearance vehicles.
A lot of tourist`s around, so it means , a lot of rules to obey. Walk on the path, infrastructure, camping spots are already made for you. Personally, i like the rough, wild ,deserted places more , then those cultivated ones.