….

→ (●d nhuej Blak Hedd Pthn †n throed; foetoed van mung trmt mowndz) → Burke & Wills
Roadhouse (nli ptrl btween Nor♂ton (32°C 2dae) & Cloncurry; † throed thrzn ‘camp draft’ (ntstv ho-
rsz&rdrz kpblteez) taekin plaes wch wr →2 ) ….  doo nkndv  O langwj (ndrln strukch-
rz (“grammar”) wch r nkorpr8d & join us) &  (prjkshnv langwj & owrslvz wch naebl sns & t-
knolji).… thank m+4 rn mi (wthowt 2i mtzmz), m kidz 4 tolr8n mi, H 4 keepn mi
kumpni (n@ roedsd 92kz ← Burke & Wills Road → SE → Julia Creek (wr x-pasn Cloncurry))
…. While we were watching the horsemanship trials only one other couple came over for
a look. We were there for about an hour. During that time dozens of vans and caravans
pulled up at the Roadhouse but no-one else came over. A pity, as it was a great ‘outback’
spectacle and a chance to see another kind of life entirely. The Flying Doctor Auxiliary
was there to feed and water the cont-estants (lots and lots) and the spectators (far
fewer) with expensive and awful hot dogs and hamburgers. But these people weren’t
‘foodies’ – horses and cattle are their life (12/3. thhorsz rnhobi havn moestli bn rplaest x traelb
ks). (th grae noemadz r FOE-KUST → dstn8shnz)(@th Jack & Lil Cunningham Park roedsd
sheltr  z → WbOiOlDlL&-OjCaKn, & Ross & Farzaneh, & LfOrVaEnCkE, & DIC&ArSeTaRO, &
Brian & Z, & BAdKoEnR, & Sr-MoIgTeHr, & DRUaMlMeOkND, & Alina (12/3. & Os (hzn st)))
.… Ppl kraev 2b told (2 maent-aen nfilial poschr & sosti dpndzn oebeedians) yet v rstrktd m
slf 2 xn w  doent noe & kwschnn thkwolfk8shnzv thoez hoo klaem thei doo wth thxspshn
th@ v gvn 2 KOM&Z (25/3. Tropika – 2 p13) wthowt klaemn nolj or thorti (12/3.  owt m
rkaen z &m brdd ntrn x xprt-s, gooruez, pltshnz, lobi grueps, pop & mdia z, rprznt@vz, +vrtzrz
skplts, etcetc) .… 7.45pm @ Julia Creek. W → town ← free ▲‫ ٱ‬x thkreek. H  Ben hoo sez
Joze  lsnzr goen OK (12/3. Ha-zhz lsns now).  had x2 skoonrz nth pub. Tz stil & hot. Thr wr 0
2rst vanz nth 240kz ← Burke & Wills Roadhouse → Julia Creek but thr wozn lotv ROAD KILL.
S@rdi (12/3. Satur day [OE. Saetern-(es)-daeg, a half-tranlated adoption of L. Saturni dies, day of (the planet) Saturn.]
The seventh day of the week.) 20/8/05. Nkuerius nsdnt @ 3.50am larst nt : n trae/uetlti wthtz lts owt
wth+nsd noezd →2 thfruntv owr van wth kwtn jrk. Then thei rvrst & droevoff nli pootn thr l
tsn nfue00 yrdzwae soe  koodnt thr numbr plaet. Twoz bull barbull bar & 0 damj woz dun.
Praps thei ddnt lk 2rsts. Thsmor-nn rd thppr sloeli & chekt msj banks: K8 sent Happy Brthdaez; thr
woz 1 ← SA&NrIeGwA saen thr ↑N 2th tropks nxt wntr. Julia Creek (“Centre of the Great Artesian
Basin”; “Gateway to the Gulf”; “Home of the Famous Dirt & Dust Triathlon”; “Home of the
Julia Creek Dun-nart”) →S↓ 116kz → Kynuna (“Matilda Town”; owtsd “Magoffins Matilda
Expo ( kow-ntd 16 OZ z (12/3. Tropika – 1 p5 & Savannah p5)) Living Heritage –
Welcome to the Real Story. AS SEEN ON TV. The Award Winning Matilda Midway Show”
thrzn big sn wth th werdz: “CUMMON AUSSIE. Cummon In. MATILDA BIRTHPLACE”. ;  bent
m lboe nth BLUE HEELER HOTEL whr Banjo Paterson had 1s dun thsaem; gotn 0 good hmbrgr @
th roed) → E 16+8kz → The Combo H2O-O (whr wr t 4 thnt ndr th shaedvn Coolibah
(Eucalyptus coola-bah) tree; wv bn hsins mdrvoe (m  thpz getn dun x thkroez) & nli 1 uthr
kar haz kum &  re-kn wlb h(12/3. ndrn NO ▲n sn) x owrslvz 2nt;  feel kwt moeshnl O
thplaes but l let H x thsgnfknsvth loek8shn). In 1895 A.B. “Banjo” Paterson visited
Dagworth Station (12-/3. The following information about Dagworth is from the board at
the water-hole : “Dagworth station was established in 1873 by j.t.ranken who had
assisted the famous nat buchanan pioneer bowen downs. An early property in the winton
di-strict, dagworth, was named after a stallion on bowen downs which had run thir-d in a
melbourne cup. It was here that banjo paterson wrote the words to ‘waltzi-ng matilda’
while christina macpherson composed the tune. Combo waterhole is on the northern
boundary of dagworth station.”) with his fiancee Sarah Riley and went on a bush picnic
to Combo Waterhole with the station manager Bob MacPherson and his sister Christina.
Back at the Station Paterson wrote the w-ords to “Waltzing Matilda” and Christina
composed the music. The backgrou-nd was the shearers’ strikes of the 1890s. Swagmen
were often shearers, on foot, looking for work at stations and at the mercy of owners re
1
pay and conditions. The shearers were becoming unionized and militant and some had
recently burnt down a shearing shed on Dagworth with 140 sheep in it. Paterson’s “Wal-
tzing Matilda” is clearly sympathetic to the swagmen (shearers) and may have raised the
ire of MacPherson because Paterson was asked to leave the station not long after,
according to an account I read. While we have been here two other couples have turned
up – an Aussie pair with caravan who come here reg-ularly but didn’t realize the
waterhole at the picnic area is not the famous Co-mbo Waterhole (which is a 15 minute
walk further along) and who stopped for a “cuppa”; and a Frenchman and his Asian
partner who are staying the night. We also had an informative and relaxed visit from
Colin Malone, a local who owns a small property nearby but lives in Julia Creek. ☼di (12/3.
Su nday [OE. Sunnan-daeg; tr. L. dies solis = Gr. ήμέρα ήλίον ‘day of the sun’. (Now with initial capital.)] 1. The first
day of the week, observed by Christians as a day of rest and worship, in commemmoration of Christ’s resurrection; the
Lord’s Day. b. With specific ep-ithet, as Advent, Midlent, Mothering, Trinity ME. 2. Saint S., a rendering of Sanctus
Dominicus = St. Dominic, due to confu-sion with dies Dominica = Sunday. local. 1490. ¶ 1. Phr. (colloq.). When two Sundays come
together (meet), never. A month of Sundays, a very long time. So A week of Sundays. ¶ attrib. and Comb., as S. book, clothes, dinner, paper; S
best , one’s best attire, usu. worn on S. S. letter ; the dominical letter.) 21/8/05. 8.25am.  spoez ths haz2b1vth moest
mportnt ●s nth 4maeshnvth naeshnz PSYCHE (deth rathrthan sbjewgaeshn; dfnsv thorti; rt 2 liv
offthl&; plees r lwaez nth sdv powr; ▲ whr ue want2; werkrz rts; miltansi & shrz strk & berthv
uenion moovt; gulf btween rich&-poor (th swag(swageez brkfst – nstrech, npis & ngood
look O) wer ofn thshrz)) yet tz soe ng-lktd x 2rsts (&  bet HoWARd (th coWARd hoo wor nBULLT-
PRUEF VEST ndr hz FAEK booshi owt-ft 2 nfarmrz meetn nGippsl&) haznt bn h& woent vzt wl th
IR ljslaeshn zpndn) kmpaird 2 thBlue Heeler (bilt n1889 – nplaes whr thrjnl shrz probli drank but H
bets th@ A.B.Paterson probli drank wn wth thjr @ thstaeshn) Hotel wthtz ugli GRAFITI, tz
kultvaeshnvn FAKE owtbakri (xakt m@-ch 4 thMatilda ●) & p@rnzd xkluezvli x 2rsts kumnoffth
L&sborough Hway. Thoe H reknz m not nreel OZZI  feel sad& & snttl z  @ nst
pknk taebl NDRTH SHAEDVN EUCA-LYPTUS COOLABAH nth bankv (thr r2 Brolgas aka Grus
rubicundus aka ‘Native Companions’ brow-zn nth Mitchell gras nx) 1vth chanlzvth DIAMANTINA rvr
(H zfeedn Crested Pjnz (Geophaps loph-otes); nflokv Galarz (Cacatua roseicapilla) ✈ x) .… → O
150kz SE → Winton (whr thgrei noemadz kum ndroevz 2 asrt thr OZZI dntiti b4 rternn → big siti →
TV → nersn hoemz → d; thtown kaetrz 2 2rsts zmuchz eni POP rzort nth koest & haz bkum
thopositv wott 1s woz) … To counter his sca-thing bleakness of view about the GNs (12/3.
joek ← Warringal Orchid Society inc. ( Savannah p9-): “A tour bus driver is taking a group
of seniors down a highway when he is tapped on the shoulder by a little old lady. She
offers him a handful of peanuts, which he gratefully munches up. After about 15 minutes,
she taps him on the shoulder again and she hands him another handful of peanuts. She
repeats this gesture about 5 more times. When she is about to hand him another batch
again, he asks the little old lady: “Why don’t you eat the peanuts you-rself?” “We cant
chew them because we’ve got no teeth,” she replies. The puzzled driver asks: “Why do
you buy them then?” To which the old lady replies: “We just love the chocolate around
them.”), at least they are out and about even if they do succumb to being “Whiteliners”
(the term used for those who stick to the centre of the bitumen) so that when they do go
to the nursing home they have seen something different to the suburban dream. We
were in danger of being whiteliners ourselves once we left the gulf as the big distances
between towns cause a sort of hypnosis to set in – you get accustomed to sitting on
100ks with the same flat, seemingly featureless country zipping by. We had to force
ourselves to slow down and investigate side tracks where possi-ble, stop and pick a
flower (purple and yellow pea flowers and white daisies be-gan to appear the nearer we
got to Winton as the area had a recent 5" fall of rain) or slow right down to see the
bustards beside the road. Winton has a Ma-tilda Centre too, much bigger than Kyuna’s. It
charges $17.50 to view its exhi-bition. Naturally we gave it a miss. Forgot to mention
that Colin Malone says there are at least two fresh-water crocs in Julia Creek near where
2
we camped, and that Kerry Packer (12/3. vale, Kerry ( Savannah p5). Hadn st8 mmorial held
@ thtaxpaerz xpns) owns a property not far from the Combo waterhole where he runs some
fa-ncy breed of cattle brought in from King Island which suffer badly in the heat here. On
the road this morning we passed a cairn from which someone had re-moved the metal
plaque. Painted on it was the polite request : “Please put the fucken plark back”. John
was impressed because the writer was a kindred spel-ler as well as a gentleman/woman.
In a brochure for a drive we picked up at the info centre it says that the apostle birds, my
favourite inland birds because of the way they gather in groups talking and moving
about incessantly, are also called Lousy Jacks because they have a lot of lice. No wonder
they are so frenetic in their habits. … Apostle (Struthidea cinerea). X throed w sor 7 Kor
(Australian) Bustard (Araeotis kori). N thstvth rjnl townshpv Winton (whn twoz korld Pelican
Lagoon) w sor Spinifex Pigeon (Geophaps plumifera), nbuetfl ltl krestd   rairli . Wr t lleegli
nfue00 yrdz parstn mnt (O 12kz ← Winton) wch reedz: “THIS MAJOR CAIRN ¶ Marks the site
of the Winton strike camp during the 1891- 94 shearers strike ¶ The efforts and sacrif-
ices of the outback queensland workers of this area were instumental in the fou-ndation
of the australian labor party ¶ This cairn is dedicated to the memory of these men by
Winton branch Australian labor party. Pat lourigan, a.l.p. state sec-retary ¶ winton district
historical society. Catherine hardwick, secretary histor-ical society ¶ Bruce simpson
president winton branch A.l.p. & winton historical so-ciety ¶ august 16th 1973”. But hstrz
fkl & thngz havn 10dnsi 2 chaenj →2 thr opzits.  bortn kard wch sez @ tht “DID YOU KNOW?
That A SWAGMAN was a product of the Great Depression, late in the 1920s and early
1930s?” &@thnd “The famous song ‘Waltzing Matilda’, Australia’s unofficial national anth-
em relates the story of a swaggie – ‘Once a jolly swagman’ etc.” Butth song woz  n1895!!
Wl nth topkv op-zits n2daez Weekend Australian ndr thhedln “SAS naked and bound in
training” trports “Australian soldiers are being blindfolded , stripped naked and menaced
by savage dogs for up to three hours in extreme training exercises to prepare them to
resist torture. ¶ The intensive regime, approved at the highest level of government, is
about to be upgraded in response to the growing threat from enemies who do not
respect the rules of the Geneva Conven-tion (12/3. eg thyanx hoov ppointd Gonzales (xprt 4
gtnO Gneeva Knvnshnz) z@orni jnrl). ¶ Defence Minister Robert Hill has confirmed
interrogators are authorized to use threats of physical and sexual abuse during simulated
interrogation sessions at the Defence Intelligence Centre at Canungra, near the Gold
Coast. ¶ “When ap-proved by the exercise director, working military dogs that are
muzzled and short leashed may be used during adva-nced RTI (resistance to
interrogation) training, in order to create realism” Senator Hill said in a written response
to a parliamentary question from federal Labor MP Daryl Melham. … Senator Hill said
trainees were blindfolded for much of the exercise and could be made to stay naked for
up to three hours. “Trainees may be requested to strip naked for the purposes of
searching. Nudity only occurs in advanced practical RTI training. Participants in basic
practical training are only stripped to their underwear,” he said. “In no circumstances are
RTI trainees kept naked for a period longer than three hours in aggregate during the RTI
exercise.” … A spokesman for the Defence Depar-tment said last night it now “assumed”
enemy interrogators might not comply with the Geneva Convention (12/-3. Not a surprise
after Abu Ghraib !). … Australia Defence Association executive director Neil Jam-es – a
qualified interrogator and the original author of the ADF’s interrogation training manual –
told The Weekend Australian all soldiers received theoretical training and that troops in
combat roles received basic practical training …¶ In each session there is a medical
officer and a “neutral” umpire who have the ability to stop the training at any time …¶
“They get repeated questioning, sexual humiliation by officers of the opposite sex …””
Hmmm…rmmbr George Orwellz DBLSPEEK?!  n (12/3. nli  z c/o St8Lbri & MelbUni bkoz
3
m +rs woz @  nMelb) → DRUaMlMeOcND nwch  nkluedd n kard wth thwerdzv ‘Waltzing
Matilda’ 2+2 hz klkshnv ri muezk & songz (5.30pm). Mundae (12/3. Mond ay . [OE. Monandaeg, f.
monan, gen. of mona MO-ON sb. + daeg DAY; tr. late L. Lunae dies.] The second day of the week. ¶ But soft, What day is this?
M., my Lord SHAKS. Black M. , (a) a name for Easter M., (b) school slang, the first school-day after a vacation. Saint M ., used with reference to
the practice among workmen of being idle on M., as a consequence of drunkenness on Sunday; chiefly in to keep Saint M. 1753. Hence
Monday ish a. afffected with the indisposit-ion, often felt by clergymen on Monday, resulting from Sunday’s work 1804.) 22/8/05. 8am. Wv
spntthnt @ thvri  whr thst-rkn shrz wr ▲t. Winton woz plaist ndr marshl lor & now n2005 wr
freeli gvnwae thrts thei 4t 4. Nnue aejz kumn &th z & trrrg8rz rlredi ntn ….→ 15kz ↓S thrue
Bladensburg National Park → skull hole (“This was the site of a massacre of aborigines
in retaliation for the murder of a teamster. Serge-ant Moran, then in charge of the Winton
Police Station, proceeded to track the murderers. When attacked, he dealt punitive
measures to his assailants. This climaxed at Skull Hole, where the tribe was massacred
by black troopers.” - & thr GOESTS rnot hrd nliaz lowdliaz thGOESTv thSWAG(13/2. praps
orl svlzaeshnz r pr-opt↑ x such hpokr z – thwax&waenv Heraklitus (tmaed ♂mth ‘krn
flosfr’); Nietschez ( D-anyo Reserve p16,17 & June 28 p17,18,19) ‘wil → powr’; Pascalz (
11/8/02 – 21/8/02 p5) klaem th@  needz rdmshn (14/2. x10shnv b-in born & dnv
ndvjuelz @th levlv sosti – 4t maeb sum mu-st d (↓) 4 uthrz 2b born (↑) (…. soe m dvsz
fue vlue yor helth (thoe tz notn grntee) leev2 z
r wot blongz2 zr)) zndk8d x thbroeshuer nglktn 2shn thd8v thMASSACRE) → Winton, to
shop up, use the ATM, have a drink over the paper, ring the boys to let them kn-ow we
are heading west to Boulia and probably Birdsville. Dan said that Tony Kesminas had
been round with a guy who will do the guttering (12/3. dd nxpnsv ($3000) job, bustd nledlt
paen nth frunt wndoe, rekt thvn nthfruntv th, stil havn drip oevr thfrunt steps, ddnt fix th leeknth
shdroof zkwoetd - meen Tony wozwae nlthoel& helpn Danius wth ngzbshn nKlaipėda)etc. Rang
Michael yesterday to let him know his birthday card for the 28th is on the way. Rang Joe –
Katie answered since Joe was meditating and sa-id she’d pass on our intended westward
route to him. Now at Conn Hole, 4ks off the Winton-Boulia road, about 60ks from Winton
and 300ks to Boulia. Conn Hole is very large and, as with all the waterholes in this
country, a fawny-yell-ow colour from the clay particles suspended in it (Combo Waterhole
was red-br-own). On the way in we drove past a beef herd and one of the youngsters
actu-ally charged us – perhaps a cousin of the half grown bull who turned and star-ted to
butt the horse of one of the contestants in the camp draft we watched at Burke and Wills
Roadhouse. We are entering Channel Country – an area drai-ned by thousands of
channels which comprise the Diamantina, Thompson and Barcoo Rivers. They drain
south and west ultimately into the Lake Eyre Basin. In extreme floods huge areas of the
country can be submerged. Winton has had floods invade the lower part of the town
regularly. The area is in good condit-ion due to the recent rain but by comparison with
the regenerating vegetation in the Bladensburg NP it seems quite degraded. Skull Hole
was very beautiful with the perfume of cassia bushes filling the air and the contorted
trunks of miniature River Redgums shining white among the green of a big variety of
plants. On the plain were extensive stretches of Mitchell grass, whereas outside the park
it is being replaced over large areas by two kinds of prickle bushes – one with long spines
and the other with small furry seeds which will turn into burrs as they dry out. The
Channel Country is touted in the tourist brochures as the richest sheep and cattle
fattening area in Australia but perhaps the writers havent been to the Western District in
Victoria, the Atherton Tablelands or the Riverina. I suppose it may be something to do
with the numbers catered for – the properties here are huge. Colin Malone said the cattle
industry is picking up as the overseas markets want animals free of Mad Cow Disease.
He said that a cow and calf can now fetch $1000 compared with $40 a few years ago and
the price of land is rising. Thr ri vrteezv z O butth moest ♪sbl rth larj nmbrv Bro-
lgas. Sor sum Bujrgarz (Melopsittacus undulatus) 4 th1st tm nth trip. 3 daezgoe w sorth nli eemu-
4
ez (Dromaius novaehollandiae) vth trip. Thrr Kori Bustard (H rknz thr mor mprsv thanth Brolgaz) &
Red-winged Parrot (Aprosmictus erythropterus) h2. ThH2O O zlnd x Coolibah treez (Eucalyp-
tus coolabah). Oyez,  mum ← Winton. Sheez havn thuthr  dun 2moroe. NWinton d nplv -z
& bortn hmbrgr @th Matilda Centre & twoz prti good 4nchaenj. Shaevd, brusht mi teeth, hadn 
nConn O & thn took aejz 2 getth mud offmi feet. Th ☼z loe nth sk. Chuezdi (12/3. Savannah
p1) 23/8/05. W droev ← Conn O parst floksv Brolgaz & smorl grewpsv Kori Bustardz. Wr notyet
dsns-tzd 2 theez buetfl z dspt thm b-in soe komn h. Stopt x throed 4 nkrap & nshort →
↑ nkr-eek bed 2nspkt 4 thloekl  vrteez. Uekn drvth 360kz → Boulia n4hourz nth ld 1 laen (ue
mu-st pull rt off 4 roedz) strip & tz kl moest doo. Doont @ speed zn snshl partvth mndsetv
2rsts & sevrl sueprbli kwpt 4x4z raest parst. Doent bfoold, frndz, thr not O2†th Simpson Desert offtrak
– ch-anszr thei woent goe offthhwae. 1v thm had “OO-WHOOPI!” n nthbak, nuthr gaevus ntoot
n1v th-oez ♫ z yung ♂s lk2 nstorl nhotrodz. Needls2sae wr x owrslvz gaen 2nt nfue00 yrdz
offthroed offntrak nkrsoe parst th Cawnpore Lookout (whr w fownd manna ↓ hevn nth4mv rs
biskts stru-en O nth gO soe wklektd & aetm & thei wr fresh) mung meezaz&buets. Maeb 10rsoe kz ←
throed thr-zn roedsd ● wth H2O & ntoilt  & 3 krvanz hav t thr 4 nlongr stae. T mz toilt s r
nssnshl tm 4 i 2rsts & w spkl8d wthr thr mt b ppl theez daez hoo hav NEVR SH@ ksptn
nTOILT & hoo do-ent rialz how eezi tz 2↓ SHIT.  woz 1drn how i-v m habts rz dspnsblz
TOILTs. Wr O 120kz shortv Boulia. Thnli plais btween Winton & Boulia zth roed/pub @ Middleton
whr w hadn drink &  gotn xlnt hmbrgr & w spnt sum knsdrbl yarnn2th oewnr. Tz 160kz owtv
Winton & ndowtdli 1vth mo-est rmoet pubz nOZ. Thrzn sn nth worl wch H kopeed &  mt nklued
ntheez s zt llustr8s thdfr-ns btween thwae 2rsts theez plaisz & thloekls doo. H zreedn The
Burning Shore x Wilbur Smith (npot-boilr, ♀sez) soe m goen ↑ thnst buet 4 thvue. (5.25pm) ….
Nsdntli, ldrli maetrnz ← Toorak think 0 O †n thSimpson theez daez: thei → nth saem kndv ½ sz
z w sor goen ↑N ← Cape Tribulation → Cooktown givn 2rsts npaed ‘wildrns xpians’ (13/3.
Tropika – 2. p8). Theez 4x4z wth frunt&r↑ offth gO rdznd nth saem prnsplz zth rot z
thSowthAfrikn plees uezd 2 KWEL TH NIGRZ. (12-/3.Here’s the wall decoration at the
Middleton pub headed : FREQUENTLY ASK-ED QUESTIONS. There are 3 columns, the
first headed QUESTIONS, the second SP-ONTANEOUS, the third SERIOUS. Q. Is this
Middleton? SP. I hope so. S. Yes. / Q. Is this all there is? SP. In this street anyway. S.
Yes. / Q. How do you live out here? SP. By breathing in and out. S. Same as anywh-ere. /
Q. Do you get lonely out here? SP. No. Too many questions to answer. S. Never. / Q. How
long have you lived here? SP. Not long enough yet. S. Since Dec. 2000. / Q. Where do
the kids go to school? SP. Oxford Univer-sity, Middleton. S. Mt. Isa School of the Air. / Q.
Where do you get water from? SP. A tap. S. From a bore. / Q. Is the water Ok to drink?
SP. Provided the pig is clean. S. Yes. We drink it. / Q. Is the water Ok for my dog to drink?
SP. If he’s not allergic to pigs. S. Yes. Of course. / Q. What do you find to do here? SP.
Repair fishing trawlers and go whale watching. S. Live! / Q. Where do you get power
from? SP. Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme. S. Own generator. / Q. Why are the
door handles so low? SP. For when you crawl out drunk. S. Style when built. / Q. Is that a
phone box up the road? SP. No, it’s the Ladies. S. Yes. / Q. Where do you get your
supplies from? SP. Early morning road kill. S. Winton/Brisbane. / Q. How do you get your
supplies? SP. Mohammed Abdul’s Camel Train. S. Road & rail. / Q. Have you got a toilet
here? SP. Took it out before the govt. brought in Govt. Shit Tax (GST). S. Yes. / Q. Do you
get many people in here? SP. You can’t fit many people in here. S. Yes. / Q. Suppose you
get farmers in here at night? SP. Yes, to check out their beer crops. S. Only graziers. / Q.
What do you do for entertainment? SP. Eat out at the Hilton Hotel. S. Make our own. / Q.
Do you get many travellers? SP. You’re it. S. Yes. / Q. What is the building across the
road? SP. Its McDonalds in disguise. S. Community Hall. / Q. What is the monument
across the road? SP. It’s a plug for the Artesian Basin. S. Its self-explanatory. / Q. What
are the hol-es in the bar for? SP. Shortcomings. S. Early ventilation for the beer./ Q. Do
5
the mozzies bite around here? SP. Only when they’re hungry. S. After rain mostly. / Q. Do
you make enough to live on out here? SP. Actually we’re subsidized by the IRA. S. Yes. /
Q. Why do they call this place Middleton? SP. To avoid trouble. It’s really Belfast. S.
Named after an early explorer. / Q. Do people still see the Min Min light? SP. Every night
as they stagger out drunk. S. Recent sightings have been reported. / Q. Why is beer so
expensive? SP. Is it? I thought $15 a stubby was cheap. S. Same as most places +
freight. / Q. How far is it to Winton/Boulia? SP. Too far. You should stay the ni-ght. S.
170/190 kms. / Q. Do people really ask all these questions? ?!!?). Wnzdae (12/3.
Savannah p8) 24/8-/05. Ftr brkfst w → kreekbed & rj 4 nkuplv owrz. H dspuetd m klaem th@ th
rabz & uthr muzlmz (h-ow thei must dspz us (12/3. ← The Age (Extra Letters) p16: “The
PM’s little helper ¶ If taking Terry Lane at face value, one would have to assume he
wets himself when confronted by a hirstute bloke wearing sunnies (‘Hi-dden unease
staring us in the face’, 5/3); though it may be that , for Lane’s fusiform gyrus, only
women should be plain to see. ¶ It is a bit rich for him to tell reclusive Muhammadan
chicks what’s normal. Their men may be sexist but is Lane’s female utopia the answer to
their woes? ¶ After all, he comes from a culture in which: ▪ Adult women shave
themselves raw (to avoid being ostracized) in a vain attempt to make themselves look
nubile (12/3. Tro-pika – 1 p14). ▪ Medical science has come up with ways in which
women can inject into their faces, as a “beauty therapy”, the agent that causes botulism.
▪ Prostitutes routinely dress up as schoolgirls to turn on the punters. ▪ Typ-ing “teen sluts”
into Google gets you 19.8 million hits. ▪ And pensioners are knocked from their
wheelchairs and ra-ped. ¶ I don’t think Western capitalists are holy enough to lecture
Muslims on women’s rights. ¶ Maybe its time La-ne admitted how much he has in
common with the Man of Steel. Like race, gender and class. One wonders if either of
these characters cross the cerebral Rubicon. ¶ A.E.O’BRIEN ¶ No fixed address, no
phone”)) woodv 4gvn us fowr moetvz 2 nvaed rark (23/3. ← The Age (21/3) (Extra Letters) p9:
“J’accuse ¶ With its mealy-mouthed mea culpa of sorts (Editorial, 20/3), The Age still
fails to face up to the fundamental flaw of the arguments for the invasion of Iraq. That
they were all bull is only the beginning of the story. The real story is that The Age – and
most of the media – didn’t bloody ask anyone, didn’t probe, didn’t ask for proof of all
these “weapons of mass destruct-ion”. ¶ The Age should come clean and apologise on
bended knee not only to the Iraqi people for all the unnecess-ary death, destruction and
misery they have suffered, but to the Australian people for supporting the re-election of
the lying bastard who got us into this mess. ¶ Marilyn Shepherd, Kensington, SA.”
(but ← The Age (dtorial 22-/3) p12: “American poet Robert Frost said that if society fitted
you comfortably enough, you called it freedom. Per-haps then this is the evolution of the
political and social cycle. We, the voters, in our economic comfort zones, bel-ieve we
have freedom enough. To speak out now is often mislabelled dissent, and dissent has
come to be a perjor-ative term. Democracy, and society, needs a plurality of opinion. It
starts with an individual voice.”) had bn jnuen (ie 2 free thm ← Saddam). ♀rknz thei woodntv
bkoz th ✞chn west had nvaedd Oi muzlm sts. ♀ma-eb rt but wr not jnuenli ✞chn eethr wch
mudeez th H2Oz. W hadn vri good stnvn Mistletoe (Di-caeum hirundinaceum) buttwoz thd
Bowerz (Chlamydera maculata) wch ntrstd mi moest. Yst-rdae w had dstrbd nOwlet-ntjar
(Aegotheles cristatus) nn kreekbed. W wer nth roed nbit ftr 11. N-Boulia w rplnsht suplz &  (nth
pub) & d z. Nth  → MAX (c/o cheef lbairian, n dsp@ch @th St8Lbrv Vic)  xd th@ thvlue
ue plaesnn oethvloilti (muzlm klrks wr dishnm owt ystrdi) zmz-uerd x wot ue swairon. But  ddnt x
th@ wot ue swairon bkumz subsjri2 wotvr ue plj yor loilti 2. Wchz y  kood nvr swair loilti 2n
st8 rkuntri nn lk th bbl rtorah rkoran f wozn rljs persn.  sjstd2 H  mt swair x m
prm mnstr John Winston HoWARd (coWARd) but ♂ zn lr ♀ sed wchz wot  t. Lso 
koodnt swair loilti x r 2 australia rAyerz Rok etc z doent pae homj 2 nanm8 bjkts.  feel mor
6
rspkt & loilti 4n GOOD ARAB rn GOOD MUZLM than4n BAD KAR-MON OZZI KARMON. &  fnd
eevn nvri good ozzi hoo SKRUEZ RABTS nSydney (23/3. r 90 y-old ♀z wth ltzmrz nnersn z n
Melbourne) hli SUSS.  rspkt & hnr good pplv orl naeshnz & kreedz soe m naebl2 plj loilti
2n prtklr gruep. Thmuzlm mullahz maedn mstaek nmaeknth pl-jz, x doont thei kseptd thmpld
kuezaeshn th@ thei needd 2 & spsshliaz twoz nli thoez hoo wer lrdi noen 2b loil th@ hadbn nv
td 2th meetn. Thr wozn far gr8r need4 HoWARd 2b maekn such pljz ztz heehoo haz maed us n 4
thxtrmsts & trrrsts x hchn us (wthowt db8 thoe l8r ndorst x th-voetrz) 2 US geo-poltkl aemz wthowt UN
ndorst. Ftr n thz w →↓S 100kz & r t nkupl 00yr-dz offthroed wch → sville but w ntnd2
 @ Bedourie →W → Windorah. Orl longthwae wv bn in Brolgaz, Bustardz, & kaezionl eemuez
nkluedn O hwhr wv t 4 thnt nth oepn . Thr wr lso swormzv flz & now mozzeez. Threeznz
th@ thoe tznotz lushz O Winton theiv had  h2 - thzr tinjd green &th H2O Ozr full. n 2
thsubjktv loilti oeths.  spoezt orl td wth thROEZ hoo uezd2 maek juez & ✞chnz plj lleejns 
THMPIER &  ZR (KAISER, TSAR). Tzn nkronzm wch cheevz noe uesfl perpz. Tnkurjz lin &
punshzth onst dsntr. Tz perpus z2 dvd 2  grueps soe thmj-orti haz sum1 2 vktmz (thrzn
yernn 4 lv skrfsz (23/3. Sacrifice , sb. ME. [a. F., ad. L. sacrificium, f. sa-crificus SACRIFIC a.] 1. Primarily,
the slaughter of an animal as an offering to God or a deity. Hence, the surrender to God or a deity, for the purpose of
propitiation or homage, of some object of possession. Also fig. the offering of prayer, thanks-giving, penitence, submission,
etc. 2. That which is offered in sacrifice; a victim immolated on the altar; anything offered to God or a deity as an act of
propitiation or homage ME. 3. Theol. The offering of Christ of himself to the Father as a propiti-atory victim in his voluntary
immolation upon the cross; the Crucifixion in its sacrificial character. late ME. b. Applied to the Eucharistic celebration
regarded as a propitiatory offering of the body and blood of Christ in perpetual memory of the sacrif-ice offered by him in his
crucifixion 1504. 4. The destruction or surrender of something valued or desired for the sake of something having a higher
or more pressing claim; the loss entailed by devotion to some other interest; also, the thing so devoted or surrendered 1592.
b. A victim; one sacrificed to the will of another; also, a person or thing that falls into the po-wer of an enemy or destructive
agency. Now rare. 1697. 5. A loss incurred in selling something below its value for the sake of getting rid of it 1844. ¶ 1.
Divines divide Sacrifices into bloody, such as those of the old law; and bloodless, such as those of the new law 1727. 2. Make of your Prayers one
sweet S. SHAKS. 3. b. He exhorteth the people to flee from the accustomed sacrifices of the masse 1560. 4. As rich shall Romeo by his Lady ly,
Poore sacrifices to our enmity SHAKS. Phr. The great, last, or supreme, s., death for one’s country in war.)). Twl  thowtraejv onst
muzlmz & maekt eezier 2fnd rkroots 4 xtrmst korzz (13/3. tz zfth powrz2b krtli yern4n trrrst n).
Twil  thlklhoodvn TERRORST EVNT nOz.  gree w shood giv2 k-zr wotz kzrz but doent 4gt
th@ hee klaemz oenrv th O O & wenn st8 FASHST twl notb s@sf-d tlt oenz yor  & thortz.
Butthrz 0 hoep (13/3. but maeb thrz sum jjn x thgzampl ← The Age p7: “A British SAS soldier
has refused to fight in Iraq and has left the army over the “illegal” tactics of US troops
and the policies of coalition forces. ¶ He said he had witnessed “dozens of illegal acts” by
US troops, claiming they viewed all Iraqis as “untermenchen” – the Nazi term for races
regarded as sub-human. ¶ The decision sets a remarkable pr-ecedent, marking the first
time a Special Air Service soldier has refused to go into combat and quit on moral groun-
ds. ¶ It immediately brought an end to Mr Griffin’s exemplary, eight-year career, in which
he also served with the Parachute Regiment in Northern Ireland, Macedonia and
Afghanistan. But it will also embarrass the British Gove-rnment and have a potentially
profound impact on the cases of other soldiers who have refused to fight. On Wedn-
esday, the pre-trial hearing will begin into the court martial of Flight-Lieutenant Malcolm
Kendall-Smith, a Royal Air Force doctor who has refused to return to Iraq for a third tour
of duty on the grounds that the war is illegal. ¶ Mr Griffin’s allegations came as British
Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells, visiting Basra on Saturday, admitted that Iraq was
now “a mess”. ¶ Mr Griffin, 28, who spent two years with the SAS, said the American
military’s “gu-ng-ho and trigger-happy mentality” and tactics had completely
undermined any chance of winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi population. He said
many innocent civilians were arrested in night raids and interrogated by Am-erican
soldiers, imprisoned in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison or handed over to Iraqi
7
authorities and probably tortured. ¶ Mr Griffin told SAS commanders at the regiment’s
base in Hereford, England, that he could not take part in a war that he regarded as
illegal. He now believed that Prime Minister Tony Blair and the British Govern-ment had
repeatedly lied over the war’s conduct. ¶ “I did not join the British Army to conduct
American foreign policy”, he said. He expected to be labelled a coward and to face a
court martial and imprisonment. ¶ Instead, he was discharged with a testimonial
describing him as a “balanced, honest, loyal and determined individual” who has “the
courage of his convictions.” TELEGRAPH.”).Thrzn SIMBIOSIS btween thoez mzrbl mijts (Stalin,
Hit-ler, Napoleon wr nli nsmijn buv 5foot) hoo kraev powr & th frtnd chldrn nkshus 2givt2 em.
KRAEVN 4 POWR x F = ASTROF (22/3. “Prophesying catastrophe (23/3. Catastroph e. 1579.
[a. Gr. καταστροφή, f. καταστρέφειν.] 1. The change which produces the final event of a dramatic piece; the dénouement.
2. ‘A final event; a con-clusion generally unhappy’ (J.); overthrow, ruin 1601. 3. An event producing a subversion of the
order or system of things 1696. esp. in Geol. A sudden and violent physical change, such as an upheaval, depression, etc.
(See CATACLYSM, CAT-ASTROPHISM.) 1832. 4. A sudden disaster. (Used very loosely.) 1748. 2. The late war, and its horrid
c. MARVELL. Used joc. in 2 Hen.IV, II.i.66. Hence Catast ro •phi c, -al a. of the nature of, belonging to, a c.; -ly adv.) (24/3. nakhba) is
incredibly banal. The mo-re original move is to assume that it has already occurred.” –
Jean Baudrillard). Tknot b voidd. Thrzdae (13/-3. Savannah p9) 25/8/05. Larst nt nbed  woz
n owt @n brliant kold nt sk &  shivrd @ m nsgnfkns @ thejv nrlaeshn (24/3. Kate sent
this : Holmes and Watson are on the moors in the middle of the night. Holmes: “Look up
Watson. What do you observe?” Watson: “Millions of stars and the unend-ing universe.”
Holmes: “And what do you deduce Watson?” Watson: “That we are puny and insignificant
in the va-st scheme of things. What do you deduce Holmes?” Holmes: “Some sod has
stolen our tent!”) but thsmornn  laen Hz rmz (8.30am). →↓S …. ((throedz wv bn → sins
Nor♂ton (→ Savannah Wae) r: Gateway to the gulf byway (aka wills developmental road) →
Kyuna; the matilda highway (la-ndsborough highway) → Winton; the min min byway (the
kennedy developmental road) → Boulia; channel country byway (diamantina
developmental road) → goez → Windor-ah. v bn nthis roed wthn loedv skoolkidz oevr 35 yrz
goe whn twoz dert. Now muchvtzn ld str-ip 2 + 2 thndls peregrnaeshnzv (24/3.) thgrae noemadz
( rkst thold bloek wmet @th Combo H2O O whr thei wer hedn & ♂ sed “Who cares! We just go
up and down the highway – where else is there to go?”) lk us) → …. Bedourie (ptrl - 136c.
(rkord); mixt gril - $25; sosjz - $16.60; mutn chops - $21; baekt beenzntoest - $8.20; 2 slszv toest -
$2.75. Theezrth prsz but w nli bort ptrl, hmbrgr & kofi. 35 y-zgoe thkuntrsd woz dust&gibr now
brolgaz & bustardzr browzn nth green  &  Pink - d Duk (Malarcorhynchus membranaceus)
n nklaepan. Windorahz 400kz wae.) → …. (150kz) → †nvth Di-amantina rvr chanlz (thmaen chanlz
floen strong wch rmndd mi Colin Malone had sedt had bn floen @ Combo H2O O 2 weeksgoe;
Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella) wr rguelr longthwae; ndr thbrj  dstrbd larj kmuenl nstsv 00zv
Fairy Martinz (Hirundo oriel) whn  hadn wosh; ftrth 1st 30kzv ld roedt hazbn good gravl (70kz
+/howr) vwchthrzn nuthr 50kz b4 tz ld gaen; th floen H2O vnchrli just peetrz owt xpt whnt reechz
Lake Eyre ftr vri big fludz) ….  woz rong O thbch, tz 212 ← Bedour-ie & w hvnt reechtt. Wr t
4thnt nxt2th roed.  woz dspointd 2 havn kar →x nlitl wl bak zt wozth 1st , thrwzt kood hav bn
w wr thnli 1z nth roed xpt 4 3 roedwerkrz 40kz bak. W hav †t ← thDiaman-tina Shr (zbigz denmark)
→ thBarcoo Shr wch H fndz vri evov z Noel (12/3. 7/2/02 – 22/-2/02 p14, 15) uezd2 sae
“I’ve got the BARCOO ROT”. Fr di (13/3. Savannah p10) 26/8/05. St@stkli tz 1vth wlthiest
‫ٱ‬zn QLD but noe1 v n looks . Th $$z must stae wthth graezierz nth sOn ‫ٱ‬. W gotofth gravl @
280 klks ← Bedourie & nbit l8r wr joind x throed ← sville whr thbigst evntv thy n-theez parts, Th
sville Races, rn nxt weeknd & w wr †n parthz wth 4x4z pulln karvnz goenth uthr w-ae 4 thevnt.
Long th wae w left th Diamantina/Georgina cht ‫† & ٱ‬d →2 th Coopers Creek (ztz korld ↓streem
← whrth Thomson &th Barcoo join↑) Lake Eyre cht ‫ٱ‬. Thue @th pub haz: Rump - $26; T-
boen - $22.50; Krumd sosjz - $16; Rsoelz - $16; Krumd lamchopz - $16; Pawkchopz - $20; Chkn Kiev
- $18 etc.  woent dskrb thhmbrgr  had4 $8. Thr hvn th Windorah Internat-ional Yabbie
8
Races (13/3. 30/4/05 p5) hnxt wnzdae (31/8). Thevntzr aemd @ 2rsts hedd →-sville Raesz.
Pparntli t↑z nlotv $$z. “Hear the sounds of the claws drumming the bitumen” tseznth noetis.
Larst ythr wr 4 raesz (1. Barcoo Bolt 2. Thomson Trot 3. Kyabra Kanter 4. The Coopers Creek Cup)
& thO prz n$$z woz $4,800. H haz →2th srvsstaeshn 4n showr @ $2.  n → Ross&Farzaneh.
 rgathrn4th raesz nweek erli (thrr 4 nue 4x4 & traelr grueps owtfrunt) but  kan thinkv 0 wers (22/-
3. xpt th kmnwlth gaemz moestv wch w voidd x doon ntrip 2th Bombala ‫ ٱ‬nth mowntnzv NSW. Got ←
thsarvoe.). Wr hedn thuthr wae. Poplaeshnz soefar: Winton – 900; Middleton – 5; Boulia – 300; Bed-
ourie – 120; Windorah – 60 …. → Some local colour we forgot to mention: at Middlet-on the
owner was our age and had been a drover on the Barkley Tablelands. He got to Middleton
in the 1960s. He owns a Cobb and Co. coach and used a team of 60 camels to do a
heritage trip from Winton to Middleton in 2001. Cob-b and Co. ran their coaches till 1924
when they adopted the motor vehicle. On-ce a mate of his rounded up 131 wild camels
on the edge of the Simpson Desert. He reckons they are intelligent and learn fast. The
coach is very attractive but is not being looked after – the upholstery is torn and flapping
and bits and pie-ces at the back where the luggage and stores would be put are coming
unstuck – a shame. John’s hamburger there may have been a camel burger as the own-
er mentioned that he butchers some. The hamburger today at Windorah was served up
by the chef himself, resplendent in black and white checked trousers with a “chef” tag on
his shirt. At the Bedourie pub I noticed in the photos on the noticeboard of local
occasions that the aborigines and whites mingled fre-ely and seemed happy in each
others company. The water in Cooper (not Coop-ers as commonly said) Creek & its
channels is flowing . The wildflowers are out in the area we’ve been travelling through
from Winton on – yellow and purple pea, a variety of yellow daisies, white daisies, and a
large showy daisy called “poached egg” because it has a deep yellow centre surrounded
by a thick white petal fringe. All are aromatic in varying degrees – the purple pea
(Swainsonia) most of all. Cassia bushes are also blooming and they have a beautiful
perfu-me. Wr t 4 thnt nn chanlv Cooper Creek voidn thmaen chanl whr th2rsts ← rloevrOZ hav
flokt nntspaeshnvth SVILLE MEETN &th WINDORAH YABBIE RACES. Thrz noe nstnkt strongr
than-th flokn nstnkt &th kriaeshnv meenn zts labraeshn (dvlp t, volueshnv). Thei wilb aebl2
sae wev bn 2th sville raesz & thei kan shoe foetoez & thr frndz wil noe wot thei meen bkoz thei hav
-nt nTV & red Ot nth pprz. (4.23). Because the country is pretty lush the flies and mozz-ies
are out in quantity and the van fills up because we eat with the tailgate op-en. John has
perfected his fly-destroying technique once we have retired for the night by whapping
them with his shirt until they are beaten into submission. If he doesn’t quell them they
wake up before we do and harrass us in the mornin-g. Sturt sed ♂ korld Cooper Creek n kreek
notn rvr bkozt woznt floen buttz floen now. S@rdae 27/8-/05. 7.45am. Ystrdi eevnn  woz 1drn wthr
w havnt had nuf. W m 2b njoent ls than w wr nth tropkl koest & nth Atherton Taebl&z. W rtrn soe
hard 2pleez chuthr w rnot shor how 2pleezus jointli. Th  nl& ← Winton (@ Winton w sor nli 2rsts –
whr doo thloeklz hd?) → Windorah woz 1000kz. Y r w dr-vn ↑&↓ th hwae lk this? R w
ndaenjrv bkumn ‘wt lnrz’ (not th@ thsingl laen ld roedz hav 1) lk thgrei noemdz hedn → 
sville hoo show x thhuej rigz thei toe thei nevr shoodv left ? Thei leedn soeshl lfv sorts (muezk
fstvlz, moebl  shoez, saem ▲n ‫ٱ‬z ynyowt) & @ sville (ds-krbdz “iconic Australia” nth
Queensland’s Outback Travellers’ Guide) whr thr rnli 120 loeklz theil havn huej xtr-avgnzav bein
KARMON OZZI KARMONZ wthout in eni loeklz @ orl koz thoez hoo rnt puln b wil-b hdn wae
rlostnth . Maeb w wr mstaekn thinkn w 1td 3 munths nthroed, maeb 2z nuf & w shoo-db hedn →
Melbourne. H woz 1drn O th@ 2. 4 brekki …. Now hzn  dfrns btween svlzaeshn ( 22/3 maen
tarsk nlngwj z2 maek sueprmasi rspktbl ( Ernest Gellner 16/2/04 – 27/2/04 p8)) & tho-wtbak –
whrz nSydney & Melbourne thABC nuez givzth rzultsv eevnth ♀z netO & krket h nns@rdi mornn
(9am nuez) thei nevr shnd thAFL & thrzultv larst nts footi m@ch n Melb, nli thrzultv th-rugbi

9
gaem. … Justzwel  nevr told noe1 @ Windorah  voet GREENZ zH 2 stkrz nth bfrj 1v wch sed
“The only true wilderness is between a Greenie’s ears” & thuthr red “Fertilize the bush –
plough in some Greenies” (22/3. nth jnrlstor nDelegate (owtv Bombala) nsn sez “greenies
cost jobs”) …. (3.30) W r 40-kz ↓Sv Quilpie nth roed → Toompine (hoetl) (13/3. ← GULF TRIP:
“22.08.97 ¶ TOOMPINE HOTEL IS WHERE THIS IS BEING POSTED. TASK: FACULTY HAS TO
WORK OUT WHERE IT IS. CLUES : QLD + ITS NOT BUSY HERE. DERE +ROO, IN SPITE OF MY
INADEQUATELY STRUCTURED + INFANTILE PERSONALITY I AM HAVING A GREAT TIME.
11.30AM. XXXX Bitter. I am the sole cu-stomer – TELL ‘SO + SO’ his contract is not getting renewd.
LONG LIVE THE PROF. ¶ a …z.”). Vri-thn woz shutn Quilpie (pop. 620; 260kz v Windorah) kspt
thpub, th♣ & thkathlk ✟ (St Finbarrz) soe w wernt aebl 2get prvzionz. @ thpub 4 $9  gotn huej & xlnt
hmbrgr wth chips (wch H et). Thpubz The Imperial Hotel & tz nth maen street wchz korld Brolga st.
Tchrjz $65/singl & $75/dubl. +mitdli tzn mod-rn bildn (bet thrjnl 1 bernt ↓) but kmpairth prs 2
thMETROPOLIS nKAUNAS nth vri vth siti nxt2 th fowntaen wch woz chrjn $28/dubl whn  woz thr
larst y( Melbourne →Kaunas p 2). H  Michael fr-om th booth † throed 2wish ♂ nhapi brthdae
4 2moroe & Ben & Dan 2tel em wr givn sville nmis & maeb  rlierthan w had sed. W vztd St
Finbarrz bkoz H had red O thOPAL oltr &  gree tz mprsv & taestfli dun but wot mprst mi moest
wozth woevn worl hangnv THE LAST SUPPER whr thdsplz O krst r rjd thopsit wae O (ie rt
→ left) 2th rjnl pkchr. Hoo-evr dunth krpt weevn hd th bakn ternd psid↓. 1dr fth preest haz noetst?
Rlier nth dae  hadn pprtuenti 2shoe H nmgnfsntli brliant ♀&♂ R-ed-winged Parrot (Aprosmictus
erythropterus) whn w → offn trak offth maen roed → Quilpie. Two-zth 1st ♀ had n n♂  nful
pluemj. N x2 mslaenia b4  4get: ystrdae @th maen Cooper Creek chanl w sor&grei noemadz
sitnn dek chairz owtsdv thr krvan nfruntvn huej fr NTH HOTST -VTH DAE!!  spoez thei wr
boilnn biliov t a la Banjo Paterson; & sumptn ← waebak @ Caep Trbue-laeshn ( Tropika – 2 p7):
whn  told thyank hoo selzth toilt ppr wth George Bushz (Džordžas Bušas nlithoe) mug nt 2 goe eezi
nth left wing poltks koz ♂ woz “preechn 2th knvrtd” ♂ sed nNEW YORK ue sae “preechn 2th
kwier” – npriti good fraez  rkn soe  rkordt. Oyair, wr t nth bankvth Bulloo rvr. Opposite the
Quilpie Brick Hotel, the old fashioned pub which has been turned into an art gallery, a
stone cairn recorded this info: “ People of Far southwest queensland ¶ honour ¶ the
sisters of st joseph ¶ in quilpie since 1950 ¶ and their co-foundress ¶ blessed mary
mckillop (22/3. ♀z bn → Bombala 2) ¶ 8-8-1995”. On a metal stand next to it was an
explanation which said in part : “In 1950 the fir-st group of sisters came to quilpie to
commence st joseph’s school (now known as st finbarr’s). In 1951, with boarding
facilities only partly completed, the first group of boarders arrived. Since then boys and
girls of primary school age from outlying parts of the southwest have had the
opportunity of attending school.” On the way to Quilpie we passed two “Hot Chips” vans
heading off to the Birds-ville Races to make a killing. Speaking of killings it is strange that
the black history of the area is virtually unmentioned though there was a bit of a display
at the info. centre at Windorah of bark and stone artefacts and a mia-mia set up in the
adjacent Whitula Gate centre. Whitula Gate was the name of an early station and a slab
cottage from there was also on display. Out front of the mi-a-mia was a plaster aborigine
of the kind you used to see in people’s gardens, along with the gnomes. And that’s it –
the whole aboriginal history of the area is publicly non-existent. @th vth ● whr w mthljz
owrslvz moest lowdli ue kan loekaet SKULL HOLE x tz SLENCE. Th slns skreemz lowdr (2
z th@ h) than eni numbrv bilbor-dz rdsplaez @ nfo z ( Melbourne → Kaunas p9 &
Vilnius → Melbourne p8). Sunday 28/8/05. Did a pretty stroll along the various
channels of the Bulloo River before breakfast and then headed for Toompine which is
supposed to be derived from an abori-ginal word for leech. The pub is the only building
and though nicely kept (ma-inly corrugated iron) the publican looked morose. There are 4
people here acc-ording to the tourist literature. We are into red earth – mallee country.
Next stop Yowah, a town famous for boulder opal and the Yowah Nut, a roughly sph-erical
10
walnut (or larger) sized rock which when cut reveals heavy veins of op-al. It is very
showy and even stone with little opalization has intricate designs in it – the marks made
by tiny sea creatures millions of years ago. There was a tailgate market on so we were
able to browse through a dozen or so collections. Boulder opal is now all the fashion,
according to one of the locals, and prefer-red in Germany and Japan to the crystalline
pieces found in the S.A. and N.S.-W. fields. (John reckons I’ll believe anything anyone tells
me). The town is spr-ead out higglety-pigglety with a range of architecture – from broken
down ca-ravans to tin sheds to brick houses. There is an abandoned concrete house em-
bedded with bits of boulder opal and ceramics where a group of about 15 cat-tle came to
browse while we were looking. There is a shop with very few supplies; the Yowah Nut
Café where John had a big hamburger and I had 2 large chic-ken wings and copious
chips, total $11.50 ; a small library; and a free caravan park which stretches off into the
empty distance with toilets and free showers. The town water comes from an artesian
bore, 129°F when it hits the surface. The water is crystal clear and smells heavily
mineralized though it lathers up well. I left the latest of my paperbacks inscribed with the
message “Travelling Book – Please pass me on” and the date and place of purchase in
the toilet/shower/-laundry block when we first arrived and it was gone when I went to
rinse out some stuff on the way to our spot for the night deep in the caravan park area.
So far I’ve left 5 books at various locations – my version of the “Book Crossing” activity
you can read about at bookcrossings.com on the www. John Howard said one perceptive
thing yesterday (though I hate to give the weasel credit) about the ALP and the “war on
terror” – he reckons they want “2 bob each way” and so cant come up with a definite
policy. It’s true! By the way, this is a “dry” town – the nearest pub is Toompine, 123ks
away (24/3. thrz npub kloesr @ Eulo) and the shop doesn’t provide any alcohol. Just as well
for the miners’ health – one we met in the café was in an advanced state of alcohol-
induced physical decr-epitude and he probably wasn’t more than 40. W hav ntrdth Paroo
Shire. Thsmornn stil nth Bulloo w had 1vth best dorn  kwrz v hd. Twoz led x n wthn 4♪♪♫
horntn korl drktli buv-thvan.  karnt dntft butth k&dd8sr: Chiming Wedgebill (Psophodes
occidentalis) thoe wr owtsd tzj; Singing Bushlark (Mirafra javanica) bkozth sez tz korlz nklued
mimkri; Grey Shrike-thrush (Colluricincla harmonica) bkozth vois woz soe flueti thoe nlk wot m
uest2.  kood lso nCre-sted (Oreoica gutturalis), Peaceful Dove (Geopelia placida), 
Dove (Geopelia cuneata) & i uthrz. @ Toompine   n → SA&NrIeGwA 2 kmpleet nO z
had → ARTE POSTALE m@-ial 2♂ ← thr 8 yzgoe (13/3. ← GULF TRIP: “27.08.97 BOTTLES &
CARTONS ARE RECYCL-ABLE. PLEASE DISPOSE THOUGHTFULLY. ¶ Dire +droid, I hestitate to
bother such a sophistik-ated (new york lifuania) guy as you who knows everythink already from your
university type readin and diskushion with the trivial details of my trip. But I will anyway (6.50am – the
sun has just risen). A few days ago I found something I've been looking for for years – a pub that has
only dirt road approa-ches. There are plenty of remote towns eg. Wanaaring, Hungerford (etc) that
you can only get to on dirt but they invariably have a central strip, even if only a couple of hundred
yards long, that is sealed. So the pubs in these towns are on bitumen. I have long harboured the
romantic notion that I want to drink in a pub on dirt. Toompine is such a pub. Like the Boorooban pub
it is a left over from the Cobb & Co coaching days and there is nothing else left in either place except
the pub and a name on the map. Toompine is a beautiful building (wood verandah) full of great
pictures from the pioneering era. It is also run by a woman with a baby not much older than yours.
These places don’t get enough cus-tomers to provide a livelihood for more than one person so the
husband has to have another job, eg. shearing, trucking. The pub at Stonehenge (north of Jundah) is
the same. The Toompine pub has a very tiny intimate bar but a great area overlooking the plain under
the verandah. We must have a dri-nk there one day. In order to survive these pubs turn themselves
into living museums hoping to attra-ct tourists and because they are really proud of their history of
which they have heaps. However they are going under, one by one. It’s a FUCKEN SHAME! The
government should be doing sumptin bout it! You should be. Get the faculty onto it! Stand up and be
11
counted. Show that you aint called an ENV-IRO SHRINK for nuffink! These ‘museums’ need to be
subsidised instead of huge sums being spent on things like the ‘Stockmans Hall of Fame’ at
Longreach, to which I didn’t go cause it costs $15 of beer money (5 stubbies). By the way, I have
rejoined the tourist mainstream when I got to the Matilda Highway at Longreach (where maximums
are around 30 degrees daily right now) and it’s a downer. I feel trapped, the roadsides are fenced. I
don’t know if I will be able to get off that conveyor belt. It’s a learnin experience but. In the meantime I
am speedin north (23/3. ← GULF TRIP : “26.08.97 ¶ DON’T KNOW WHERE OR WHY BUT HAVE
DECIDED TO GET THERE FAST ¶ a … z ¶ Longreach Q. L.. D.” & “26.08.97 Longreach Q. L. D. ¶
Maxi –CUBE ¶ FRUEHAUF ¶ GO TO SLEEP ¶ MEET YO-UR MAKER AT HIGH SPEED ¶ a … z.” &
“02.09.97 h e l l ¶ SPEED THRILLS ¶ BREAK THE SOU-ND BARRIER AND ¶ MEET YOUR
MAKER IN ONE GO” & “03.09.97 Trucks ¶ COP THAT”). Regar-ding the pigs (23/3. ← GULF TRIP :
“23.08.97. ROYAL MAIL HOTEL Hungerford QLD ¶ Saw a feral pig eating a roo carcass by the side
of the road on the way to Yowah.¶ a … z ¶ Yowah QLD”) that eat carrion on the roadside. Once
you’ve seen it it makes them look ugly after(I sprung a real big one wh-ile I was bird watching a few
days back)wards. Makes you wonder what the cockies feed them in tho-se big factory farms.
Remember that here in QLD they were feeding STEAMED chicken shit to cattle before they were
stopped. And pigs eat anything! The muslims may be onto sumptin by not eating po-rk. Change of
topic : Jundah is very garden conscious in an ‘arid desert’ kind of way. Gives the place a great feel.
All the very bright bouganvillea type stuff is in flower now. You’d also love Yowah with the junk
‘gardens’. Landscapes of resistance? Defiant gardens? Power to the Prof. ¶ a …z down the road to
Cloncurry”.) whn  dd th@ prjkt. Nth@ kaezion  woz goen N↑ 2th Gulf, & E→ Caep Trblae-shn,
then ↓S long theestrn bord, ie wz, but ths wr doont nti wz. Th ARTE POSTALE rtklz wr klktd &
d x &rue & klaetd → npees ttld GULF TRIP. Thrjnlz rnth pozshnv COaZdZrOiLaInNaI
nlabellefrance. Whn  woz hthen  woz lso doonn foetoe proejkt 4n st korld THE DINKUM
AUSSIE STYLE FILE. Yowah (23/3. ← GULF TRIP: “23.08.97 Yowah Q.L.D. ¶ Had to get out of the
car for a crap before dawn. That meant digging a hole in STONY GROUND. The spade was jammed
under luggage. It was very cold – freezing! On the road to Yowah. ¶ a…z ¶ cheers to the prof.”) feelz
les primtv now thantdd then. Butth mzeez r froeshz!! Ue kan  niwhr O h&  took dvantjvth free
showr etc 4 th kmpleet werks – showr, teeth, shaev, wash ndrpnts. Goodnt. Monday 29/8/05.
On the road early, straight to Eulo and Cunnamulla. Eulo is the home of an annual lizard
race, a general store flogging opals and other souvenirs, a pub, and assorted houses.
Cunnamulla has 1200 people and doesn’t cater for touris-ts much at all apart from an
info centre we didn’t visit and a couple of souven-ir shops at the end of the main street.
It had a small IGA store where we got a green and a red capsicum, 3 tomatoes and a
cucumber as we had used up the last of our vegies in Yowah. John had a hamburger at
the IFS servo on the outs-kirts of town and pronounced it better than passable. The ‘café’
in the town was selling instant coffee fizzed up with hot milk from one of those steamer
contra-ptions for $3.10 a mug. You’d have to be one to fall for that. The coffee at the
servo was instant, self-serve and a more reasonable $2. Stopped at Bollon to get a
stubby and the publican told John that he’d had reports from travellers that the Birdsville
Races were not as good as yesteryear – too many cops with breath-alysers and huge
queues for the showers/toilets. The countryside has changed markedly since Yowah – the
soil is still the outback red but there are bigger tr-ees and the bush is quite dense. Saw
feral goats on the side of the road and a big pen of them just outside Cunnamulla and a
flock of Major Mitchell Cockat-oos. Bollon is a small but nicely kept town on a nice stretch
of creek dammed up by a weir but we’ve driven on into a secluded area along a stock
route am-ong large trees for our spot for the night. Callitris pines have begun to appear
and emus are taking the place of brolgas and bustards. After tea we went for a walk
along the old road, now almost re-colonized by grasses and saw a family of pigs – about
20 – cross smartly into the dense growth. There were 2 adults and the rest were
youngsters of diminishing size till the last which was about the size of a large rabbit.
12
Tuesday 30/8/05.To St George for paper and coffee and shopping up, to Dirranbandi
(home of the croaking frog according to the sign outside town) where there were bottle
trees growing as street trees, to Hebel across the border into NSW (goodbye
Queensland!) and on to Lightning Ridge “the only place on earth where the exquisite
black opal is mined in quantity” according to the blurb on a free map we picked up at the
info centre. Spent the arvo wandering about the town looking at specimens of the opal
cutters art, writing cards and having a drink at the Diggers Rest Hotel. The town is
extensive and has whole streets of expensive brick houses a la Sydney or Melbourne but
is surrounded on the outs-kirts by the mines which look like moonscapes. A change is
coming through so we’ve camped on the edge of a track close to the sealed road just in
case. Larst n-t both mi & H had DAENJR dreemz. H drmt   ← lithol& (mt b goen @ thndv
feb 2 nsnow wntr (22/3. ddnt, butm goen @th ndv mae, & H zkumn norgust)) saen m staen nuthr
munth, then   bak gaen saen m staen nuthr munth, then  nevr kum  @orl.  drmt w wrn
n4x4 gdd2r †n nkrokdl fstd rvr oevrn beem x2 nchz wd h buvth H2O &t shoodv bn mposbl
but w maedt wth gr-8 kair but  nue weed hav 2goe ← thsaemwae & probli woodnt maekt. L8r
duern owr mornn ♀x♂  woz thinkn th@th dfrns ♂/♀ zn x10shn (komplxfkaeshn) vth dskum4t
(wairns, lertns, knsh-uzns) btweenth snsz (13/3. Its nice to know you’ve got your mind on
the job!). Th  & th doo kmpleetli nrl8d tarsks & fth maed th  goe blnd (zth poep sez) th 
wood hav2 dstr-oi (or dvors) th 2 srvv but whn thei kan werk 2gthr (saemz true4 th rganzv thbodi)
thei cheev nue paradmz (eg. konshuzns (23/3. 15/4/02 – 26/4/02 p13)). Nn rl8d wae thdfrnsz
btween trbz, n-aeshnz, rljnz etc mae leed2 knflkt wchwl dstroi us r → nue levlzv kopraeshn byond
owr mjnaeshn (T-eilhardz ‘noosphere’?). FSHZM zfrtnd x thposbltv dsntgraeshn (&v kmplxti)
korzd x dfrnsz & trz 2rid usvth dskumf4t x dstroin ppzshn (23/3. 16/2/04 – 27/2/04 p8).
Liberlz hoepth dfrn-sz kanb ntgr8d →2 ngr8r O. Thei akt 2gthr zn rguel8ri meknzm 4
thdvlpmntvth O rgnzm. Th st-aeksr h & proegrsz not sshuerd. Wr bak ← ♣ whr  hadn b&
H nBundy&Koek & w plaed thpo-ekeez 1c/ . (8.10pm).

13