the same as its been the last 3 weeks. RAINY, GREY and COLD!
I've taken to wearing my underpants on my head at night (Bill Bryson style) to keep warm. I've surprised Maria in the night a few times when they have fallen over my face and my nose has popped out the slit!
The sheer volume of rain is apparently out of the ordinary for Oz at this time of the year. Trying to sleep when a noise similar exploding firecrackers on your van roof is proving impossible.
Surprisingly, the Australians are as obsessed with the weather as us.
Its really sad because talking and writing about the weather suggests I have nothing more interesting to report - which is true to a degree as the rain has stopped play. Many east coast activities are rendered redundant during inclement weather. You can forget snorkelling, beaches or boats.
We've been stuck in sleepy towns all the way up the "SUNSHINE COAST" waiting patiently for the greyness to subside.
As I sit writing in the campervan a broadcast about a cat-killing 63 yr old from Rockhampton is interrupted by the following announcement......
"severe weather warnings for the east coast of Australia. Sydney in particular is forecast to experience strom force winds and tidal surges."
Guess where we are going next?
After the announcement the newscasters joke about a Sydney resident who had thrown a chicken in the air only for it to land without feathers.
Ha bloody ha.
For the next 7 days the gloom continues. We are rained on all day, every day, in Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Airlie Beach and then Ingham.
We left the Whitsundays unable to sail, snorkel, sunbathe or visit the islands. Maria nearly wept. The perfect addition to our fantastic Whitsundays experience was a parking ticket left on the van as we were eating lunch. My offence?, "parking contrary to traffic flow." In other words, my van was parked the wrong way in the street. The bloke was obviously as pissed off about the weather as us.
I do hope the council use my 30 dollar fine to repair the roads in Airlie as there are more potholes than a teenagers face.
We've visited every regional art gallery possible. Mackay's, for instance is called, "Artspace," but I came out feeling as inspired as a depressive with a razor blade. The building itself is far more interesting than its contents. There are only 2 rooms in total, one of which held a small exhibition about Aborigines. I'd hardly call 4 photos, 3 boomerangs and a token spear to be engaging. (or historically representative)
The other room held around 20 modern works. With the exception of a couple of paintings it failed to excite, inspire or engage. There was more talent evident here in a creche and I'm not wasting expensive Australian internet time explaining why.
At least Rockhamptons art gallery had the excellent, if small, Rupert Bunny exhibition.(an important artist in Australias history) His painting of Dame Nelly Melba (yes, the socialite whose surname became a desert)is striking, grand and haunting. The almost lifesize figure looks down on you in her ornately painted, white, silky dress and fancy black hat. Wherever you move in the room, her eyes eerily follow.
On a tastier note - I ate my first piece of kangaroo in Airlie. A chestnut brown slab of dark, tender meat on creamy mash with a Diane sauce. Lightly gamey in flavour, I'd liken it to a good piece of venison. It will be ordered again - maybe near a road?
Shame there is nothing the Australians can do with the number of them killed on the roads (Kangaroos) as there's a load of meat being wasted.
Fish Divine is a real find in Airlie Beach. Marias melancholic expressions were reversed when her a comforting fishermans pie with leek arrived. I ate thick Barramundi fillets with macadamia nut pesto (clever use of home-grown ingredients) and sweet potato chips. Chatting to the bloke as he poured us some chilled whites he enthused about the flavour of Coral trout. "The best fish I ever tasted," he chirped. My nose is already sniffing it out. My rod is being primed.
Beer is decent as you'd expect - although I'm a wine man at home. We've tried "schooners" (3/4 pint) of Gold and "pots" of Blonde. They have no idea what a half is! That said, we've preferred hot chocolate here as its so damn chilly.
After passing a thousand lime green sugar cane fields we arrived in Cairns. The sun which had refused to permeate even slightly gave us a flicker from above.
Maybe our luck is about to change......?
