With a heady mixture of Tiger balm scent and "au de bumcrack" the skull emblazoned van was returned to the Cairns depot. Despite the atrocious weather that every Aussie on the way said, "was well out of the ordinary mate" we still saw loads and met some great people.
The van had proved a friendly companion. Yes, I'd hit a few birds on the way and it was bloody cold at night, unlike other "wicked" camper users, ours had not leaked. In contrast to hostels it was lights out at 8pm on most campsites. You could literally hear a moth fart. We had slept soundly (apart from the time we parked under an avocade tree)
My legs however were (once again) bearing the ravages of war. Red, boiling, insect bites (including bed bugs) were plain to see. The Mozzies on this occasion were innoccent (unless they were wearing ski jackets at night?) I had been scratching, sometimes, all night. Little, giggling, creatures were enjoying my flesh.
My dining experiences on the other hand were a game of culinary roulette. The Bruce Highway and its towns along the way will not be remembered for their extrodinary gastranomic offerings.
Sure, there were some great Subway specials. There's meatball Monday and Teriake Tuesday for instance. If you're on a budget and care little about nutrients, try Hungry Jacks (which turns out to be Burger King in disguise.) Enjoy yourselves Flame grill lovers.
My Red Rooster plate meal was tasty and included vegetables (surely a first for any fast food outlet?) It was on the salty side though, with gloopy gravy and my pumpkin piece was as hard as a granite kitchen surface. Ok it was rubbish.
There is no food culture to speak of in the parts of Australia I have visited unless you include the culture of the BBQ an occupation comparing only to lumberjacking for its domination by males. Outdoor cooking rules here.
The very English invention of fish and chips is bettered or should I say "battered," here. Shame on the English. Ask for a grilled piece of Spanish mackerel in an English F&C shop and you'll be lashed round the face with a wet haddock.
In sunny Cairns itself there are some Asian pockets of Korean, Japanese and Indian which are ok but nothing remotely like I've eaten across Asia itself. The spice is lost.
What I'm really interested in, is the creative use of Australian ingredients and I don't necessarily mean stuff like wichety grubs. I've had my fair share of insects (especially on my legs)
One interesting restaurant in Cairns called "Red Ochre," does just that and uses unusual or forgotten ingredients. Wattle seeds, fruits and seasonings are combined in complimentary expressions.
I know that Australians don't import much which is a fantastic ethos. Although the fruit (for instance) I have eaten is far from the best it at least shows a willingness towards subsistence in an era of global air miles.
Australia is a new country after all, so I feel its still finding new ways of experimenting and finding winning combinations. What's our excuse in the Uk you Aussies ask? Well we seemed to lose ouse food culture at the end of the war but thats a whole different story.
Sydney is my next destination, where, I hear, they have some restaurants that challenge the norm.
I know of Rockpool (made famous in the 1990 by Neil Perry) and have it on my radar along with a few others including their famous fish market.
Australian things have clearly bitten me, but will Australia give me anything to good to bite in return?
