In Australia, distance is a tyranny! Geoffrey Blainey wrote about how in Australia there's no short hop, and how outside Australia there's no short hop to get here. Iain and I would awake early this morning before the sun would rise majestically, fully aware that we're still several days away from our destinations. Coming from the UK, Iain always has an ample supply of PG Tips on hand. Last night it was rather chilly and it was cool enough this morning to put on a jumper. We'd set out this morning just after sunrise, which is the most dangerous time for kangaroos to leap in front of you as you're driving 100 kph. Western Australia is five times the size of Texas, and even by the end of today we still haven't reached the South Australia border. Just a few hours into our drive this morning we'd reach Coolgardie, which is the main turnoff to Kalgoorlie: perhaps Australia's most famous mining town. Enough men work in the mines in Kalgoorlie that there's a red-light district. From there it was a drive of a few hours to Norseman. Australia's landscape is surreal, and it's hard to believe that we're driving across a thinly populated desert. Perth and Adelaide are about the same distance apart as Los Angeles and New Orleans with no cities nearly the size of Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, or even Albuquerque. Somewhat after midday we pulled into Norseman. A statue of the horse credited with the birth of the town stands in the centre.
Small as it is, Norseman is an essential stop before the long drive east. Petrol, food, wine, beer, you name it, is available here so we stocked up on the essentials: wine for me, beer for Iain, petrol to get us both across, and some scraps for the dogs. Jo was shocked when I called her and told her all the coincidences involved with Iain. Jo has decided she's moving to Maryborough with her sister, so I'll have to be back in Melbourne by next week so retrieve my stuff. From Norseman it's a long, long way east! Adelaide is nearly 2,000 km distant! Australia's longest straight stretch of road is 146.6 from Balladonia to Caiguna. I was in the middle of a nap at the beginning of the road but we stopped for a photo on the other end.
Any geography enthusiast should be keen on photos of (or with) signs. On a drive of this length, some people might expect the hitchhiker to help with driving. Yesterday I told Iain straight away that I don't have a driving licence but he said "don't worry, I don't even allow my wife to drive when I do this trip." Two days doesn't even get us across WA, as we'd pull into a rest area between Caiguna and Cocklebiddy. In theory you could get across faster since many areas of the highway have no speed limit, but Iain says he always goes only the speed limit and if you're towing a caravan the speed limit is 100 kph anyway. We covered over 800 km today! Straight away I pitched my tent and we got everything set up.
Iain fed the dogs, cracked open a beer, I had a glass of wine, and then he cooked up some chicken. On a long road trip you don't really have to eat a lot. For brekkie it's little more than cuppa and for dinner it's usually something light. Over a few glasses of wine I'd enjoy another magical Outback sunset. Later in the evening I'd enjoy a star above a crescent Moon. Ahhhh, the Moon and stars in my Dreamtime.
As I lie in my tent dreaming of visiting the Moon, I'm thinking of how wonderful this journey has been so far. I got a lift quickly and I'm on my second big Australian hitchhiking adventure. One of these days I would love to do this route again when I have more time to spare and visit many of the little places in between. Another big journey on my radar is Perth to Darwin by thumb, but that's unlikely to happen for awhile. For now, I'm Sydney-bound with a special friend eagerly awaiting me there. Day three of this amazing Australian adventure begins tomorrow.
