The People You Meet

Breakfast this morning, was superb. Huge as well, which was good. And all because of the great people you meet on a journey like this. Wonderfully tender steak, onion, exquisite tomatoes and a couple of eggs is a great way to start the morning.

A few days out of Menindee and after some pretty tough days paddling - or to be accurate - dragging - meant that I was pretty keen for at least one easy night and it was with this in mind that I was keeping a lookout for Bindara homestead. As a way of supplementing their income. Bindara has opened its grounds to people for accomodation and after a couple of long days in the saddle (figuratively speaking of course) i was keen for a touch of luxury.

I reached the homestead quite late - 4:30 or so - and wondered up to find somebody and see if I could get a bed for the night. In the end I found Barb and Kanga (Barb's tree climbing dog), and she offered me a bed for $25 a night or $30 if I wanted fresh linen. Fresh linen! Who could say no to such a proposition? In the end I was given the old boundary riders quarters. The grass was nice and green all around, I had my own kitchen to do with as I wished and the showers were excellent. In fact I liked the place and my hosts Bill and Barb so much that I stayed an extra night.



Asides from the kitchen, there is a well organised area for a campfire and sitting around the campfire for dinner and solving the problems of the world a perfect after dinner job. Bill is mad keen on home grown energy solutions and has solar panels, wind generators for the house and he powers his car with fish and chip oil.

When I did finally leave it was leaving friends behind whom I would like to see again - not as it is when normally you leave. I also left well stocked, with many tomatoes, mandarins and capsicum freshly picked from their garden. The only problem was that I didn't get far after setting out. No more than five or six kilometres down river I ran into Karl and Gay. brand new grey nomads - though Karl proclaims himself to be a bald nomad - not grey.

I came across Karlas I rounded a bend and he was seated next to a fishing rod, hoping or preying to catch a fish. after a few minutes down came his wife and before you know it I was invited to lunch which was a fantastic salad sandwich. It had to be one of the best lunches I've had in a long time. One thing led to another, meaning I ran out of daylight and camped the night next to (well within 100 metres anyway) their decidedly flash 4wd camper van.

Very gernerously, they shared their dinner with me - steak bacon, chops and potatoes wrapped in foil and thrown in the fire not to mention several galsses of decent red wine. Who could ask for me? When I left the next morning Karl went to the fridge and ripped out four vacuum packed sides of beef and a side of bacon for me. his parting gift to me.

So you can begin to see why I dined so well this morning Last night I ate two of those steaks with onion, garlic and roasted capsicum (coming right out of the Bindara gardens of course). Its all positively decadent. Now I relate this all not to show the largese of Karl and Gay, Bill and Barb, but rather as an example of the wonderful people I've been reading. This last few days is just a part of the continuing story. Whether its Graham and Kerry, Barry and Irene with their Irish stew for dinner and samples of yellow belly and yabbies or the manager of Wienteriga putting on a BBQ with Johnny Cakes on the side and ample bread and baked beans for a week or two, or Izy, Steph and Tracy inviting me to dinner then lunch and dinner at Kallara station or any of the others I've met as I've travelled the river.

All the station owners and property owners have been great as well, offering to fill my water with fresh rain water and offering plenty of cups of tea and views on life. These are the reasons - or at least some of the reasons this journey is turning into such a wonderful odyssey.