The Importance of Progress

One thing that I have noticed is that as I wonder down the Darling River, the towns through which I go vary enormously. Pooncarie, which is where I am at the moment is a ripper.

First of all, it is immaculate. Nice and clean and quite welcoming. Clearly the people who live here believe that it is important to ensure that the place looks and feels good. The camping area nearby is well kept, there is a golf course (which has no grass I might add) and the houses are generally well kept. It also has (joy of joys) a cafe where you can sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee. I'm actually sitting out the front of this cafe as I type now and it brings to mind the pub in Parachilna, South Australia.

The pub there has decided that instead of aiming purely at locals and being a place where travellers fear to tread, they would change the outlook and aim at the myriad types of travellers who love the Flinders Ranges. The pub, which from the outside looks to be the quinessential outback pub opens up when you walk inside. The bar looks like any other bar execpt that on one side they are selling ice creams and gourmet hot chocolate. They have a good art gallery for people to wonder and the dining area is clean. The food, rather than being traditional pub fair is far more cosmopolitan with wraps and falafals being on the menu. In other words, it is bringing a touch of wealth to the outback. A place where people can feel comfortable and don't have to feel that they have to drink alchohol all the time.



View Larger Map


Clearly, the Cafe here in Pooncarie is trying to do something similar - though on a slightly smaller scale. Several locals look askance at this new venture by out of towners, yet those out of towners have clearly taken to a clean, airy cosmopolitan area like bees to honey. Well before I hit this place I had heard about it. First at Bindara, then later as I met travellers camped on the banks of the Darling River.

No, this is not an advertisement for this cafe. Rather it is an endorsement of bringing a touch of class to what has recently been seen as a rough place to be - the Outback. Whilst some people may be attracted to a rough and tumble lifestyle, many people love the bush but also enjoy quality as well - and quality means cleanliness, open spaces, welcoming people at the very least. Often these elements are brought about when new people hit a town. People entrenched within a town often have difficulty in seeing what can be done to life a town. Pooncarie, like Parachilna, has been given a new lease on life thanks to John and Pauline.

Now if only the Tilpa pub where visitors are a little like creatures from alfa centauri.

Christo