It's dark and you want the light on. You flick the switch. Hey presto - light. Or - if it doesn't switch on, you are a tad frustrated. It means one of several things - you haven't paid the power bill, or there's a blackout for some reason - or the globe's gone. Whatever, you are frustrated - because you have taken it for granted that by flicking that swtich - light naturally comes on. Same with a tap - you want water, you turn the tap on. Again - magic. Water pours out. You turn the tap one way, the water warms up. Turn it the other, it cools down. Turn the tap off - the water stops. But again - you've taken it for granted that there will be water coming through that tap. And if neither the light switch works or water does not come through that tap, you are not happy - over to the telephone to ring for help. Dial the right number and your call will go through. Again, taken for granted. Later you want to go to the shop - just up the road. You get into the car, naturally expecting that the engine will start with the turn of the key. And it if doesn't - that temper isn't improving but nothing for it except to ring the local automobile club or garage and get help as quickly as possible.
Later on, as you are preparing for dinner in the evening, after a hard day at the office or doing whatever you've been doing - suddenly visitors arrive unannounced. Looks like they're here for dinner too - you put on a brave smile and throw on a bit of extra for them - or if you haven't got that extra, quickly call someone to grab whatever's needed from the shop. Or - if worst comes to worst - one of the many takeaway places or nearby restaurants to the rescue.
All inconvenient? Absolutely. BUT at least such services and utilities are nearby and are convenient - along with all the emergency services.
Now, we are talking about populated areas. And the story could not be more different hundreds, sometimes thousands of kilometres away - in the outback. In Australia anyway. The people, particularly the women, out there do it tough - make no mistake. They are unique - they literally struggle on a daily basis - simply to survive. Against almost insurmountable odds - both natural and human. It seems that no matter which way they turn, they hit another brick wall. It's almost more normal for their taps not to produce anything more than a billow of red dust - because there isn't any water - these people are usually in drought conditions. As for the light - well, in many cases, while a lot of these areas are now connected to the 'mains', there are still a lot that aren't and they have to rely on their own generators. So if the light falters - the globe might have gone but it usually does mean that the generator needs to be restarted - and sometimes this has happened because it needs to be refuelled. No hopping down to the nearest petrol station out here - it means another long trip into the nearest town or depot to restock fuel. Communication out there has come a long way and telephones are pretty good now - but even then, if you have to call for help - it's a long time coming, if ever. Distances are too big.
This is the mighty outback of Australia - and its people. Many of the men have been born in country hospitals (some on the stations themselves) and have spent their entire lives out there - bar perhaps a few years at boarding school, having been educated for their primary years by the School of the Air and, in its way, correspondence. But that's about it. As for the women, a great many of them have originated from either capital cities, or country towns - some from farms and others again from foreign shores - all to live in that pure isolation out there. These are those amazing women, young and old, who have to learn very quickly to adapt. Some do. Some don't. The allure, novelty and romance of the outback soon wears off and some find that the isolation and loneliness is just too much for them. They find that they cannot handle it after all. Many go out there to work as governesses and marry one of their employer's neighbours or another local.
But such is the life in the outback. And it applies to every age - from newborns through to those wonderful elderly people who possibly should have retired but love it too much and refuse to move away.
Arrangements for the Qld leg of the research trips for our book are well underway - and again - I am really looking forward to it.
Before I continue, a big welcome to the new stations which have come onboard, along with a lot of people who have visited stations - and towns in the outback - for holidays/work and have come from other properties, towns, cities and/or other nations. Having spoken with some of these people, face to face when I passed through Blinman, Broken Hill and Cobar - their feelings about the outback and their visits/lives out there are really interesting. There are so many people coming onboard who I will be contacting by email or phone that I am now putting together a template to send to all of them. Hopefully, it will be the easiest and safest way to make sure that everyone who wants to participate is definitely included.
I am able to include some of the new stations in my 'station visits' but the rest will now be covered by mail, phone and email. But rest assured, you will all be included - even if it takes me a while.
At the end of the SA/NSW leg I flew home from Sydney and threw myself into organising the re-visiting of many of our wonderful retired pastoralists. This is now underway - but instead of 'formally' interviewing all these people, I am simply asking them a few questions and taking their photographs and obviously giving them a chance to ask me whatever they like. I had originally sent all those who had agreed to participate in the book, one of the station packages which included a special questionnaire, put together for the retirees themselves. Many completed these and returned them quickly which is fantastic - and I have met a lot of these people and been given an amazing amount of information about their lives and histories as well as histories of their stations. All just so interesting.
I still have two (maybe three) stations in the Northern Territory which I hope to visit sometime in November. At this stage, not sure when I will begin the WA stations - had hoped for the end of this year but I plan to cover them in a couple of stages and it might be early next year. Remembering all the time that I am a 'lone soldier' doing this.
My trip to Qld commences when I fly to Townsville, via Brisbane, at the end of August. I then take a coach west to Mt Isa, stopping for one or two days at six stations en route (all going well), then back down to Brisbane, stopping at one station. From Brisbane I travel by coach up the coast, through Townsville, stopping at Australia Zoo briefly (relying on memory
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here) before arriving at Cairns. Another coach takes me from there out to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria. I have three further stations along that route. Spend a day or two in Karumba before returning direct to Cairns and finally flying home, at the beginning of October. Yes, it's a tight schedule - also a challenging one and I continue to thrive on all this.
As I travel along this amazing road, new aspects/suggestions/thoughts are forever being put to me. Not long after I returned to Perth from the SA/NSW leg, I was interviewed (at 2.30 am one Saturday...AAAAGGHHH) by The Social Network Station in the USA. The purpose of this was to be questioned about the impact of the internet and social media on the people in the outback. I managed to speak with quite a few people about this, during that first leg and the answers were very interesting - and varied. Coming from different generations too. But from what I have heard the people in the USA seem to have somewhat of a fascination for our mighty outback and I have been sent more questions - all about the outback - things that I had never thought about - and completely unrelated to the 'net and social media. But all so wonderful. There is interest there and I will make use of this opportunity for all it is worth.
And as is well known by now, I will do almost anything to help expose this book - to help these amazing people and our mighty outback.
Stay tuned.
