Due to a cold, my first day and a half was spent lying doggo. I'd hoped to have a decent look about and sample some of the original Italian cuisine on offer in the town, but travel on the ferry has it's risks. Sunday I got to the fruit & veg market before it closed at noon and then made up a hot lemon & had a snooze. At 3pm, feeling much better, I went into town & had a very nice spaghetti. I hadn't been back at the caravan park long & was invited to a BBQ, which I went to on condition I didn't have to eat much.
Earl (not their real names, I've changed them to preserve anonyminity), had just put an extension on his caravan and that was where we met. There was his son Tim - quite the computer gamer & hoping to get to a big gathering in LA; Bud, who is doing an excellent job fitting out a 1966 Leyland bus; Bluey, a jack of all trades; and Don & Phyl, who are currently living in the park & working locally. Apparently Phyl won a couple of meat packs at the local Corio Club the night before and this was the mainstay of the BBQ; she also prepared some excellent salads to go with. Don, a 6'4" ex-boxer, took over as Chef and no one decided to challenge him - a good thing actually because he did an excellent job! He covered the grill with oven paper, which helped keep the grill/plate clean but also did an excellent job with marinated meat as it kept it's moisture, didn't burn and thus was great tasting! Don is currently a truck driver and gave a running commentary of anecdotes while cooking, no expletives deleted. He also gave me excellent advice on UHF channels & usage, as well as what to do when approached from behind by a faster moving road train: DO NOT slow down, maintain your current speed as he is adjusting to that, can see much further ahead than you from his lofty cab and when he puts his blinker on, wait until he is well into the other lane before you slow down.
Bluey has traveled about the country, part chasing work and - I suspect - part curiosity as to what's over the next hill. He has picked up a range of skills and informed me the best way to condition a fry pan or wok: Heat it with a blow torch until it is nearly hot enough to ignite oil, then pour fish oil in it, running it all over the inside. Apparently fish oil settles into the pores best. He also mentioned putting a cast iron plate near the top of my water tank so that it gets exposed when the water drops & then covered when the tank fills again - this will ensure you get the iron you need from your water. He had numerous tales & bits of advice, and later sent me a photo he'd taken of lightening, which was superb!
Bud was apparently the project leader in the extension, having had building experience. As stated earlier, the work he has so far done in his bus conversion is excellent. He intends to do the big loop around Australia and estimates it will cost him around $90,000 - I think that includes his vehicle and the conversion costs. He ran the bus down to Victoria the following day to register it in Victoria , where apparently it is 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of QLD or NSW. Tim was going to travel with him and I reckon it would be a great mini-trip!
Tim is in his late teens and into computers, esp gaming. He has won major competitions in Australia and hopes to go to a big gamers convention in LA. He was offered a job by a firm in the US , but was under 18 at the time so couldn't accept. He kept the conversation lively and is knowledgeable on a wide range of topics.
Phyl arrived with salads when the BBQ was cooked and joined in at that time. She discussed the local area and the changes her & Don had seen in the ~18 years they'd lived there, then later in the evening drove us up to the scenic point overlooking the town. It certainly was much more widespread than it appeared in the daytime, plus you could see lights from some of the nearby communities, actually as far south as Darlington Point (35km away).
A fascinating slice of life of a small group with a broad range of experience and skills, a 'can do' spirit and an enjoyment of their lives.
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