coarse chip bitumen , meandering through small villages , passing places of gathering and places of worship . Coarse chip bitumen rapidly gave way to gravel and dirt .
Perennial symbols of rural Australia now dotted the landscape . ‘ Southern Cross ’ windmills , causeways , white tabletop farm vehicles , silos and field bins , broad brim hat wearing caretakers of the land , with hands like leather , the skin toughened and cracked , a sense of humour as dry as the toughest drought .
Camera shutter clacking as I stopped to take in the landscape . Engaged in conversation with the driver of one of the those previously mentioned white farm utes . He ’ d stopped to check I was ok . The talk quickly turned to the state of the country , green and rich from recent rain . Tipping his finger to the brim of his beaten hat , he moved on , leaving me to enjoy the cool country
TRAVERSE 30