Goats, Guns and Gravel roads

Yes I know you have to wear a helmet in Australia…
The law says so.

But.
If you’d be on a flat and straight dirt road in the burning sun with approximately 50kg of bike and gear under your bum and three, maybe four, cars pass you in a day. What would you rather have on your head? A hat… or a helmet..?

Right.

So do I.
Policeman thought different though. He obviously doesn’t cycle much…
He did mention that if I choose not to pay the fine I can never get a Western Australian drivers licence.
O, boohoo. I haven’t even got a Dutch one… why you think I cycle 😉

Ah well. One small mishap… And my first traffic fine ever!

I do have to say that the guys from the Paraburdoo police force have been extremely helpful.
Not only was I allowed to camp behind the station and use the bathroom and computer, I’ve also been given a mobile phone and stay in regular touch so they know I haven’t vanished in the bush yet.

It was a warm day leaving Paraburdoo
So when I came across a water tank I thought I cool down for a while.
Water tanks and windmills are great for that! They make good camp spots too since you don’t need to be extremely careful with the amount of water you use. There’s always enough for a shower. You only want to be careful not to be too close as I discovered. You get cows trampling around the tent all night.

After some serious headwinds and dusty roads I stopped at Ashburton Downs station.
My plan was to fill up on water and move on. It proved a difficult thing to do.
I was offered two days work, and the wind was supposed to turn, so I stayed.
‘Tricky’ the windmill-man thought it hilarious he needed to explain a Dutch girl how to work the windmills…

The wind turned and I moved on, only to come to a turnoff a few hundred km down the road and have that wind straight against me again.
The skies started to change, I saw clouds and one time I swore I felt a raindrop, but I deemed it impossible and kept cycling (and pushing) against the wind.

Ones again the scenery stunned me. I could see Mount Augustus looming on the horizon many km’s before I got there.
The biggest rock in the world. 2.5 times bigger and 3 times older than Uluru!

I wanted to stay at the rock for a couple of days, but when I got there I was told about the ‘Landor races’. An annual fest with horse races, fun & games and a ball.
So there was my choice. Old rock or horse races…

I kept on cycling. Leaving Mount Augustus to be explored some other day.
I called in at the aboriginal community of Burringarrah. My plan was to fill up on water, and move on. It proved a difficult thing to do.

A lot of aboriginal people live in communities in rural Australia. This particular one was very quiet since most people had gone to a funeral. Chris and his son Dylan where there though. They let me stay at their place… for a week (…) We went to the races together and had a great time rockin’ & rollin’

It’s there I first tried witchety grub. Never heard or seen it before, larvae of a moth that lives in the roots of certain bushes. It used to be a staple in the diets of aboriginal women and children. Chris showed me how to find them so no need to get hungry out bush ever again.

When I did finally manage to escape it didn’t take me long to get trapped again.

Cycling along an old stock route a car pulled up and the sheriff who I’d met in the community offered me a coffee. Two coffees and some sandwiches later he moved on but not after telling me he’d leave a container with water 80km up the road at a turn off.
When I got there I followed the signs he’d drawn in the sand and found not only the water, but some fruit and rice pudding too! Yum.

I really wanted to get to Perth sort of fast. I need to find work again soon and it is still getting warmer every day. So I planned to keep going. I should know by now not to make any plans since they do not ever last.

Because then I met Andrew.
He slowed down to ask me if I would want to call in at his station and have a shower.
I didn’t realise I stank that much, but sure. I called in at his station where I now, 10 days later, still am.

I have been helping out around the station a little. Cleaned up the homestead since it’s only Andrew and his brother Richard here at the moment, and they’ve got better things to do then mopping floors or doing laundry…
I even managed to master the art of baking Anzac biscuits. I think they’re great! And popular all over Australia and New Zealand. Just in case you feel inspired I’ll write the recipe at the bottom of this update.

Wednesday and Thursday where muster-days, but not like I’ve experienced them before.
This time I was an active member of a team of seven, six on motorbikes and one in a plane to go and find wild goats. All you need to do is get them together in a yard.
That sounds a whole lot easier than it is. I did have a great time racing through the bush and gullies trying to avoid collision with random trees or other motorbikes. But them goats go every direction except the right one.
They like to hide in bushes or just scatter. We did manage to catch a few though.

Next thing you do is go down to the yards to shift the goats.
I went out to give a hand when Andrew said; ‘right, you drive the Ute down and I take the truck’
……
I drive?

Yep. I did. For the first time ever I rode a car (with trailer) all by myself!
(did I mention I never got my licence?)
And I didn’t crash, or roll over. A proud moment indeed.

We went to get a steak one day.
It’s slightly more hassle then going to the supermarket and buy a t-bone.
We drove out. Shot a cow, cut it open and took all useful bits and pieces out. I had heart, liver and kidney for breakfast the next day.
Then I had to saw straight through the middle to make sure the T-bone comes out good. A job that acquires some attention, as you can tell from the concentration on my face in the pic.

Hope you’re not vegetarian. I’m not. And I do find it interesting to find out what it actually is that’s so neatly and unrecognisable wrapped up in the shops…

Last night I found myself in the bush in the middle of the night with a guy covered in blood. A sharp knife in one, and an axe in his other hand.
It could’ve been a horror-movie, but no.
Just one man doing his job.

Australia is a little funny. The only country that eats its national symbol. In order to do that someone needs to go out and get them.
And I tacked along for a night. I won’t put any pics on since it’s not a pretty sight.
But I do have to mention that up till the bullet hits, the kangaroos are happy as Larry bouncing about. They’d never know what hit them.
It helps he’s a very good gunman. All roo’s were hit in the head and died instantly.
He offered me to try, but I’m happy enough shooting empty beer boxes…
I’m actually quiet happy just emptying them 😉

It’s been an interesting experience, but I guess the time has come to keep on moving.

I wonder for how long.

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Anzac Biscuit Ingredients

1 cup plain flour
I cup sugar
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup desiccated coconut
4 oz butter
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (add a little more water if mixture is too dry)

Anzac Biscuit Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (or approx 375 degrees F).
Grease a biscuit tray or line with baking paper.
In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
In a small saucepan over a medium heat , combine the butter and golden syrup until the butter has melted.
In a small bowl, combine the boiling water and bicarbonate of soda.
Add the bicarb and water mixture with the melted butter and golden syrup.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix thoroughly.
Dollop teaspoonfuls of the biscuit mixture onto the greased baking tray.
Don’t forget that the biscuits WILL spread during baking, so make sure you leave room for them to spread! (I didn’t do this the 1st time and ended up with one huge biscuit)
Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from oven.
Allow the Anzac biscuits to cool on the tray for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.