I wanted to post the last posting on 22nd in the morning. But the laptop was gone, Vlad had to use it for work. Had I had the laptop at that time, well, I guess I wouldn´t have left Canberra that day, as I am addicted!
So after 3 relaxing days, a lot of eating, after getting rid off the grass growing on my head and funny times with Vlad, my great CouchSurfing host in Canberra I was on the road again, but only for a few days.
I went around the Canberra city center and straight onto the Federal Highway which changed its name to Hume Highway sometime later. Plenty of hills but broad shoulders during the first 20 or 30km.
And then this vast river bed in front of me - at least that’s what I thought it was. A long downhill and the road followed this empty grazing land to my right for many kilometers. I’ve been told later on that it was “George”, who lost his first name “Lake” during the last 6 to 7 years of drought! In my map it was still a big big lake, but I couldn’t make out a single drop of water! Climate Change is upon us and the Australian farmers in here in the area can tell you a story about it!
Collector, a small village with a supermarket closing at 5pm, welcomed me at 5:23pm. No bread, not even from the nice and cozy small pub where the Ozzies were watching … were watching … of course, they were watching cricket!
“I’ll leave this village”, the decision was made but then I found a BMX gang on a dirt parcours next to the road. The boys were jumping and sometimes it seemed as if they didn’t want to come back to earth! Impressive! And dangerous - I should have photographed their legs, arms and shoulders!
14 year old Bradley went over the new, even steeper and higher ramp first in an impressive jump that he landed like a professional! You rock!
The father of Bradley, Gary, came and brought me a beer - wow, Australia mate! And then I got invited to stay for the night on the couch that was built up faster than I could say “yes”. Thank you a lot!
Bradley has this new and fancy iPod touch, the one without buttons, and we were browsing his music library in the evening. Nice device!
The family told me about the droughts in the area, that the locals renamed “Lake George” to “George” (have a look below this posting in the map!) and about the problems the farmers and especially the wool farmers face and about a Swedish camera team which had been filming in the area about the topic.
64,5km; 3:18h; 19,5km/h; 433hm
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