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Nomad
Moves Again! 2005
The rain was quite heavy the day I left Brisbane.
Luckily I had packed most of my car the day before.
Rain kept up constantly all the way to Stanthorpe. I
stopped in Tenterfield the night, had a terrible
Chinese meal in one of the few restaurants that were
open. Many shops had a ‘closed down’ notice on their
front door.
The next day was hot as I drove along. I reached
Gunnedah, just past Tamworth. It’s quite a prosperous
town. That night it rained and all the next day too.
Low clouds and lightning streaked across the sky to
keep me company. I’d encountered very little traffic so
far. I continued by way of Dubbo and Forbes, turned off
from the main highway to Cowra and Young. I was glad to
get rid of the semi-trailers that were driving me mad.
Literally hundreds of those wicked beasts inhabit our roads.
Later that day, I drove through swarms of locusts that
splattered my windscreen and kept me awake. At times, I
could scarcely see the road.
My! The city of Young has certainly grown up! It’s now
very modern and thriving. Many of these towns were just
names on the map a few years ago. One thing I noticed
throughout New South Wales and Victoria were the signs
situated before every town, and which proclaimed ‘50
kph’ (30 mph) in big letters. I think all towns in
Queensland should follow suit.
I passed through my favourite country town, Wagga-Wagga.
At one time, whilst working on the Snowy Mountains, I
contemplated living there. This city oozes wealth and
prosperity. They have the biggest cattle re-production
farms in Australia, large farmhouses, two storey
mansions, one after another. There are no tumbledown
homesteads here!
On to Benalla, where I stayed in a caravan park for two
days. Since I was early for the ferry crossing, and
felt tired after all the driving, two days of rest were
most welcome.
Next day, I motored slowly down to Melbourne, leisurely
taking my time. Just outside the city I had a blow-out.
My right rear tyre was completely destroyed.
Fortunately, I was driving slowly and managed to stop
the car okay.
I had to change the wheel on a hill, which was great
fun. Phew!
I kept my eyes open for a service station that replaced
tyres. But this was Sunday, and it was unlikely that any
service station with mechanical help would be open.
Further along the highway, in the suburbs of Melbourne,
I drove past a great pile of tyres outside a building.
I immediately turned around and went back. Yes, to my
relief they were open and would replace my tyre!
Otherwise, I would have to hang around in Devonport,
Tasmania, the next day. I was certain there would be no
service repair shops open very early in the next
morning, since the ferry arrived at 7.30 a.m.
I arrived early in Melbourne, parked the car and
visited the suburb of St Kilda where I used to live many years ago.
Everything had changed, with hundreds of new apartments
scattered about. And lots of very smart buildings too.
In the evening, I joined a queue of cars and waited in
line to embark on the ferry Spirit of Tasmania.
It’s a sleek looking vessel that reminded me of the
ferries in Scandinavia. I parked the car, and joined
other passengers in the elevator to the main deck. I
had a look around the vessel and eventually sat in a
nice comfortable armchair and relaxed. I purchased a
beer and people-watched.
Soon, I was joined by two young ladies at my table. One
with three young girls in tow, and another female with
a seven-year-old daughter. We chatted about Tasmania
and travel in general. One of the single ladies turned
out to be English and was a schoolteacher, who was
taking a holiday in Tasmania and New Zealand. We both
talked enthusiastically for quite a few hours.
Sometimes, I chat to complete strangers and I click
instantly and feel perfectly at home with new company.
I gathered from her conversation she had no partner or
husband, simply chose a male to her liking, and
considered suitable for the purpose of producing a child, had sex
and in due course gave birth to a baby daughter. She
told me she was quite happy living by herself and
bringing up her daughter as a sole parent. She simply
had no desire for a husband or man to be around
permanently. I seem to meet more and more of this type
of females in the present era, since I belong to a
dating club and meet a great number of modern women.
Next day, it was cloudy and raining. This was lovely
and I enjoyed my scenic drive to Hobart. I noticed how
empty the roads were. Soon, I was negotiating the
suburbs of Hobart itself, and found my way to Sandy
Bay. When I arrived at the agents’, to sign the lease
and pick up the keys of my new apartment, I was given a
huge basket of expensive assorted chocolates. What a
pleasant surprise. Ohhh!
“This is to welcome you to your new home,” the
receptionist smiled.
To my mind, this was a grand gesture and was very much
appreciated.
After I had unloaded all my possessions from the car, I
went across to K-mart, which was directly below my new
home, and bought myself a nice table and chairs to fit
in the kitchen, having sold all my heavy furniture to
save transport costs.
Many persons are surprised the way I picked out the
apartment. Cruising on the Internet, I arranged with an
agent whose webpage I was impressed with, and let them
choose the apartment for me. Of course, I supplied my
required parameters, and viewed the inside and outside
appearances. I am greatly pleased with my new home,
proving to be much better than I thought it would be.
It’s all freshly painted throughout, with new drapes
and lace curtains.
The kitchen is great since there are very large windows
which overlook the car parking area, to the rear of
which tall trees are flourishing in the garden of a
large home.
The lounge is quite big and has large windows with a
view. My bedroom overlooks, from a great height, the
K-mart and Coles supermarket shopping centre. Straining
my neck, I can just glimpse Mt Wellinton. Best of all,
there is a large area of grass, the size of a cricket
pitch, at my front door, which is wonderful for
barbeques and sitting outside.
All around, are lovely colorful shrubs and an abundance
of lavender, geraniums, roses of all colors, and many
attractive flowers.
No sooner had I established myself, there was a knock
at the door. I was confronted by a young lady standing
before me, who informed me that she lived next door.
She proved to be yet another English female who told me
her life history within a short space of time. She
had been married and divorced three times. I mentioned
that I planned to join the walking group, the dancing
group and many other opportunities that sounded too
good to avoid.
She told me she owned her flat and was the head of the
body corporate, and commanded all the owners and
tenants to keep their apartments tidy in outside
appearance. In other words, no junk was to be left
lying around.
Later on, she introduced me to her husband, who seemed
a very meek and mild yes-man.
Relationships are so amusing at times!
A quick visit into Hobart made me feel immediately at
home. It’s a very attractive place with many
interesting restaurants. I found out all about the
transportation system. Luckily, I have a bus stop just
around the corner from my apartment with buses that run
every 15 minutes until midnight.
Immediately, I noticed the icy cold wind and generally
cool weather, noticeable after living in the tropics.
Wonderful, I thought, now I can really walk when I feel
like it. Of recent times, I had been feeling the heat in
Queensland somewhat overpowering, and decided I needed
a cooler climate for my old age, hence my move to
Tasmania. A good enough excuse anyway!
Since living in Australia, I have never adjusted to living in the
southern hemisphere and its reversed seasons, and
always long for months of snow at Christmas. Now I will
be able to visit Cradle Mountain in the winter and walk
in snow. Lovely!
Over the Christmas period, I visited the Cygnet Folk
Festival, which is located about 40 km (25 miles) from
Hobart. On arrival in the afternoon, I walked to the
free concert that was held in the local pub. Well!
Inside was like a scene from the 18th century, men and
women were dressed in period clothes. The group
performing was fascinating, with men and women playing
old fiddles, squeeze boxes, and tablas
[an Indian pair of drums] being tapped by
hand. In all, there were about 10 players. The music
was of Irish origin, and soon all the pub patrons were
joining in a big singalong. This continued until
mealtime.
My brand new lady friend and I adjourned in a café and
ordered our evening meal.
Afterwards, we attended three concerts for which we paid
$15. The first event was a group of Indians playing
classical Indian music, and included sitars
[rather like a tall and narrow guitar] and tablas.
They created fantastic ‘Bollywood’ music, together with
Indian girls, dressed in saris, dancing delicate
classical ankle dancing, accompanied by intricate
finger displays.
The next concert was by a group of players attired in
fancy clothes that made them look like pumpkins. This
band performed weird music, that was most unusual and
entertaining.
The last group played modern style jazz.
I have fallen in love with Salamanca Place. This is an
area of Hobart which has old fashioned buildings that
have been turned into art studios, gift shops, old book
shops, a farmers’ produce market plus, at weekends,
dozens of tent stalls. Elegant restaurants surround a
small square, the style of which reminded me of France.
Above, are apartments clinging to the cliff face.
For me, it was wonderful to be able to chat to the
actual artists, whilst perusing their paintings and
sketches for sale direct to the public. There is even
an art gallery of their current works located on the
top floor.
Quickly, I have discovered that Hobart has an art-house
movie theatre with many foreign films being shown.
I must admit that it seems strange to see hills covered
in rolling mists, which remind me of the Yorkshire
Moors. I think I may feel settled here in Tasmania.
But these are the famous ‘last words’ that I always
state on arrival in a new place!
- Nomad
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