- Arrived in Koroit

Cunnamulla, QLD Australia

Hello from the Outback. I'm sorry, but for a variety of reasons this will need to be quick. . . and therefore maybe not too well organized.

My plane landed in Cunnamulla on Sunday - we drove about an hour to Koroit and were at my camp by about 3 pm. There were no nasty surprises (at least none that I've found so far) waiting inside my shed. To put it politely, there was ample evidence that mice had been in residence, but no mouse-type destruction. There was no food left to attract the mice, perhaps they appreciated my taste and decor.

Around midnight that first night, I was oh so gently awakend by the sound of the tap tap tap of rain drops on the roof of my steel shed. The tap tap increased in frequency and intensity. For the next 24+ hours it rained on and off. The outback does not seem to be a place of moderation. The typical lip-chapping dryness had been replaced with a my towel still is not dry, everything including the toilet paper is a bit, well . . . kind of dampness. Yes, accumulating water meant that a bit of ditch digging and redirecting of draining rainwater was needed. . . of course it was necessary to do it in the rain - ah but it builds character! Today, the sun is shining!

My thanks to a fellow miner, Ken, who invited us Tuesday evening to his camp for a delicious dinner of a variety of pasta bolognese. Dinner was delicious and it was good to catch up on what had been happening in and around Koroit and with the various characters involved in mining and the opal biz.

The unusually large amount of rain that has fallen in the Koroit area has caused a great deal of plant growth and the appearance of many different seldom seen creatures. One such creature was a yet to be identified spider. Suffice it to say it was big, nasty looking and even though I'm no sissy boy, I did feel the need to exterminate it. I saw 2 of them. They are both deceased. (Seriously, before I am condemmmed, one should remember that in the outback virtually everything is either deadly poisonous, bites or is at least pretty nasty. . . with the type of venom that makes the bitten area fester and later rot and drop off etc.) I did take a few photos of the pre-termination spider. It was an interesting looking critter.

Unfortunately, last evening I was responsible for ending the life of another beautiful creature. As I was driving to the artesian bore where I take a shower, a kangaroo suddenly appeared on the left side of the road. I slowed down, applied the brakes. . .it paused. I thought it was going to wait by the side of the road until after I had passed, unfortunately it hopped out in front of me, although pushing harder on the brakes, the dirt road was wet and very slippery, I hit and ran over the 'roo. I turned my car around and made certain that any suffering by the poor 'roo was not long lasting. Yes, I always feel terrible when that happens. Yes, hitting a kangaroo is a surprisingly common event out here. There are zillions of kangaroos and, not to be nasty, but they are stupid. Emus are even more dim-witted.

Now for the good news - I have learned to expect the unexpected - please keep your fingers crossed - it looks like an excavator will be at my mine in two weeks. . . and will be staying for the rest of the season!! It is difficult to express how good that news really is . . . if it happens, it will translate into a very big & beautiful pile of rough opal . . . I'll keep you informed.

Koroit and the area around my mine are beautiful. Last night, the sky cleared and wow - there was that show of a million stars I have seen so many times before, but always leaves me wow-ing like a kid. . . the southern hemisphere stars see from the outback are quite a sight. . .bright, sharp, crowded, amazing. This area is a place of heightened experience - beautiful and amazing. There is always a lesson or two to be learned and something to make me go wow each time I come here. To my wonderful friends and customers - thank you for helping me to come back here!!

remind me to tell you about the bore shower. . . .

gotta run


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