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Published: November 14th 2011
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When I say home, of course I mean back to my spiritual home of Perth and to a bedroom all to myself again. This dorm lark hasn't been half bad but having to:
a) constantly get changed in the bathroom for fear of terrifying other dorm dwellers,
b) use shared bathrooms where there appears to be enough hair on the floor and in the plugholes to make Wayne Rooney a year's worth of toupees,
c) to worry yourself sick that you'll be snoring and disturbing other roomies, only to hear the guy (yes, we're talking shared dorms here) in the next bed doing his bit for the methane levels of the room,
d) to have to lock and unlock your case just to pop to the toilet
...I could go on...
has meant that I'm yearning for a room to myself back at Lindsey's, where there are only 3 current keyholders all of whom are trustworthy individuals, unlikely to make off with anyone else's iPod or otherwise (no jokes here about me being half Scouse please...)
On the plus side, I've had a fab few days and met some lovely new friends, namely Emma and Paulina, who I'll be seeing again shortly - Emma in Cairns as we fly in at similar times and Paulina in Sydney. I'm still the oldest backpacker in town but I'm giving the kids a run for their money...
So, this morning, it was time to hit the road, back through Denham, the Roadhouses in the desert, Northampton and stopping tonight in Geraldton. Estimated distance based on upward journey - 450 ish km.
It's a hot day and having forgotten to wear the bikini and remaining insistent on not using air con, I'm cooking like a turkey. The journey is as long as I remember and just as bleak at times, although this time without the bitten nails of believing the fuel would run out before the next roadhouse. There was obviously roo-wars on the roads last night too, with the roos coming off significantly worse than the cars by the looks of things. Roadkill count - 30+ roos, of which overnight roadkill I guess to be over 10. Unlike the way up, the roadkill today is not at the side of the road but in the middle of it, making it a journey that at times, resembled the weave contest at Crufts (but in a Hyundai). Horrible stuff, particularly as the grim reapers of the bird world, crows, are having their feed on the remains, making the obstacle course all the more interesting for me as the driver. Unfortunately while the Hyundai can swerve horizontally, it fails to act in an Inspector Gadget-fashion in the vertical ducking stakes - Hyundai 1, Bird-feeding-on-dead-roo 0...
Speaking of birds, today I saw flocks of bright green birds playing dodgems with my car. Like the swifts I saw on the way up but green. No idea what they were - or if I was hallucinating having stared at what appeared to be one endless desert for miles and miles, but they were amazing. Darting around, under my car, over my car, and at times I thought through my car, they made for a fantastic, if terrifying at times, sight.
A quick stop at Shell Beach this morning to get photos and some illegally collected shells for my nephew (only 3 - not worth prosecuting me for...I hope), and I made the full journey to Geraldton in one hit. Very pleased, pat on the back to me. Except I drove round Geraldton, saw the backpackers place and decided I didn't want to stay. All looked a bit hectic to me - Geraldton is a big town, almost like a city, so with pubs, nightclubs etc, and the backpackers looked like the kind of place that once I'd walked in, I'd be convinced that a party until 5am was a good idea. Sad I didn't stay as Dad mentioned to me later on Skype that he'd boxed in Geraldton years ago so would have been good to take some photos for him. However gut instincts rule on this trip and I headed off to the twin towns of Denison-Dongara. Beautiful little marina in Port Denison, lovely little town of Dongara, a couple of miles apart.
The backpackers here is very cute - AUD30 per night (£20) and think I'm going to be in my dorm alone which is a welcome surprise. The backpackers appears to be an early 1900s sleeper carriage and on the inside, looks like one too, with my 4 bed dorm looking like sleeping quarters for long distance rail travellers. I love it. The owners are lovely and I've been sitting outside in the garden here for hours talking to them while they lay paving slabs (note didn't volunteer to help - fortunately saved by Skype and 9 members of my family brightening my day up - phew!). I'm told it's very safe here - which is a right brucie bonus seeing as there are no locks on the doors.
I'm making the most of blogging and uploading photos now just in case my laptop isn't with me by the morning...
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