We're up and ready to go in good time but make our way to the Internet shop to tie up some loose ends partly, of course, because we have free minutes from the other night. We get journals up to date and I lose myself in upgrading my picture links from simple HREFs to thumbnails etc.. Time flies when you're having fun even if emacs is being ruinously slow in executing a keyboard macro and you look at your watch and it's 2 in the afternoon. Hmm, we've got a long drive ahead too. We throw a McDonald's down, cheap and fast, and head off back to the car.
It's blisteringly hot. I'm burning, I'm sure, and it's very dry. The car is almost untouchable sat in the sun. It gets a good ten minutes full blasting air con whilst we sweat outside in the shade. It's still too hot but we've got a long way to go so suffer the painful steering wheel and gear stick. Two minutes away we drive past the Adelaide Oval where the radio says England are 4 for 40. Not only do they report the score the wrong way round but England sound on the verge of catastrophic collapse. Not very surprising with the Met Office [the Bureau, I think they call it] reporting 41C at the Oval [in the shade!]. Heaven knows what it is out on the pitch.
The road to Quorn is a good one and we make pretty good progress. Turning the air con below 3 just lets the car heat up. Stepping out of the car at Quorn a wall of heat hits you. Ugh. The hostel woman suggests a dip in the local pool which we take her up on. Not surprisingly the water feels cold and I hesistate, stupidly, as it's wonderfully refreshing. The pool is very popular with people especially those dive bombing off the board. One middle aged guy making the most impressive crashes, the sort when you can feel with your feet stood at the side as the water crashes back together.
A Sunday night in a town like Quorn is quiet and the only place serving is the pizza shop. We have 20 minutes so pop next door for a refreshing beer and, good god, what are the Aussies up to? Firstly, [it's 8.45pm and] they're still batting and secondly have lost six wickets. They're making a meal of it. The pizza is an enormous thing [groaning with toppings] and neither of us get halfway [no wonder it seemed expensive]. The pub's licence was only 'til 8 (hmm) so we have little to do but suffer the heat. Popping out of the air con kitchen area, not only is it still very warm outside but now there's a dry wind with it. The news today has reported on deaths in Canberra from the bush fires and Threadbo has had non-residents evacuated. That would have made our stay a little more real-worldly.
Andu Backpackers, Quorn S32.34769 E138.03920 Elev. 292m
Copyright 2003 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.