A Trip to the Beach

Australia. An area where even a trip to the beach becomes like a scene from an Indiana Jones movie.  On the way you could pass places such as, 'Murdering Creek' or 'Stabbing Creek' or 'Dead Man's Creek'.  En route, particularly at dawn and dusk, you need to slow in case of kangaroos darting across the road (they would write off your car: and you). You will also sometimes travel kilometre after kilometre of nothingness.  Yesterday, a woman was found under her car in a remote area of Victoria,  where she'd crashed and left the road, avoiding a kangaroo at dusk.  She'd even tried amputating her own trapped leg so that she could escape to try and catch a driver's attention.  There's pluck.  


On the way to the beach, you could pass stalls at the side of the road selling fruit and veggies with an 'honesty box' next to the goods.  There will be long, straight roads with macadamias and sugar cane growing on either side along with mangos, melons, oranges, lemons, papayas, limes and bananas. Loads of backpackers stay around here for extended periods fruit-picking: there's always something growing year around.  Criss-crossing the road, there will be loaded trains which you need to look out for..


At the beach, there may be a kangaroo on the shore line which has wandered down from one of the national parks.  There will be jellyfish: some of them as big as dinner plates but harmless and some of them as small as your finger and lethal.  In the ocean, there could be rips so you should always read the life-guard's report,  swim between the flags and listen to the lifeguard when they use the tannoy.  There may also be a 'shark spotter' plane hovering to alert the lifeguards if they see one.  You could see dolphins in the distance, pelicans floating past and a variety of crabs on the shoreline. 


On the way back home, if it's been raining, the roads will be covered (and i mean COVERED) with horrible warty cane toads which you'll run over along with the possibility of seeing one of Australia's many venomous snakes.  And don't get me writing about the spiders and their webs when you arrive home in the dark and try to park your car in the car-port.


Another relaxing day in paradise on the Fraser Coast.