by Magro, Mandy
‘Thanks, Mum. You always look after me. What am I gonna do without you?’
Maggie reached out to Sarah and they held each other close for a few moments, catching each other’s tears on their shoulders. Eventually Sarah pulled away and smiled at Maggie, wiping away her tears on the sleeve of her shirt. ‘That’s enough from us two crybabies, Mum. I’m old enough to be out in the world now, and I promise I’ll call you all the time. It’s only four months.’
Maggie smiled admiringly at her daughter. ‘You’re right, darling. But I’ll miss having a female in the house. You’re leaving me here surrounded by the cave men! Now let’s go downstairs and get you on your way.’
Sarah whistled out the driver’s window and Duke jumped in the tray of the Cruiser. He licked the window of the truck to say his hellos to all inside before making himself comfortable on the rug Sarah had thrown there for him.Victory was in his float, securely attached behind, and Lily and Daniel were ready to go, sitting next to Sarah in the front.
Jack put his hand through the window and handed Sarah $300. ‘Take this for the fuel, love. I want to help you, so no arguments, okay?’ And with that he stiffly tucked his hand back into the pockets of his shorts. ‘Have a safe trip and make sure you call us on the way when you’re in phone service. Your mother will be worried sick until she knows you’re there safely.’ He leant in and kissed Sarah on the cheek.
Sarah could see the sadness in her dad’s eyes. She knew she would not hear the words from him, but his face told the story. Sarah felt a tug on heartstrings but knew her old man would not want a big tear fest.
‘Thanks, Dad. I appreciate the money. You behave yourself while I’m away, and no wild parties, okay!’ Sarah laughed, trying to keep the mood light.
She reversed down the drive and took one last look at the mango-wood sign hanging on the front gate. It read Clarkes’ Farm in large tired-looking white letters. Sarah and her brothers had made it for their parents years ago as a Christmas gift. It was looking worn now, after all the years out in the harsh sun, but Jack had been so proud of it. He’d marched straight out the front, dressed only in his boxers, and hung it up for all to see.
Sarah took a long hard look at the house from the front, taking a photograph with her mind so she could engrave it into her memory. The double-storey Queenslander stared back at her as the sun rose idly behind it. The weatherboards were in need of a fresh lick of paint, but the place still held loads of charm. The big verandahs that snaked their way around the house were filled with flowering potted plants, thanks to Maggie’s green thumb. The miniature windmill Lily had given the Clarkes a few years back sat in the middle of the big front garden, spinning lazily in the light early-morning breeze.
Sarah sniffed the air, wanting to get her last smell of the mango flowers before driving away, then threw the old girl into first and took off down the dusty dirt road, Lily and Daniel waving like schoolkids as Sarah honked the horn. Soon the only evidence of their passing was a huge trail of rolling dust.
‘Would you like to pick a CD, guys?’ Sarah asked.
Daniel passed her Garth Brooks Ultimate Hits. As she put it on, Sarah took a fleeting glance at the Mareeba rodeo grounds from the window. It was now a hushed, giant, grassland with a big, empty arena, hibernating until the following year’s rodeo. A few grey nomads had their vans parked haphazardly around, making the most of the camping grounds with hot showers and toilets.
Heads turned as the trio drove through Mareeba, singing at the top of their lungs, way out of tune. Duke lay in the back of the Cruiser with his paws over his head. Sarah smiled, in between belting out lyrics, as she drove down the main street. The footpaths were still fairly quiet and most of the shops weren’t open, other than the servos, the bakeries and the two newsagencies, which drew a certain kind of morning crowd. The pub was closed, the guests in the rooms upstairs probably sleeping off hangovers.
In the blink of an eye, they were through Mareeba, heading towards Atherton, the greener side of the Tablelands. Here the volcanic soil produced a red dust that stained everything in sight. The cows looked close to obese from the endless supply of lush green grass – the polar opposite of Mareeba. Sarah turned towards Inner Hot Springs, famous for its unique thermal mineral springs that were said to have healing qualities. She’d always meant to have a look at them on her way to Mt Garnet for the rodeo and now pulled in to have a quick look.
They piled out of the car to admire the steaming waters. Daniel stuck his toe in, quickly pulling it back with a shocked look on his face.
‘What mad bugger would wanna hop in there? It must be close to eighty degrees!’
The girls giggled as Daniel shook his head in disbelief. Sarah took a quick snap of Daniel and Lily arm in arm in front of the steaming springs before they jumped back into the Cruiser. Daniel unpacked some bacon sandwiches and they filled the gaping holes in their bellies as they took in the scenery, drinking cups of coffee from the thermos.
Not long after, they arrived at Mt Garnet, famous for its rich mining history and the annual rodeo. You could have sneezed and missed the place. Sarah instinctively wriggled in her seat as she read the road sign on the way out of the tiny town, informing her it was 430 kilometres to Hughenden. It was time for the long haul, where mobile phones didn’t work, cattle were frequent obstacles on the road, there was no such thing as a traffic light or a roundabout and it was rare to see much traffic other than the odd road train. They drove through ironbark woodlands and swamps, where grey kangaroos drank thirstily, a beautiful sight in a vast land. Sarah watched as a pair of wedge-tail eagles circled above the car. They looked as though they were floating without an ounce of exertion in the infinite blue sky.
They had been driving for two hours when they pulled up for a much-needed leg stretch and a sugar hit at the Oasis Roadhouse, famous for Queensland’s smallest bar. Sarah whistled for Duke to jump down off the back and he ran straight for the first tree, relieving himself for close to a minute. Sarah, Daniel and Lily bought cold drinks and ice-creams, which melted as they ate them.
‘Shit, it’s hot, and it’s only nine a.m!’ Sarah declared while wiping the sweat from her forehead and managing to smear chocolate ice-cream across her face.
Lily giggled, talking with a mouthful of Golden Gaytime. ‘Bloody oath it is. I reckon we’d die of heat exhaustion in a few hours out here without shade and water.’
Daniel shoved the last of his strawberry Drumstick in his mouth before wiping the leftovers on his jeans. ‘I need to take a leak, ladies, so I’ll meet you back at the Cruiser in a minute.’
‘Rightio,’ Sarah and Lily said in unison, yelling ‘Ditto’ at each other for doing so.
Lily and Daniel sat beside Sarah, singing along with the CD. They’d been inseparable since the rodeo. Lily had stayed with Daniel the whole week, only going home once to grab some clothes for work. Even in the few hours she was gone, Daniel rang her twice to tell her he missed her. Sarah had never seen Lily so happy with a bloke before, and Daniel was clearly head over heels. His ribs were still causing him grief, but the pain was lessening with each day.
Once they turned towards inland Queensland, they left the picturesque coastline of sapphire-blue oceans behind them and the landscape changed into a vision of weathered red dirt, with a glimmer every now and then of dams shining in the sunlight like jewels. Cattle stood in open fields, frantically swishing away the flies with their tails, trying to find shade under barren trees. Windmills spun slowly, attuned to the laidback attitude of the outback, each blade throwing off specks of sunlight. Houses were scattered along the way. Some were far in the distance, behind fields of horses and cattle, but others stood beside the highway. Their gardens were filled with bougainvilleas, native trees, shrubs and beautiful flowers. The land was so vast that Sarah felt an amazing sense of freedom just watching the landscape pass her by. It was a feeling many city people never got to experience, and Sarah thanked her lucky stars that she was a country chick through and throu
gh. The bush was in her veins, in her very core, and she could never think of living anywhere else but on the land.
It was another long trek along an unsealed road where the three ate loads of lollies, sang country tunes at the tops of their lungs and peed on the side of road under ironbark trees – there were no toilets out here. As they drove deeper into the heart of the country, they passed Porcupine Gorge, towering cliffs of coloured sandstone standing proudly above permanent waterholes with pockets of vine forests adorning the water’s edges, a striking contrast with the plains that surrounded them. Lily squealed with excitement as an emu crossed the road in front of them at lightening speed. It was beginning to really feel like the outback.
They cheered loudly as they entered the town of Hughenden at midday, their bellies rumbling for some lunch. The locals, a whopping total of 1200, waved cheerfully at the newcomers driving through their town. Sarah found their warmth so reminiscent of every outback town she had been lucky enough to visit. She pulled into the local pub, making sure to park in the shade for Victory. He’d been a total breeze to travel with, seeming to enjoy his adventure on the road as much as Sarah was. She opened up the back of the float and led him out, giving him a scratch on the neck and telling him what a champ he had been. He whinnied back to her gently. Sarah looped his rope up to the side of the horse float and placed a fresh bucket of water near him that he could drink at his leisure.
Sarah sat with Duke in the beer garden while Daniel and Lily ordered fish and chips. The service was fast and they had their lunch within ten minutes.
‘I’m so glad you guys came with me on this trip,’ Sarah said, dunking a chip into the homemade tartar sauce. ‘Otherwise I would have to talk to myself, and that could get quite boring!’
‘You do that anyway, sis,’ Daniel said.
Lily burst out laughing with a mouthful of Coke, spraying it out her nose. Sarah and Daniel joined in, and Sarah felt her heart swell with happiness. She was young, free and on holidays in the Australian outback.
It was Lily’s turn to drive, and Sarah watched in amazement from the passenger’s seat as the landscape transformed yet again, this time into flat, black soil plains with star burr and devil’s needles scattered about, thriving in the dry and and land. They all covered their noses to avoid the stench of a dead pig lying on the side of the road, probably killed by keen pig hunters who had dumped their catch.
‘Oh, boy. Did you fart, Daniel? That’s enough to gag a maggot!’ Sarah teased as she fruitlessly swiped the air. Daniel playfully reached across and slapped Sarah.
‘Get real, sis; I don’t smell that bad when I release a beast!’
The three stopped for a quick refuel in Richmond, keen to continue the trek through to Julia Creek, famous for its annual Dirt & Dust festival. It was 150 clicks away along bitumen road, which would make the trip more comfortable. The scenery didn’t change much between Richmond and Julia Creek. The highlight of the stretch was taking photos of a gathering of over 200 galahs, who were squawking at ear-piercing levels while resting on a boundary fence near a shimmering dam.
They reached Julia Creek at four o’clock. The area was home to a rare and endangered marsupial, the Julia Creek dunnart, which not many ever saw because of its timid nature and nocturnal habits. Sarah’s granddad swore he had seen one, but she never knew whether he was pulling her leg. Everywhere you looked there was evidence of the rich local cattle and wool industry. Sarah was especially impressed by the size and quality of the cattle saleyards – evidence the town was a vital link within the beef industry. The feel of the place took you right into the heart and soul of rural Australia with Queenslanders standing proudly amongst gardens filled with bottlebrush, banksia, flowering mal-lee daisies and weeping paperbark trees. Sarah was entranced by the stark beauty of the little town.
‘Isn’t it lovely here, guys?’
Lily nodded her head as she gazed out the window. ‘It’s like a little oasis.’
‘Yeah, it’s great, girls, but I’m about to burst here. Do you reckon you could find a bloke a dunny?’ Daniel squirmed in his seat.
‘Geez, Daniel! You’re worse than a sheila!’ Lily teased.
Lily pulled up beside the public toilets and Daniel scrambled out of the Cruiser. The two girls followed, happy to stretch their legs after being on the road for so long. Duke jumped down from the back and ran around like a madman, chasing the local wildlife to let loose some pent-up energy. Meanwhile Sarah made a quick call to her parents from the phone booth beside the toilets. They didn’t talk long as she didn’t have a lot of change, but at least she’d let them know they were all alive and well.
Daniel was in the driver’s seat when she got back in after checking on Victory, who was chewing contentedly on some hay she had put in there for him earlier.
‘You two ladies might wanna try and get some shut-eye on the next part of the drive. There isn’t going to be much of a change to the scenery anyway. It’ll be about three hours before we hit Mt Isa – just in time for a counter meal, I reckon.’
‘Yeah, thanks, Dan. My eyelids feel like lead weights. I reckon I’ll take your advice on that cat nap.’ Sarah rubbed her eyes.
‘Me too, mate. Slap me if I start snoring and drooling, though!’ Lily smiled. Daniel pulled back out onto the highway and drove towards Mt Isa. The girls were asleep in minutes.
They had been on the road for close to fourteen hours when Daniel pulled into the pub in Mount Isa. ‘I’m starving, ladies, and drier than an Arab’s fart. I could really sink my teeth into a big piece of rump,’ he called, rubbing his rumbling stomach.
Lily yawned and sat up slowly, blinking. ‘Me too. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.’
Sarah felt her belly growl. ‘Me three. I want mine still mooing on the plate – cooked for a few seconds each side and that’s it. Any longer and you’ve killed the thing twice,’ she said, opening the car door and stepping down from the truck. She’d been sitting for so long now she wondered if she’d ever get the feeling back in her bum cheeks.
Duke sat obediently in the back of the truck until Sarah told him he could get down. He ran up to the first tree he could find, directly under a huge floodlight in the pub’s car park, and peed for what seemed like forever. Sarah hoped no one was watching.
‘Poor bugger must have been busting,’ Lily said, stretching her arms high up in the air. ‘As a matter of fact I need to go too. I’ll meet you two inside at the food counter, okay?’
‘Okay, Lil. I just want to get Duke settled in the back with some food and check on Victory,’ Sarah answered.
Daniel gave Lily a quick peck on the lips. ‘I’ll stay and help Sarah, beautiful.’
Victory seemed quite content in the float. Sarah knew he’d prefer to be out in the paddock, but there was no other way to get him to the station. He was proving to be a great horse to travel with. Not many would withstand the gruelling trip. He hadn’t minded going in the horse trailer, and there was no kicking or mucking about when they were on the roads. Sarah gave him a loving scratch on the muzzle and he whinnied back to her.
Sarah got Duke his dinner out of a can and put it in the back of the Cruiser along with a bowl of water. She whistled to him and in seconds he was digging into his food, back from joyfully sniffing around the car park.
‘You keep guard out here, boy, and watch our stuff, okay? I’ll bring you back some of my steak.’ Sarah gave her loyal mate a pat as she headed off with Daniel to get some well-deserved dinner.
Lily was about to burst by the time she found the ladies’ toilets. On her way to a cubicle she squeezed past a bunch of women dressed like they were ready for a night out on the town. They were checking out their reflections in the mirrors, hiking up their already short skirts and arranging their boobs for maximum cleavage. Lily quickly looked down, not wanting to catch their attention. They reeked of cheap perfume. As she passed, she couldn’t help noticing the bright-red nail polish on one of the girl’s toes. While she sat on the loo
she could hear them talking – there was no way she could avoid eavesdropping. The conversation sounded like an episode from Days of our Lives and Lily couldn’t help but be a little curious.
‘I know I shouldn’t have done it in the first place, seeing I’m in a serious relationship. And I do feel kinda bad, but I was drunk, and fuck, he was good in bed. He banged me like a dunny door and I rode him like the bucking bronco he is!’ said one of the girls in a high-pitched voice.
‘Seriously? Oh my God, that’s so hot!’ said another.
‘I think about doing it with him all the time now, I just can’t help myself. Nobody knows, obviously, and if this got out, you know it’d all be over. But you are my besties, and I needed to be able to tell somebody all the juicy details!’ She laughed drunkenly and her friends giggled along with her.
Lily waited until she heard the women leave before pulling up her jeans and flushing the loo. ‘Sounds like she’s conquered more pricks than a second-hand dartboard,’ she muttered to herself.
Lily smiled when she spotted Sarah and Daniel already sitting at a table.
‘Hey there, Lily, we’ve ordered for you. Hope you don’t mind. You were taking ages – we thought you’d fallen down the loo. I was just about to send a search party in for you,’ Sarah said as Lily pulled up a chair beside them.
‘Sorry guys. It was all the bloody coffee. It took me ages to pee it all back out again!’
‘My mouth is watering,’ Sarah declared as she looked around the room, eyeing all the yummy-looking food people were eating.
The speakers blared to life as a woman’s voice called out their number in a monotone. Daniel was up and out of his seat before the echo of the microphone had stopped. ‘Come on you two, let’s grab our dinner.’
They headed over to the counter where their steaks were waiting for collection. Each was a huge piece that hung over the edges of the plate.
