Driving Down Under

I awoke Monday morning thinking I was flying to Adelaide only to find at 10am I’d be flying to Melbourne then to Adelaide as there were no direct flights. Then I was told I’d be driving directly from Mildura to Mount Gambier (pronounced: Gambia) where I’d be helping them get ready for their weekend series between South Australia and Victoria. I was nervous to say the least that I was being thrown into my first Australian driving experience going 550km (300 miles I think) by myself through the outback. When I went to pick up the rental car I was made even more nervous when the guy told me the ABF had sprung for extra kangaroo insurance for the windshield and headlights because of the areas I’d be driving through. So with that and a vague idea of the 6 different highways I’d need to take, I was off. Right hand turns were the first main obstacle, and the roundabouts I navigated pretty easily (they are actually really efficient at expediting traffic). I continue to have a tendency to drift to the left but I guess that’s safer than into oncoming traffic.

It took about 3km out of Mildura before I had to pass a slow moving truck which proved to be the worst “overtaking” (as they call it) of my life where I almost caused a head on collision and seemed to piss off the truck I had passed, but after that I was fine. My next shock was the kangaroo warning signs as pictured above, I thought they were both hilarious and frightening. I’ve been warned by literally 30 people to watch out while driving (I kept telling people I wanted to see one, and they kept assuring me I didn’t). I still thought they were messing with the naïve American, but I don’t think they’d be that elaborate to put up signs (and I ended up seeing at least 30 in my 6 hour drive). I can see why it’s so dangerous because the roads are all framed by trees and shrubs which make it impossible to see a kangaroo until he’s hopping right on your hood, and the locals are more than happy to tell you how stupid Roo's are.

I stopped at the Queen Bee in Ouyen, a little roadside diner, for lunch and continued on to Pinnarroo where I stopped for gas and directions to the next town Bordertown where I again stopped for drinks and directions. I had to slow down from 110km/hr to 80 and then 60 going through "towns" that consisted of no more than 10 buildings which I found both amusing and annoying. It was not uncommon to go 5-10 minutes without seeing another car, which was cool to be in the honest to goodness outback. At about 5 o’clock I came up to the Narracoorte Golf Course about an hour outside of Mt. Gambier. I pulled over enquired about club rentals and green fees and 20 minutes later I was playing 9 holes in Australia at 5:30pm (doesn’t get dark until 8:30pm). The course was pretty crappy so I ended up playing 7 and moving on.
I arrived in Mount Gambier at dusk (the worst time as far as kangaroos jumping out at you, but I made it the whole way without seeing any except for two road kill…pretty nasty).

My destination was the Blue Lakes sports complex which includes facilities for footie (Aussie Rules Football), hockey (field variety and played by men which I find odd), netball, cycling, softball, baseball and I’m sure others. I was greeted by the sound of a gun, so I figured there was a track meet (they call it athletics), but when I pulled up to the baseball field, I looked over and saw a guy carrying a shotgun. Again I figured he was skeet shooting or doing something sanctioned/safe. It turns out they were shooting corellas which are a protected bird (unless you have a license) which tear up grass...again unnerving. I asked the rational question of what happens to the bullets when they come down, and moments later found out as the underhang we were standing beneath was showered by shotgun pellets...

I met my host family the Parslows who have a really nice house a couple blocks from town center. Greg and Amanda are the parents of 16 year-old Chloe who is usually out with her boyfriend and 13 year-old Matt (who is already taller than me) and plays for the South Australian State baseball and basketball teams (which means mum chauffeurs him to and from Adelaide each weekend, about a 4 hour drive). Just like the Proberts they’ve been more than welcoming, and once again I’m sleeping in the bed of a 13 year old baseball player. It wasn’t until the following morning that anyone notified me of the time change I had driven through, now instead of being 19 hours ahead of Pacific time I am 18.5, I don’t get it and neither does my phone cause it still shows Sydney time.