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August 27, 2001
Overland Australia - Update 31
Well, I’m finally back in camp with Blue Dog, who is so excited his ears are wrapped up around the top of his head. The last two weeks have been very busy for me since leaving the expedition at Georgetown. I returned to Cairns because the president of the Cairns Art Society was expected at our annual exhibition opening. The following week I performed an acoustic art show in Brisbane, returning last Sunday.
On Monday, I found it very difficult to return to Mt. Isa, due to the reluctance of rental car companies to send their vehicles there, etc. On Tuesday, I contacted a tour company who runs from Cairns to Alice Springs, and found that they followed the same outback adventure trail that the expedition are on, but they informed me that they leave on Tuesdays and Saturdays. After contacting the manager of Down Under Tours, they kindly offered a sponsorship for my fare to return to the expedition.
I set out on Saturday, and after overnighting in Hughenden, I thought that in the group of backpackers on board, there may be a person interested in joining the expedition, so I announced this on Sunday. A young lady expressed her interest, and later in the day Margit (also known as Git, pronounced Geet) told me that she would join the expedition if it was at all possible with the plans of the group.
I called Jason Monday at lunchtime, and we met the expedition 25 kilometres west of Jervois Station. I must admit, I did have a lump in my throat at the reunion with my found and lost friends. After the excitement died down, Git being accepted to the expedition, transferring the freight, and bidding farewell to our accommodation coach driver Greg, we continued to our next campsite, forty kilometres west of Jervois Station.
I was reminded vividly of my previous life on the station, and stunned but not surprised at the change in everybody’s bush-induced relaxed character. For example - Jason swilling a cup of black tea and yarning without a thought of schedules, just like a boundary rider who sees someone for the first time in three weeks. It is good to be back. Blue Dog’s not good in the city.
John Andrews
Hi there! This is Git, the lucky chick who’s managed to get herself mixed up with your esteemed band of expeditioners. I woke up yesterday morning ready to face another day of the same old same old, i.e., an eight-hour trip across the red sands in a cushy coach with video and air-conditioning. Hah! Not six hours later my life was upended by your friend and mine, John.
When he asked if anyone had an interest in joining the expedition, my initial reaction was ‘of course!!’. I expected my rational, sensible, responsible self to chime in and convince me of my foolhardiness, and calmly suggest that I return my thoughts to what awaited me at home in the States: school, bills, and probably a dirty dish or two. Well, friends, I’m still waiting to hear from that sensible side, sitting here in front of a campfire, full of johnnycakes and billy tea and a warm feeling in this cold desert night. I’m so looking forward to writing to you all in the coming weeks!
Git Dijkstra
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Posted on August 27, 2001 11:50 AM