local colour

despite my earlier plans I am travellin’ round nth queensland again. I told you about the train trip. I wish I got a photo of the seat covers. I have a whole post coming about the extreme ugliness of almost everything man-made in this beautiful part of Australia, but I should shut up cause I’m a snob.

trains are good. kinda grubby, kinda slow. I sat in the club car with Sheryl and Sandra and they asked me why I was taking photos of the seat covers. why god why?
good question. damn photo got swallowed somewhere so never will you see the glory. I drank beer in the morning on the train. that’s why I had romantic notions. then I got bored of the conversation and read my book instead. then I walked the length of the train. it was long. then ten hours later I was in mackay.

staying with mein bruder jed. everyday I play with nephews. super auntie dell rides again. everyday I walked along the beach. every day I rode his bike around different parts of town. it’s a booming mining & sugar town. out to sea I counted 54 huge coal ships on the horizon waiting to be loaded up. I got yelled at quite abit. people like to yell at me.
the best thing was the industrial estate where they have heaps of huge, I mean really huge sheds. with motherfucking huge buckets, [I would look like a teeny ant inside a cup if I was in it, kind of huge] and trucks and mining stuff being repaired. welding & grinding & sparks flying 20 metres in the air and still not touching the roof of the shed. and they work all night. like fire works. cause the mines work all night and they need maintenance crews all night too. the caterpillar repair depot was nice, love my black & gold. crazy tip trucks with wheels almost four metres high.

then I caught a bus to Townsville. the fun cannot be quantified. stopping in at airlie beach to pick up a bus full of hungover backpackers, & re-acquaint me with my love of the so stylish sports sandal. then I stayed with my lovely grandma dell. grandma dell is great. we get along. she lives in a big queenslander on a huge block in Townsville, where she has grown a jungle of formidable proportions. its cool. Townsville is hot.

DSC03016
Originally uploaded by hellhouse.

this's the veiw out the window of grandma dell's house in the middle of townsville.


I caught a bus into the city. it was hot. the bus was a bright blue 20 seater full except for 3 seats. lots of old people. five beautiful, generously proportioned islander ladies. and me. then next stop a group of three men got on and sat next to & behind me. they proceeded to complain about how full the bus was. why the driver continued to let people on. how the mate [with loud music on headphones] who was next to me would lose it if more people got on.
“depo get’s a bit edgy you know. he’s a schitzo. the wizz fucked him good. too much speed. lost it. me too. fuck its hot tday... yeah comin’ down to brisso? nice hostess’ on the plane. cheap too. we’ll charge up. a week. stay in a pub. hit the wizz & ice. I’m the ice man. wonder why the fuck we don’t get that shit here man. it’s all comin’ from Darwin... bypassed.”
“nah mate i’d prefer to relax. find some nice smack. load up for the week.”
people get off, they then started talking about plans for today.
“jonno says we start with rums. get liquored up then drop some coins in the pokers. might be a fight after”.

then they noticed me.
“nice boots love. nice colour ey. they suede? nice legs… wanna come for a drink with us. it’s pretty hot in here.”
its ten in the morning.
“too early for me”...
read: NO FUCKING WAY.
“well sweetheart, you know the Exchange? yeah, we’ll be waitin’ there if you change your mind.”
the fucking exchange, reminding me of the glory dollar pots days.

I hitched home the next day to assess the damage. after a very nice birthday dinner with my 74 year old namesake.