Hangin' in Bourke

I stayed two nights in Bourke, a legendary town on the Darling River about 500 miles NW of Sydney, and esteemed as the gateway to the true outback. You can reach Bourke on sealed (paved) road, but if you go any farther west, you're off the bitumen and subject to the whims of the weather. Believe it or not, Bourke used to be a port, with steamers coming all the way up the Darling to take on wool and other agricultural commodities. It's a nice town, but bloody hot at times. It was 40 degrees C one day when I was there...that's 104 F. It has been as hot as 125! I stayed at the Bourke Riverside Motel, a historic building originally built in the 1870s. The rooms were all suites and very spacious and comfy, with old furnishings but modern aircon. The place had a nice pool and was right by the river, only a block or two from the historic downtown. Friendly managers too, and fine rose gardens, that are maintained by drip irrigation.

There were, as far as I could tell, three resident dogs and one cat at the motel. Here's a shot of one of the dawgs in his typical position, which he appeared to maintain for about 20 hours a day...sensible in the heat. Now we who follow this blog can all detect a connection with this critter...that's right, he's really a sloat! He's engaged in fine slotation here, obviously. And when you go up to him, he Assumes The Position and you give him a belly rub.

Here's a typical outback highway west of Bourke. They call the outback the Red Centre, for obvious reasons. It's very quiet out here and the air is crystalline...there is virtually no habitation for several thousand miles to the west so the skies are really clear. But...BUT...there are flies. Lots of flies. Legions of flies. Gazillions of flies. I had some Off, but it seemed to work better against mozzies than flies. The lady running the motel cued me in on the best fly repellent, after I went out bush; so I'll buy some next time.