With the mapping project out of the way, once again we want to head west and cover some new territory. We are however in familiar territory, and many people know it. Consequently, we have many requests for help.
One request came from Trundle, NSW. It was a town we'd not been to before, but the job was large enough to justify driving there. We are beginning to get work from a growing reputation. Trundle claims to have the widest main street in Australia, but we think Wycheproof might be its equal. The Trundle Hotel claims to have the longest wooden verandah in Australia, and it certainly is the longest one we've seen.
Trundle is near Parkes, which is home to one of Australia's oldest radio telescopes. As we headed out of the area, we had to stop in and check it out. From there it was north to Gulargambone (again), via Goobang National Park (another new park with no facilities).
We ran some staff development classes in Gular, and helped to create another web site. The training classes we had scheduled at Coonamble were cancelled for lack of enrollment, but we filled our time with other work. We had the great good fortune to be given a house for the duration of our stay in Gular, and to have the opportunity to use it to host friends from Sydney. Helen got a training class of her own, and can now irrigate anything armed only with a knife, a fork, and a bit of poly pipe.
The folks at Trundle asked us to return, creating another side track before we reach Bourke. (We're learning not to plan to much!) Then the folks in Gulargambone asked us to return, and so did the folks in Coonamble. We even landed a few jobs in Warren.
After ignoring our request for help for 6 weeks, PC Club finally got back to us. They shared with us the fact that we were just one of around 200 people with the same screen failure. They offered us 1/4 the purchase price as a refund, or the opportunity to upgrade for $1000. As you might imagine, we rejected their offer! The Department of Fair Trading are now mediating our dispute.
The farmers in this area are doing it tough because of the drought. The only positive side to the failing crops is that the sheep and cattle can graze on what little has grown.
With all the driving around we've been doing, we've had plenty of time to practice our high speed bird identification. Like so many other animals, the birds like the fresh growth encouraged by water runoff at the road's edge. Babblers, blue bonnets, cockatiels, and grass parrots are the highlights amongst the more common galahs and ravens. The occasional kestral or falcon can be seen flying above the emus grazing in the failing crops.