Day 318 | blown away by Esperance: I'm feeling quite comfy

Esperence Day 20

Strange to be in Esperance and listening to stories of the devastation caused by Cyclone Lawrence on its erratic track across northern Western Australia from Kalumbaru to the Pilbara.

It’s been on the move for 12 days now and has been one of the first in Oz to slowly build to category 5, dissipate to a 1 and then crank up to 5 again. It’s currently tracking to make a damp mess of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. And maybe the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

There’s been more resonance with the news updates having traversed those isolated parts earlier in the year: Sandfire, Pardoo, etc. The cyclone winds have been estimated to be even stronger than those that wiped out Darwin back on Christmas Day 1974 at around 285 km/hour. Try pedalling into that one.

Fortunately there’s little in the way of civilisation it’s ripped through but 80 Mile Beach caravan park was one of the spots that hasn’t fared well. Maybe it was the wrath of god visited upon those who wanted to charge me $29 to put up my little tent for the night. (I guess not.)

Looking back the year has been a whirlwind: met terrific people; found myself in spectacular places; and generally had a blast despite the predominant headwinds. Life out in the elements has been just the release I needed from the stormy weather of inner city relationships and work commitments.

A great year: I just have to learn to head off turbulent times in the future.

That means I must maintain some distance from my usual diet of wild and dangerous women. Like Cyclone Lawrence they may start out innocent enough but by relationship end they have worked themselves into unparalleled, Category 5, fury.

There’s a New Year resolution to try to keep, at least until I’m blown away by the next gorgeous gal.