Day 341 | Long Waterhole, Winton: I'm Waltzing Matilda

82 km | zzOz total: 9100 km

One of my major peeves with my travelling solo is the outrageous way that I’m charged for a “campsite” in caravan parks, the same as a 4WD with camping trailer, massive footprint, 2 people, 2 showers, etc, I’m effectively charged double for my touch-the-earth-lightly philosophy.

Sometimes the others get a seniors discounts it’s often cheaper for the two of them, I’m subsidising the 4WDers.

In my mind I’ve reconciled myself to paying $15 a night, $105 a week, for a place to roll out my tent and a short, unevenly temperatured, shower. That seems fair, considering how little you actually get out here in the sticks, no camp kitchen, no easy power points to charge the computer, often no picnic table even. You do get water, always bore water, with varying degrees of brininess.

The obvious way to go is to ask to share someone else’s site, then you get charged as an extra person, usually $5, but I can’t bring myself to acquaint myself too closely with the Grey Nomads.

But even remote Boulia was $20 a night.

To be frank that ain’t great value. That backpackers back in Alice where I first lobbed was $20 for a bed, albeit with some close companionship, an ensuite, unlimited super fast broadband and breakfast of a sort chucked in, later raised to $22, although I stayed with the $20.

There’s a bull sale in town tomorrow and all the 3 caravan parks are full, $26 the cheapest in any event.

It seemed fitting in this town which is known for 2 major things, 3 if you count the dinosaurs 110 km away: the establishment of Qantas, ie, Queensland and Northern Territory airline service, back in 1920; and being the place where Banjo Patterson wrote Australia’s most well known poem, “Waltzing Matilda”, that I went and camped under a Coolibah tree down at the local waterhole, ie, billabong.

It’s a dark ode ending in tragedy but it starts brightly enough:

“Once a jolly swagman,
camped by a billabong,
under the shade of a Coolibah tree … “