Western QLD in Summer…
Travelling Central QLD in the middle of summer, are we crazy? Maybe we are, maybe we aren’t.
Weeks of 38+ degrees every day and flies galore doesn’t really sound very appealing and I am the first to admit that parts of summer in the outback are less than glamorous. We’ve spent more than a few afternoons in our boxer shorts watching documentaries and taking cold showers to cool down. Whilst it is hot, we’ve found the dry heat quite bearable; it generally cools down at night which at least means we can get a good night sleep. All it all, it’s not been as bad as many people make it out to be.
The upside of spending a summer in the outback in summer is watching the landscape and the people change. When the rains came suddenly the sea of brown turned into luscious green paddocks. The locals were all talking about how much rain they’d had, it was as if they were talking proudly about something their child had accomplished; I could sense the relief and joy in their voices. Whilst staying at the Apex Park in Longreach the Thomson River continued to rise due to heavy falls further north. There was a steady stream of locals each and every day coming to check out the water levels because it supplies a portion of the town water. As a local said to me “It’s so great to see it rising, it’s like the town has been saved, once again”
Being out in central QLD during summer has given me a whole new appreciation on the struggles people face in remote and drought affected towns, and how their spirits are lifted when the heavens open. Many of us take water for granted, or complain about the rain and how inconvenient it is in our daily lives. Perhaps we need to take a few moments to remember that there are parts of Australia desperate for rain, and it’s often these parts that are responsible for supplying the food we expect to be able to buy when we walk into a supermarket on any given day.
Hats off to all the farmers out there doing it tough, it’s undoubtedly one of the hardest ways to make a living. I feel privileged to have witnessed the changing landscape and see the joy it brings to the locals.Fingers crossed for more widespread falls.