Erik Skye Travel Blog

8 Jan 2012

Here’s the map: Google Maps – Wizard of Oz

Car’s trip odometer: 4150 clicks (km)

I stood staring, inspecting. A lot of raw skin was showing, and I could see gravel packed into cuts. A leg was broken backwards, blood was dripping from it’s upside down head, and the eye socket facing me had no eye. It was a distorted mess really, but I kept standing there, looking for some sign of life, because sign of life is what caught my attention.

I had become accustomed to dodging around kangaroo carcasses. The outback roads are full of those. But I hadn’t seen a dead emu on the road until now. I first spotted this emu as I was driving slowly by. It lifted it’s head with it’s long slender neck to make a big arc from one side of it’s body, up to the sky, and then back down to the other side. I stopped the car and walked back to the bird thinking I’d crush it’s skull or break it’s neck. That would be the right thing to do. But when I got to it, I could find no more sign of life. So I stood there and stared. It was something beautiful, and I still saw it as beautiful.

A man walked back to me from his pulled-over vehicle and explained that he came upon the emu flailing in the middle of the road, apparently hit by a car just before him and still much alive. So he pulled over, took out a pipe that he carries as a cheater bar for tire changing, and finished him off. He then moved the emu off to the side of the road. He had blood on himself, and I could tell he was a bit shaken. I told him ‘it happens’ to make him feel better. He saved me from having to do it.

This all occurred as we were leaving the main highway to enter the town of Cunnamulla, Queensland, and although we didn’t plan a rendezvous, we ended up in the same little bar a few minutes later. That’s when I got to know John and his wife Judy a bit. As we talked, I learned John is an auctioneer (semi-retired) and that they live in the Jervis Bay area of New South Wales (one of the most splendid areas in all of Australia). They’re on a big Australian road tour like me.

My next stop was the Oasis Hotel Bar in Enngonia where I met the proud owner Greg. There were two other patrons - a young woman named Courtney and her boyfriend. Courtney had just visited the USA (taking a three week road trip from LA to NY), and I could tell she was eager to travel again. However, her boyfriend had other ideas, expressing that he didn’t see the point in leaving home where he has ‘everything he needs’. As I started for the door, Greg yelled out ‘would you like to take a picture of my roof?!” Now, with an invitation like that, how could I refuse? I hadn’t noticed the old roof protruding into the new addition. So I did. And yes, it really is a nice roof Greg.

A couple hours later I was in Bourke, stopping at The Port of Bourke Hotel, which I had visited two years prior. I was eager to see if it felt the same and immediately started a lively conversation with the tender and patrons. Warren’s the big fella in the picture, and was very slightly giving me a hard time (in fun) so I dished it back (in fun). A comment was made about the size of my camera, and I replied it was good I brought in my wide angle lens so I could get Warren in there too. Lots of laughs followed and Warren threatened to “moon” me in the impending photo. Later, as we expressed opinions about Australia’s mountains, or lack thereof, Warren made an astute comment about Uluru not being a mountain but a monolith (which is correct – the second largest in the world in fact). I said ‘you know, in addition to being very wide, Warren is also very smart!' More laughs, and I still didn’t get beat up.

Locky actually lived in the USA for a few years and married an American woman. He wants to come to Alaska badly, and I told him to look me up. Andrew told me he loves Australian women better than any. When I asked him why that was, he replied, ‘because Australian women are wild!’

My last stop of the day was Cobar, and I rolled into town on a mission to find a place to do laundry and take a shower. I ended up finding that and more at the Cobar Caravan Park where I met the owner Karen and her friend Di. They were excited to talk with me and set me up with a little soap for my laundry, no extra charge for a shower, a map of the town highlighting dinner options, and password for the Wi-Fi. I couldn’t have asked for more. Then there was a loud “BANG” on the backdoor, and I came to meet Nancy.

Nancy is an incorrigible little 6 month old goat that Karen and John adopted when she fell as a newborn from a truck taking feral goats to slaughter. (Feral goats used to be seen as a problem here but now are rounded up and seen as money.) As we stepped out into the back yard, a tiny cute goat was running circles around everyone, head butting the dog, jumping up onto and off of a set of steps, nipping at a rose bush (even while it was being protected by Karen’s husband John), and generally just being a funny little rascal. Everyone was laughing; you had to love Nancy. I began to wonder why they were taking these goats to slaughter when they could be taking them to the pet shop instead.

For access to archived Erik Skye Travel Blog articles, click here: Archive

To receive notification of future articles, send e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with “Subscribe” in subject line.