Walking for Talking 2

Strange co-incidences

I knew I’d forgotten something off the previous blog and it was a story Drew told me from Poeppel’s Corner. Drew – I hope I have this right….

The boys were at Poeppel’s Corner having a look around and got chatting to a few other travellers who were heading across the desert.

These sorts of conversations contain the usual, weather, where’re you going, where’ve you been, what you HAVE to stop and see/do, what you shouldn’t stop/see, chat about cars/kids depending on whether you’re a bloke or gal, some chat about what you’re towing or carrying etc etc and of course, where’re you from.

‘Sydney’ is first pin point offered, then ‘northern Sydney’ and if they still seem to know where you are talking about then you say something like ‘Berowra, just before you head down the hill to cross the Hawkesbury River’. The old saying of ‘seven degrees of separation’ is so, so true. By the time you get that defined, you aren’t far off finding they know someone in common.   

I’m sure Drew describes the location of Mt Colah slightly differently but the point of this long ramble is that he’s at Poeppel’s Corner (Qld/NT/SA), talking to a random stranger about his trip/past adventures and they very, very quickly realise this is the son of Betty who is the lady who looks after Drew’s dog Dash whenever they go away. Wow, you might say, but I’m impressed! Think Drew was too.

The other co-incidence I’d forgotten to add happened to Graeme’s parents. They are on their way to join Graeme in Birdsville and while cooking the BBQ tea in the campground at St George Qld (?), David was chatting to a fellow chef about where they’re both headed, where’re they’re from (etc etc) and it turns out that these people had already met Graeme.  We aren’t too clear on when exactly as they gave David the impression it was only a few days prior in the desert and while the timing matches, neither Graeme, Drew nor Bestie remember talking to them.  This makes us think perhaps it was someone who’d stopped to talk to Graeme when he did his other crossing. That, or there’s another ‘mad’ walker out there crossing the desert as well!  Again, I’m impressed….