wish.’
‘You must have a lot of stories, Peter,’ said Colin.
‘We have a long drive. Okay, I will tell you my story, sometime. And you must do the same.’
‘I don’t have anything exciting to tell. I’ve never travelled. Until now,’ said Colin. ‘So this trip is a first for me.’
‘For all of us it will be new,’ said Marta. ‘I wonder how we will be when it is all over.’
The day was long. They crossed over the Great Dividing Range and Colin explained that it was called the Blue Mountains because from a distance the range looked a hazy blue. They parked at the scenic lookout of Echo Point with the craggy peaks known as the Three Sisters on one side, the deep valleys below. It had been cool and cloudy and as they stood there the mid-morning mist floated away. Golden shafts of sunlight stabbed the sinister gloom and the sharp clear call of a bird reverberated.
‘I’ve seen grander mountains. But this is very magnificent,’ said Peter.
‘It needs snow,’ said Marta.
‘Shall I take a shot, Topov?’ asked Drago.
The director shook his head. ‘No. It is beautiful but not exciting. We go to jungle.’ He turned back to the Land Rover.
Colin decided to travel for a while in the Jeep with Drago. By late afternoon they were travelling through open countryside, past paddocks filled with sheep.
‘We’re out in the country now,’ said Colin. ‘Haven’t seen another car or town for ages.’ He glanced at his map. ‘But it looks like we still have a way to go to Bourke. We’ll have to stop somewhere. Like Dubbo.’
‘I hope Topov doesn’t want to film anything. It’s going to be dark. And where are we staying?’
‘Let’s ask him. They’ve stopped.’ Colin pointed up ahead to where the Land Rover had pulled over. The Dodge was some distance behind them. As they pulled to the side of the bitumen road they saw Topov studying amap. Helen was striding ahead, stretching her legs. Johnny was smoking a cigarette.
‘Is there a problem?’ Drago asked.
Topov took off his hat and rubbed his head, stabbing at the map with a finger. ‘Here, is town. Topov want coffee. Where coffee place?’ He looked around accusingly.
‘What town?’ asked Colin.
‘Red star here means town. Here must be town. You say we go Bourke way.’
‘Not in one day, Mr Topov,’ said Colin.
‘Here, look on map. B-O-U-R-K-E. Here, Sydney.’ He measured with the tip of his finger. ‘Is just finger between.’
‘On paper. But in Australia there are long distances between places,’ said Colin.
‘Well, there ain’t nothing out here,’ said Johnny. ‘Let’s drive on, it’s hard to tell distances.’
Drago looked at the map and the stretch of empty road disappearing towards the horizon as far as they could see. ‘No towns out there.’
Helen walked back to them. ‘There’s no point in standing around. Let’s continue. We’ll get coffee when we arrive in Dubbo.’
‘I hope they drink coffee in Dubbo,’ said Colin quietly to Drago. ‘Australians drink tea. You don’t see coffee much outside Kings Cross.’
Drago rolled his eyes. ‘I hope Johnny packed some coffee or Topov will go crazy.’
Two hours later they stopped at a café in a small country town but the waitress shook her head when Topov ordered coffee. Topov went red in the face and shouted at her, which sent the girl scuttling into the kitchen and the rest of the group looking embarrassed.
A woman appeared from the kitchen with a bottle of Camp Coffee Essence, a black sticky liquid she assured him tasted ‘quite nice with condensed milk’.
‘What is condensed milk?’
‘It’s thick, sweet, tinned milk.’
‘Okay. Bring me cup of condensed milk, I pour this black sludge in it.’
They travelled on much more slowly than they had expected because of the caravan and the poor road. It was now dark, the headlights illuminating a stretch of road lined with the occasional ghostly silver eucalyptus tree. In the three cars, all had
‘You must have a lot of stories, Peter,’ said Colin.
‘We have a long drive. Okay, I will tell you my story, sometime. And you must do the same.’
‘I don’t have anything exciting to tell. I’ve never travelled. Until now,’ said Colin. ‘So this trip is a first for me.’
‘For all of us it will be new,’ said Marta. ‘I wonder how we will be when it is all over.’
The day was long. They crossed over the Great Dividing Range and Colin explained that it was called the Blue Mountains because from a distance the range looked a hazy blue. They parked at the scenic lookout of Echo Point with the craggy peaks known as the Three Sisters on one side, the deep valleys below. It had been cool and cloudy and as they stood there the mid-morning mist floated away. Golden shafts of sunlight stabbed the sinister gloom and the sharp clear call of a bird reverberated.
‘I’ve seen grander mountains. But this is very magnificent,’ said Peter.
‘It needs snow,’ said Marta.
‘Shall I take a shot, Topov?’ asked Drago.
The director shook his head. ‘No. It is beautiful but not exciting. We go to jungle.’ He turned back to the Land Rover.
Colin decided to travel for a while in the Jeep with Drago. By late afternoon they were travelling through open countryside, past paddocks filled with sheep.
‘We’re out in the country now,’ said Colin. ‘Haven’t seen another car or town for ages.’ He glanced at his map. ‘But it looks like we still have a way to go to Bourke. We’ll have to stop somewhere. Like Dubbo.’
‘I hope Topov doesn’t want to film anything. It’s going to be dark. And where are we staying?’
‘Let’s ask him. They’ve stopped.’ Colin pointed up ahead to where the Land Rover had pulled over. The Dodge was some distance behind them. As they pulled to the side of the bitumen road they saw Topov studying amap. Helen was striding ahead, stretching her legs. Johnny was smoking a cigarette.
‘Is there a problem?’ Drago asked.
Topov took off his hat and rubbed his head, stabbing at the map with a finger. ‘Here, is town. Topov want coffee. Where coffee place?’ He looked around accusingly.
‘What town?’ asked Colin.
‘Red star here means town. Here must be town. You say we go Bourke way.’
‘Not in one day, Mr Topov,’ said Colin.
‘Here, look on map. B-O-U-R-K-E. Here, Sydney.’ He measured with the tip of his finger. ‘Is just finger between.’
‘On paper. But in Australia there are long distances between places,’ said Colin.
‘Well, there ain’t nothing out here,’ said Johnny. ‘Let’s drive on, it’s hard to tell distances.’
Drago looked at the map and the stretch of empty road disappearing towards the horizon as far as they could see. ‘No towns out there.’
Helen walked back to them. ‘There’s no point in standing around. Let’s continue. We’ll get coffee when we arrive in Dubbo.’
‘I hope they drink coffee in Dubbo,’ said Colin quietly to Drago. ‘Australians drink tea. You don’t see coffee much outside Kings Cross.’
Drago rolled his eyes. ‘I hope Johnny packed some coffee or Topov will go crazy.’
Two hours later they stopped at a café in a small country town but the waitress shook her head when Topov ordered coffee. Topov went red in the face and shouted at her, which sent the girl scuttling into the kitchen and the rest of the group looking embarrassed.
A woman appeared from the kitchen with a bottle of Camp Coffee Essence, a black sticky liquid she assured him tasted ‘quite nice with condensed milk’.
‘What is condensed milk?’
‘It’s thick, sweet, tinned milk.’
‘Okay. Bring me cup of condensed milk, I pour this black sludge in it.’
They travelled on much more slowly than they had expected because of the caravan and the poor road. It was now dark, the headlights illuminating a stretch of road lined with the occasional ghostly silver eucalyptus tree. In the three cars, all had
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