NOVEMBER 4-6: NOW IN THE IMPRESSIVE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK !

Australia's bush land: Just arrived to our two-days stay in fantastic Tooma! At the edge of Australia's biggest mountains south of Canberra. We are in a second-to-none Bed & Breakfast called Brigham House.  Only 4 suites.  Just met the very charming owner Jeff, who is born here and earlier worked 40 years in Sydney as an indoor architect.  He is right now assisted by an elderly American craftsman, George. He is travelling around the world doing small jobs here and there. In the northern summer he is often in Luleå in Sweden. After the stay here he will go to New Zealand for three months. As he says:  he is living nowhere and everywhere!
And today they have for the first time a local market. In full sunshine and 18 degrees with fresh mountain air! It very much reminds us of the best of South Africa - such as Stellenbosch!
Though only about a hundred people live in the whole area ( mostly farms ) the local inn here was more than full of people tonight. Everybody very friendly and anxious to know where we come from.  Some believed we are Scots!
Tomorrow Sunday we will make a raid by car to the nearest real village. It is called Tumbarumba ! It is about 35 km away.
On a day like this it is really difficult to keep the pessimism !

PS: The only contribution to a hint of pessimism comes from our efforts to try to exchange Euro notes to Australian dollars.  1 € is about 1,51 AUS - according to the official exchange rate.  We have tried several times in Sydney and in Canberra.  The best offer from a bank was 0,70 AUS for one Euro.  This means we would have to pay more than half of the value of the Euros when exchanging notes :-(   This is robbery in full daylight!  Perhaps I now understand why:  as I described earlier lots of British criminals were by force sent to Australia.  They seem now to have taken over the banking sector here :-(  !





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