November 12, 2019 – I had come into contact with the Craig family years before. There was Tim and Fiona and their three girls; Khiara, Maisey, and Tuula. They had been on a MET tour in New York and met a brother I had become friends with during a week’s stay in Warwick. He knew about my desire to visit Australia and mentioned it to the Craigs, who had immediately given him several ways to contact them in order to set things in motion. Theirs was a small congregation in rural Queensland and they were eager for anyone to come and help out. Now, almost three years later, I was about to meet them.
I had expected for the family to be at the airport to collect me, but what I didn’t expect was the welcome I got. As I entered the tiny terminal, there were the Craigs, holding up a sign (so that I would know who they were) and welcoming me to Straya. (Aussies, I would find, love to shorten words) They were all smiles and recorded my entry into the terminal for posterity, unbeknownst to me. I made sure it was awkward. For one thing, I was so nervous, I didn’t know what to do or say. For another I immediately walked away from the camera thinking that perhaps the baggage claim was the other direction. So much for first impressions.
I had seen their faces for years on Instagram, but it was strange to finally meet in person. Im not sure any of us knew exactly what to say, but I went about trying to make friends immediately and gave each of the girls the gifts I had brought for them at Luna Park: two chocolate bars and a jar of fruit shaped lollies. (Hopefully I was starting to seem like less of a galah at this point) After a photo and a group selfie, we climbed into Tim’s wagon and headed for the Craig homestead. Fiona hadn’t come due to space constraints, but had texted me a picture of a small dot representing my plane approaching the airport on the horizon! That they could see my plane landing from their house was kind of amazing to me.
There was a smattering of conversation, and I tried to bring up something I knew about each family member: Khiara had recently gotten a car, Maisey was learning guitar, and Tuula had a running list of notable and interesting injuries. Something else that lightened the mood was Tim’s decision to immediately begin my initiation into Australian music by playing Slim Dusty’s rendition of Waltzing Matilda. Its highly likely that everyone in Australia knows the words to this light-hearted standard and so it turned into an impromptu sing along. It was a catchy tune, to be sure. I had heard about the song for most of my life, but had never actually heard it. It would be Tim’s mission, from that point on, to continue to educate me about the musical heritage of the country. It was a good start.
We drove in the dark, which I later learned was something the people around here try not to do due to the prevalence of kangaroos. We pulled off the main road and onto a winding dirt driveway which steeply climbed in a manner that would make most American cars uneasy, and rolled to a stop in front of a sort of garage. The lights of the house glowed invitingly as we stepped from the vehicle and I toted my travel worn luggage across the yard.
Fiona appeared to greet us and I was informed that the fattened calf had been slaughtered in my honor. (Actually they threw some steaks on the Barbie and laid out dinner). I was assured that barbecuing would be an important part of my life in Australia, and here again Tim began instructing me in the ways of the Barbie as another part of my Aussie training.
An unexpected detail was discovered when we went inside to sit down for the meal and I found that a place had been specially laid out for me. In addition to a balloon being affixed to the back of my chair, a ring of small, colorful plastic dinosaurs not only encircled my plate but also spelled out ‘MO’ just in front of it. This was the fruit of Tuulas creative labors. Somehow she and I became friends immediately, which made me very happy.
After dinner I was introduced to another native, though fictional, Australian resident: Russell Coight. I had never heard of him, but the girls were excitedly insistent that that I meet him. Hosting a show entitled All Aussie Adventures, Russell Coight was dedicated to familiarizing people the world over with the wonders of Australia and its hidden gems and secrets. As I watched the show, it became apparent that he was instead a man dangerously out of his league. As summed up by a description of the show’s host on Youtube, Coight was actually described as being ‘A survival and wildlife expert who charts his disastrous travels through Australia, spreading misinformation and causing accidents. Coight would play a central part in the birth of another character with the same surname later on in the trip. But for now it was getting late and time to retire to my accommodation.
A comfy little swag (tent) had been laid out for me.
Now I had spent several nights in tents before while backpacking with friends, but never had I stayed in one so nice as this one. It was a two person tent, but there was a mattress on the floor that was amazingly soft and comfortable. Instead of the dome style swag I was familiar with, ths one was shaped more like a half cylinder. A carrying bag next to the tent would later reveal it to be ‘Kings Big Daddy Deluxe Double Swag’. The pad that came with the tent and was 70mm (almost three inches) thick and the material of the outer shell was a durable canvas. There were four different sections that could be unzipped to allow airflow and screens to keep out critters. The pillows were deep and soft and the blankets were comfortable. I laid there for a while sort of drooling and thinking about how many times I wished I had had something like this on overnight backpacking trips.
For as hot as Australia can be during the day, the night was quite cool and pleasant. My fears about killer snakes and insects were quickly dissipating as I had seen my hosts walking around barefoot and leaving doors wide open to the night. They had been unconcerned, and so my fears were much allayed. I realized the dangers had likely been oversold in the States.
The house, and consequently my swag, were set on top of a hill overlooking a valley. In the distance I could occasionally hear the peaceful, homey sound of a passing train or truck. As I lay on my back that night, staring up at the clouds moving swiftly past the full moon and listening to the serene peaceful sounds around me, I realized that my time in this place would pass as quickly as the clouds overhead. I was determined not to waste a moment of it. I had completed another leg of my journey and I wanted to take some time to ponder the accomplishment and let it all sink in. But as so often happens when pondering things late at night, I was soon fast asleep.
Tomorrow would hold new surprises: a dusty hill top study, a wondrous elixir, and, the last of the V8s.
Ohio says “hello” back!