Oliver of Otterburn eats saltbush

I am still in the state of South Australia and I am learning a few
things about Australia and why it is so different in many ways to things that I am used to.

But firstly I have to report on another fright. You may recall that I was recently confronted by the BIG MERINO and that was quite a shock.
Then, lo and behold, in the little seaside town of Kingston in South Australia I came face to face with the BIG LOBSTER.

Now, I don’t know much about lobsters but it is a scary looking creature, especially when it is THAT big. Anyway I was told that it wouldn’t eat me and it was just there because the good people of Kingston reckon that they have the biggest lobsters in the country.

Then I met Robert and he wasn’t scary at all. But

he is different in a way that may be unique. Robert swims in the Port Pirie River every
morning, summer and winter.
Now that is not unique but Robert is a singing swimmer. As he swims around he happily serenades the nearby residents of the caravan park.

Robert is a big man and he has a big voice so he is easily heard for quite a distance. Robert just does it because he feels like it, and his favourite song is “Oh! What a Beautiful Morning”.

In the town of Port Augusta I saw an interesting road sign that clearly shows the huge distances involved in travelling in Australia.
The road sign gives a choice between the Eyre Highway which heads off west for 2,388 kilometres to Perth in Western Australia, or the Stuart Highway which travels north for 2,723 kilometres to Darwin in the Northern Territory. Both highways pass through areas where few people
live.

Along the road to the steel making town of Whyalla there is parallel pipeline that brings water to the town from the Murray River, and that pipeline is 360 kilometres long. That is the kind

of thing that must be done so that people may live in an arid environment.

Then I soon learnt something about being in a

dry land. I was invited to eat some saltbush which is a prevalent plant in this vicinity. Well, Aussie sheep eat it because they don’t know any better. But I don’t like it much, I really prefer the sweet green grass of Otterburn.