When Tom left, I decided to explore the coast along the eastern end of the Great Australian Bight. His offer of a job as a shearers’ cook had taken me by surprise. Did I want to do it? I wasn’t your average shearers’ cook. I was an ex-academic. I loved books and quiet, thoughtful conversations. I was an introvert. I didn’t know how to speak the "strine’ of the Outback. Then there was the thought of the long hours in the heat, cooking for strangers who may not like my food.
Let it sit for a while, Alice, I thought. So I enjoyed the coastal scenery, waved to other tourists who passed me in their magnificent apartments on wheels, or scruffy caravans, or small functional vans like mine. Matey sat in the front seat next to me, apparently mesmerised by the world passing by the window.
Let it s
