March, 23rd

Bidura Farm

Today we only had to do a brief flight. Away from the fertile area around the Murray River we flew East for less than an hour to what must be one of the driest areas in all Australia - and they still have farms around here! Before we left Doug Clark had taken us on a short trip through the lovely town of Mildura. There they grow grapes to produce wine and sultanas.They cultivate tangerines and oranges, pistacios and walnuts. Doesn't seem to be too poor a neighborhood.

Now that we arrived in Bicura at Greg and Loraine Aysons farm the land around us is completely different. There has been practically no rain for the past six years. When they do have a rainshower, everything turns green instantly. But right now the soil is covered with marone-colored dust and the few trees around are totally dried out. How kangaroos and sheep can survive under these conditions is beyond us. Greg and Loraine had to send away there children to boarding schools at a very early age because there is no higher education available around here. They struggle to make a living with their sheep and dog-breeding. About half of his 5.000 sheep are placed and kept in a different area - but renting these meadows produces costs as well. They get their electricity through a generator, and the next-door neighbor lives about 15 kilometres away. It's a strange thought that the two of them sometimes don't get near a store for more than six weeks. But they are connected to the world by radio telephone and even their internet-access works fairly well. Before sitting down for supper we accompany Greg up to the sheep pastures and feed them some trusses of hay - they don't want to chew on thorny scrubs all the time! We are quite surprised when Greg shoots two kangaroos on the way. He needs the meat for this dogs. Like all Australian farmers, Greg is annoyed by the naive attitude of the Americans and Europeans who basically think that kangaroos are just cute little "skippys". They don't seem to understand how these animals destroy the pastures ment for his sheep.

At dinnertime we tell our hosts how life is in Bremen, and we learn a lot about living in solitude.