After leaving Lake Lyell we headed on up towards New England country.
Passing through a town who’s name I forget, which had a fairly nasty smell around what must arguably be the highlight of anyone’s trip to the town.. which was visiting The Biggest Sundial in the World. When I am rich and infamous, I will build a bigger one and tell them to take down their sign (ok, I won’t really, not really that cruel, but it would be funny. To me)
Stopped in a place called Wolcha yesterday. Now, I’ll admit, parking is not my favourite aspect of driving, especially when it’s a massive beast of a machine (great though).
Anyway, to park in their 45 degree parking spaces, you had to either reverse in off the main road, or go in front ways. I elected to go in front ways.
After having a lovely lunch down by the river(ish), and inspecting some of the art
we were wandering back to our van.. when I saw the start of the Dreaded Walk Of the Traffic Cop. That sort of leisurely swagger. I put on my Happy Patrick face and prepared to try to talk my way out of whatever I’d gotten us into.
Mr. Evil Nasty Man told me it was an offence to park nose-in… I replied I had no clue about this rule, and that I’d not seen any signs to that effect. He said they were all over the place (Mhairi was pressing him on this point – something I should have done!) (they weren’t) and that all the other cars were parked nose out.. (this, of couse, is no reason to do the same). HE asked how long I’d been in the country.. and when I said “almost a week” I thought, happily, that he’d be bound to let me off :) Mr Horrible Pernikety Pig Headed no-good traffic cop continued on to tell us that different states have different laws – some make you park nose out – some nose in – in different towns even you have different areas.
He then gave us a $75 parking offence ticket.
What a *************************************. Not happy I was. AH well.. If I’d been staying in the country I might have protested, as there were no signs.. or at least not obvious ones. I only really wish I’d got his name and asked him if we could have taken a photo with him, and explained that it was for my travel journal, and that this was a Significant Event seeing as it was
a) my first traffic violation
b) my first negative experience in almost 2 years of travel.
Still, if that’s the worst that happens I’ll be happy.
Leaving Wolcha (in a cloud of dust and gravel and bad-wishes – well – for that cop) headed north towards Armidale. Stopped to visit an aboriginal art site along the way.
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