The Kronikles of Tony and Ruth
KULAKAUSKAS KRONIKLES
(OR UP REEF DOWN BEEF)
Day 1 - Friday 30 June 2006
Ah, the lovely ladies at the Dog! We are sent off with their best coffees and are on the road at 9.30 am. Princes Freeway, Westgate, Kingsway, Queensway follow in quick succession and we’re on the Dandenong Rd, Prince’s Hwy through to Pakenham.
We pass endless rows of storehouses, eateries etc – boxes of what I imagine are full of blokes in sweaty white shirts and squat sheilas in powerful black suits, beavering away, gossiping, back stabbing, laughing all in a steely effort to bring to us the product that we must have. Someone told us his parents moved because there was not “enough shopping” where they were. “ I shop therefore I exist” (apologies to Descartes). It’s somehow depressing.
We stop for a coffee at Berwick. Concrete cooling cones roll out steam as we enter the Latrobe valley. Driving through Bairnsdale, Sale etc the brand names we struck in Melbourne outskirts follow us.
Finally it’s open country, hills, wonderful views and relief as we descend into Buchan. It’s 4.30 pm. A couple of glasses of wine then it’s on to the pub for dinner. A genuine country hostelry complete with sticky tables. The wine is cheap ($2.50/glass) and the food lip smacking delicious – a very pleasant surprise. Ruth has mixed grill and I have sausages. Both dishes are served with steaming cabbage rolls. Yum, yum!
What’s going on here? This is Victoria. Right? Friday night and there’s nothing but Rugby on TV.
At the motel it’s -5 and the clock is striking 9.
APPENDIX
Brigitte and Reiner Dohm are friends of Ruth’s mother. They came out from Germany after WW2. After running several businesses all over Australia they settled in Eden NSW then Wolumla NSW where they own a 10 acre property.
Reiner is a blue water sailor and owns a yacht. Brigitte is involved in several community services enterprises.
