This one time, whilst unemployed in sunny Queensland, I answer the phone. It's my long lost pal John who, at the age of 26, has had some kind of epiphany. He's quit his job, bought a bus ticket and is coming to stay with me for a bit, "if that's okay".
Sure.
After two weeks we're both scheming. He's had an offer to go coal mining, i've had a similar offer for gold. We compromise and set off for the sapphire mining town of Sapphire in the heart of Queensland. The alluvial gemstones are, at most, 50 or less feet underground as opposed to the others which are often kilometers deep. Discretion is the better...etc
5 days of hitch-hiking later and we're standing outside the general store. (it says this on the sign and they weren't trying to be quaint.) Youse may refer to this as redneck country.
We ask about camping and fire rules. The nice lady tells us we can camp next to the dry creek bed and fires are okay as long as we get a permit. "where do we get a permit?" "From the fire warden" "Where is the fire warden"' I'm the fire warden"
This is to become a recurrent theme.
We set up camp next to the creek and light a fire. I dash to the local bottleshop for a box of red wine ($10).
A local, drawn by the firelight, wanders down to say g'day.
He happily guzzles our proffered wine and spills the good oil on the area, the who's who so to speak. The wine runs out and he makes to leave then offhandedly says" keen to sleep here lads. I seen a 17 foot wall o' water run through here and it weren't even rainin'. We laugh and glance at each other rolling our eyes. Crazy old fool.
After moving our tent to higher ground we slept like logs.
Following his mud-map we found a place to set up a semi-permanent camp. Prior to leaving we had sewn together a bunch of cheap tarpaulins making a dwelling 20 feet long, 15 feet wide and 6 feet high. John is 6 foot 3 so there was much bitching but we soon learned it only rained there in one particular month per year. We cut longer poles and raised the height a foot. The side walls were rarely lowered as we had a two man tent erected under the main canopy. This, thank christ, was bug proof.
The critter crisis was so extreme we had to dig a moat, line it with plastic and keep it surfaced with a thin film of petrol.
Occasionally border checks would reveal opportunistic ants using fallen leaves and twigs to construct bridges, such was the allure of our pantry.
Our nearest neighbour had a small but efficient mining operation, offering rough and cut gems for sale, equipment hire, free advice and general good cheer and helpfullness.
http://sapphires.bizhosting.com/
They held our hands through the start up of our International Sapphire Cartel then consoled us through the reality period.
We did, after much digging, arguing, swearing, equipment sharpening, water fetching and changing of venue, finally discover gem quality sapphires.
Having proven our many detractors wrong and established that a couple of enterprising lads could, through blood, sweat and abject hardship, turn a profit, we congratulated ourselves incessantly during the 5 hour bus ride back to Townsville