The Hitcher

I was set straight about the intention behind the lift offer within five minutes after leaving for the NT (and got another lesson days after, I will get back to that). I was asked if I could drive and handle a manual gear. I could, well I did succeed at my drivers exam only days before my departure to Australia. I did not qualify as an experienced driver but I soon noticed that my co-driver was not in any stage to judge. He was drunk in no time and stayed drunk for the next couple of days.
I drove about 2000 km in three days straight. I must say I totally loved it. I have learned to appreciate the vast plains in North Queensland, Dwight Yaokam and I am hooked on Toyota Landcruisers ever since. The company was not impressive. I never felt at ease with the bloke neither threatened. The first day amongst many other things we got to talk about cultural diversity in The Netherlands (he was from New Guinea) and one particular anecdote impressed the hell out of him, as I found out later nearly literally. The anecdote concerned a Suriname creoles woman who got back to her partners infidelity by putting a hot ironer on his private parts when being asleep. We camped out on the back of the ute in his swag somewhere along the road. He never even tried to touch me, which saved me from having to find another ride. The combination of story telling and booze must have done it and I counted my luck.
We past through Mount Isa and I think it was there were the bloke picked up a young blue heeler he'd left behind months earlier. The woman who'd taken care of her nearly did not want to give the dog back, but she clearly recognized him. She jumped on the back of the ute and joined our company. That first night out she couldn't settle down on her chain, so the chap let her loose and thought she'd stay around. We found her dead on the road the next morning. He was devastated and couldn't get over it.
The night before arrival at the cattle station on the border of Arnhem Land we spent the night at Mataranka hot springs. That was really great. Touristy, but when arriving after dark one doesn't notice. We had the spring to ourselves and enjoyed drifting about under the stars.
Passing through Katherine I noticed a pet shop and went in. There were three heeler pups, two blues and a red. Intending to comfort the hitcher man I bought him the six weeks old blue bitch that jumped up and down trying to get my attention. When presenting him the pup he fumed, I was insensitive and he would have nothing to do with the dog. As we were already on our way out to the cattle station 300 km out there was no way back. Niki and I got together (and still are).
The station owner hired the bloke, whom had worked there before and got fired before. The managers partner wanted me to stay on and offered me the position of station cook, as the British girl that cooked at that time soon was about to leave home. As no-one was to be convinced that we weren't a couple, we got a house to stay in. Luckily it had two bedrooms.
I focused on raising Niki and started working in the kitchen. Within a few days the hitcher showed his true ugly face. The booze had taken the edges off before and now he was in withdrawal as it was a semi dry camp. Maximum two beers a day and six on the weekends. He saved up his beers. And got nearly drunk and thus very frustrated twice a week. By then I had heard the story about his earlier leave: he used to beat up his misses so bad that she fled the house stark naked to ask for help one night. As it turned out he was convicted for domestic violence before and was on the run for an another trial. When he got verbally aggressive towards me and tried to get me into the sack I moved to the cooks house near the homestead. He moved into the men's quarters, bragged about our supposed sex life and left the next evening never to return. My bill to the ride from Hughenden to here was the total costs of petrol and food along the way, as he kept saying that he had trouble with his bank account he would soon solve. It didn't really bother me. I realized I must have a guardian angel with support worker skills and was grateful to be where I was.