Walking up to the group, the lanky Aussie with unruly sun-bleached hair used his forefinger to push up the brim of his straw hat. “G’day, how ya goin’? Let me introduce myself. I’m your group leader.” He put his hands on his hips and stood with his feet planted about shoulder width apart. “You can call me George, because that’s my name.”
The group chuckled while George continued, “And because I’m your leader, we’re going to have a lot of fun today learning about various rock formations and minerals that abound here in the Australian bush. Here’s my sidekick, Sam.”
George smiled and nodded toward a black lab jumping from the back of the pickup. “Be nice to him. He’s a good dog, and he likes bushwalkin’ just as much as the rest of us.”
Sam slowly walked to George’s side, stopped wagging his powerful tail, and meekly sat.
George studied the list of participants on his clipboard. Most of the group were from the United States; no locals attended. The group, mostly college-aged young men, with the exception of Chuck O’Malley, gathered around to ask questions.
A short young man with a crew cut spoke up. “What’s bushwalkin’?”
George pulled off his hat and wiped his already sweating forehead. “That would be hiking to you foreigners.”
Yet another of the young students piped up. “Will we find any precious stones out here?”
“You might. Anything’s possible. Opals are mined, but we aren’t going below ground today. The major mines are at Coober Pedy, Lightning Ridge, and White Cliffs. We’re nowhere near any of those.”
Still another student gestured with one hand at the vista of grassland, hummocks, and mountains in their view. “The outback is huge.”
George looked in the direction of the student’s gesture. “Now that depends on your terminology, son. People often use the term ‘outback’ in reference to any lands outside urban areas. With that in mind, we could say that we are in the outback, though we are only a couple hours outside the city.”
Chuck surveyed his surroundings. A thin canopy of eucalyptus shaded the wooded area with a few woody shrubs and bushes. He turned back to George. “Would you say we’re in the ‘bush’ now?”
“Yes, that’s the term I would use for where we are. The ‘bush’ is not usually as remote as what we call the ‘outback.’”
The crew-cut young man commented. “George, you know quite a bit more than any of my instructors. Most of them ignore my questions or say they’ll get back to me and never do.”
George’s modesty was matched only by his tact. “As important as it is, son, academia can never match experience.”
The first young student pressed for more information about the outback. “How do we get to the real outback?”
George pointed away from the city. “If you really want to experience the outback, you need to fly to the center of the country, then rent a four-by-four. Then after all that trouble, all you’re gonna find is desert. We’re not doing that today.”
They started bushwalking. Chuck found the two-hour trek through the national park invigorating. George took great care to identify rocks, land formations, and even plants throughout the hike. The more Chuck learned, the more he wanted to know.
Chuck continued asking question after question long after the others left. George patiently answered every one of them in detail. The hike rejuvenated Chuck, and he wanted to know more. The two men wound up eating dinner in the local pub.
Just after midnight, George pushed his beer glass away from him and stood. “Listen, Chuck, I’m ready to call it a night. I’m going bushwalking in a couple of weeks, and you’re welcome to join me.”
Chuck nodded as he laid out a few bills for a tip. “I look forward to it. Today was amazing. You’re an encyclopedia.”
His companion laughed. “Sometimes I feel that old.”
Chuck stood, grimacing at his stiffness. “Like my sore muscles after today’s hike.”
“Every year it gets more difficult. No matter. I couldn’t give it up for the world. I’m pushing fifty and still going strong. Anyway, they say fifty is the new forty.” George looked young for his age.
“That’s what they say, but I never trusted them.” Chuck added, “I’m forty-four and I’m sure I’ll feel like a hundred in the morning.”
They agreed to meet two weeks later for another hike.
George recommended several books and websites for Chuck to use to prepare for it.
Thirteen days later, on a Friday, Chuck’s office phone buzzed. “Chuck, this is George, your geologist bushwalking coach.”
Chuck perked up. “Oh, yeah, is the hike planned?”
“I was thinking about making the next outing an overnighter.”
Chuck’s heart beat faster. “You mean like camping?”
George surprised Chuck with the change in plans. “Just overnight. I think it would be fun to take you deep into the Aussie outback, the Never-Never. It’s incredible the things you can find out there. It’ll be the experience of a lifetime. You’re gonna love it.”
Chuck’s mind filled with thoughts of adventure and excitement camping in the Ausse outback. “Can’t wait. What do I need to bring?”
“You’ll need the usual—sun screen, bug repellent, matches, snacks, and toothbrush. Oh, and you’ll need a sleeping bag.”
“What else?”
“It’s not going to be the Holiday Inn. We’ll be sleeping under the stars. I have everything we need for the campsite packed. We sleep in our clothes. Bring an extra canteen, and like I said, some snacks and your sleeping bag.”
Early Saturday morning, Chuck boarded George’s small rickety Cessna at a tiny airstrip on the outskirts of Brisbane.
George placed their bags in the small space behind the back seats in the tail. Then he walked around the plane, making a cursory inspection of the fuselage, wings, and tail.
George got in next to Chuck and began checking the instrument panel. “I believe all is in order. Prepare for takeoff.”
Chuck shouted over the noise of the engine as they broke the bonds of gravity and barely sailed over a nearby copse of trees. “You are full of surprises. Where are we going?”
George checked the instrument panel. “A few weeks ago I saw a landing strip up around Peera Peera Poolanna Lake between two deserts. It looked pretty desolate, but I think it will be a good place to put down. From there we can explore the wonders of the Australian outback deserts. Buckle up, mate. We have a couple of hours before we get there. You’re going to see a lot on the way.”
Chuck watched the airstrip below slowly shrink as the plane gained altitude.
“You’re about to see more of Oz than most folks ever do. So relax, hang on, and enjoy the ride.”
Chuck swallowed hard. His mouth felt dry. “You sure you know how to fly this thing?”
“Oh, yeah, I’ve been at this a few years. It’s really the only way to get around in Oz. Everything’s so spread out. You could drive, but it would take us at least all of daylight and add a couple of days to the trip. This is much better. Don’t worry. She’s an old plane, but I keep her up.”
“I didn’t want to ask, but since you mentioned it, how old is this plane?”
“Hang on, there; she’s older than I am and still runs like a clock. She’s a Cessna 170 four-seater. They don’t