In a Sunburned Country Story Event: Official Support Thread

[ElectricBlue]

Just for general interest.. Dust storms are pretty common since the drought but a big one started in the west of my state yesterday and is making is way over us at the moment. Dust storms here are red in nature
This photo was taken at Bollon yesterday. SW QLD

https://scontent.fbne3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/40377669_1647459885380853_6429431875923607552_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&oh=f77c1e8adae934e270d12d72912de806&oe=5C2D6977

Whoa, that's bad.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Whoa, that's bad.

Give me a blizzard any day.

 

[Rollinbones]

Just for general interest.. Dust storms are pretty common since the drought but a big one started in the west of my state yesterday and is making is way over us at the moment. Dust storms here are red in nature
This photo was taken at Bollon yesterday. SW QLD

I lived in StGeorge for a while and remember some of those bloody dust storms. You'd find dust in cracks you didn't even remember you had.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Give me a blizzard any day.

You don't have to shovel dust.

 

[TxRad]

You don't have to shovel dust.

Uh, have you ever seen any pictures from the 1930's dust storms in Oklahoma? They were clearing the roads with front end loaders and bulldozers. There were houses with just the roof sticking up.

 

[SimonDoom]

Unfortunately, I don't think my "love and sex among ("among" not "with" -- it's not a bestiality story) the drop bears" story is going to happen. Too many things in the hopper, and I'm absolutely determined this time to get my erotic horror story done for the Halloween contest. That takes precedence.

If I recall Chloe has a story germinating with scary Ozzie creatures so maybe she can fit in some drop bears.

 

[Bebop3]

Alice Springs?

So, anyone here from Alice Springs or the area?

I may need to lean on someone for some advice on local customs, colloquialisms, tourist attractions, etc.

Thanks!

 

[ChloeTzang]

Unfortunately, I don't think my "love and sex among ("among" not "with" -- it's not a bestiality story) the drop bears" story is going to happen. Too many things in the hopper, and I'm absolutely determined this time to get my erotic horror story done for the Halloween contest. That takes precedence.

If I recall Chloe has a story germinating with scary Ozzie creatures so maybe she can fit in some drop bears.

Oh definitely. It all starts with drop bears.....

 

[ElectricBlue]

Oh definitely. It all starts with drop bears.....

... and American tourists. The two go hand-in-hand. The bears distinguish between accents, and just go the Yanks, for some reason. Crocs seem to favour Germans - some rivers have bi-lingual signs. It's Darwinian natural selection, apparently .

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

... and American tourists. The two go hand-in-hand. The bears distinguish between accents, and just go the Yanks, for some reason. Crocs seem to favour Germans - some rivers have bi-lingual signs. It's Darwinian natural selection, apparently .

You see? It's stuff like this on the internet that has poor little Leslie so freaked out that she's afraid to go in the water.

 

[ElectricBlue]

You see? It's stuff like this on the internet that has poor little Leslie so freaked out that she's afraid to go in the water.

Safe hands, mate, safe hands. She'll be fine. It's those small English towns you've got to be careful in.

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

Safe hands, mate, safe hands. She'll be fine. It's those small English towns you've got to be careful in.

Oh, I'd wager Miss Fisher's Melbourne was every bit as dangerous as DCI Barnaby's Midsomer.

 

[ChloeTzang]

... and American tourists. The two go hand-in-hand. The bears distinguish between accents, and just go the Yanks, for some reason. Crocs seem to favour Germans - some rivers have bi-lingual signs. It's Darwinian natural selection, apparently .

I thought crocs liked Japanese. Sashimi.

 

[Handley_Page]

Uh, have you ever seen any pictures from the 1930's dust storms in Oklahoma? They were clearing the roads with front end loaders and bulldozers. There were houses with just the roof sticking up.

see here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sunday_(storm)

 

[Carnal_Flower]

Thanks Ellie, this is very helpful!

What do you mean by "the reef" here? Is that shorthand for the GBR?

This story is about a woman who takes a spur of the moment trip from the US. She just wants to get away. I would imagine she takes the first touristy thing offered by the travel agent. But once she's there she loves it so much she decides to stay indefinitely---at that point I could see her taking up in a more local place. So all of this will come in handy. I'll definitely take you up on your offer once I get more into it.

This is my neck of the woods.

If you would like to give me some more information or message me some details I could plonk you in the right place.

Hamilton Island is in the WhitSundays a group of islands very touristy. People don't live permanently on those islands per se they are resorts only and the staff would stay there except on their days off. The beach on the mainland is Airlie Beach and you can travel to the islands and the reef from there. It's also the Drug capital of Australia

Other suggestions

An off beat resort town that the locals love but the international world haven't discovered yet is 1770 (yes that is the name of a town) at the middle section of the reef. Almost small country town like but beautiful. it is also surrounded by rainforest.

If your looking for semi touristy only accessible by 4 wheel drives no signals for phones etc you can't go past Frazer Island the largest sand island in the country. It's right at the southern tip of the reef. It's mostly camping but some houses there not big crowds but the right sort of people for your story maybe.

At the top end of the reef you have private Islands like Turtle island that the rich and the famous go to, I think only three couples can occupy the island at a time. Its up near Port Douglas, very touristy but only in recent years. Port Douglas has all the typical resorts well known hotels and resorts at the upper end of the money scale as well as a little back packer accommodation.

Let me know if you want more options

 

[Zionisacat]

Thanks Ellie, this is very helpful!

What do you mean by "the reef" here? Is that shorthand for the GBR?

Yep. The Great Barrier Reef stretches for 1400 freedom units, longer than the coast of california, so anytime anyone mentions a reef off the east coast that'll be it.

This story is about a woman who takes a spur of the moment trip from the US. She just wants to get away. I would imagine she takes the first touristy thing offered by the travel agent. But once she's there she loves it so much she decides to stay indefinitely---at that point I could see her taking up in a more local place. So all of this will come in handy. I'll definitely take you up on your offer once I get more into it.

If that's the case, she'll be flying into Cairns which is the only town up that way that has an international airport, or even a domestic airport that's worth a damn. Most reef trips will leave from Cairns, some from Port (an hour north) but none will leave from Palm Cove (1/2 hour north). If she's staying at a resort, odds are they'll be a free shuttle bus that'll get her to town.
If you're looking for a local place for her to settle down in, there's half a dozen beaches between Cairns and Palm Cove that'll fit the bill. They get progressively more expensive and posh the further north you go. Or you could pick the low hanging fruit and have her set up camp at Yorkeys Knob


Chloe, seeing as you're interested in the creepy and the cooky, you might want to have a google at some of the abandoned island resorts up around that way. Dunk got hit by two cyclones in quick succession (Larry and Yasi) and Hinchinbrook went belly up with the GFC then got hit by one of those cyclones. That cyclone also brought a 150 year old shipwreck to the surface. I think it was Yasi but I can't quite remember.

 

[Carnal_Flower]

Oh this is so helpful. Thank you!

Yep. The Great Barrier Reef stretches for 1400 freedom units, longer than the coast of california, so anytime anyone mentions a reef off the east coast that'll be it.



If that's the case, she'll be flying into Cairns which is the only town up that way that has an international airport, or even a domestic airport that's worth a damn. Most reef trips will leave from Cairns, some from Port (an hour north) but none will leave from Palm Cove (1/2 hour north). If she's staying at a resort, odds are they'll be a free shuttle bus that'll get her to town.
If you're looking for a local place for her to settle down in, there's half a dozen beaches between Cairns and Palm Cove that'll fit the bill. They get progressively more expensive and posh the further north you go. Or you could pick the low hanging fruit and have her set up camp at Yorkeys Knob


Chloe, seeing as you're interested in the creepy and the cooky, you might want to have a google at some of the abandoned island resorts up around that way. Dunk got hit by two cyclones in quick succession (Larry and Yasi) and Hinchinbrook went belly up with the GFC then got hit by one of those cyclones. That cyclone also brought a 150 year old shipwreck to the surface. I think it was Yasi but I can't quite remember.

 

[ChloeTzang]

All I can say is wow, this is going to be a really exciting story event. I'm so looking forward to reading all these.

 

[missswannie]

I thought crocs liked Japanese. Sashimi.

You can have crocodile sashimi up in the Kimberlies in WA. Dip it in soy sauce and eat. Fresh tastes different to processed and frozen. The tourists revenge dinner perhaps.

 

[ausfet]

North Queensland must be the flavour of the comp, because my story is based in a nameless NQ beachside town. I need a better title. So far the working title is 'four balls' which is a) awful and b) suggests mm activity.

 

[FZYONE]

Oh definitely. It all starts with drop bears.....

A drop bear is a Koala yes?

Another reason to not go to Australia.

 

[ChloeTzang]

A drop bear is a Koala yes?

Another reason to not go to Australia.

A very very dangerous sub-species of koala. Thylarctos Plummetus. But there's worse than that. The Australian outback is vast, and deep in the Dead Heart of Australia, there are far more dangerous monsters from the dreamtime sleeping, waiting....

 

[ElectricBlue]

A very very dangerous sub-species of koala. Thylarctos Plummetus. But there's worse than that. The Australian outback is vast, and deep in the Dead Heart of Australia, there are far more dangerous monsters from the dreamtime sleeping, waiting....

... and loners in Landcruisers, waiting for tourists. Quite a pack of charmers, that lot. Wolf Creek took inspiration from a couple of the more notorious ones.

 

[SimonDoom]

A drop bear is a Koala yes?

Another reason to not go to Australia.

Carnivorous koalas.

But don't kid yourself. Normal koalas aren't the cuddly critters people think they are. Cue up some audio of the noise they make, and I dare you not to be freaked out. Apparently they're nasty, horrible sounding creatures with rotten dispositions, and long nasty claws. And the drop bear version . . . your nightmares aren't adequate to imagine their awfulness.

 

[ChloeTzang]

... and loners in Landcruisers, waiting for tourists. Quite a pack of charmers, that lot. Wolf Creek took inspiration from a couple of the more notorious ones.

Shivers theatrically. But no, I'm going back a little further in time. 80,000 years back in time, deep into the dreamtime...

"Dead Heart: On the Trail of Thylarctos Plummetus" - a casual hunting trip ("Jeez EB, this is as easy as skeet shooting...blaaaammmm... hey, good one, mate."), a call from a uranium mining company ("we're right up shit creek here, mate, and the paddles are way out to sea"), aboriginal lore, a primeval monster from the darkest nightmares of the dreamtime, a journey into the dead heart, untold mayhem, lots and lots of hot sex....and a last surprise in the midst of the Barossa Valley. That, and dealing with Australian Customs ("What the fuck is this, mate? A fucking terrorist mission. You. Are. Under. Arrest."). And of course new shoes and maybe a nice coat for Chloe.

And the theme song....

We don't serve your country
Don't serve your king
Know your custom don't speak your tongue
White man came took everyone

We don't serve your country
Don't serve your king
White man listen to the songs we sing
White man came took everything

We carry in our hearts the true country
And that cannot be stolen
We follow in the steps of our ancestry
And that cannot be broken

We don't need protection
Don't need your land
Keep your promise on where we stand
We will listen we'll understand

Mining companies, pastoral companies
Uranium companies
Collected companies
Got more right than people
Got more say than people

Forty thousand years can make a difference
To the state of things
The dead heart lives here