Our two homes -- Phillip Island and Mitchell in Queensland -- each have a significant bridge that connects us to the outside world.
The small outback town of Mitchell nestles in a loop of the Maranoa River, with the concrete pylons of its bridge spray-painted with colourful impressions of the town's history, natural attractions and people. It's as if the bridge guards the town. It is a memorable experience to stand beneath the bridge and feel the vibrations as a road train thunders overhead.
Our shepherds are incredibly bold, stable dogs that never flinch when confronted with loud noises and strange places. For this I commend their breeders who have kept this aspect of their temperament in mind. Guns, stock whips, fireworks, thunder and lightning produce no anxiety.
Phillip Island is connected to the Australian mainland by means of a road bridge that spans a glittering expanse of sea -- to the south, Bass Strait; to the north, Western Port Bay. This three lane bridge struggles to deal with the traffic that streams on and off the island when major events such as the motorcycle Grand Prix take place.
Last year, we were fortunate to survive an almost head-on collision when an oncoming car suddenly veered into our lane -- the driver suffered an epileptic seizure. Doug swerved and avoided the car by a fraction, but the taxi behind hit head-on. There was nowhere to go! The slow speed of all cars involved in the pile-up minimised injuries, but it was a close and frightening episode and blocked the bridge for many hours.
The small outback town of Mitchell nestles in a loop of the Maranoa River, with the concrete pylons of its bridge spray-painted with colourful impressions of the town's history, natural attractions and people. It's as if the bridge guards the town. It is a memorable experience to stand beneath the bridge and feel the vibrations as a road train thunders overhead.
Our shepherds are incredibly bold, stable dogs that never flinch when confronted with loud noises and strange places. For this I commend their breeders who have kept this aspect of their temperament in mind. Guns, stock whips, fireworks, thunder and lightning produce no anxiety.
Phillip Island is connected to the Australian mainland by means of a road bridge that spans a glittering expanse of sea -- to the south, Bass Strait; to the north, Western Port Bay. This three lane bridge struggles to deal with the traffic that streams on and off the island when major events such as the motorcycle Grand Prix take place.
Last year, we were fortunate to survive an almost head-on collision when an oncoming car suddenly veered into our lane -- the driver suffered an epileptic seizure. Doug swerved and avoided the car by a fraction, but the taxi behind hit head-on. There was nowhere to go! The slow speed of all cars involved in the pile-up minimised injuries, but it was a close and frightening episode and blocked the bridge for many hours.
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