LAKES ENTRANCE TO MALACOOTA

There are a great many trees between Lakes Entrance and Mallacoota.

Some of them have been cut down.  

Some of them have quite recently been burned in bushfires.  

Many many, many more remain standing and grow very tall.  

Nearly 30 years ago a man called Stevens, who cut down trees for a living, was injured and sued his employers....or were they his employers?  The Brodbbibb River Sawmilling Company Pty Ltd said that it was not the employer of Mr Stevens.  The High Court said that it was.  

And that was that.

(For full details see: http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/HCA/1986/1.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=title(brodribb%20)

Quite apart from the many trees, the landscape is strikingly similar to that of western Tasmania, consisting as it does principally of wet sclerophyl forest dominated by ecucalypts and massive man ferns. Everyone but the driver enjoys the flickering dappled sunlight as it flutters in your eyes as you pass through these anceint forests.  

    Mallacoota Foreshore Caravan Park

The Rig rolled into Mallacoota Inlet at about 1330 hours. The Prop chose to revisit this delightful little estuarine village after leaving his favorite windcheater in the lounge bar of the local pub in 1986 after watching a doco on TV about the Galileo space probe.  At that same time, Halley's Comet was also passing close to Earth so, in retrospect, 1986 was something of a bumper year astronomically speaking.  However, from the keeping-possession-of-your-windcheater point of view it was, for me, (as you may have guessed) a bit of a bummer!  

One of the patrons at the Malacoota Hotel.  Looks familiar doesen't he?

So 28 years later, more in hope than expectation, the Prop strode confidently into that same lounge bar and asked 

"Has anyone seen a yellow windcheater with the letter "A" and a laurel wreath enbroidered on the left breast?  I left it here in 1986?" 

One man (who was probably not even born in 1986) repliied  

"No mate.  Was it valuable?" 

Before the Prop could reply, another man said 

"Fuck off!"  

Then the the barman told the Prop that he would have to leave as he (the Prop, not the barman) was upsetting the patrons!  

I think the bastards have still got my windcheater!  

The barman at the Mallacoota Hotel.  Well dressed for a barman? Perhaps.  Something to hide? Certainly!

They probably get it out whenever there is an unusual astronomical phenomenon and use it as the centrepiece in some ancient arcane Druidic ritual whose true meaning has been long lost in the mists of time.

Bastards!    

  An example of the kind of animal that the patrons of the Mallacoota Hotel probably like to sacrifice when performing ancient rituals involving the Prop's windcheater.