Sugar and ash

In one of the more recent National Geographic editions I read about our addiction to sugar. The Aussies must be even worse sugar junkies: Starting at Bundaberg only around 300 km north of Brisbane, the highway is lined with sugar cane fields. Sugar cane train railway lines zigzag through the landscape, and from time to time a sugar cane mill or distillery pollutes the air. We start wondering: Is this all about sugar, or its drinkable sibling, rum?

On our way to the Townsville region we look for a convenient camping spot; this stay is not about sightseeing, not about natural beauty. Eventually we find the Home Hill show ground. The place obviously has got an interesting history: In a bygone era it used to be a rodeo stadium. Today, veggies grow where brave cowboys tamed bulls and horses.

At nightfall, we can see lots of fires in the distance. Farmers are burning down their harvested sugar cane fields. In the morning, our tent is covered in ash.

[Home Hill showground, 28.-29. July]