The sun had barely risen when I took this photo during this morning's walk past the turn-off to the Old Nelligen Road. There can't be more than a handful of properties along this road or hidden away in the forest, and three are for sale.
It's all very well to turn one's back on the world and live a life of self-imposed self-sufficiency, but when the money runs out or the wife or whatever else one runs out or low on, it's time to rejoin the 'real world'.
I suspect that the start of another ominous bushfire season may have something to do with it. After the disastrous bushfire on New Year's Eve six years ago, we drove up that road to see if an old friend who lived there was all right. We were stopped by burning trees that had fallen across the road. We couldn't get in and, of course, they couldn't get out.
The fuel load in the surrounding forest has only increased since then, and the smallest spark could see a repeat of that horrific event when we all thought the world had come to an end. Our walk hadn't yet, and we walked across the bridge and past the River Café which was already full of perfectly sane people who paid $5 for a drink they can make at home for a few cents - and don't even get me started on bottled water!
