Mike Dixon

„This really is extremely interesting material. The writer
was here in Australia on the Palmer River goldfields before
Federation … fascinating, quite fascinating.‟
He wondered if he was overplaying the role of the doddering
academic but needn‟t have worried. He got the re-
sult he was looking for.
„Humph. We want to let you into a secret …‟
David began slowly. He didn‟t say much at first but, after
a while, he was pouring forth a wealth of information.
Humphrey sifted it cautiously. Most was implausible. Some
was revealing. Step by step he built up a picture of a mid-
dle-class Canberra boy rebelling against his family background.
There was nothing unusual in that. In David‟s case
it had led to some very dangerous liaisons.
hey arrived at a camping ground near the coastal
T town of Narooma about two hours drive from Canberra.
It was surrounded by tall stands of spotted gums
and Humphrey was pleased to see that the tent sites were
well clear of the big trees. As a little boy he‟d tried to explain
to his mother that trees in Australia are different from
trees in Denmark. Unlike Danish trees, Australian trees
don‟t grow up like beanstalks and poke out branches when
they get to a convenient height. Australian trees have lower
branches from the start and shed them as they grow up.
That is why you should never camp under a tree in Austral-
ia. His mother had refused to listen to these words of wisdom
from her small son, insisting that shade and proximity
to the toilet block outweighed all other considerations.
Humphrey watched as the rest of the diving party ar-
rived. They were travelling in their own vehicles and it soon
became apparent that their numbers would soon be deplet-
ed by two. Tim‟s new dive assistant had reserved a room in
a motel and craved his company. 44