It had been several days since her last retail experience and I was getting crabby about the expensive accomodation, my awful Franzen book and the relentless driving and moving every second day. So we had a few more in-car skirmishes whilst we set out for the incredibly hostile and remote Fitzgerald River National Park. There are few times I am asked to perform a brave manly act in our relationship, and I’m not talking about the strip-teases in the bedroom, but on this day I saw a large brown snake lying across our path at Point Mary and after making reassuring noises I walked past where it disappeared and watched Kim run past with unaccustomed vigour. We came across a leathery monitor afterwards, who let us get a great photo. 
This the monitor we spotted a few minutes after the snake. We climbed West Barron Peak in gusty conditions and retreated to the car, pleased to have done some physical activity for once. Tough spiky banksias and Royal Hakeas were everywhere, so we stopped on the side of the road and took photos without daring to cut ourselves walking through it all. We rewarded ourselves at the Bremer Beach Pub, a surprisingly civilised place with Carlton Black on tap, and some quenching Coopers Pale Ale, whilst a local dreadlocked shearer swore and bitched to a lady friend about an unknown foe.