The petrol station was called ‘Jack’s Roadhouse’. The fibro edifice was
built on stumps as a single level structure. ‘L’ shaped it stood on a level
piece of ground surrounded by ‘Gumtrees’ and scrub which bordered more
‘Gumtrees’ and scrub and sat about 70 feet off the highway. The double glass
door entrance was set in the form of a concrete patio proudly flowered by steps
giving access both sides. Both flights of stairs were partly fenced by a
deformed steel railing on the outside and dwarfed by a large window on the
other side. Sitting proudly at the front, on entry to each staircase, was a
solid concrete golden coloured lion statue about three feet in height. The
perimeter of the stair’s substructure was lined with small advertising
blackboards promoting food and other merchandise such as; ‘meat pies’, chips’,
mixed grills’, ‘frankfurts’, ‘ham and egg salad’ sandwiches, cigarettes and
other items. A sign above the entrance under the awning, made distinguishable
by bright red paint, displayed the word ‘CAFÉ’, so publicising the buildings
purpose. And written on the window in big white letters was; ‘OYSTERS 3/-
bottle’. On the side of the building for display to the south bound traffic
read; ‘Penguin Ice Cream’.
The shop bore the cachet of warm homely charm. In it were three small
tables with four chairs belonging to each and a long counter with a round glass
front from top to bottom displaying chocolates, confectionary and other ready-to-eat
food products. Next to the counter sat the fridge which housed cold bottles of
drinks, ice cream and other dairy products, and behind the counter three long
wooden shelves held items like; tobacco, matches, ‘lactogen’, biscuits, cans of
soup, coffee, tea and other saleable provisions. The living quarters were
situated at the rear of the building and were very large compared to what they
were accustomed to on the ‘Hostel’. It boasted three bedrooms, a good sized
lounge, and an open brick fireplace in support of a long thick wooden
mantelpiece. Featured was a very large kitchen with a kerosene fridge, a wood
fired combustion oven and a ‘BBQ’ plate to grill steaks and other customer
choices.
Next door to the main building was a shed measuring about twelve by
twenty feet in size. It was used for the sole purpose of storing the oil
bottles, bric-a-brac, batteries and mechanical tools. Out front on display next
to the barn type doors was a steel rack holding a row of automobile tyres,
about six tyres in total was on sale with a sign advertising ‘Golden Fleece
Tyres’ fixed above them. Further towards the road stood side by side two
‘bowsers’ (petrol pumps). Their position at the front of the land was in the
middle of a large empty space with more than enough room to park four bulky
semi-trailers.
The property itself consisted of seven acres, but only two of the seven
was cleared, contributing more than enough space for the business to operate
effectively. Most of the driveway surface between the road and the residence
was a blend of light gravel and a road-base mixture, but this mix was not firm
enough to stop a quagmire from occurring during the many rainy periods. The
‘rest room’, or ‘thunderbox’ as they were commonly known, was a hole in the
ground with the ‘dunny’ precariously positioned over it. It was housed in a
small, unlined fibro shed under a rusty old corrugated tin roof. One could
never eliminate the ‘shitty’ vapour completely and there were always spiders
and their webs to contend with, including the odd snake, and many moths, but
overall they were maintained in a clean and hygienic manner considering the
remote locality.
Ted got talking to the elderly owners who were both well into their
seventies; they called themselves ‘Pollie’ and ‘Ernie’. It was getting late in
the afternoon so he asked if there was a caravan park or camping ground
somewhere in close proximity where he could pitch a tent and camp for the
night. They were very hospitable people and offered them the option of pitching
their tent, free of charge, on the grassy side of the house where the
galvanised iron water tank stood. The tank was uncovered and collected run-off
water from the roof, it was not a big tank but the amount of precipitation
falling annually proved sufficient for collection to service the shop and the
residence, and the design was a bonus because it had a tap on the bottom which
allowed for personal washing and drinking. The owners did not bother the
Scotsdon’s while they erected their tent and made comfortable the campsite. On
completion a well deserved rest was afforded with the slurping of a cup of tea
before the cooking of sausages and eggs on the wood fired BBQ built
specifically for customers in the expanse of the visitor’s grounds. After
eating and vegging around the naked flames for a while it was not long before
total exhaustion from the busy events of the day meant it was time to
extinguish the kerosene lamps and retire for an early night’s sleep.
The morning sun offered shadows abound from trees lining the property
boundary, and together with the clean crisp air it extended the hours for the
dew tipped grass to be allowed to bask in the warming environment. It was a
haven for the kangaroos; they came in droves to graze on moist sweet pastures.
The Scotsdon’s saw kangaroos on the ‘Hostel’ where the bush met the cleared
grounds but not many and certainly not as big and healthy as these, it was the
first time away from civilization they could enjoy seeing so many congregate in
a ‘troop’ in such a wonderful and free environment. They were magnificent
specimen’s which to some extent tolerated humans without the stress and fear of
association and this made even more pronounce the absence of imposed restraints
and the bountiful space this area had to offer.
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