Free Camping in Boulia Before the Camel Races Begin

One of the unexpected side effects of unemployment is developing a very loose relationship with the calendar.

When you don’t have meetings, deadlines or a boss asking where you’ve been, Tuesday has all the authority of Saturday. The only reason I know today is Sunday is that Sundays have always carried a vague expectation that you’re supposed to do absolutely nothing, and for once I’m wildly overqualified.

This morning we packed up and undertook the exhausting five-kilometre expedition from the township of Boulia to the campground beside the racecourse. It was hardly an epic crossing of the Simpson Desert, but after a fortnight on the road it still felt like we’d accomplished something.

Most of the grey nomads had sensibly gathered closer to the action. We ignored them completely and drove down to the river, where we found a quiet little patch of dirt occupied by just four other campers. It’s hard to imagine this place in another five days when the Camel Races begin.

Soon there’ll be hundreds of caravans, generators humming through the night and enough camp chairs arranged in circles to resemble some sort of retirement-themed Stonehenge.

For now, though, it’s blissfully peaceful. Well… peaceful apart from the flies.

The only thing preventing them from reaching biblical plague status is the steady breeze. Every time the wind drops, they arrive like they’ve received a group text announcing free beer. Will has wisely retreated inside the van, leaving me to negotiate with them on humanity’s behalf.

Meanwhile, the BLUETTI is sitting happily in the sun, soaking up free electricity while Starlink beams news to us from every corner of the globe. It’s a strange existence. Here we are, camped beside a dusty river in outback Queensland, yet within seconds I can discover what some celebrity had for breakfast in Los Angeles.

I think that’s enough civilisation for one day.

The wine will be opened shortly, the chair will be pointed towards the river, and I’ll enjoy the quiet while it lasts. By next weekend, this place will probably sound like the Melbourne Cricket Ground with camels.