Well for those of you who said, ‘Why on earth would you go to Enngonia?’ (that was the censored version) let me just fill you in on our little piece of Paradise beside the Warrego River.
On arrival, it became obvious that, following the previous cop’s departure, a family of squatters had moved in and taken up residence – in the loo. Yes! I’m talking large green 4-legged squatters – requiring a bit of persuasion (plus plastic bags) to encourage them back into the yard.
The house comes complete with a large sun room and deck, which both run the width of the house, plus five good-sized bedrooms – although there’s not a single built-in wardrobe in any of them! All rooms have the typical dark grey police residence carpet and there is linoleum in the kitchen.
Typically, the back yard is huge compared to suburbia, with the mandatory side gate. As we’re the last house in town, the gate opens quite literally into the great Aussie outback.
Something else worth mentioning is that the river has been known to flood and when it does it not only brings frogs but also snakes into our back yard. Hmm, I don’t remember reading that in the job description. Visitors might want to check for flood warnings before making the trip.
And a huge Thankyou to Anne and Steve, who stayed with us for the first week of our ‘holiday’ to unpack boxes, hang paintings, stack cupboards and generally set up the house so that I didn’t have to lift the proverbial. For those as yet unaware, a very unexpected gall bladder removal saw me travelling the 12 hours to Enngonia wrapped up in a doona and pillows to cushion the bumps (think Michelin Man) two days after surgery. On arrival I was totally useless with regard to lifting or unpacking and hence Anne and Steve’s offer, which was hastily accepted. Ah, the lengths we go to, to avoid hard work!
PS Anne came up with a great idea to address the shortage (read lack) of hanging space and, with some help from Bourke Hardware, we now have four bedrooms and a ‘dressing room’. Apparently the house is due for demolition at some stage (remembering that things happen very slowly in the bush) so I’m pretty confident that no one will mind the hooks in the ceiling. And Yes, the house will be replaced by a brand new residence, which will be trucked in from the Central Coast.
Married to a Country Cop 