I quite like driving. Even driving in Sydney traffic, on the odd occasion when the roads don’t resemble a car park, can be enjoyable. Driving in the suburbs or semi rural areas with nice scenery can actually be quite lovely. However in this part of the world roads look like this:
or like this:
or even this:
Never before has an hour and a half gone on and on and on and on when driving on these roads. For the most part the roads are in an okay condition and there is hardly another car in sight (a novelty when you’re from Sydney) but they are straight, flat and the scenery is rather repetitive. Not a hill in sight. A dead tree by the side of the road is a welcome change in the landscape. I thought that it might just be me that had this problem but the locals that I’ve spoken with share my pain. The way around the boredom I’ve been told is the short cut. I have discovered that there are 4 or 5 different ways of getting to most towns and everyone of course disagrees on which is the best/most effective shortcut. Most of these routes are championed because they actually cut time off the journey but some of them are proffered purely for the variation in scenery. You hit a jackpot when you cover both criteria. Most of the short cuts involve a section of unsealed road which is an adventure in itself. People are more than happy to offer their suggested route, and two alternatives, so I have resolved to get a short cut from a local before heading anywhere.
The friendliness of the country folk extend to their courtesy on the road. On my initial visit to the town last year I didn’t realise that the bridge was single lane. I was happily heading across until my brain computed that the difference between the width of the bridge and the width of the 4WD heading towards me was not sufficient, even for my small car, for me to continue on my merry way. Some reversing was involved but all I received was a rather bemused look from the other driver. A more regular example of the courtesy is the acknowledgement of oncoming drivers by raising two fingers of your right hand from the steering wheel as you pass them. It took me awhile to tune into this but now I have, I love it. There is something quite exhilarating about acknowledging a complete stranger on the road just because they are there and having them return the greeting.
For the seasoned professionals the finger movement is very slight, almost non existent, so I’m pretty sure that the exuberance with which I now undertake this ritual belies my ‘city slicker’ status but it makes me feel as though I’m one step closer to getting the hang of this country thing
Beyond the Bright Lights 
I should add that it is permissible in most circumstances to add a similarly, almost imperceptible nod to the aforementioned two finger salute if you are feeling particularly friendly.