Boranup

The first interview with our new host, Malcom, takes place at the Boranup Campground. After a noisy night in this forest camp (small young Australians began to party hard at 22h), Malcolm comes to meet us by electric bike the next morning. A rocky Balboa style bandana, rather strong, Malcom invites us to join his home when we are ready.

Although not so talkative, we get information about him from time to time. At our age, he was a young punk surfer foaming European beaches and then a fisherman in Australia. Today he lives on his parcel on the edge of the forest and finishes the construction of his house (partly subsidized by gold nuggets that he detects). Nature lover, everyone is welcome at his home: friends, friends of friends, acquaintances of friends, volunteers, groups of hikers, dogs whose masters are on vacation and even an exceptional penguin (very vulnerable in times of moulting). Our hermit is finally not often alone.

The Mentos parked on one of the many camping sites of the property, we roll up our sleeves. The job of the moment: raking branches, barks and dead leaves along the edges of his property. These bare soil zones slow down the progression of the flames in the event of a forest fire. We do not hide the fact that the job is repetitive but what we can find in dead leaves in Australia is very distracting: spiders (more or less big, more or less hairy), a huge lizard, a scorpion, a stick insect and all that we have not identified.

Two hours a day, in exchange for accommodation, it gives us time to explore his property. No doubt, Malcom is a collector: enough wood to reproduce the lookout of Bouillon, boat ropes (gleaned on the beach) that put together could connect Carlsbourg to Paliseul, and buoys sufficient to make the Mentos amphibious. It also has many shelters / huts / workshops to house all its tools. Ultimate reward after 2 hours of hard work: a nashi pear (a juicy cross between an apple and a pear).

When we are not working on version 2 of the Mentos (mainly additional storage and consolidation), we explore the surroundings. On foot, there is direct access to a eucalyptus forest populated by playful birds. Otherwise, Augusta is famous for its fish and chips and Cape Leeuwin is the most southwestern point of Australia.

PS: Our quest for work was not totally vein: we harvested Cabernet Sauvignon for two days in a Margaret River vineyard.