15-21 October 2022
Week 2: 397 kms (247 miles)
Total trip kms: 645 kms (401 miles)
The gentle, quietly-spoken checkout chick at the veg market asks me: ‘are you safe’?
I’m not quite sure of the question’s intent. Is this related to domestic violence? Is this related to the housing crisis? Or maybe it is because the town upriver is going under with record flooding and the relief centre is here in town?
She must see my quizzical look, because she adds, ‘Is your property safe? Do you have somewhere to stay?”
I say, “Oh yes, I’m fine. I’m just passing through.”
I had used Echuca as a place of safety, as a place to sit out nearly 100 mms of rain over a few days. But I am getting the heck out tomorrow because one of the rivers that runs through town is already very high, and given that it just flooded out 85 percent of the town upstream, I’m thinking it’s not going to be too good for this town either.
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