In my research for my proposed round Australia trip which starts in December, I am looking at accommodation in Broken Hill where I will be around 20th December. There are many options and in a month or two I will make some tentative bookings, but in the meantime I am ‘just looking.’
There are many options for me, and I came across a website for Emaroo Cottages which also has the most extra ordinary recipe book. It is called “The Australian Outback Road Kill Handbook (Wanted dead or alive?) written by Ned West, so it says.
If you have a decent Aussie sense of humour you will enjoy reading the tongue in cheek recipes.
It is a start reminder of what one is likely to find on the roadside, or perhaps as one drives along the long dusty outback roads, one of these creatures will find its way into the front of your car, hopefully without any damage to the vehicle. I have promised myself, friends and family that I will not drive around dusk or dawn, which all Aussies know is the time when many of these animals choose to be out and about. Luckily for me, this is the best time to take photos, which is what I hope to be doing at that time of day, if not sleeping.
It reminds me of a time, back about 25 years ago, when I was in a mini bus on my way from Perth to York for a conference, with representatives from around Australia and some from Denmark, who represented the company which manufactured the product range that we promoted to nursing homes and hospitals in Australia.
There on the side of the road was a very flattened, long dead, hugely smelly corpse of a large kangaroo that had met with a vehicle some days before. The Danes wanted the car stopped, and it reversed back to a reasonable distance from the body. The men got out with cameras at the ready and took copious shots of the unhappy foul smelling sight - as it was the first kangaroo that they had seen since their arrival in Australia. I hoped that somewhere before their return to their home country that they would have the honour of getting up close and personal with a live variety, but I was not to learn about that.
Check out the website for Road Kill Recipe Book. There are recipes for Shaslik of Sheep, Roast Feral Pig, Dingo and Damper Dumplings, Mouse meat balls, Echidna enchiladas, Goanna Greek Style, Wombat Waffles, Galah Goulash, Koala Kebabs, Cajun Crocodile, Goat au gratin, Silver City Snake Slivers in beer batter, Casserole of Camel, Fricassee Fox, Ribbon of Rabbit and last but
not least, Tender Pot Roast Rump of Emu.
As someone who has driven on the outback roads, I know that I have seen most of these animals flattened and dead roadside. And don't bother to collect any specimens unless on an authorised university or government study. Just cast your eyes and have a quick look as you do not want to take your eyes off the road. If you have passenger, it might be a game to count the varieties or the numbers in an effort to relive the boredom of such a long journey.
Check out the website here.
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