Orford.

Ben fishing, self portrait.

Ben's camped on a nice stretch of grass behind the Orford Pub. He had planned to stay in the pub but wasn't keen on the room being offered (on account of the carpet). Still has use of the hotel's facilities though. Now within range of the Optus mobile phone network, the 18 minute call covered lots of topics. He's bought fishing and camping gear. Caught a Tasmanian Salmon and then had to take it to a shop to find out what to do next. They showed him how to clean and fillet the fish. He's travelled from the Bay of Fires, south to Freycinet and Swansea and another 40km south to Orford. Met some European backpackers and travelled with them for a while. Told me he's still not 'tightarse' enough to budget properly but is learning. The European backpackers are very careful with their spending, probably because the AUD is so strong at the moment. He seems to be heading in the general direction of Hobart.