Before it transformed into BrisVegas (and well before people forgot that title was ironic) Brisbane was described as a big country town. According to my mum, lots of people used outdoor dunnies up until the early 1970s, and tanks were a taken for granted feature of the architecture. Then tanks were discouraged and then (apparently, I haven't looked it up) forbidden. And then the migration boom happened, and people came to expect inground pools and long showers and multiple, sparkling clean vehicles. And the dams went dry as the weather went wonky and now throughout the suburbs people have pinned up small blue signs on their front gates: "tank water in use".
So I guess in this way, Brisbane's not like my small country town because down there we still rarely think about water even though much of Tas. is in drought. It's a good feeling, seeing those signs which suggest some tiny elements of self-sufficiency creeping back into our lives. But as I sit on the bus and travel to work each morning, people all around (so many people - it's very confronting), zooming by the gardens and streets and suburbs that disguise the drought with their layer of green, I wonder: what will happen to everyone if the water dries up?
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They all move to Perth, build a house on sand, and have lovely green lawns thanks to bore water. Sure it turns white cars and concrete brown/orange but the grass sure is green. I don't know what they drink - probably evian or something.
I woke up to the rain today and it is heavenly. More please.
Enjoy the rest of your stay in BNE.
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