GREY nomads are in some ways the target readership for this book.
McHugh writes in a laid-back, easy manner that makes light of difficulties and frustrations when travelling in outback Australia.
- Birdsville: My Year in the Back of Beyond, by Evan McHugh. Penguin. rrp $32.95
Just as well. If you are not prepared for the unexpected or things going pear-shaped, then stay at home.
For those who do not take to the roads to Australia's red heart, this book will suffice to bring it to you.
It is an excellent descriptive account.
Take McHugh watching the flood in Birdsville in 2007.
He notes: "The Diamantina River wasn't flowing on Sunday afternoon, but by next morning had risen four metres."
McHugh has an eye for quirky detail - mobile phones do not work at Birsdville for example - and writes in a conversational tone.
Readers journey with him and he is a good travelling companion.
Still, the facts are also important.
The legendary status of the Birdsville Races is, surprisingly, a relatively new thing.
It was only, he tells us, 30 years ago that former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser went to the Birdsville Races and put this event on the map.
Meanwhile, McHugh's sense of occasion when he attended is clearly evoked.
He gives us the excitement over what is still a uniquely Australian occasion. There is plenty to interest and amuse here as well.
This is a book about heat, dust and mud with some excellent colour photographs showing just how special Birdsville is at any time.
