Casino Royale

I came to this little country town this morning on a bus and will wait for the overnight train to Sydney here. The station is about a mile from the commercial center, but I have plenty of time so I hiked in to see what I could see. Among other things, I found the public library, where I am presently composing these lines. I also found the tourist information office that just about every town in Australia boasts. The very helpful lady told me about a nature preserve that I can walk out to, about another mile and a half, so that is how I will spend the day. These little agricultural towns in the interior are so different from the coastal communities. For example, today is the first time I have ever seen a gun store in Australia, a dealer in rifles, shotguns, and ammunition right on the main street. I imagine one must have a ream of applications and paperwork to patronize this fellow, but it was interesting to see him open for business on the main street, right in between a dollar store and a bakery. The local newspaper has lots of stories on cattle, horses, and kids playing just about any sport you can think of. There is also a great deal of grousing about local elections, which is the same in any local paper I have seen here. This little library is very nice, a quiet cool place to rest and get out a dispatch. I may come back here after the nature preserve; it is the most appropriate place in town for me to hang out, other than the history museum.