I know it was my idea to do this whole ‘road trip in Tassie’ thing, and I might have spearheaded the notion of pulling it off at the last minute, but does that mean I have to do all the planning? I mean, it’s not like I’m forcing anyone into it – they’re all just as much along for the ride as I am, and I’m just as clueless as them when it comes to devising an itinerary.
Not only that, but I’ve somehow been tasked with making sure everyone’s cars are up to scratch before we set sail next week. How, I ask you, is that reasonable? For starters, I’m in no way a mechanic, off-road specialist or auto electrician. Hobart might be my home town, but I know very little about the landscape of greater Tasmania (hence why I’m keen to do this trip), so it’s not like I can speak the suitability of the proposed vehicles.
The lack of self-responsibility on the part of the others just seems unsafe. It would be one thing if I’d put myself forward as some kind of tour leader, but I’ve essentially been put in that role by default – namely, by the rest of the party’s unwillingness to do any kind of preparation or research. Maybe they think we’re going to be flitting between hotels, when what I have in mind is much more wilderness-oriented.
Maybe I should just leave them to it and take care of my own sub-zero sleeping gear and 4×4 tyres. Hobart locals like myself probably have a natural orientation towards guarding against the elements, in a way that’s slightly more pronounced than in mainlanders. I guess I can either take that inclination and apply it to assisting the others, or I can accept that they’re going to be figuring it out as they go and slowing us down in the process.
It’s funny, because I’ve noticed that Tasmanians are often said to move at a relatively slow pace – yet here I am worrying that this leisurely road trip isn’t going to move fast enough.