Eyeing the long grass and the saw-edged fronds of pandanus, poking out like green spears, Tilly agreed. Waiting, she squinted up again at the growth in the tree hollow. A couple of leathery looking shoots were all that was visible. She’d never have noticed it, but botanists, she supposed, knew where to look. It was warm in the vehicle; no breeze blew and the silence was broken only by the drone of flies. She watched a dragonfly with azure wings hover above a weed and pushed the hair back from her face. Connor was taking a long time. Tilly stared along the creek but there was no sign of him returning. Bored, she flipped the catch on the glove box, finding the usual stuff: vehicle manual, tyre gauge, a stubby pencil, a torch, a crumpled box of tissues, and a slim handbook on northern orchids. That would do. Opening it, she settled to read until Connor returned.

Their second halt was much briefer, and as Connor had promised her, Tilly was home by mid-afternoon. He dropped her at the front steps, then drove off to refuel and garage the vehicle. Sophie, coming out of the office, relieved her of the thermoses.

‘Did you have a nice day? See anything interesting?’

‘We found an orchid.’ Tilly dumped her lunch box on the table. ‘Well, a handful of dryish-looking leaves in the fork of a tree, actually, but still an orchid. Connor said they flower later in the year. What about you – many visitors?’

‘Yep. The camp’s full. I’ve rung Bruce, asked him to change the sign. I thought we had one more camp site, but turns out it was occupied. You must’ve missed one.’

Guiltily, Tilly remembered. ‘Yes. I meant to tell you. There were a couple of men who drove straight through. Well, they sort of stopped, then took off again when they saw me. I was going to let you know.’ Only she had been so shocked by that brief glimpse of the passenger that she’d forgotten to keep track of the numbers. Apart from safety concerns and camp fees, that was what the compulsory registration was all about. Shamefaced, she said, ‘I’m sorry. Did you have to turn someone back?’

‘Yes. Luckily Luke was at the camp when they arrived there. I have to say they weren’t pleased.’

‘I imagine not.’ It was a forty kilometre drive into Binboona from the station road and another five to the camp. ‘I’m really sorry, Sophie.’ Tilly considered explaining but the imagined sighting would only worry her cousin who, she was aware, closely monitored her emotional wellbeing.