Texas Hill Country

My initial imaginings of Texas, like those of most Australians, were drawn primarily from the movies. Thus, the Texas in my mind was a large, flat, grassy place with cows on it, inhabited principally by dusty men wearing high heels and belt ornaments, and addressing all women as "Ma'am."

The Texas landscape actually has much more to offer than cowboy stereotypes, as I discovered on our drive through the limestone hills of the Texas Hill Country. This land is lush and rich and green and gently rolling like Middle Earth. Heavy rainfall gives it vibrant greens and feisty mosquitoes. It's best not to try swatting them as they whine past your face. You might hurt yourself. Try ducking instead. Or shooting at them.

One of the most surprising sights of a Texas road trip is the abundance of wildflowers that line the roads. I'm informed by the guide book that the flowers were deliberately planted as a state strategy to reduce the need for roadside mowing. In such fertile conditions this makes much more sense than having to mow the sides of the roads every week to prevent the grass from blocking out the sun.

We were a little late in the season to see the famous Bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas, which turn the fields a rich purple blue each year.

I was more than satisfied to photograph the spectacularly flowering yucca plants instead.

The relevant authorities, sensitive to the quality of the views and the length of the trip, have provided convenient little rest stops along the way. Weary travellers can stretch their legs, snack without fear of sunstroke and pose for touristy photographs.

Friends who recognise the significance of my "everybody lies" T-shirt will not need to be told that it is my new favourite thing. Those who don't know already probably wouldn't understand anyway.