From his base at outback Hughenden along the Flinders Highway, Damien Maas travels west, north and south as a driver for Viper Water Solutions.
Big Rigs caught up with the 37-year-old Damien at the Townsville Port Access Road pull off area which was busy with trailers being hooked up to numerous trucks.
“I mainly carry poly pipe to cattle properties and I have another fellow’s truck today and I go all over the place,” he said.
Damien said the Tanami Road in the NT and the 110km stretch of the Flinders Highway between Hughenden and Richmond were amongst the worst he travels on.
As for rest areas, Damien said the 200km road between Hughenden and Winton was short on facilities.
“The best rest areas are in the south of NSW,” said Damien who has been a truckie for six years.
Damien has lived at Hughenden for six weeks and before that has been a resident of Charters Towers which is 260km towards the coast.
His hobbies include fishing and camping at many locations in the great outdoors.
“I catch sooty grunter and black bream in the fresh water Flinders River when it is running and also go down to Townsville and fish Morrissey’ Creek which is a tributary of Ross River,” he said.
One annual fishing event which Damien has missed this year was the Inland Barramundi Classic usually held near Charters Towers.
“It was cancelled due to the coronavirus but hopefully it will be on again in 2021,” he said.
Damien also has played at the Goldfield Ashes Cricket carnival held annually in Charters Towers since 1948.
We asked the super courteous Damien about his nationality and what country the Maas surname originated from.
“I was born in Australia but my dad’s family was German,” he said.