Tuesday, 27 September 2005
who the hell is Eileen Brady ?
I found her email adress in my hotmail contacts list but I don't know who she is or why I have her email adress. . .
Monday, 26 September 2005
The tomato diaries 3 - butt picking
After the first days fast and furious picking the Dutch girl and I ended up on a European team. We picked 18 bins and earned roughly $80 for the day. We probably could have got a couple of bins more but on the last patch of the field we were butt picking.
Butt picking occurs when a patch has previously been picked but the fruit at the very bottom of the plants has been left on because the first lot of pickers were lazy bastards.
Butt picking is universally hated because it's physically painful (all that crouching and bending) and financially fruitless (ha ha it's a pun - get it!) as half of the fruit at the bottom is infested with worms and a quarter is rotten. Which means you pick very little fruit for a lot of effort.
Day three saw us spending 2 hours but picking 4 patches, we earned a grand total of $20 each and were then sent home for the day. It wasn't even worth getting out of bed for, but it did give us the chance to spend the afternoon exploring Proserpine and getting laundry done.
I ended up making about $300 from 5 days of tomato picking. Apparently if I had gotten there 2 weeks earlier I could have made $1000 as it was the height of the season and the fruit was falling of the bushes.
Butt picking occurs when a patch has previously been picked but the fruit at the very bottom of the plants has been left on because the first lot of pickers were lazy bastards.
Butt picking is universally hated because it's physically painful (all that crouching and bending) and financially fruitless (ha ha it's a pun - get it!) as half of the fruit at the bottom is infested with worms and a quarter is rotten. Which means you pick very little fruit for a lot of effort.
Day three saw us spending 2 hours but picking 4 patches, we earned a grand total of $20 each and were then sent home for the day. It wasn't even worth getting out of bed for, but it did give us the chance to spend the afternoon exploring Proserpine and getting laundry done.
I ended up making about $300 from 5 days of tomato picking. Apparently if I had gotten there 2 weeks earlier I could have made $1000 as it was the height of the season and the fruit was falling of the bushes.
Sunday, 25 September 2005
The tomato diaries 2 - bucket !
When we arrived at the farm we were split into gangs of about 15 people. We then spent the day working together as a team to make as much money as possible. This was done by filling big blue bins with tomatoes.
The team got paid $85 per bin and this was split evenly between the members. So, the more bins you filled the more money you make.
Korean teams always make more money than teams of Europeans. All the Europeans try and get onto gangs with lots of Koreans because they know they will make more money. They picked those tomatoes at lightning speed, probably because they never chat, grumble or complain or listen to music they just get on with the job.
The 'A team' which was solely composed of Korean boys picked an average 27-28 bins per day. A Korean dominated team picked on about 22-25 bins per day. A European dominated team picked about 18 bins.
On my first day I lucked out and got put on Korean team and we made about $105 each. It was on this team that I met a Dutch girl who became my tomato picking buddy. As we were both new we were doubled up on a row with me picking on the left side and her picking on the right side. We probably should have switched sides after a few hours because that night my left arm was aching so badly I could barely sleep.
The mornings were a mixed blessing for us pickers. It was relatively cool despite the full on sunshine and there was lots of shade in the rows between the 5 foot hedges of tomato plants. However the soil between the plans was damp and clung to the bottom of your shoes and the picking buckets in huge heavy clumps.
When someone's bucket was full they shouted "BUCKET!!!!!" at the top of their voice and everyone stopped picking and formed a line across the rows to pass the buckets over the tops of the plants to the gangmaster on the tractor.
He (it's always a he, girls aren't allowed to drive the tractors) poured the tomatoes into the big blue bin and then shouted helpful instructions to us like. "Stop picking this small shit!" & "How many times to I have to tell you to take the stalks off !".
You'd be surprised at how heavy a bucket of tomatoes can be. Hefting those heavy buckets around at shoulder height combined with repeated crouching and bending to pick the fruit from the bottom of the plant is murder on the back.
When it gets to the 10.30 smokeo every one is relieved to have a sit down, a sandwich and a litre of water. By the time the 1pm smokeo comes around every one is exhausted. There is absolutely no shade to be had anywhere in the field so we all crawl under the tractor and trailer for some much needed rest before the final grueling hours of our working day.
The team got paid $85 per bin and this was split evenly between the members. So, the more bins you filled the more money you make.
Korean teams always make more money than teams of Europeans. All the Europeans try and get onto gangs with lots of Koreans because they know they will make more money. They picked those tomatoes at lightning speed, probably because they never chat, grumble or complain or listen to music they just get on with the job.
The 'A team' which was solely composed of Korean boys picked an average 27-28 bins per day. A Korean dominated team picked on about 22-25 bins per day. A European dominated team picked about 18 bins.
On my first day I lucked out and got put on Korean team and we made about $105 each. It was on this team that I met a Dutch girl who became my tomato picking buddy. As we were both new we were doubled up on a row with me picking on the left side and her picking on the right side. We probably should have switched sides after a few hours because that night my left arm was aching so badly I could barely sleep.
The mornings were a mixed blessing for us pickers. It was relatively cool despite the full on sunshine and there was lots of shade in the rows between the 5 foot hedges of tomato plants. However the soil between the plans was damp and clung to the bottom of your shoes and the picking buckets in huge heavy clumps.
When someone's bucket was full they shouted "BUCKET!!!!!" at the top of their voice and everyone stopped picking and formed a line across the rows to pass the buckets over the tops of the plants to the gangmaster on the tractor.
He (it's always a he, girls aren't allowed to drive the tractors) poured the tomatoes into the big blue bin and then shouted helpful instructions to us like. "Stop picking this small shit!" & "How many times to I have to tell you to take the stalks off !".
You'd be surprised at how heavy a bucket of tomatoes can be. Hefting those heavy buckets around at shoulder height combined with repeated crouching and bending to pick the fruit from the bottom of the plant is murder on the back.
When it gets to the 10.30 smokeo every one is relieved to have a sit down, a sandwich and a litre of water. By the time the 1pm smokeo comes around every one is exhausted. There is absolutely no shade to be had anywhere in the field so we all crawl under the tractor and trailer for some much needed rest before the final grueling hours of our working day.
Saturday, 24 September 2005
The tomato diaries
The bus to the farm left at 5.40am on the dot. If you missed it, you didn't work. Hence, the 5am alarm chorus.
Every alarm clock in the hostel went off at 5am and people tumbled out of bed to pull on their dirty, smelly, stained and ripped fruit picking clothes before stumbling bleary eyed into the into the kitchen to try and get breakfast.
This is a lot easier than it sounds. Firstly 50 people in one kitchen is never going to be easy. 50 people all trying to use one sink, one kettle and one toaster is nearly impossible. Those with the foresight to make their lunch the night before are the fortunate few. The rest of the hoard fight each other for the sparsely available flat surfaces on which to try and make sandwiches and butter toast, before joining the long que to fill up their water bottles.
Fruit picking is thirsty work and you need at least 2 litres of water for the day, most people took 3 or 4 litres with them and they usually came back with out a single drop left.
At 5.35am the mass exodus to the bus began. Names on the sign up sheet were ticked off and people settled in to try and catch a few minutes more of precocious sleep on the hour long drive out to the farm.
Friday, 23 September 2005
money - it would be nice to have some
So I'm in Arlie Beach, I'm sharing a room with bondage freaks and I'm completely broke. Well, that's a slight exaggeration, I have $14 in my Aussie bank account but I cant withdraw any of it because the ATM's here only carry 20s & 50s and there is no branch of my bank in town.
All my accommodation has had to go on my credit card and the only reason I haven't starved is because I had 5 packets of instant noodles in my bag and I used the last of my cash to buy a load of cheap fruit & veg at the local farmers market.
I spent the first 2 days in town looking for a job. I handed out about a million CVs but I know I won't get any replies. I could tell from the way they were looking at me that I wasn't the type of person they wanted to hire for there trendy cafe/party bar/locals only coffee shop. But I hit pay dirt on the second day with an internet cafe. The manager loved me and gave me the job on the spot. There was no messing around with application forms and resumes, I started training the next day. Sweet !
The only draw back was that I wouldn't get paid for 2 weeks, and I needed cash now !
So when my boss showed me the schedule and I saw that I had 6 days between my last training session and my first shift I decided that instead of sitting on my arse doing nothing, I would take myself off to Prosepine (the next town over) where the backpackers hostel guarantees work fruit picking.
All my accommodation has had to go on my credit card and the only reason I haven't starved is because I had 5 packets of instant noodles in my bag and I used the last of my cash to buy a load of cheap fruit & veg at the local farmers market.
I spent the first 2 days in town looking for a job. I handed out about a million CVs but I know I won't get any replies. I could tell from the way they were looking at me that I wasn't the type of person they wanted to hire for there trendy cafe/party bar/locals only coffee shop. But I hit pay dirt on the second day with an internet cafe. The manager loved me and gave me the job on the spot. There was no messing around with application forms and resumes, I started training the next day. Sweet !
The only draw back was that I wouldn't get paid for 2 weeks, and I needed cash now !
So when my boss showed me the schedule and I saw that I had 6 days between my last training session and my first shift I decided that instead of sitting on my arse doing nothing, I would take myself off to Prosepine (the next town over) where the backpackers hostel guarantees work fruit picking.
Thursday, 22 September 2005
German bondage lesbians
When I first arrived in Arlie Beach I was sharing a room with two German girls.
One day I arrived back in the room to find them both on the top bunk of one of the beds. One of them was laying face down on the bed with her hands tied behind her back and the other one was sitting up reading a magazine.
As soon as she saw me the magazine reader reached for the ribbon and untied her friend. "Oh, Danka" She said and then sat up and reached for her own magazine.
One day I arrived back in the room to find them both on the top bunk of one of the beds. One of them was laying face down on the bed with her hands tied behind her back and the other one was sitting up reading a magazine.
As soon as she saw me the magazine reader reached for the ribbon and untied her friend. "Oh, Danka" She said and then sat up and reached for her own magazine.
Tuesday, 20 September 2005
the big jump north
The Bundaberg plan was scrapped after I phoned round every single hostel in town and was informed that not a single one would check me in after 9pm because they are 'working' hostels and all the staff would have gone to bed by then in preparation for an early start (have they never heard of night staff?). This is a stupid policy as the Premier Coach Service bus doesn't arrive in Bundy until 11pm.
I decided to jump up a few stops on my itinery to Arlie Beach. Originally I wanted to go to Agnes Water and the town of 1770 but I only had enough money for about 2 nights accommodation and since it's such a tiny place I didn't rate my chances of finding any work there. Arlie Beach isn't all that big but it has a thriving tourist industry and so the chances of finding work in a cafe, bar or boat are much better.
Able Point Marina in Arlie Beach is the departure point for the Whitsunday Islands where a 2 night sailing trip is a must do on the backpacker trail. I had been told by a room mate in Rainbow Beech that the boats in Arlie Beech are always looking for Hosties (Hostesses who cook and clean for the guests) and deckhands. Pay is good and food an accommodation are provided free so you can walk away from a 3 day trip with about $300 in your pocket.
So, I said goodbye to Julia at Bundaberg. She had been told that the bus station hostel would let her in, but when the bus pulled away after 15 minutes loading and unloading passengers, she and 3 other girls were still waiting at the door for some one to answer the buzzer.
I decided to jump up a few stops on my itinery to Arlie Beach. Originally I wanted to go to Agnes Water and the town of 1770 but I only had enough money for about 2 nights accommodation and since it's such a tiny place I didn't rate my chances of finding any work there. Arlie Beach isn't all that big but it has a thriving tourist industry and so the chances of finding work in a cafe, bar or boat are much better.
Able Point Marina in Arlie Beach is the departure point for the Whitsunday Islands where a 2 night sailing trip is a must do on the backpacker trail. I had been told by a room mate in Rainbow Beech that the boats in Arlie Beech are always looking for Hosties (Hostesses who cook and clean for the guests) and deckhands. Pay is good and food an accommodation are provided free so you can walk away from a 3 day trip with about $300 in your pocket.
So, I said goodbye to Julia at Bundaberg. She had been told that the bus station hostel would let her in, but when the bus pulled away after 15 minutes loading and unloading passengers, she and 3 other girls were still waiting at the door for some one to answer the buzzer.
Monday, 19 September 2005
never trust the advert
When I got to Childers I found out I had shared the coach ride with Julia a German girl that had been on Fraser Island at the same time as me. She had been in one of the other 2 trucks that departed on the same day as us and with whom we made camp every night. She's a nice girl and we were both glad of the company.
We were both in Childers hoping to find work fruit picking, but there was none. Apparently we had hit town during one of the lulls where one crop has just been picked and the others are not ripe yet. Everywhere we enquired told us to come back in 2 - 3 weeks when the tomatoes would be ready. Bummer.
The hostel we were in was great. Some of you might remember the notorious Childers hostel fire of 2000 where 15 backpackers died when the Palace hostel was deliberately set on fire by a disgruntled Australian man who had been refused entry. The hostel has been rebuilt and you'd now never find a more safely designed hostel with large rooms, wide corridors and large breezy lounges. There is a very moving memorial in the tourist information office next door.
I would have loved to stay there longer but as my bank balance was running incredibly low I couldn't justify the expense of sitting on my bum doing nothing for 2 weeks waiting to find work. So Julia and I both decided we had to leave Childers for some where we could find work.
We decided on Bundaberg (Bundy) the next city up the coast (and home of Australia's beloved Bundaberg Rum). TNT the backpackers magazine had a whole page of adverts dedicated to Bundaberg hostels. Each advert was large brightly colored and proclaimed things like
*Guaranteed work
*resort style pool
*barbecue area
*TV Lounge
*friendly staff etc etc...
I always like to double check any place I haven't had a personal recommendations to so I opened up my lonely planet and my favorite hostel review site BUG Australia. I love BUG because people submit their own reviews of hostels they have stayed in which are usually more reliable than the reviews in guide books which are usually at least a year old. A lot can change in a year.
Here's what people had to say about Federal backpackers in Bundy. (it got an average of 1 star out of 5)
"Please for your own sake don't come here its depressing " August 2005
"Total Dump"
" If your looking for work then you have to suck up to the old farts, because of this i only got one day-4 hours- waste of time,wont get paid. The hostel is dirty, rooms never cleaned, free mice, you wont get sleep as wake up calls start at 5 and when we left 20 people were on standby so not a great place for work. nice kitchen, crap showers, nice bar, crap tv room, at least one robbery a day, daily roster for work goes up at 8 the night before so you cant plan ahead, and the farmers are redneck slavedrivers. So stay away!!" July, 2005
"Well, where to start...?
Upon arrival the staff were pretty unfriendly and it went downhill from there. There was no blankets left so we got THE DOG'S blanket, the room had cockroaches in it when we moved in, one of our 'bowls' that came with the cutlery had been used previously as an ashtray, the kitchen was infested with ants and was THE most digusting kitchen ever. The cooking/cleaning utensils/cutlery are a death trap - the dishclothes NEVER get washed and must be breeding germs!
The place is over-run with mice and there were reports of rats in the rooms. The work is hard - granted - but you expect that? There is no comfort to be seeked in this place.... The 'beer-garden' that everyone seems to 'love' is actually a few benches in a car park. Bundaberg itself is full of redneck inbreds with nothing better to do than shout at people out their cars, do hard drugs and fight each other in the street. To top it off, when we were there the hostel had a few unsavoury Australian residents (questionable in itself???) - who passed the time by smoking weed in their room (putting everyone's lives in danger because it's a timber building) and throwing KNIVES against the wall in their room!!!!! WHAT is wrong with these people??? IF you have the misfortune to stay in 'Bundy', go to a motel - if you value your life...
The showers and toilets DO NOT get cleaned - EVER. Some people (lunatics) go barefoot in the fields, then wash the mud off in the showers for everyone to wallow in..... nice. The toilets are a health hazard. Someone was sick in one and the remainders were still there a few days later.
We lasted one week - only because we had paid for it and didn't want to give them the satisfaction of making extra money out the place. An absolute, total, 100% DUMP." June 2005
And my personal favorite review entitled Japanese prisoner of War Camp. . .
"Be aware when entering this hostel you are signing your life to one of abject misery and slavery.
I was whipped up and down the fields of fruit by savage Aussie redknecks and left to wander the unrelenting outback to find my own way home without food or water after being sacked for sitting on a plant.
If you can , get out now, if not, settle down to boxes of Stanley wine, smokin weed, fighting with locals and upping sticks to the Big Orange , Mundubbara, the El Dorado of fruit picking.....where even more delights await" March 2005
We were both in Childers hoping to find work fruit picking, but there was none. Apparently we had hit town during one of the lulls where one crop has just been picked and the others are not ripe yet. Everywhere we enquired told us to come back in 2 - 3 weeks when the tomatoes would be ready. Bummer.
The hostel we were in was great. Some of you might remember the notorious Childers hostel fire of 2000 where 15 backpackers died when the Palace hostel was deliberately set on fire by a disgruntled Australian man who had been refused entry. The hostel has been rebuilt and you'd now never find a more safely designed hostel with large rooms, wide corridors and large breezy lounges. There is a very moving memorial in the tourist information office next door.
I would have loved to stay there longer but as my bank balance was running incredibly low I couldn't justify the expense of sitting on my bum doing nothing for 2 weeks waiting to find work. So Julia and I both decided we had to leave Childers for some where we could find work.
We decided on Bundaberg (Bundy) the next city up the coast (and home of Australia's beloved Bundaberg Rum). TNT the backpackers magazine had a whole page of adverts dedicated to Bundaberg hostels. Each advert was large brightly colored and proclaimed things like
*Guaranteed work
*resort style pool
*barbecue area
*TV Lounge
*friendly staff etc etc...
I always like to double check any place I haven't had a personal recommendations to so I opened up my lonely planet and my favorite hostel review site BUG Australia. I love BUG because people submit their own reviews of hostels they have stayed in which are usually more reliable than the reviews in guide books which are usually at least a year old. A lot can change in a year.
Here's what people had to say about Federal backpackers in Bundy. (it got an average of 1 star out of 5)
"Please for your own sake don't come here its depressing " August 2005
"Total Dump"
" If your looking for work then you have to suck up to the old farts, because of this i only got one day-4 hours- waste of time,wont get paid. The hostel is dirty, rooms never cleaned, free mice, you wont get sleep as wake up calls start at 5 and when we left 20 people were on standby so not a great place for work. nice kitchen, crap showers, nice bar, crap tv room, at least one robbery a day, daily roster for work goes up at 8 the night before so you cant plan ahead, and the farmers are redneck slavedrivers. So stay away!!" July, 2005
"Well, where to start...?
Upon arrival the staff were pretty unfriendly and it went downhill from there. There was no blankets left so we got THE DOG'S blanket, the room had cockroaches in it when we moved in, one of our 'bowls' that came with the cutlery had been used previously as an ashtray, the kitchen was infested with ants and was THE most digusting kitchen ever. The cooking/cleaning utensils/cutlery are a death trap - the dishclothes NEVER get washed and must be breeding germs!
The place is over-run with mice and there were reports of rats in the rooms. The work is hard - granted - but you expect that? There is no comfort to be seeked in this place.... The 'beer-garden' that everyone seems to 'love' is actually a few benches in a car park. Bundaberg itself is full of redneck inbreds with nothing better to do than shout at people out their cars, do hard drugs and fight each other in the street. To top it off, when we were there the hostel had a few unsavoury Australian residents (questionable in itself???) - who passed the time by smoking weed in their room (putting everyone's lives in danger because it's a timber building) and throwing KNIVES against the wall in their room!!!!! WHAT is wrong with these people??? IF you have the misfortune to stay in 'Bundy', go to a motel - if you value your life...
The showers and toilets DO NOT get cleaned - EVER. Some people (lunatics) go barefoot in the fields, then wash the mud off in the showers for everyone to wallow in..... nice. The toilets are a health hazard. Someone was sick in one and the remainders were still there a few days later.
We lasted one week - only because we had paid for it and didn't want to give them the satisfaction of making extra money out the place. An absolute, total, 100% DUMP." June 2005
And my personal favorite review entitled Japanese prisoner of War Camp. . .
"Be aware when entering this hostel you are signing your life to one of abject misery and slavery.
I was whipped up and down the fields of fruit by savage Aussie redknecks and left to wander the unrelenting outback to find my own way home without food or water after being sacked for sitting on a plant.
If you can , get out now, if not, settle down to boxes of Stanley wine, smokin weed, fighting with locals and upping sticks to the Big Orange , Mundubbara, the El Dorado of fruit picking.....where even more delights await" March 2005
Sunday, 18 September 2005
Roach coach
After the dog bite fiasco I quickly made the decision to leave Rainbow Beach. I was having no luck finding work and I was bored so I hopped on a coach to Childers.
The coach was infested with cockroaches. Yes, you read correctly the coach was home to an infestation of disgusting little brown creepy crawlies. I shudder just thinking about it.
The coach was infested with cockroaches. Yes, you read correctly the coach was home to an infestation of disgusting little brown creepy crawlies. I shudder just thinking about it.
Thursday, 15 September 2005
bark worse than bite ?
I got bitten by a dog this morning.
I was minding my own business walking along the beach when a black sheepdog decided he'd had enough of playing in the sea with his owner and decided to attack me instead. He ran up to me and started barking and jumping up and down.
I don't like dogs, so I instinctively held my hands up to my chest at shoulder height so they couldn't be bitten. The owner came running over and the dog ran off with her. I carried on walking down the beach for a few meters and suddenly the dog came running back to me and started barking and jumping around me a again. I felt a bang on my thigh and the dog started getting manic and avoiding the owners attempts to catch him, all the while barking aggressively at me.
I hate dogs.
She finaly managed to get him away from me and I quickly walked off and felt my trousers where I had felt the bang. There was a hole in my trousers big enough for me to fit my finger through. I had a quick feel of the skin underneath to make sure his bite hadn't broken the skin.
A man who had been sitting in a truck about 100 meters away came over and immediately apologized "Sorry about that he's just a pup and were trying to stop him doing that." I told him about the hole in my trousers. He just said sorry again and went over to the woman who was still having trouble controlling the dog.
I should probably have reported it but I didn't know who to. So I just left the beach as quickly as possible.
I was minding my own business walking along the beach when a black sheepdog decided he'd had enough of playing in the sea with his owner and decided to attack me instead. He ran up to me and started barking and jumping up and down.
I don't like dogs, so I instinctively held my hands up to my chest at shoulder height so they couldn't be bitten. The owner came running over and the dog ran off with her. I carried on walking down the beach for a few meters and suddenly the dog came running back to me and started barking and jumping around me a again. I felt a bang on my thigh and the dog started getting manic and avoiding the owners attempts to catch him, all the while barking aggressively at me.
I hate dogs.
She finaly managed to get him away from me and I quickly walked off and felt my trousers where I had felt the bang. There was a hole in my trousers big enough for me to fit my finger through. I had a quick feel of the skin underneath to make sure his bite hadn't broken the skin.
A man who had been sitting in a truck about 100 meters away came over and immediately apologized "Sorry about that he's just a pup and were trying to stop him doing that." I told him about the hole in my trousers. He just said sorry again and went over to the woman who was still having trouble controlling the dog.
I should probably have reported it but I didn't know who to. So I just left the beach as quickly as possible.
bed bugs
I am being slowly eaten alive by bed bugs. Since switching beds to the bottom bunk I have been waking up in the middle on the night unbearably itchy. I have had to smother my arms and legs in antihistamine cream to stop me scratching all the skin off my arms and I have been cranky and miserable all day due to lack of sleep.
I told the receptionist and she gave me some bin bags to put all my stuff into. I then had to put the bin bags out in the sun on the lawn so that everything inside gets super heated and all the bugs die. They even have to was my bed linen separately to prevent cross contamination.
I just hope no one mistakes all my worldly possessions for garbage and throws it all out.
For more on bedbugs try this handy guide.
I told the receptionist and she gave me some bin bags to put all my stuff into. I then had to put the bin bags out in the sun on the lawn so that everything inside gets super heated and all the bugs die. They even have to was my bed linen separately to prevent cross contamination.
I just hope no one mistakes all my worldly possessions for garbage and throws it all out.
For more on bedbugs try this handy guide.
Monday, 12 September 2005
Dingo enounter
On the third day of my stay on Fraser Island I had a close encounter with a Dingo.
One of the groups we were camping with forgot to lock up their rubbish and so a number of dingos dropped by in the middle of the night to check out the food smells emanating from the black bin bag. One of the girls woke up to find rubbish strewn all over the campsite and spent a very pissed off half hour trying cleaning it up.
I woke up at about 6.30am and thought as it was daylight I didn't need to do the whole 'Be dingo safe and take a buddy with you every where' thing. After using the Aussie dunny I climbed to the top of the sand due we were camped behind and took some photos of the beach. I turned around to take some pictures of the camp site and saw a dingo about 10m to my left down next to one of the tents.
We'd been drilled in what to do if a dingo came anywhere near you (cross your arms over your chest and back away slowly). So I raised my arms up to chest level and started snapping photos. After a minute the dingo turned and looked at me then turned toward the sand dune and started to walk up it.
Sensing this was probably the best time to make a run for it I started down the dune towards the camp at a moderate speed so I wouldn't startle it. Luckily I was right next to the truck and was able to quickly jump inside. The dingo must have thought I was crazy because he walked along the dune till he got behind the truck and stared through the window at me for a full minute before sloping off.
One of the groups we were camping with forgot to lock up their rubbish and so a number of dingos dropped by in the middle of the night to check out the food smells emanating from the black bin bag. One of the girls woke up to find rubbish strewn all over the campsite and spent a very pissed off half hour trying cleaning it up.
I woke up at about 6.30am and thought as it was daylight I didn't need to do the whole 'Be dingo safe and take a buddy with you every where' thing. After using the Aussie dunny I climbed to the top of the sand due we were camped behind and took some photos of the beach. I turned around to take some pictures of the camp site and saw a dingo about 10m to my left down next to one of the tents.
We'd been drilled in what to do if a dingo came anywhere near you (cross your arms over your chest and back away slowly). So I raised my arms up to chest level and started snapping photos. After a minute the dingo turned and looked at me then turned toward the sand dune and started to walk up it.
Sensing this was probably the best time to make a run for it I started down the dune towards the camp at a moderate speed so I wouldn't startle it. Luckily I was right next to the truck and was able to quickly jump inside. The dingo must have thought I was crazy because he walked along the dune till he got behind the truck and stared through the window at me for a full minute before sloping off.
Saturday, 10 September 2005
Fraser Island
Fraser Island is the worlds largest sand Island. It's also a must see on the Eastern Australia tourist route.
The most popular way of doing Fraser Island is the $ wheel drive self guided safari (it's also the cheapest option hence the popularity with travelers). The island can be accessed from the industrial town of Hervey Bay or the small beach town of Rainbow Beach. Anyone who books their Fraser Island tour through Peter Pan will end up taking their tour from the Dingos hostel at Rainbow Beach.
When you get to the hostel you are organized into groups of about 10 and these people will be your traveling companions for the duration of your 3 day 2 night stay. I was placed in a group with 3 Israeli boys doing a bit of traveling after finishing military service. 2 English girls from Leeds on Career breaks, an Irish guy on a working holiday and 2 exchange students (French and Swedish) on a weekend away from Brisbane University.
I knew instantly I wouldn't get on so well with my group. First off the Israeli guys were instantly drooling over the exchange girls (ok I'll admit they were stunning)and the English girls and Irish guy were all piss heads concerned with how much booze they were allowed to bring.
The most popular way of doing Fraser Island is the $ wheel drive self guided safari (it's also the cheapest option hence the popularity with travelers). The island can be accessed from the industrial town of Hervey Bay or the small beach town of Rainbow Beach. Anyone who books their Fraser Island tour through Peter Pan will end up taking their tour from the Dingos hostel at Rainbow Beach.
When you get to the hostel you are organized into groups of about 10 and these people will be your traveling companions for the duration of your 3 day 2 night stay. I was placed in a group with 3 Israeli boys doing a bit of traveling after finishing military service. 2 English girls from Leeds on Career breaks, an Irish guy on a working holiday and 2 exchange students (French and Swedish) on a weekend away from Brisbane University.
I knew instantly I wouldn't get on so well with my group. First off the Israeli guys were instantly drooling over the exchange girls (ok I'll admit they were stunning)and the English girls and Irish guy were all piss heads concerned with how much booze they were allowed to bring.
Thursday, 8 September 2005
crikey, isn't she a beauty !
I've just been to Steve Irwins Australia Zoo. I didn't get to see Steve but I did get to feed an Elephant and take even more photos of Koalas, Kangaroos & Crocodiles.
I'm off now to Noosa national park to try and spot some wild koalas and dolphins.
Crikey !
I'm off now to Noosa national park to try and spot some wild koalas and dolphins.
Crikey !
Sunday, 4 September 2005
bye bye Brissy
I have finaly left Brisbane for the delights of Nossa.
One of the things I will miss most about Brisvegas is the local radio station Nova 106.9 FM.
It's one of the best stations I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.
One of the things I will miss most about Brisvegas is the local radio station Nova 106.9 FM.
It's one of the best stations I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.
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