RP:
I guess we've written a little about what we've done here in Australia, but we haven't really explained what it's like or how it compares to the States.
The first thing we've come to discover is that the sense of plenty we had grown accustomed to in the US (as compared to Africa) is not as abundant here as it may appear while vacationing here. Don't get me wrong, it's all available, but there is normally a price for oppulence or the extras. Actually, a simple but good example is how they charge for tomato sauce (ketchup) if you're getting any kind of take-away. While on the subject of tomato sauce... the personal packets here are far improved over the American design; they can be opened, dispensed and closed with one hand - very cool.
There are other less subtle differences that you may already be familiar with: driving on the other side of the road, drop bears (no really, look at the official Australian museum link on these carnivorous marsupials), guys wearing short shorts, "budgie smugglers" at the beach, uncensored television, sockets (240V not 110V), toilet water going down the other way, kangaroos - wtf?!, mullets (although most of them have been cut in a new-age way, so aren't too bad), no ducted air-conditioning, most cars being manual transmission, cockatoos screeching like pterodactyls, no sunblock stronger than 30+spf despite the sun here leaving you two tones darker after 20 minutes in the sun (with sunblock on), vegemite sandwiches, and much more.
So aside from the differences which I think Jenna and I are already accustomed to, it is refreshing being here from the employment perspective. The economy, although primarily supported by the coal and iron ore industry, is doing very well and looks positioned to stay fruitful in the near and mid-term future thanks to the demand in Asia and the rest of the world.
As for settling in, it's naturally been a little hard for us to entirely setup and get into a routine as the project I'm working on is only temporary. As such, we're in a limbo as the Whitsundays is a tourist destination and we're not quite locals, and we can't afford the tourist premiums on a regular basis. That said, the limbo has actually been positive in at least one way... Jenna has discovered that she is a natural squash player as we have recently become regulars at the local courts! As the rainy season sets in, the project I'm working on may slip further behind schedule. Hopefully Jenna's license will transfer before too long allowing her to get a job here as a nurse. Once that happens I could opt for a fly-in/fly-out rotation on the project until it's done which would be quite good for the two of us.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
I thought we had come up with the greatest idea ever
JP: 11/09/2011
- to rent a kayak so that we could explore all 71 of the surrounding Whitsunday islands. We would do this at our own pace in one day trips. So we set out early on Sunday morning, for our first excursion, with all our gear for the day (including a tasty meat pie each and some Milo bars, for energy of course). We packed one towel and no change of clothes, I mean, why would we need them? The plan was to kayak over to the islands, snorkel for a bit and then frollic around on the beach, drying off in the warm sunshine.
So at the rental place, our guide takes one look at us and obviously thinks we look like experts because he FAILED to let us know what the conditions were like out there. He hands us a 15-year old tub of flares and says "well nobody's ever had to use these, so don't be the first ones alright?" Ok. Well, actually, I'm pretty sure that somebody must have tried to use them in the past but they're so old and crusty I doubt they worked. But thanks mate. "Oh and stay away from the Beak". "The Beak?", I ask. He points to a old bleached map. I don't know what he's pointing to because the lines are so faint but tells us it's the most dangerous area on the left with strong currents and strong winds. Great. We're going right.
All packed, we set out to the right, through the harbour and I can't tell you how excited I am. The water is a perfect shade of turquoise and calm as can be. There is a slight breeze but it feels nice. We move slowly out of the harbour and make our way around the first island. It's a bit more windy and the water is deeper. It's a bit choppy too but nothing alarming. After a slightly vigorous paddle, we make it around the first island, and then the second. It's a lot more windy now and we decide the conditions are too rough to snorkel. We look ahead of us and see South Molle island. There's a beach there and it looks a lot more sheltered. We thought we would stop there and have a rest.
Lesson # 1: everything appears to be closer than it really is. We were paddling for ages. Then all of a sudden, we are in the middle of the channel, halfway to the island and the wind is extreme. Huge pyramid-like swells appeared out of nowhere, almost swallowing the kayak. I'm in the front, paddling as hard as I can, struggling as we crest one swell and slide down the steep back of it into another. Richard's shouting words of encouragement at me and I'm finding it hard not to panic. "Where is that crusty tub full of fireworks? Can I use them now?!" I can't help staring to my left. The Beak seems to be getting closer and closer. Awesome. Eventually I decided to just put my head down and paddle as hard as _ _ _ _ . If I can't see what's happening around me, then I can't panic.
After what felt like hours, we obviously made it to the calmer waters of South Molle island. But my body was wrecked. I had never paddled so hard in my life for such a distance so I had lost the use of my arms. We did see an amazing sea turtle feeding in the small bay. But really, all I cared about was getting out of the damn kayak.
Lesson #2: always pack a change of clothing or at least a hoodie.
It was SO cold. And we were soaking wet. The fierce wind prevented us from warming up. We hung our clothes up on trees so that they could dry. The island was desolate except for a couple of campers further inland. We took a walk to find some shelter but there wasn't any, except for a large, dark, wooden bench next to the long drop. We both lay down on it and felt the warmth on our backs. NICE. Exhausted, we passed out. Smart one. We woke up some time later, toasted.
Anyways, to end this I'm just going to say that eventually we called for help and got a ride back to the harbour. We found out that the tide was going out, the wind was blowing in and it was a full moon i.e not nice for being out on the water. Kayaking is fun and everything, but I'm getting my boat license soon. The end.
- to rent a kayak so that we could explore all 71 of the surrounding Whitsunday islands. We would do this at our own pace in one day trips. So we set out early on Sunday morning, for our first excursion, with all our gear for the day (including a tasty meat pie each and some Milo bars, for energy of course). We packed one towel and no change of clothes, I mean, why would we need them? The plan was to kayak over to the islands, snorkel for a bit and then frollic around on the beach, drying off in the warm sunshine.
So at the rental place, our guide takes one look at us and obviously thinks we look like experts because he FAILED to let us know what the conditions were like out there. He hands us a 15-year old tub of flares and says "well nobody's ever had to use these, so don't be the first ones alright?" Ok. Well, actually, I'm pretty sure that somebody must have tried to use them in the past but they're so old and crusty I doubt they worked. But thanks mate. "Oh and stay away from the Beak". "The Beak?", I ask. He points to a old bleached map. I don't know what he's pointing to because the lines are so faint but tells us it's the most dangerous area on the left with strong currents and strong winds. Great. We're going right.
All packed, we set out to the right, through the harbour and I can't tell you how excited I am. The water is a perfect shade of turquoise and calm as can be. There is a slight breeze but it feels nice. We move slowly out of the harbour and make our way around the first island. It's a bit more windy and the water is deeper. It's a bit choppy too but nothing alarming. After a slightly vigorous paddle, we make it around the first island, and then the second. It's a lot more windy now and we decide the conditions are too rough to snorkel. We look ahead of us and see South Molle island. There's a beach there and it looks a lot more sheltered. We thought we would stop there and have a rest.
 |
| South Molle Island - Sandy Beach |
Lesson # 1: everything appears to be closer than it really is. We were paddling for ages. Then all of a sudden, we are in the middle of the channel, halfway to the island and the wind is extreme. Huge pyramid-like swells appeared out of nowhere, almost swallowing the kayak. I'm in the front, paddling as hard as I can, struggling as we crest one swell and slide down the steep back of it into another. Richard's shouting words of encouragement at me and I'm finding it hard not to panic. "Where is that crusty tub full of fireworks? Can I use them now?!" I can't help staring to my left. The Beak seems to be getting closer and closer. Awesome. Eventually I decided to just put my head down and paddle as hard as _ _ _ _ . If I can't see what's happening around me, then I can't panic.
After what felt like hours, we obviously made it to the calmer waters of South Molle island. But my body was wrecked. I had never paddled so hard in my life for such a distance so I had lost the use of my arms. We did see an amazing sea turtle feeding in the small bay. But really, all I cared about was getting out of the damn kayak.
Lesson #2: always pack a change of clothing or at least a hoodie.
It was SO cold. And we were soaking wet. The fierce wind prevented us from warming up. We hung our clothes up on trees so that they could dry. The island was desolate except for a couple of campers further inland. We took a walk to find some shelter but there wasn't any, except for a large, dark, wooden bench next to the long drop. We both lay down on it and felt the warmth on our backs. NICE. Exhausted, we passed out. Smart one. We woke up some time later, toasted.
 |
| Freezing cold in the sun... |
Anyways, to end this I'm just going to say that eventually we called for help and got a ride back to the harbour. We found out that the tide was going out, the wind was blowing in and it was a full moon i.e not nice for being out on the water. Kayaking is fun and everything, but I'm getting my boat license soon. The end.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The J.O.B. and what comes with it...
RP:
I heard there was a need for a site engineer near a rural town named Proserpine so I spoke with Jen and with very little investigation into the area I accepted the assignment. Fortunately, the assignment couldn't have been to a more beautiful place. Proserpine is a farm town centered around cane farming (sugar cane) and happens to also be the gateway to a tourist hotspot - The Whitsunday Islands.
The J.O.B. itself is the remediation/closure of an exploratory pit intended to determine suitability for oil production. There are heaps of issues associated with the pit itself ranging from: number 1. politics, to technical issues associated with the excavated material having oxidized over the 30 years it has been exposed to the atmosphere (instead of exposure to the water table which it would have been under). The good news is that our client only wants to pay for me to be on site 40 hours a week, so with construction being conducted almost every daylight hour I get to have a good amount of time to explore the area.
We've been to beautiful beaches - Dingo, Hideaway Bay (Montes Resort), Coral, and Shingley and taken a kayak out to Molle Island. The environment is fascinating - tropical plants, parrots and cockatoos, black swans, kookaburras, kangaroos, huge sea turtles, humpback whales, and even a giant, coastal carpet python. My only complaint has been that I have been entirely unsuccessful fishing! I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I am now at the point where I'd be happy catching a sardine.
I heard there was a need for a site engineer near a rural town named Proserpine so I spoke with Jen and with very little investigation into the area I accepted the assignment. Fortunately, the assignment couldn't have been to a more beautiful place. Proserpine is a farm town centered around cane farming (sugar cane) and happens to also be the gateway to a tourist hotspot - The Whitsunday Islands.
A friendly cockatoo sitting below our balcony
The J.O.B. itself is the remediation/closure of an exploratory pit intended to determine suitability for oil production. There are heaps of issues associated with the pit itself ranging from: number 1. politics, to technical issues associated with the excavated material having oxidized over the 30 years it has been exposed to the atmosphere (instead of exposure to the water table which it would have been under). The good news is that our client only wants to pay for me to be on site 40 hours a week, so with construction being conducted almost every daylight hour I get to have a good amount of time to explore the area.
The irrigation dam near the site I'm working on covered in fog
A magpie begging for food on the side mirror of my work truck
At Dingo Beach. The only thing on the line is bait...
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Brissy
RP:
... a.k.a Brisbane.
31 hours from Austin, Texas to Brisbane, Australia is quite the trip. It's odd to think I didnt once touch ground on July 28th, or that effectively my 24 hour day was crunched into a few hours in total. Having made such a massive trip it's no surprise arrival in Brisbane was refreshing; not only did I get to take my first shower in ages, but the cool weather certainly was a great change from the 100+ degree days we had been experiencing back in the US of A.
As Jenna had to stay behind for visa purposes, I had the first two weeks in Brisbane alone. One of the first things I found different about Australia and USA is that everything but nightclubs and restaurants close very early, so once one leaves work for the day you would be lucky to find anything open. With it being winter to early spring, and Queensland not observing daylight savings time, it makes for a very quiet city in August. Nonetheless, over the weekends I managed to canvass the streets with my cousin, Storm, and explore the Gold Coast with all the relatives. It's been quite remarkable to have landed a job across the world and by chance ended up less than an hour away from family that I am only now getting to know more closely!
... a.k.a Brisbane.
31 hours from Austin, Texas to Brisbane, Australia is quite the trip. It's odd to think I didnt once touch ground on July 28th, or that effectively my 24 hour day was crunched into a few hours in total. Having made such a massive trip it's no surprise arrival in Brisbane was refreshing; not only did I get to take my first shower in ages, but the cool weather certainly was a great change from the 100+ degree days we had been experiencing back in the US of A.
As Jenna had to stay behind for visa purposes, I had the first two weeks in Brisbane alone. One of the first things I found different about Australia and USA is that everything but nightclubs and restaurants close very early, so once one leaves work for the day you would be lucky to find anything open. With it being winter to early spring, and Queensland not observing daylight savings time, it makes for a very quiet city in August. Nonetheless, over the weekends I managed to canvass the streets with my cousin, Storm, and explore the Gold Coast with all the relatives. It's been quite remarkable to have landed a job across the world and by chance ended up less than an hour away from family that I am only now getting to know more closely!
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| Story Bridge, Brisbane - Day One |
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