Farm life part 1

Fields of grapevines around every corner. Some lush and green, some dry and withered. Where there are no grapes there is nothing. Just outback. Tall grass, fading grey/green shrubbery with the occasional gumtree breaking the monotonous view. Long straight roads divide it al in blocks like a chessboard. The river Murray the only oasis in this modified desert. These are my surroundings for the next month and a half.

When working on the reef I had a conversation with one of my students whom I just took for a first time scuba dive. 2 months later I arrive in South Merbein in the north west of Victoria to work on the farm of his parents.

I live in a caravan on the property of the Hudson family. My view consists of red dirt, some shrubs and a collection of close to 60 junked cars steadily rusting away. I’m employed by Andrew and Roslyn. A lovely couple who are straight forward (what you see is what you get) and one of the most hospitable people I’ve ever met. Their 22 year old son Luke, who has Down syndrome lives with them on the farm. Luke is quite good for a Downer and is very independent and coherent. He helps out on the farm and has a part time job in the neighboring town. The 13 year old sheep dog named Gipsy completes the family.

Dried fruit is their business. Several varieties of currants are grown, harvested and dried for the dried fruit industry. Not all the work they have for me is paid work, but since I have to do farm work in order to be eligible for a second year visa I’m happy with just signing off the days. I don’t spend any money. Breakfast lunch and dinner are all taken care off and staying in the 80’s orange/brown interior caravan is free of charge.

I work on week days and am off in the weekend. Although there is always a job to do and I prefer that to be honest. Life here is quite boring, so working makes the time go by a lot quicker and helps occupy my mind. My days off I fill with, reading, watching movies and learning Spanish. Or I go pick some fruit form the apple, pear or peach tree they have for personal use. I’m also eyeballing the pistachio tree next to my home on wheels, but they won’t be ready before I leave here.

Work consist of picking currants, trimming the vines and summer pruning. We start early and stop early. Most days the temperature reaches 40 degrees centigrade before noon. So pacing yourself, drinking lots and sufficient sun protection is paramount.

The most fun is the transportation. In order to go back and forth between the blocks (grapevine patches) and the farm I get to use a quad bike. It is a heavy duty one, fit for heavy duty farm work and it goes. Gipsy loves the bike. She barks at them and bites at the tires to get you to chase her. And she is tireless. You’d almost forget she is 13 years old.

I found that it is a very close nit community. Everyone knows everyone and looks out for each other. It does seem to be a slowly aging community. I see elderly folks and families with young children, but hardly anyone in their twenties.

On the 26^th of January Australia Day is celebrated. They celebrate that on that day the British landed on the east coast and dubbed the land Terra Australia (southern Land). I joined my temporary family at a community BBQ. With me being there I think the age average dropped by 20 years. It was a very quiet, relaxed gathering of the mostly elderly townsfolk. Two typical grannies where sitting in folding chairs waving an Australian flag with their shaky hands to the beat of the tunes of a local cover song artist. It was adorable in a way and for me the most entertaining thing on a, for me boring event. This day however is not just about celebrating Australia’s birthday but more so about being grateful for and appreciative of the freedoms, rights and comfort of living they have here Down Under. I found that quite refreshing, since back home we take everything we have for granted and just complain about what we don’t have instead of being grateful for what we do have.

Other than being a proud Australian, the topic is water. Since there is a limited amount and you have to buy your water for irrigation it is what everyone is talking about most of the time. They talk about ‘megs’. Meaning mega liters, meaning a million liters of water. The Hudsons have a 157 ‘megs’ to use for their crops this year. I have no idea if this is a lot. In mostly 40 degree weather, with fire bans (to prevent bush fires) in the entire state and backs and brows with copious amounts of sweat that dries instantly I would say maybe. A 157 million liters of water sounds like a lot, but the desert makes it disappear like Copperfield does trains and elephants.

I’m enjoying this experience in rural Australia. Living in a bubble. Meeting others then young German backpackers. Although life is quite monotonous, I am sure there will be little endeavors that will count as adventures. so there will be more to come.