Farm life, the final chapter

 To complete my 88 days of farm work I traded dusty Merbein for green Byron Bay. With just 14 days left to go I opted for Wwoofing instead of paid work. Wwoofing stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms and pretty much means you work for food and board. I found a farm only 10 minutes outside of Byron Bay situated on a hill overlooking cape Byron called Hayters Hill. The view was stunning. On one side you have lush green rolling hills as far as the eye can see and on the other side you could see Byron Bay with its beaches, the lighthouse and the deep blue Pacific Ocean beyond that stretched out to meet the light blue of the sky at the horizon. 

I stayed with Julie and Owen. A lovely couple that raise cattle and grow pecans. They were both very nice people and again I experienced Australian hospitality, which is great. It was not hard to like these people from the moment I met them. Julie has the most heartwarming smile which makes you feel at ease right away.

I found two friends in their dogs Annie and Penny. Staffordshire terrier and a little fluffy bastard. Annie has the habit of showing her affection by licking your legs. She will just keep going till she hits bone or until you push her away. And the noises she makes are just hilarious. It is not barking or howling but something in between, like she is being strangled. That is how she wakes up all the dogs in the neighborhood from the back of the pickup truck (ute) as we drive past.

Although all the businesses are separate they run it as a family business with their sons. 2 of their 3 sons live on the hills next to theirs. One raises chickens for the eggs and the other has a butcher shop and keeps some pigs. So most of Julie and Owen’s cattle ends up in their sons butcher shop. This joint effort is called ‘Hayters Hill Farm’ and the products are sold on local markets in the area.  

The work that I did was very divers although the first two and last two days were a bit monotonous. To keep all the cattle on their property miles of electric fence lines the land. But if grass grows too tall and touches the wire it will lose power and the cows are free to maraud the country side. So with a brush cutter I set out so mow the grass underneath the fence. That same brush cutter I used to clear the base of around 850 pecan trees of tall grass before we could start harvesting. In those few days I brush cut more them most people will do in their entire lives and although I’ve become an expert now I would be very pleased if I don’t ever have do that again.

But besides that I trimmed hedges, moved cattle form paddock to paddock, built an enclosure for pigs, moved 3 day old piglets, water proofed a roof, built an electric fence and picked up pecans using a giant vacuum cleaner.

It was again a nice outdoor farm experience, this time with more animals involved which I enjoyed. And although I had a great time I am glad that it is over. No more farm work, no more work for no pay. Time to apply for my second year visa and move back to Cairns to live in the tropics and teach scuba diving again. back to the life love.

Farm life part 2: part of the family

They call me the Dutch foreman or clog boy. And I say I need to get a certificate for looking after all these senior citizens. Those are the jokes being made back and forth while working on the block (vineyard). I am by far the youngest working for the Hudsons (Andrew and Roslyn) and am surrounded by about 8 other workers in or around their sixties. I take care of the time sheets, inform everyone what we are doing where on what day and generally function as a medium between the workers and Andrew and Roslyn. It feels a bit weird since most of these guys have been working as fruit pickers before I was born and now they need to listen to this crazy ‘young’ Dutchie who has never set foot on a fruit block before in his life. But everyone is ok with it and very chill about it. I even sense that they are happy not to have to deal with time sheets and logistics.

One of my other, self-appointed, jobs is taking care of the chickens and the geese that are located in a pen out back. I make sure they have ample food and water and collect the eggs. Funny how chickens or chooks as they are called in Australia can guilt trip you for taking their eggs. Every day I come by and find one or two chooks sitting in their little barrel guarding their eggs. As I reach underneath their skirt to grab the eggs they make little clucking noises and have this slight panicked look in their eyes. It makes me feel bad, but only until I think of the bacon and eggs I’ll be having the next morning.

The geese are a different story. I am at war with them. There is a big blue bucket full of water for them to cool off in. A rope is tied to it through two holes in the side to help tip it to refresh the water. Every other day the geese have managed to undo the knot and pull the rope out. One rope just fully disappeared. When I made a new one I first tied it with a reef knot. That didn’t last. Next was 3 or 4 half hitches on top of each other. That lasted for 3 days. I tried the bowline next and it is still holding. I looks like I’m winning this battle!

It has gotten a bit busier at the house. Two family friends have come, like they do every year, to help out with the harvest. Jeff and Pat are a lovely couple that are retired fruit growers. Jeff is a jolly guy, always joking and in good spirits. Pat is a lovely, very polite lady with a good sense of humor. She had a stroke a few years back and moves a bit slower and is sometime a bit forgetful. But she deals it with very well and is lovely company to be around.
Another family friend which I became really fond of is Bernie. He is a 77 year old man who lives close by. He pops in now and then for tea or to help out. His sense of humor is amazing. Very dry and a bit sarcastic from time to time. I would tell him something and he would reply in his slight hoarse voice: ‘I believe you, thousands wouldn’t’. It just cracks me up. What a wonderful person.

Their oldest son, Daniel, came to help on the farm for a week. It was very nice to have him around. He is around my age and we ended up at his house one night with a box of beer and a bottle of whisky. That was a welcome change which I paid for the next morning.

The youngest son Luke, who has Down syndrome, is quite a character. He doesn’t like doing the dishes and every evening we have a bit of a tug of war to get him to help. I think he doesn’t really mind and just likes the game of trying to get out of this chore. I find it a fun ritual we go through daily. He is a good kid. Nice, polite, a good worker and quite independent. I like that he is not treated much different than others because of his disability, as it should be. And it makes him a full and enjoyable member of this wonderful family.

The last week has been a bit hectic. Adrew’s mother passed away one night and as you can imagine everything changed. As he was busy taking care of all the arrangements and legalities, work on the block had to continue. With this family being so great to me I was glad that I was there to step up and take care of a few less things for him to worry about. As a result of his mom passing I got to meet most of the rest of the family that came down for the funeral. And not just Andrew, Roslyn and their sons are great, but everyone I got to meet are warm and kind people. A bit rough around the edges but all with hearts of gold. I was introduced as ‘part of the family’ by Roslyn and Andrew and they really made me feel like I am.

Next to meeting many new people I did and learned a lot of new things. I learned a lot about growing and harvesting grapes for dried fruit. I drove quad bikes, dirt bikes, 4 different tractors and a 1927 Ford model T truck. I fired a firearm for the first time in my life and went trapping rabbits. It is not allowed to ‘trap’ rabbits anymore so we used ‘mechanical restraining devices’. The only thing I caught was but of fur and all rabbits escaped to live another day. I swam in the Murray River, saw kangaroos (my first ones), goannas, a bearded dragon, cockatoos, parrots, pelicans and weird bugs. Enjoyed many beautiful sunsets, saw a dust storm and awed at the night sky seeing a million stars on a black canvas. I learned to hate flies with a passion since they are abundant and ever present and end up near your eyes, ears end sometimes in your nose.

Another thing I learned is that do not speak English in Australia but Australian.

A few examples:

Breakfast is brekkie, lunch is dinner and dinner is tea. Yesterday is yestie and afternoon is arvo. Chickens are called chooks and baby chickens (chicks) are called chickens. A work break is smoko and thanks is Ta. Goodbye/ see you later is Hoo roo and a cooler/cool box is an eski. Something broken is stuffed and tired is buggered. Although buggered can be used for a lot of things and you can say bugga when you hit your toe or something like that. If you are sick or angry you’re crook and a beer bottle is a stubby. A gas station is a servo where you fill up your pick-up truck or ute.

I also got introduced to a ‘camp oven’. You start by burning vine stumps and Mallee (type of tree) stumps to create coals. You put those coals in a drum cut in half or in a hole in the ground. Put whatever ingredients you want in a heavy cast iron pot with close fitting lid and put that on the coals. In this case it was a big chunk of beef, leg of lamb, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and dough to make dampar, a type of ‘bush baked’ bread. I found it a very interesting way of cooking and everything was delicious.

 My new family really went out of their way to give me the full Aussie experience. And as said before they made me feel very welcome as they ‘adopted’ me into their midst. I will surely miss them when I leave this place and am glad to know that I always have a welcome home to go to in Australia. 

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.

Melbourne at first glance

 If Sydney is suit and tie, business first and scotch on the rocks. Melbourne is casual Friday and a cocktail with an umbrella. The city breaths creativity, quirkiness and a laid back multi-cultural atmosphere.

I stayed in St Kilda, a suburb in the south of the city right on the beach. My friend Helen was so kind to offer me a place to stay for as long as I needed. She made me feel very welcome in her house and in Melbourne. On the first day she gave me a guided tour of the city. Her enthusiasm and love for Melbourne is very contagious and definitely got to see why she liked the place where she lived so much.

Coming from Europe nothing in Australia is really old or breathes history. But I did get that feeling a little bit in Melbourne. The city is a mix of older buildings and architecture mixed with modern and progressive. The old shot museum in Melbourne central is a perfect example. The old shot factory is the center of a modern mall that has been built around the tall brick chimney covered by a giant glass cone. It illustrates how Melbourne is a modern progressive city without losing sight of their heritage or losing that old atmosphere.

That atmosphere is also found in the little lanes that run in between the big streets in the city center. Small graffiti covered alleyways are the home of cozy coffee bars and artsy restaurants. The hippest clubs are found in places where you would expect dirty needles and the ever present smell of urine. And it is not even the bars or little shops that are the hidden prizes. It is discovering them in the most unlikely places what makes it so interesting. The rooftop bar is a great example. Helen showed on the first day. We walked up to the 6^th floor following a grimy looking stairwell. Faded posters and graffiti covered the walls. The floors we passed held award winning restaurants and at the top we found the proverbial cherry. A small bar to the right, fake grass with chairs and tables, a food corner and a DJ booth to the left. And all around the tall buildings of Melbourne CBD. Old school hiphop pumping through the speakers as people enjoyed a beer in the open private space in the middle of town. An absolute gem.

What caught my eye and I feel illustrates how Melbourne is way more laid back than Sydney is the way the council warn for trams/metro trains. In Sydney it would be a sign saying to PAY ATTENTION! in a stern way. In Melbourne they opted for a picture of a Rhino on a skateboard. It brings the message across in a funny, friendly and yet very effective way. I thought it was genius.

Just cruising through the city there is a lot of art in the street to enjoy. Wire figures crossing a bridge. Bronze people waiting at the bus stop, a big bow on top of a bridge with one of the pylons of that same bridge transformed into a cocktail bar. Big pillars that shoot 5 meters tall flames in a rhythm. All along the banks of the Yarra River that snakes through the city you can find artsy and quirky things like that. But also the biggest casino in the Southern hemisphere. It took me about 15 minutes to walk from one to the other end and I still hadn’t seen everything.

Continuing my exploration of Melbourne enjoying street artists and musicians performing show their skills on every corner, I found heaps of good sushi places to satisfy my sushi addiction. There is a large population of Asians living in Melbourne. Ranging from Malaysian to Japanese. But the biggest group are the Chinese. There is even a Chinatown district in the city. Helen wanted to show me a restaurant where she and her boyfriend like to go and get dumplings. It was god food, but I will never eat there again, since they had shark fin soup on the menu. That really made me angry. I understand that it is normal in their culture, but that this is not China. And I was surprised that Australia would allow those backwards practices within their borders.

When I had enough of the city, I would read a book in the botanical gardens or take the tram back to St. Kilda and relax on the beach watching kite surfers fly by skimming the waves. The skyline of Melbourne in the background with small yachts and their colorful spinnakers engaged in a weekend race. Or just stroll along the Esplanade past Luna Park, where kids have a ball riding almost antique rollercoasters and other rides. And past the many bakeries with their windows full of sweets and pastry.   

As you can tell I really like Melbourne and would like to come back there. The only thing that u tem off a little was the weather. The first couple of days it was not very warm and they can have all seasons in one day. But I guess that fits this city, divers in every way.

A Sydney NYE

It was around 1 pm when we left Byron Bay. A German guy named Tony, who I’d met in Cairns. Jamie, a guy from San Fransico, and myself in a red Holden commodore station wagon with all or belongings stuffed in the back. Our destination: Sydney. Our goal: watching the world famous fireworks which they ignite form the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Since we left a bit late in the day, due to Tony’s talent of being unorganized which turned out to be a source of annoyance throughout our trip, we decided not to drive the 768 km in one go. We stopped for the night just past Port Macquirie in a little town called Lake Cathie. We bought some bread, cheese and cold cut meat to whip up a travelers dinner and drove down to the beach. At a beautiful spot in a nature reserve overlooking the beach next to a sign that said NO CAMPING, we pitched our tent and turned in for the night. Tony and I both had a tent to ourselves and Jamie slept in the car. It had been several years that I had camped and I got reminded why I don’t do it more often. I woke up with an aching back and ants crawling over my face.

But we did get greeted by an amazing sunrise. The sun hidden behind a slither of clouds, its golden rays creeping towards the beach over the blue gray water of the Pacific Ocean. Waves crashing on a small cluster of boulders shimmering like opals as the sunlight bounced of reflected by the water running off its sides.

Camping illegally and with the town waking up slowly we didn’t linger long, packed up our stuff and left for Sydney. Since we woke up quite early, we arrived in Sydney at around 11 am.

 The first day and night we spend with Slim and Stav, two of Jamies friends, who lived in the North part of the city. We played some footy in the park and went out for some drinks in the afternoon. Jamie would stay with his buddies for a few days, but Tony and I only had the one night we could stay there. So as soon as we arrived in Sydney, our main goal for the day was finding a place to stay for the coming night. And somehow we managed.

Tony knew some girls he had met on Fraser Island that lived in Clovelly, a suburb in the south eastern part of town, close to the famous Bondi Beach. We stayed there for a few nights, chilled on the beach and went out in Bondi. 

The funny thing about traveling in Australia is that you keep bumping into people you’ve met briefly at the other side of the country. I met Kyle, a Canadian guy who I did a pub crawl with in Cairns. Irene and Norman who I’d met in Byron Bay 6 months ago. And Jossline, my French, who Tony and I shared a room with in the hostel we worked at in Cairns.

The 31^st of December arrived. Time for the big party we came here for and it seemed like the entire city was full of anticipation. All over town where parties and events for New Year’s Eve. All of which you had to pay a lot of money for to stand in a too crowded area paying too much money for too little drink.

Stav and Slim had invited a bunch of people to an old BP site near Balls Head Point on the north side the Bridge.

A big circular area, with a tall 10 mtr high crescent shaped cliff of brown and red colored rock at the back and an amazing view of the Harbor Bridge and the city in the front. A group of 15 to 20 people where there to come watch the fire works together. Of course there were more people there but it never got crowded. In an attempt to keep most of the crowd out we had put up some red/white danger tape and a cardboard sign that said ‘Private Function’. It did not look official at all and was meant more as a joke than a as a serious barrier, but it worked! Lot of people walked up to it, read the sign, saw a rowdy bunch of tipsy people playing music and acting a fool and walked on.

All of the public space in Sydney had become an alcohol free zone for the New Year’s celebrations. The police came by twice in force to confiscate any alcohol. I didn’t mind since I disguised my vodka as apple juice and the police did not take it. There was a cute police officer amongst them and Tony and I took the opportunity to chat her up. We asked her if she could meet us after her shift with the bottles that they had taken. She seemed inclined until her sergeant gave her shit for chatting with us. It was all very funny.

The moment we had waited for was upon us. Midnight and the start of one of the biggest and most well-known fire work shows in the world. With cameras at the ready and drinks in hand we counted down and let the spectacle wash over us. It was an impressive show that lasted for 12 minutes. Fireworks were ignited form the bridge but also from several barges that were spread out over the harbor. All beautifully orchestrated, timed and color coordinated. 

After the fireworks most of the crowd dispersed and head for home. As did we. Tony and I accompanied Dan, one of Jamies friends who lived in Sydney, to his place in Kirribilli. Right next the house of the prime minister of Australia. I was so tired that I crashed on the couch and fell asleep right away.

The next morning was again all about finding a new place to stay and doing that with a hang over is not advisable. But we did manage. We moved to the house of girl I’d met in Cairns. The last spot was located in West Pymble, a suburb so far out of town it was almost not a part of Sydney anymore. She lived with her parents, who were incredibly friendly and hospitable. They really made us feel at home, although they didn’t know us and I only had a drunken conversation with their daughter in bar 3 months ago. We stayed for 2 more days, visited a fancy night club in the city center and chilled on the beach with friends for Tony his 24^th birthday on the 3^rd of Jan. 

A week after Tony and I arrived we left Sydney. He had found a farm to work on, to acquire his 2^nd year visa, near Melbourne and I decided to tag along and check out another city.

I had a good time in Sydney, met some cool people and made new friends, but I do not really like the city. It feels a bit un-personal, uptight and pretentious. It is see and be seen. Fancy shoes and button up shirts. Egos bumping heads. No room for humor. Rules and regulations for everything. I’m sure not everyone will agree, but this is my take on the city and was happy to leave. To continue my adventure in a place where I feel more at ease. Where they are a bit more laid back, where they don’t take life that serious and therefor get more out of life.

Xmas down under

Christmas is a time to come together with your family, sit around a Christmas tree, stuff your face with copious amounts of food and hope that it starts snowing so we can all have that magical white holiday every one is always raving about.

In Australia it is no different. Replace the snow with a golden beach and the pine tree for a palm tree and the Christmas spirit is all around you.

Although my ‘real’ family is on the other side of the world I feel very lucky to have found good friends here in Oz to call family too and they have made this Christmas the memorable success that is has been. I was lucky enough to have three dinners in the company of old and new friends.

The first one was an early one. On Saturday the 21^st of December I was invited to attend a dinner at Emily and Pierre their house. Two good friends I’ve met in Byron Bay 4 months ago. Maya, Hannah, Stephen, Megan and mixmeister Sam where also there. I helped Emily and Peirre prepare the food during the day before the others arrived. That was good fun. I had never prepared a full Christmas dinner before and neither had Pierre or Emily. So with each other’s help and that of google we slaved in the kitchen to make something beautiful. With a cold beer in hand and good music playing in the back ground Pierre and I focused on the mean course, while Emily was building an awesome 4 tier cake. And running around stressed out making sure that everything was ready and how she wanted it before the first guest arrived.

We made Turkey, oven baked stuffing balls, a glazed ham, sprouts with bacon, roast veggies, roast potatoes, cauliflower with a cheese sauce. We reduced red cabbage with red onions to make a deliciously sweet as a replacement for the cranberry sauce, Yorkshire puddings with gravy. And to top it off Emily presented her 4 tier, chocolate, cheese cake, banana cake cake. It all turned out amazing.

To quench our thirst mixmeister Sam, who is a bar tender and cocktail magician, made an amazing Christmas punch with rum and fresh fruit to wash down the feast.

The little ‘resort’ where Pierre and Emily lived was lit up completely. All the house where beautifully decorated. The one had more lights and propped up Santas than the other. That really topped of an amazing evening and made the Christmas feeling almost palpable. We ate and drank and laughed until we could eat and drink and laugh no more and went to sleep. An amazing kick off to the holiday season.

Two days later I had a Christmas eve’s eve dinner with some peeps from the dive shop. Colin, Becky, Matt Glenn and I where invited for dinner at Gemma’s place. I hadn’t seen most of them for 4 months and it was good to catch up. Gemma had made pigs in blankets, roast veggies and potatoes, Yorkshire pudding with beef and gravy and mince fruit pies with chocolate ice cream. Again a delicious meal. Instead of the punch we drank wine and listened to all the classic Christmas songs. Chris Rea, Mariah Carey, Wham!, the whole shebang. It was a lovely, low key dinner and a reminder to me how much I like hanging out with the people from the dive shop.

And then Christmas day came. The day of the big dinner at the dive shop with 13 people. Most of them new interns for their divemaster course from all over the world. By the time I arrived the preparation where in full swing. Colin was the chef and I the sous chef. Veggie where being cut, stuffing made, birds stuffed, salads prepared. It all ran very smoothly. Since we did not have an oven at the dive shop and we had two birds to cook, we used two ovens in two different houses spread across town. Christmas day is also about relaxing and having a few drinks during the day, so I sacrificed myself to be the designated driver and drive back and forth between ovens and dive shop to check on the turkeys. No drinks for me until the turkeys were done at the car safely parked back at the house. But Colin hooked me up and was waiting for me with a nice rum and coke so I could catch up with the rest.

We definitely had too much food. For some reason it always turns out like that when we make dinner at the dive shop. We had two stuffed turkeys, a honey glazed ham, roast potatoes, parsnips, pumpkin and carrots. Steamed broccoli, a spinach tomato feta cheese salad and pigs in blankets. To make it a real Aussie xmas, we had 3 kilos of shrimp for on the Barbie. It was nothing less then a feast. As desert there was pavlova topped with strawberries and blue berries. Becky had decorated the table and we had bonbons (crackers you pull apart with small toys and jokes inside).

After everyone was stuffed like the birds we just devoured, cleaned up and head upstairs for some good old drinking games. We drank and joked and laughed. It was an absolute success.

Since I am continuing my travels through Oz on the 27^th it was good to have these evenings and dinners with the people that are a travelers family. I’ll miss them, but I’ll be back in Byron Bay to have some more party and QT with these beautiful people I am pleased to call my friends.

Cairns Adventures

On the 25^th of August I arrived in Cairns to pursue a career in diving and escape the relative ‘cold’ winter in Byron Bay. It is the 17^th of December now and once again I’m on the move. This time to pursue my 2^nd year visa in the form of farm work and escape the hot, sticky and wet raining season of Far North Queensland. A new adventure lies ahead still to be experienced and written. This story tells the tale of my stay, adventures and shenanigans in Cairns.

When I first arrived in Cairns I had no job and little money. I stayed in a hostel named Globe trotters international for the first week. Apparently the hostel was popular amongst Germans, since they where coming out of the woodworks here and I decided not to linger there very long. I moved to Nomads Serpents bar in North Cairns and worked for my accommodation and meager meals as housekeeping at first and later as the shuttle bus driver. It was fun being in a hostel for a while. I’ve met many new people and had a few crazy nights out in town. But sharing your room with 3 others, sleeping in bunk beds and being kept awake by the noise at the bar outside my window grew quite dreary quick enough.

With only $70 in my bank account and not a real lead on a job I got a call from Seastar Cruises. A small (35pax max) boat that goes out to the reef every day. I did two trial days and became the new scuba instructor on Seastar. Every day I would go out to Michealmas Cay, a sandbar on steroids inhabited by 20.000 odd birds. They are noisy and with a strong easterly wind also very unpleasant on the nose. Luckily I spend most my time under water, leading introductory divers around in the magical world called Ocean. The magic did fade after a while. Doing the same little circuit around the same bommies for the 100 time gets a bit old. Check out the giant clam here, say hi to Nemo there, pet the sea cucumber behind this rock. You catch my drift.

The second location we would go however did not get old. Hastings reef is a mini wall formation just covered in corals. At this site I also did over a 100 dives, but there was always something new. Cool swim throughs, cuttle fish, colorful hard and soft corals, a black sea cucumber named Bob, reef sharks. Especially with good visibility the site was an absolute pleasure to dive. Even with retarded ‘I can’t swim but still sign up for scuba anyways’-intros on my tail.

Shortly after getting the job on Seastar I moved from the hostel into a share house. Ian the land lord is by far the most relaxed landlord I’ve ever met. The only two rules in the house where: pay rent (not necessarily on time) and find someone to take your room when you leave. Too easy. The people in the house where awesome too. Froya a gorgeous, super cool, half Norwegian/half English girl that also worked on Seastar. Ash and Shona, a crazy couple from New Zealand that worked for Mike Ball (the best and fanciest live aboard in Australia). Dave, an Aussie bloke who embodies the definition of chilled out. Rasmus, a bloke form Estonia who loved to complain about the weather. Bryce, a dude from Melbourne and the first and only assistant instructor I’ve ever met and Corrine, a young gullible German girl with a wicked fear of cockroaches. 

Since I’m naming the people I’ve met and lived with I feel compelled to try to name them all. I will drop the description although a few do deserve special mention.

My captain Anthony, a 20 year old Aussie bloke, who became my singing buddy over the radios we used on the boat. Vinnie, a Brazilian divemaster, who is nothing less than an absolute legend. And Ellen a cute Aussie girl which I had the pleasure of getting to know a little bit better.

And then the rest: Pieter, Kiana, Tina, David, Steve, Spencer, Tony, Siabhon, Emanuel, Molly, May, Danny, Leigh, Clem, Paul, Rens, Shane, Mel, Klaas, Chanti and I’m sure I’m still forgetting a few.

We had many fun evenings at the Pier Bar, which was located at the Marina and thus a perfect local watering hole for all the people who worked on the day boats. We would start the evening there with 2for1 drinks, $5 pizzas and bowls of Cajun wedges. Only to end up at PJ’s the Irish pub or the good old Woolshed where people dance on the tables and act a fool. Or we would have a BBQ or birthday party at some ones house and slay bottles of Captain Morgan and The Glenlivet.

I’m not saying we went out and got drunk every single night. We all had responsible jobs and worked 11 hour days so often enough I passed out on my bed before 9pm, but we had our fair share of party and laughs.

This story I’ve put a bit more emphasize on the people I’ve met. It is always the people that make travelling interesting or special, how beautiful or ugly the place where you are may be. In almost 4 months’ time I’ve done a lot of cool stuff and can’t remember as much details as I would like to write about it. I did get a bit lazy in that sense. So instead I’ll try to summarize some of the things I’ve done in Cairns and surroundings.

I did over a 100 dives on the Great Barrier Reef, went down to Ayr to dive the famous shipwreck Yongala. I did a road trip to Mossman Gorge with my good friend Maya, went four wheel driving through the mountains and got lost in the rainforest only to find our way a few hours later. I did 2 midnight Halloween bungie jumps. Visited the Atherton Tablelands where I chilled underneath a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the rainforest. I ate croc and Kangaroo, learned that Indian people should not sign up for scuba diving EVER. Swam in a crater lake, touched a seas snake, raced shopping trollies, won at beer pong, played pub golf, learned to ride a long board, got attacked by a bird while riding one, got introduced to amazing new music (katchafire, six60, spoonbill, hilltop hoods), burned 50% of my legs and left with a brand new octopus inked into my shoulder.

I will definitely go back to Cairns. I’m not done diving the GBR. I aspire to get a job with Mike Ball diving expeditions. That company goes to Coral Sea and ribbon reefs, the Codhole and osprey reef. All dive sites that will blow your and my mind. 4 of my (now former) house mates work on that boat and the landlord knows everyone in the Cairns diving circles, so I’m confident to get a job after I have secured my 2^nd year visa.

The tropical temperatures are also a big plus. At the moment I’m waiting at Coolangatta airport for a bus to take me to Byron Bay and for the first time in 4 months I’m wearing a jacket and shoes. It is that I hate rain more than cold or else I would jump on a plane back to where the warmth is (read: over 25 degrees).

I will spend the holidays with friends in Byron Bay and then I’m off to a yet to be determined location for some back breaking ‘regional work’ so I can stay and have more adventures. Life should be a big adventure and I’m definitely in one!