Yes, I'm still alive!
I've been working on Thevenard Island, for the Mackerel Islands 'resort' for about a week now. Things are quite fantastic here, busy but also lots of fun. I generally do a bit of everything from cleaning rooms to working in the general shop to waitressing. There are only about 6 staff here right now (plus the managers, but they and their daughter are away this week), and not many more guests. Things are, apparently, going to get quite busy in the next few weeks, though.
The island is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. There are fish all around, and I've even seen sharks, dolphins and stingrays off the jetty! All the other staff are awesome, and even the guests are usually pretty cool. It's the kind of place where I can wear my barefeet everywhere, and feel like I'm dressing up for dinner if I put my flipflops on. Lots of sand everywhere, so I haven't worn actual shoes since I arrived.
I'm still sorting out internet here, so for the moment I'm pretty limited with my access. But I promise I'm taking lots of photos and will show you how awesome this place is one of these days.
And now I'm off for a stroll on the beach, and then tonight I'm in the bar. Cool beans!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
I've just a few days left in Perth before I head up to the Mackerel Islands. I've been working a bit, packing a lot, and mostly getting out, doing the things I haven't fit in yet. Yesterday, for example, I went to the University of Western Australia and then to the Aquarium (AQWA).
At UWA, I met with one of the co-ordinators of the Science Communications program for a chat about their post-graduate programs, whether they're what I'm looking for and what I need to do/know to get in. She gave me a lot to think about but they have a very interesting set of programs, from a 1-semester certificate to a 2+year MSc. Most excitingly, though, they might be starting up a new MSc. program next year that would be a Diploma of Education (teaching qualifications) plus the Science Communications coursework. Very interesting, overall.
And the campus there is beautiful, right on the river, lots of old buildings. And, you know, palm trees.
Then I went on a public transit adventure up to the aquarium. I didn't get lost but, from UWA (1 bus ride from home) it took 1 bus, 2 trains and another bus to get to the Aquarium. But I did get to see lots of areas of Greater Perth that I hadn't seen before.
The Aquarium's in an area called Hillary's Boat Harbour. In addition to AQWA, there's a shopping/restaurant area (think Londsdale Quay), a huge marina and boat launch, posh housing and the department of fisheries. Big, busy place in the summer, I expect, but it was pretty quiet yesterday.
The Aquarium covers pretty much the whole of WA in its various galleries. Most fascinating, for me, is that all their exhibits have live coral, not artificial. Although, that's got to be easier here, where you can just hop off to the ocean and collect some more, than at home. They also had leafy seadragons, some very cool fish, sharks and rays, and Australian sea lions. Pretty nice place, but I think I've been spoiled - it sure didn't compare to seeing some of these things in the wild!
I took photos but my camera's out of batteries, so I'll put them up another time.
Three more sleeps until I head up north!
At UWA, I met with one of the co-ordinators of the Science Communications program for a chat about their post-graduate programs, whether they're what I'm looking for and what I need to do/know to get in. She gave me a lot to think about but they have a very interesting set of programs, from a 1-semester certificate to a 2+year MSc. Most excitingly, though, they might be starting up a new MSc. program next year that would be a Diploma of Education (teaching qualifications) plus the Science Communications coursework. Very interesting, overall.
And the campus there is beautiful, right on the river, lots of old buildings. And, you know, palm trees.
Then I went on a public transit adventure up to the aquarium. I didn't get lost but, from UWA (1 bus ride from home) it took 1 bus, 2 trains and another bus to get to the Aquarium. But I did get to see lots of areas of Greater Perth that I hadn't seen before.
The Aquarium's in an area called Hillary's Boat Harbour. In addition to AQWA, there's a shopping/restaurant area (think Londsdale Quay), a huge marina and boat launch, posh housing and the department of fisheries. Big, busy place in the summer, I expect, but it was pretty quiet yesterday.
The Aquarium covers pretty much the whole of WA in its various galleries. Most fascinating, for me, is that all their exhibits have live coral, not artificial. Although, that's got to be easier here, where you can just hop off to the ocean and collect some more, than at home. They also had leafy seadragons, some very cool fish, sharks and rays, and Australian sea lions. Pretty nice place, but I think I've been spoiled - it sure didn't compare to seeing some of these things in the wild!
I took photos but my camera's out of batteries, so I'll put them up another time.
Three more sleeps until I head up north!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Back to Freo
Like many Australian things, Fremantle has a nickname. Freo. Don't ask me why but Aussies like to abreviate strangely. Like MacDonald's is Macca's, Sharon is Shazza, and Fremantle is Freo. My friend Cat (we met on the tour up to Exmouth) came down to see Fremantle for the day so it gave me an excuse to take some photos of where I've been working and living for the past while.
For the past few days, this US ship has been in the port. 4000 American sailors have been wreaking havoc on the town (although I think they're gone now). Apparently this ship's big enough to have its own McDonald's. Just one of many ships in port, though.
Freo, like many places here used to be a prison colony. The Round House was an important building for some reason.
And now it's got a nice view.
Or it does on sunny days... About two minutes after I took this, we got completely and totally drenched. Huge winds, sideways rain, the whole thing. The beach there is usually much nicer looking; it's where we take our school tours to do beachcombing.
To escape the rain, we went in to Cicerello's, where I work. The place was packed but I got a few photos.
And then you can't have a Freo day without either the markets or a street performer. We did both but the markets were too packed for photos. Instead, here's a crazy pirate who's a world record sword swallower. We didn't stay for the sword swallowing, though!
***
Almost forgot! All over the place here, and up the coast, there are these crazy birds, some sort of cockatoo. They make the most annoying sound! And in Exmouth, I managed to get a video of them squawking away. They're way up in a tree so it's a bit quiet but enjoy! And imagine them squawking outside your house, all afternoon!
http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=-877096535557880775
(I can't check it on this computer so let me know if it doesn't work!).
***
In other exciting news, I'll be leaving Perth very soon (but not WA)! I'll be going to the Mackerel Islands near Onslow, WA (www.mackerelislands.com.au) to work at the hotel/resort there. I leave the city on the 15th and arrive on the 16th and plan to stay for 4-8 weeks. I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing, other than 'a bit of everything'. Probably cleaning, in the restaurant/bar, in the shop. The plan is to work there, then try to see some whale sharks (again), then fly out east by end of July/beginning of August.
The islands are known around here for their amazing fishing and diving, so as long as I can get out on the ocean every now and then, I'll be a happy camper. And it should be easier to save money up there, too. I think I'll have some internet but not much. But I'll definitely keep you all posted!
And good luck to Mahssa and Tom, who are moving to London, England today!
For the past few days, this US ship has been in the port. 4000 American sailors have been wreaking havoc on the town (although I think they're gone now). Apparently this ship's big enough to have its own McDonald's. Just one of many ships in port, though.
Freo, like many places here used to be a prison colony. The Round House was an important building for some reason.
And now it's got a nice view.
Or it does on sunny days... About two minutes after I took this, we got completely and totally drenched. Huge winds, sideways rain, the whole thing. The beach there is usually much nicer looking; it's where we take our school tours to do beachcombing.
To escape the rain, we went in to Cicerello's, where I work. The place was packed but I got a few photos.
And then you can't have a Freo day without either the markets or a street performer. We did both but the markets were too packed for photos. Instead, here's a crazy pirate who's a world record sword swallower. We didn't stay for the sword swallowing, though!
***
Almost forgot! All over the place here, and up the coast, there are these crazy birds, some sort of cockatoo. They make the most annoying sound! And in Exmouth, I managed to get a video of them squawking away. They're way up in a tree so it's a bit quiet but enjoy! And imagine them squawking outside your house, all afternoon!
http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=-877096535557880775
(I can't check it on this computer so let me know if it doesn't work!).
***
In other exciting news, I'll be leaving Perth very soon (but not WA)! I'll be going to the Mackerel Islands near Onslow, WA (www.mackerelislands.com.au) to work at the hotel/resort there. I leave the city on the 15th and arrive on the 16th and plan to stay for 4-8 weeks. I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing, other than 'a bit of everything'. Probably cleaning, in the restaurant/bar, in the shop. The plan is to work there, then try to see some whale sharks (again), then fly out east by end of July/beginning of August.
The islands are known around here for their amazing fishing and diving, so as long as I can get out on the ocean every now and then, I'll be a happy camper. And it should be easier to save money up there, too. I think I'll have some internet but not much. But I'll definitely keep you all posted!
And good luck to Mahssa and Tom, who are moving to London, England today!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
West Coast, part 3 (the last part)
Day 6
We woke up to find it raining, unfortunately. Today was the big snorkelling day on the Ningaloo Reef. It didn't stop us from getting into the ocean but we all spent the whole day pretty wet. The free tea/coffee on the tour bus was such a treat! First up we snorkelled in Coral Bay, about a 10 minute walk from the hostel (about as far from the reef as you can be in Coral Bay). We were out for about 90 minutes and then, thankfully, could go back to the hostel for hot showers and second breakfast. Then we all hopped on the bus to Exmouth. It's a pretty short drive, less than 2 hours. We went and checked into the hostel, ate some lunch, and then headed out for our second snorkel.
This time it was a bit of a longer trip, maybe 45minutes on the bus until we arrived at Turquoise Bay in Cape Range National Park. It was still raining but pretty much everyone trooped out across the sand. We had to walk quite a ways down the beach, first to get away from a rip current (that would take us out to sea) and then further along the beach as Turquoise Bay is a drift snorkel - what a treat! We spent about 2 hours in the water, I think. Went so quickly, even with the rain on our backs. I saw so many different fish - really big wrasses and triggerfish, lots of different clownfish, and more that I haven't got names for yet (I need to get an Australian fish book!). The best thing we saw, though, was a green turtle! It was about 50cm long and was completely okay with us getting quite close (less than a metre away, for sure). We got to watch it chomp on some coral, come up to the surface for air, and just bob around in the current. I'd have watched it all day but it started getting close to the rip current that we were to avoid. And it was time to head back on to the bus back into Exmouth.
Exmouth isn't really a big place but after Denham and Coral Bay, it seemed huge! Even though only 3000 people live there, it's quite spread out. We were staying in little backpacker caravans in the Exmouth Cape Caravan park. It's just been redone (new owners, I think), so was quite nice. Only problem was, we were in town just in time for the first rain the area's had since about October so it was really muddy! As you can see, the mud's a lovely brownish-red colour and has stained the bottoms of my feet! We had dinner across the road at the pub that night, then I had an early night so I'd be ready for my reef adventures the next day.
Day 7
Woke up to a lot of rain, which made it tough to get out of bed. But as it was to be my whale shark snorkelling day, I was actually up in plenty of time! Unfortunately, after a lot of hanging around and waiting (mostly in the dive company's minibus), they made the decision to cancel the trip. The boat would have been fine but a huge part of having successful whale shark trips, and the reason they are so expensive, is that they send spotter planes out along the reef to find the sharks. In the rain, though, the planes are unable to see anything in the water. I was a bit upset because there were no spaces left on the next day's trip, but I was able to get a full refund and book onto a trip for the next day.
Ended up spending some time in the internet cafe that was across the road from the caravan park. And then next to that is a second hand bookstore (aka heaven in the rain). The owner was super nice, offered me a cup of coffee and just left me to it for a good hour or so. Picked up something easy so that I'd have it for the long (but very very straight) trip back down in a couple days.
As it was ANZAC Day today, most people had the day off. Being a tourist town, though, at least the supermarket was open. On my way to the supermarket, though, I ran into Lindsay and her friends. They'd arrived into town early that morning and after a nap, had headed down to the Returned Services Bar. ANZAC Day, while similar to Rememberence Day, basically consists of an early morning service followed by lots and lots of drinking. So, we all went to the bar for free beer, met some really awesome people (veterans, RAAF personelle, and locals). They play this game called two-up that I really don't understand but apparently it's quite easy to both make and lose a lot of money at (I didn't participate!).
Went back to the caravan park to make some dinner, and hung out with the other girls in my caravan for a bit. We walked down to the pub for a live band that night but, as I was to be diving the next day, went to sleep relatively early.
Day 8
This should have been a really great day. If I've already talked to you about it, then you probably know it wasn't. The dive company picked us up at 8 (us being myself and another girl from my caravan, Charly). We went to the dive shop and were there told to return at 10:30 because they were waiting for a small part for the boat to come in. We went back to bed for a bit, then back to the dive shop. The skipper at this point had the part and was working to install it as quickly as possible. So, we headed to the mooring about 20 minutes away. Here we hung around from 11 until about 12:30, at which point they decided they were unable to get the boat to work and the dive was cancelled.
At this point I was pretty angry because not only had my dive been cancelled (although I would get a refund), I'd had my whole day wasted. If they'd cancelled it earlier, Charly and I would have been able to go out in a car with the two others from our room and get some snorkelling in. It wouldn't have been as good as diving but they did see a shark and a turtle - better than nothing, really.
I ended up geting a bit grouchy at the owner of the dive company because at this point, I hadn't been able to do any of the things I was really looking forward to in Exmouth, and I had to leave first thing the next morning. Although it wasn't all his company's fault, I still felt like they'd wasted two of my days; I spent at least nine hours over the two days hanging around waiting to see if things would be cancelled. So, he gave me a voucher that, if I am able to go back to Exmouth, would give me about $200 off a 3-day package (1 whale shark day, 2 diving days). At this point, that's the plan - work a bit and then head back to Exmouth in June or so.
Even though I had a really disappointing day, I really wanted to make the best of it. It was finally sunny by the time we got back to the caravan park. Went for a bit of a swim, started writing up this blog, read my book by the pool. Lindsay et al. got back from their whale shark trip (the one I'd have gone on if there were room), where they didn't see any whale sharks but had a good day diving and snorkelling. We ended up just having one of those really fun nights you can really only have when playing cards on a picnic table! I learned to play 6-handed Italian Rummy, which is definitely something I'll have to remember for Nelson Island!
Day 9 and 10
These days were pretty much spent on an Easyrider Bus for an Express trip back to Perth. The first day we went all the way to Geraldton, back in the land of traffic lights and cell phone reception. It was a bit odd, to be honest. We got into the hostel there at about 5:30, so were able to have a nice night near the beach. There were just five of us on the bus, plus our driver, Graham. We all got on well, so was quite a fun day! The last day we only had about five hours left to drive, and then by about noon, we were back in Perth!
Overall, it was a really awesome trip even though I didn't get to do everything I'd planned. I'm trying to figure out how I can bac up the ceast, maybe getting a job in one of the resorts up there or something. I'll keep you all posted, for sure! I hope you enjoy the photos, and sorry for being so long-winded at times!
*And don't forget that you can click on any of the photos and see all the others ones I took. There might even be some fun comments to go with them if I was in the mood when I uploaded them!
Well, that's my whole trip. I hope I didn't bore you too much! At this point, I'm working on figuring out how to get back up the coast so I can see the whale sharks and the reef. Working somewhere up in the area is seeming very likely at this point, and I should have more details soon! Yay!
We woke up to find it raining, unfortunately. Today was the big snorkelling day on the Ningaloo Reef. It didn't stop us from getting into the ocean but we all spent the whole day pretty wet. The free tea/coffee on the tour bus was such a treat! First up we snorkelled in Coral Bay, about a 10 minute walk from the hostel (about as far from the reef as you can be in Coral Bay). We were out for about 90 minutes and then, thankfully, could go back to the hostel for hot showers and second breakfast. Then we all hopped on the bus to Exmouth. It's a pretty short drive, less than 2 hours. We went and checked into the hostel, ate some lunch, and then headed out for our second snorkel.
This time it was a bit of a longer trip, maybe 45minutes on the bus until we arrived at Turquoise Bay in Cape Range National Park. It was still raining but pretty much everyone trooped out across the sand. We had to walk quite a ways down the beach, first to get away from a rip current (that would take us out to sea) and then further along the beach as Turquoise Bay is a drift snorkel - what a treat! We spent about 2 hours in the water, I think. Went so quickly, even with the rain on our backs. I saw so many different fish - really big wrasses and triggerfish, lots of different clownfish, and more that I haven't got names for yet (I need to get an Australian fish book!). The best thing we saw, though, was a green turtle! It was about 50cm long and was completely okay with us getting quite close (less than a metre away, for sure). We got to watch it chomp on some coral, come up to the surface for air, and just bob around in the current. I'd have watched it all day but it started getting close to the rip current that we were to avoid. And it was time to head back on to the bus back into Exmouth.
Exmouth isn't really a big place but after Denham and Coral Bay, it seemed huge! Even though only 3000 people live there, it's quite spread out. We were staying in little backpacker caravans in the Exmouth Cape Caravan park. It's just been redone (new owners, I think), so was quite nice. Only problem was, we were in town just in time for the first rain the area's had since about October so it was really muddy! As you can see, the mud's a lovely brownish-red colour and has stained the bottoms of my feet! We had dinner across the road at the pub that night, then I had an early night so I'd be ready for my reef adventures the next day.
Day 7
Woke up to a lot of rain, which made it tough to get out of bed. But as it was to be my whale shark snorkelling day, I was actually up in plenty of time! Unfortunately, after a lot of hanging around and waiting (mostly in the dive company's minibus), they made the decision to cancel the trip. The boat would have been fine but a huge part of having successful whale shark trips, and the reason they are so expensive, is that they send spotter planes out along the reef to find the sharks. In the rain, though, the planes are unable to see anything in the water. I was a bit upset because there were no spaces left on the next day's trip, but I was able to get a full refund and book onto a trip for the next day.
Ended up spending some time in the internet cafe that was across the road from the caravan park. And then next to that is a second hand bookstore (aka heaven in the rain). The owner was super nice, offered me a cup of coffee and just left me to it for a good hour or so. Picked up something easy so that I'd have it for the long (but very very straight) trip back down in a couple days.
As it was ANZAC Day today, most people had the day off. Being a tourist town, though, at least the supermarket was open. On my way to the supermarket, though, I ran into Lindsay and her friends. They'd arrived into town early that morning and after a nap, had headed down to the Returned Services Bar. ANZAC Day, while similar to Rememberence Day, basically consists of an early morning service followed by lots and lots of drinking. So, we all went to the bar for free beer, met some really awesome people (veterans, RAAF personelle, and locals). They play this game called two-up that I really don't understand but apparently it's quite easy to both make and lose a lot of money at (I didn't participate!).
Went back to the caravan park to make some dinner, and hung out with the other girls in my caravan for a bit. We walked down to the pub for a live band that night but, as I was to be diving the next day, went to sleep relatively early.
Day 8
This should have been a really great day. If I've already talked to you about it, then you probably know it wasn't. The dive company picked us up at 8 (us being myself and another girl from my caravan, Charly). We went to the dive shop and were there told to return at 10:30 because they were waiting for a small part for the boat to come in. We went back to bed for a bit, then back to the dive shop. The skipper at this point had the part and was working to install it as quickly as possible. So, we headed to the mooring about 20 minutes away. Here we hung around from 11 until about 12:30, at which point they decided they were unable to get the boat to work and the dive was cancelled.
At this point I was pretty angry because not only had my dive been cancelled (although I would get a refund), I'd had my whole day wasted. If they'd cancelled it earlier, Charly and I would have been able to go out in a car with the two others from our room and get some snorkelling in. It wouldn't have been as good as diving but they did see a shark and a turtle - better than nothing, really.
I ended up geting a bit grouchy at the owner of the dive company because at this point, I hadn't been able to do any of the things I was really looking forward to in Exmouth, and I had to leave first thing the next morning. Although it wasn't all his company's fault, I still felt like they'd wasted two of my days; I spent at least nine hours over the two days hanging around waiting to see if things would be cancelled. So, he gave me a voucher that, if I am able to go back to Exmouth, would give me about $200 off a 3-day package (1 whale shark day, 2 diving days). At this point, that's the plan - work a bit and then head back to Exmouth in June or so.
Even though I had a really disappointing day, I really wanted to make the best of it. It was finally sunny by the time we got back to the caravan park. Went for a bit of a swim, started writing up this blog, read my book by the pool. Lindsay et al. got back from their whale shark trip (the one I'd have gone on if there were room), where they didn't see any whale sharks but had a good day diving and snorkelling. We ended up just having one of those really fun nights you can really only have when playing cards on a picnic table! I learned to play 6-handed Italian Rummy, which is definitely something I'll have to remember for Nelson Island!
Day 9 and 10
These days were pretty much spent on an Easyrider Bus for an Express trip back to Perth. The first day we went all the way to Geraldton, back in the land of traffic lights and cell phone reception. It was a bit odd, to be honest. We got into the hostel there at about 5:30, so were able to have a nice night near the beach. There were just five of us on the bus, plus our driver, Graham. We all got on well, so was quite a fun day! The last day we only had about five hours left to drive, and then by about noon, we were back in Perth!
Overall, it was a really awesome trip even though I didn't get to do everything I'd planned. I'm trying to figure out how I can bac up the ceast, maybe getting a job in one of the resorts up there or something. I'll keep you all posted, for sure! I hope you enjoy the photos, and sorry for being so long-winded at times!
*And don't forget that you can click on any of the photos and see all the others ones I took. There might even be some fun comments to go with them if I was in the mood when I uploaded them!
Well, that's my whole trip. I hope I didn't bore you too much! At this point, I'm working on figuring out how to get back up the coast so I can see the whale sharks and the reef. Working somewhere up in the area is seeming very likely at this point, and I should have more details soon! Yay!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)