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| The huge Australian flag on display infront of one of the numerous vineyard cellar doors in Margaret River, Western Australia. |
At the time of writing it has been 14 months / 61 weeks / 426 days since I set off from Sheffield and It's been near enough a year since my last post. A lot has happened since then (obviously!) so I'll have to go for a kind of summary of some of the highlights. So without further ado...
I finished my year in Australia...
I had some truly spectacular experiences and met some amazing people, lots of whom I'll be sure to visit in their own towns and cities around Europe and the UK.
Well, when I'd left Melbourne, where I'd spent most of my time destroying my savings and drinking most nights I became "Dan the man with the plan"; deciding to spend the rest of my time in Australia knuckling down and working. Earning money to fund my next leg of travel - South East Asia.
A quick recap of my time in Australia as there's no way in hell I'd be able to retell everything:
- Spent Christmas and New Year's Eve in Sydney
- Went on a 40 day road trip from Melbourne to Perth (and back again, including 'nipping upto' Ayer's Rock)
- Worked for over 3 months at a golfcourse in Kalgoorlie
- Worked at vineyards in Margaret River
- Spent my last 3 nights in Australia camping in Perth, with two Germans I'd met in Kalgoorlie
I completed regional work for over 3 months at the golfcourse in Kalgoorlie (what a place!) and have therefore qualified for my Second Working Holiday Working Visa. The idea is to make use of that second visa in a few years, when I have a driving license and a good plan for work. You don't have to use it straight away.
One of the bonuses of working at the 'course was that I learnt to drive, and not just on the Workmen / golf buggies - an actual tractor and an actual pickup. So now I'm looking forward to getting my license at the next available opportunity.
My idea to get into construction or mining fell short when I realised I would have no chance of getting my foot in the door with only a handful of months left on my visa. The other thing was that not having a driving license was a huge disadvantage. Next time I'll get serious with work as soon as I touch down off the plane!
As the remaining few months ticked by I was getting really itchy feet and slumped into a kind of limbo, wishing I was anywhere else. My mind turned to home and I started to have a few pangs of homesickness.
I've come to understand that I am indeed a 'city boy' and not made out for these rural towns for extended periods of time. My sanity just can't take it!
Rather than attempt a mammoth post bringing everything upto date, I'll just get this one out of the way then it'll be easier to get going again. Quite a few times I've tried to restart writing but always put it off.
So chew on this for a little while!
Some pictures. The golfcourse photos aren't mine, and I hope no one minds if I slap them on here.
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| A typical vineyard (didn't work on this one) |
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| Some weirdo, forgot his name |
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| Front - back (Falk, Flo, Shekar) |
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| Pete aka Steve Irwin on one of the Workmen |
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| Steve (left), Falk (the other left) |
