Outback Livin'

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So...finally, an update for you guys. A lot has happened over the course of the last week. I have taken a job at a hotel in the outback. It is called The Leichhardt Hotel in Conclurry. The nearest major center to here is Mt. Isa, which is a good hour or more away. Really, that "major" center is only a city of 23,000 people. Haha! Oh, and you should also note that I am in one of the hottest places in Australia. It gets into the 40 degree mark here on a regular basis. YUCK!!! I came here with my English friend Rachael. It will be a very, very different experience than any of the others I have had thus far, and a major shock to the system after spending so much time in a big city like Brisbane. I am looking into whether working here (in such a remote location) qualifies for second year visa status. Typically you need to do agricultural work, but sometimes bar work does count if you are in a certain postal code...we'll see. The money is really good. We work a ton of hours, but those hours are equivalent to great pay, so it will enable months of traveling without having to work later.

I am feeling a little homesick for Brisbane already, but I know it will pass. It's funny how much people come to feel like family in such a short time out here. Two months with the same people day in and day out. It was hard to leave them, but you constantly remind yourself that you are here to travel and it's all part of the experience. The upside is that I have Rachael here too, and we're going through it together.

We are planning to stay here in Conclurry for about 12 weeks. We are doing work in the lounge, the pub, the bottle shop and the kitchen. After that, we are planning to travel up to Darwin and then work our way around the west coast. We may end up meeting up with a couple that we know from Brisbane and traveling awhile with them. So, I am really looking forward to that as well. Seeing this whole massive continent is really what I am here for, so each time there is something new to look forward to, I get pretty excited.

I hope to hear from you all soon too, so that you can update me on what's going on at home. I try and check the local papers on line once a week or so, but still...pretty out of the loop. Love you guys.

xoxo

Heather

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