Broome... The Last resort!

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Current Mood: i need work!!

Broome

Ok so its not been as easy to find work as everybody had told me here in Perth. So as said before I have decided to head North. Way north. Im flying to Broome to escape the Madness of knocking around with Chrissy again and the, what feels to me like sub zero temperatures. OOOh and start work with the Pearl farms at last.

So after a few beers and a sad goodbye I got a ride to Perth’s domestic terminal for a three hour flight to the northern part of WA. In usual Niki Maguire style I arrived far too early which left me sitting in the bar supping on Crownies. On around my 4th bottle a good gang from the mines rocked through all on there way out to another stint in the dust. I was chuffed for the company but I had objectives in hand. I want mine work. So I got chatting to this fella called Cam who pointed me in the direction of an agency that is based in broome that would possibly get me out bush labouring for a few months. Good tip this later turned out to be but for now I was set on tapping away at pearl shelves for a month or two at least. Ding dong went the bell and the call was made. Down went the crown lager in best session rate and up I got for the stroll to the terminal.

It’s a funny one… Planes used to be and exciting experience to me just for the ride alone but now they seem to be a bit of a chore. Not that I catch heaps of them but im getting a fare few out here and sitting listening to the toffy lot I always seem to get stuck near I couldn’t wait for this flight to be over. Anyway the night was drawing in slowly… I watched the sun set from the air above the clouds, I fed my belly and slept for the best part of the way. On landing the pilot came on the radio to inform the holiday makers of the glorious weather Broome has been having of late. And there was me rugged up in my warmest jumpers especially sent out from home due to the bitter cold of the south. What a mug I must have looked. The doors opened and any memory I may have had of Darwin and its tropical heat seemed to have slipped my mind completely. Thank god id only a 10 minute walk from the airport to the hostel with my 27kg bag.. camera bag and skates. Yeah yeah I looked like the donkey heading off to Nazareth.

So my choice of room had put me inline with the last resort Backpackers which on arrival seemed to be a steal. 22dollars a night for an aircon dorm bed which let me tell you was needed. The following morning I would be in job hunt mode though this heat could have easily left me in the pool looking at the waterfall from the backside of it. So my first night was lame… I got a cheaky beer from the in house bar and hit the sack… the aircon was awesome.

Waking fully refreshed on the Thursday morning (24th April) I got me a shower and shot out in search of grunt labour to pick up the details for the supposed start with the farms on the Friday morning. To be honest I should have new it was coming from experience with Darwins Grunt office only at least they had a wicked girl with some humour about her working for them. Broome are simply shocking. I walked through the front door to get a stupid look through the bi focal lenses of the girl in charge following with ‘you know how we do warn you of about things that can go wrong with placements on the boats yeah???... well….. the boatsbroke down so come come back in three weeks and we might beable to get you on there… at some point or something!!!!’ well I just laughed and without even the idea of heading back there again pretty much told them to stick the possible three week away position up there arse..!!

No problems though im thinking. Id had the best bit of news about another agency known as Kimberly industries who not even 20 minutes later had got me a job for a furniture removals company, got me a push bike for work and got me a ticket to the Kimberly but this will be explained later. All I knew was I had the weekend free to see what the crack of Broome had on offer. By Friday morning I had a sun burn from hell but had rested on the best beach I had ever seen. Cable beach. Some craic to be had here let me tell you!!

It wasn’t long before I was a known resident in the backpackers. The gang in there were a good laugh and I was pretty content with the idea of working a resting in the place. They have a nice back area with a pool and hammocks and work was never really to far away. Monday morning arrived soon enough though and the grind of day to day living was soon to rear its ugly head. No more holiday time for me I’m thinking.

Well the company I work for is Grace Removals and the Broome branch is a funny one to say the least. Its filled with some crazey characters all of whom I now consider good friends. They are all in it to get the job done as quickly as possible and help you out as much as they can. My day starts with a 6km ride to work which isn’t so bad as its nice a fresh in the mornings with a sunrise to add to the pleasure. We then get into the yard and slurp on a cuppa before filling the eskies with icey cold mostly frozen bottles of water to keep us going through the day. Day one was nice enough.. got showed around the yard and a few of the ropes to get me on my way to being a furniture removalist. Day two would be a different deal though. I was to be heading out as a truckies offsider. I would be sitting in the truck next to the driver for a good 6 days supping on beers and doing the occasional drop off. It was mint. Most relaxed job ive ever had when on the road that is. Town brings sweat breaking graft. But anyway I would be heading out bush and the drive wouls send us up the Gib River road, the great western highway and into Kunnunura. I was nearly home by the end of the drive haah well nearly to Darwin anyway! It was great.

On the way back we had worked hard enough to allow us some swim time and Chris was kind enough to show me some cracking spots on the way back including tunnel creak and a few other lovely swimming holes. But with the smooth comes the rough and more often than not we were in and around town packing peoples lives up and settling people in. My memories of work in any job are always out weighed by the times I have in my spare time and at last resort I met some great characters. Most night we would treat our selves to a few beers at the bar and abit of food from the local chippys. I was mixing with all sorts of people too. In most cases you will generally see the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh grouping up, then you will get ozzie crowds, then your French lot, Japanese, Chinese all in separate sorts of clicks but this backpackers had a wicked mix and it was more like one group there. A few names to say high to are the likes of Hitomi Kondo (my favourite Japanese girl in the wolrld and everyboby elses for that matter) Melanie, my best mate from France, Little John the pool shark, Tony the ledgendary irish man with some sense of humour and tonnes more. Garry (irish) Gareth and Damien (irish), another ozzie Brett, Theresa and Laura the Swedes, Leanne from Nottingham. im sorry if I forget any of you. I had a blast with you all keep in touch. But inevitabally a move had to be made. After 7 weeks of abuse in the bar there a few of us had decided to head over nearer to Cable beach in the Caravan park. This would be the better chapter in broome I think so until then I will love you and leave you. Just know at home im working hard and getting to see the sights… love to you all.. stay tuned

Love from a Brummy

Miss you all kids.. love you all millions

Niki

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