Rum, Scooters & Whips

---

BUNDABERG
As we are coming into Bundaberg our expectations are not too high! Someone a the last hostel said hat they had just come from there and walked into the Federal backpackers, saw the state of it and walked back out again. Well they did warn us it is a 'working hostel'. They said there was writing all over the walls, but the motel next door was the same price and okay, so we had a back up plan. Driving through the town it was quite nice and modern! I even had a McDonalds, so free WI-FI! We called the hostel who picked us up in a dirty old work mini bus, full of mud. Mmmm!

Well, there are lots of other backpacker that we spotted en route! We walk into reception, which looks like a shop, they have no doubles, but can put us in a four bed dorm on our own. Okay Charlotte agrees, as long as we are not getting woken up at 3am by people going out to work! Our room is on the top floor or this lovely old pub/boarding house (possibly an old brothel, me thinks). Anyway the chap who takes us up there is friendly enough, although he only wants to give us under sheets as it is so hot! We do like a top sheet for comfort though.

Anyway we get to the room where two Irish lads have just moved out of that morning! A couple of pikey's we think, by the state they have left the room. Rotten food, meat and all sorts of stuff all over the place. But he cleaned it all out quickly enough. The two bunks were tiny, no way we were fitting on the lower bunks, so we made up the top bunks. I had a door with a swing window to the hallway and a couple of doors (with the tattiest flowery curtains) with swing window to the veranda. We jammed both swing windows open to get a breeze, but when we turned the fan on it was great. So all good!

We dumped our stuff and headed out to town. Well being a Sunday it was as dead as a dodo! We found a much needed ATM and headed down towards the McDonalds for a cheap supper and to contact you guys via the free WI-FI!

We head back and have a beer, from the hostels own bottle shop, in the beer garden. We get chatting to a couple of lads who are working in the town and staying over the road at 'The Cellblock' and old prison block turned into a working backpackers. Michael from Scotland and Jason from Ireland, both about 27 years old. They had landed on their feet when they arrived and got sent to the Tea Tree Farm. A lot easier than the back breaking fruit & veg picking. Both counting down the days until they can get out of there. Turns out you have to work in farming or mining for 88 days if you want to qualify for your second year working visa.

We go up and watch about 10 minutes of Austin Powers before we are both away with the fairies. We brave the showers, which are not too bad, pack our bags and check out. We get told to leave our bags on the other side of the room, they will be fine! So we did! And they were fine! We booked up with four others to go on the 11am Rum tour, head out and grab some breakfast from a local cafe (very nice Italian one) on the next block. Charlotte has a coffee and fruit toast to take away, whilst Liam indulges in a scone with jam & cream, in memory of meeting Charlotte's Nan for the first time. We are soon loaded into the work minibus again and driven by POM to the rum factory with instructions to call when we want picking up.

We have our photo taken with the big bottle of rum outside, before heading in, storing all of our stuff in the lockers (you cannot take anything in that has a battery as we may go BANG!), then have a look around the museum. We get to see where the Molasses is stored and get to try some. Yuck very much like a mixture of Liquorice and Black Treacle! Then we get to sniff the rum maturing in the big oak vats.

Finally we go to the bottling factory, but it is a four day week due to Australia day tomorrow. So they are all closed down. We get to see a video of what it would be like and then head off to the bar for our free tasters! Charlotte try's a nice chocolate liquor with cream, called a 'Dirty Harry'! Then a reserved rum on the rock's, very strong! Liam try's pre-mixed rum and dry (ginger beer), then rum, dry and lime, much nicer.

We call Pom, who takes us up to the top of a volcano to see the view's, which were lovely, then we go back to the hostel. Charlotte finds out on the return that he is called Pom because he came over to Oz over 40 years ago from Newbury. His ex wife told his daughter that he was dead! Turn's out her aunty saw her recently in a supermarket and they got chatting, saying that she had a niece of her name in the area. She said that her Dad was dead and the Aunty replied that he was not when she spoke to him on Sunday! They are now in contact again!

When we get back we go out for some much needed shopping. Charlotte's denim shorts split that morning, so she finds a new pair, Liam finds the Converse he has been after in a sports shop sale. We also find some sewing needles (we broke the last one) in a dollar shop and get 20% off of Lonely Planet guides, so pick up South East Asia on a shoestring. (Several people have recommended it and as our funds are getting a little low, we felt it was essential). We get back after a roll, in time for a lift to the Greyhound stop, again going north.

1770
We arrive into the town of 1770 or more commonly known as Agnes Waters. We were very curious about the name. Turns out it was called 1770 as that was the year Captain Cook landed here. We check in and are sharing a 4 bed air conditioned room with one other couple. We grab the beds by the window and they sigh a breath of relief to see we have left one lower bunk! We dump our stuff and rush out to order dinner from the bar as we have not had time to shop. But no, the chef left yesterday, Bugger! Noodles again it is then. We sit chatting, eating and drinking before turning in for an early night, in bed by 10pm again, what is going on!!!!


After a very pleasant nights sleep in the Air Conned room, up and out for a walk round town and a spot of brekkie. The walk to town took slightly longer than the walk round town (very much blink and you’ll miss it!). As today is Australia Day everything is on a half day (so they can be cultural and get pissed in the afternoon), so we buy some snags for dinner and head back to the hostel to cool down. The only bus leaving today and going north is at 9 o’clock tonight so have just a couple of hours to kill, we can’t even join in the Aussie Day festivities because Greyhound Buses won’t let you on if you’re drunk.

The time passes pretty quickly and before we know it we’re waiting at the bus stop, and we spy the two Irish girls from Gagaju. We have a quick listen to what they’ve been up to (They talk nineteen to the dozen, and it hard to get a word in.) and our bus pulls in.


ROCKHAMPTON
Three hours later we arrive for our brief stay in Rockhampton ( Arrive at 00.30 leave at 06.30) luckily we’re sharing a room with a couple who are also on the bus so we won’t be waking anyone up when we get to the hostel. We can’t make the fan work, but Charlotte spy’s the air con unit and boot’s it up. It gets so cold over night that we get the blankets out. Wonderful!

MYELLA
Up early waiting for our pickup for Myella, a little farm stay about 90km out of Rockhampton. The standard issue mini van (honestly every hostel has one!) duly arrives with a trailer in tow and Shane at the wheel. Next stop the bus stop to pick up our last couple of keen farmers, then Shane hands out disclaimer forms and the farm rules (Liam’s favourite, number 64 Vegetarians are not catered for, Sorry Mum!). Then the last pick up, Lynn the daughter of the owners and then we’re on our way.


An hour and a half later we’re their greeted with breakfast (there we go talking about food again) and the owners Peter and Olive. Peter gave Charlotte a bottle and she was soon feeding the little Joey that was part of a pack of Kangaroos that are partly tame and hang around the farm. Room allocation (no keys at this hostel!) a quick briefing later and we’re ready for the day. First up horse riding, there wasn’t a horse big enough for Charlotte but she happily saddled a horse and got them all good to go (yes she still remembers from Saturday school!).

Liam was given Trigger to ride and was told he was a touch temperamental! He got on and straight away Trigger was like a teenager not listening to any commands he gave him, so much so Lynn gave him a stick to use to give a little incentive. It worked we were riding! I think Trigger was named after the Only Fools character, not as Shane claimed Roy Rogers Horse. He had two speeds slow and standing, had incontinence issues and kept biting the other horses apart from that he was a good horse.

Half way round our little trek Shane saw I was struggling and we swapped horses now I had the pleasure of riding Scarface, totally different, a joy to straddle. All too soon we’re back at the ranch (literally) and Lynn Says to Liam “Was that Charlotte I saw on a dirt bike earlier?” “Unlikely, she had an accident on one years ago and hasn’t liked them since” was the reply “I think, my Dad (Peter) talked her in to it!” Sure enough it was Charlotte!

Indeed Charlotte was talked into motor bike riding by Peter, who she did not tell about the accident. As it was a one to one session Charlotte was up and riding in no time. Before I knew it Peter had led me out on the big track around the farm and I was qualified for a Sunset ride!

Next lunch ensued and it was a feast of pasta and salad with a good splattering of a fly’s! This afternoon’s agenda is motorbike training for Liam, which is a tad harder than expected as he is used to driving on the road and the bikes are slightly different as they are agricultural, so much lower rev’s. But Shane soon had everyone out and touring the farm.

Charlotte spent the afternoon chilling out, swimming in the pool and reading in the hammocks. It was time to milk the cows, so whilst Liam was having a snooze Charlotte went over with Lynn and the others. First port of call was feeding the calf’s before chasing the mum’s into the milking stands. Lynn asked Sylvia to show us how to milk a cow, as her granddad used to be a drover, Sylvia could talk ten to the dozen and talk all day and night! The cow milking was fun, if a little messy, but Charlotte soon got the hang of it and had a full pail of milk for the farm kitchen in no time. Next up was feeding the Chook’s and if you put some of the feed in your hands hundreds of Chooks would peck it which felt really funny. Sylvia bent Charlotte’s ear for a bit before Charlotte made her excuses and ran away.

Before dinner we decide a little sunset tour on the motorbikes was in order both of us jumped on the motor bikes and three others who had not done the motorbike training peddled up on mountain bikes. When we go to the sunset spot we got attacked by a million fly’s and were being watched by some very curious cows. We did spot a mountain in the distance that looked a bit like Ayres Rock! The sunset was okay but would have been much better if there were a couple of clouds in the sky to bounce the light off of. We head back to camp.

A bit of free time for showers and freshening up before dinner with some of Peters home made beer. Well Sylvia was at dinner on the other table so we had a bit of a break whilst eating. Peter and Olive soon disappeared and that left one couple and a man on the table with Sylvia. We felt a bit sorry for them so headed on over. But one by one they made there excuses and disappeared into the night. We were stuck with Sylvia who was sweet enough but we could not get a word in edgeways. Finally we made our excuses and popped of for a well deserved early night.

Up for breakfast and then a nice relaxing morning playing with the internet and chilling out before lunch. The others had been out horse riding all morning so once they get back we had a substantial lunch. I helped Lynn treat the horses eyes as there was an infection that was being transferred by the influx of fly’s.

Next up was Lasso & Whip training, we grabbed one each and followed Lynn our onto the grass. Funnily enough as we were going over the kangaroo’s did not move out of the way. On closer inspection it looked like one of them had the eye problem, so we treated him too. Then on to the lasso business. It was great fun and Liam soon had he rope twirling around his body, whilst Charlotte was better at lassoing the cone. Then came the whips. Charlotte got it straight up and was soon given a bigger whip to crack louder. After we got the standard whipping we started whizzing the whip over our head and cracking it in circles.

Liam went off in the back of Lynn’s truck to help bring up the feed and then we headed over for more calf feeding, milking of cows and chook feeding. Before we knew it we were back in the mini bus and on our way back to Rockhampton.

ROCKHAMPTON
We arrive back and check into our room at the YHA and finally pay for the stay! We take a walk up to the local supermarket and grab dinner before trying out the hostels kitchen. A good nights sleep and we are off to the bus stop again. When we get there we find out the other greyhound is running three hours late due to the bus it hitting a Kangaroo. Luckily ours is okay and we hop in.

---

Comments

[Beata and Tomek]

how cute;-)