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Published: March 20th 2009
warning: some readers may be emotionally affected by my recent hardships.....I'm living in an old abbatoir, in the middle of nowhere (the biggest thing happening in town is a steam train passing through at the end of the month) , getting paid pennies, and I have to get up at 3.15 am, AM people!!!!
Yay we got a job! 2 hour bus journey from Brisbane and we were dropped at a tiny place called Thulimba, where 'Dom' was to pick us up. Over comes a guy in a uht, we pile our bags on and he says walk across the road. OK, all fine. So the 10 of us nice clean backpackers walk across the freeway where this ozzie bloke says, jump on the back! 10 people plus luggage don't fit comfortably on the back of a trailer, see the video on facebook......
Anyway we get a quick look at the farm then its off to the hostel, 35 minutes away. Imagine all those scary films about backpackers, yup, that's it. It used to be the staff quarters of an abbatoir, which is lying on ruins around the hostel. So, as we were instructed in our arrival briefing, sometimes there
are strange meat kind of smells and you might see the odd huntsman spider..... But really you get used to it, honest. It's like home and what with getting up at 3 am, I have never loved my bed more! The hostel is in a wee place called Warrangarra, population 20something I'm guessing. It's split right across the NSW / Queensland town which means theres an hour's confusion about what time of day it is, quirky. There's a shop / petrol station, cushion shop???, post office, 2 pubs and a railway station. We're locals at the pub now and when we enquired how often trains pass through we were informed ' oh, we had one the other week.'
The pub that we frequent, Jennings Hotel, is owned by the nicest ladies (we even got a round on the house on Wednesday after a particularly rubbish day.) They also have a horse / dog, Mr Max, the biggest but gentlest dog ever. Sunday avo is the best, roast dinner at the pub, and on our first week, they made a cake for Stef / Beckys birthdays, swweeeet.
The ladies have also offered to accompany us on a wine tour (this is
market day at the station
a once a month event, such an occasion! homemade cakes, sooo cheap. can't wait till next month!!!vineyard country) so hopefully my next blog will be full of some tipsy tales.
And work. We get up at 3or 4am, get driven to the farm, where we sit in the dark and cold! until the sun comes up, grab the apple picking bags and march down to the paddock! We have a tractor for our team with a trailer of bins. And everytime we fill a bin, we make 40 dollars, whoop, between us. Its very hard work, up and down ladders, bending over backwards and generally risking our lives for the odd apple. Not making too much money, but we're getting quicker so fingers crossed. We also got a tour of the apple packing factory this afternoon, fascinating stuff I promise!
Anyway my weekly time on the internet is almost over, off to upload some photaes for your viewing pleasure. Oh and to get a Mothers Day card!
xxx
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Aunty L
non-member comment
Granny Smiths
hey Nic, you and Stef must be super fit, climbing up and down these apple trees! Every time I see an apple I will realise how girls like you, risk life n limb apple picking for them to arrive unbruised in tesco's.for folks like me .. You are champions. Hope you enjoy the home made cakes at the Market this week-end and woo hoo I believe a steam train is a coming thru Wallangarra. Can you stand all that excitement? xxxx