I have been gone from Auski for 4 days now- and already travelled 2400km. Taking the long way back to Perth, I followed the west coast down, stopping in Exmouth, Shark Bay and Kalbarri. A few people have told me that the coral reefs in Exmouth are as good or better than the Great Barrier Reef, so I absolutely had to check that out. I drove for about 7 hours after leaving the roadhouse in the morning and managed to get a nasty car sunburn, complete with a bare stripe where the seatbelt rested. Hot, right? (pun!) Anyway, I got to a campsite at Cape Range National Park, about a half hour drive past Exmouth in time to have a quick swim and cook some dinner. I had a great campsite overlooking the ocean and not too close to the next occupied spot, but then these French backpackers roll up directly next to me! There were plenty of other good spots but they decided that that one was their choice. Grrrr. Already sunburned, tired and cranky, this did not help my mood. They proceed to set up camp and put on some obnoxious euro-pop. Not to mention the guy sets up his backpacker shower (basically a bag with a hose that you hang from the van and shower with) and is walking around buck naked. Normally I have no objection to occcasional nudity but they were being so annoying that it was just the icing on the cake. I went to bed grumpy and woke up grumpy because my air matress had a bad leak and was half deflated by morning. I rented snorkle gear from the information center and everything changed. I have never been snorkling before, being from the middle of a continent and all. It absolutely blew my mind. It was like a real life version of Finding Nemo, with clownfish and angelfish and anemones and all sorts of cool coloured things that I don't know the name of. When I first got in the water the snorkle scared me a bit- swimming in the ocean where I couldn't touch the bottom was terrifying. After about half an hour puttering around in the shallows I gave myself a pep talk about how lame it would be if I chickened out and then finned my way over to the deep end. Amazingamazing amazing.
The next day I headed to Hamelin Pool at the bottom tip of Shark Bay. In my second year in university, my professor showed us some slides from there- there are these formations called stromatolites that are basically living rocks that they thought were extinct since 550million years go until they found some in Shark Bay in 1956. The story is that they were the first oxygen-producing organisms and in their many millions of years of existance, changed the composition of the atmosphere to allow other more complex things to develop. During the lecture I remember thinking "that place looks like the middle of nowhere- I should go some day and check out those little critters- I owe them that much". To most of the tourists going, I am sure it was a bit of a let down "Look ma! those odd shaped rocks are sitting there producing oxygen! Cool!" Due to bad timing, I had to pick between the stromatolites or driving a further hour down the road to see wild dolphins swim into a lagoon at Monkey Mia to be fed. I of course chose the algae rocks! There are dolphins all over the damn place, but there are only stromatolites in three places in the entire world!
.... To Be Continued....
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Day After Tomorrow
No, no, I am not talking about a cataclysmic climate shift that will destroy civilization as we know it; in fact, the day after tomorrow will be quite enjoyable as I will be heading off to Exmouth, where my phone will work for the first time in 4 months and I won't have to smile at creepy truck drivers making inappropriate comments as I serve them their steak and sausage. Hurray!
I went for my last run down the Wittenoom road today and broke the 6km barrier for the first time since I got to Australia. This may have been motivated by the fact that I weighed myself the other day and I have gained a few pounds here and broken the 160lb barrier. I blame this on the fact that I have been eating roadhouse food for 4 months. Hopefully my travel diet of trail mix, cereal and fruit will also help in this respect.
As much as I bitch about being out here sometimes, it is going to be strange to be on my own again. I have gotten used to the company of other people after being all by myself in Perth for those few weeks and to be suddenly alone again will be a bit of a shock. I have a feeling that by the time I get to Sydney I will have a car full of imaginary friends and a habit of talking to myself. One must cope how they can though.
-A.
PS: I heard an interesting fact the other day- apparently the sky is literally bluer in Australia and especially in the Pilbara due to the oil evaporating off of certain eucalypt trees which reflects the blue spectrum more vividly than the normal atmosphere. This oil is also responsible for the particular fury of the Australian bushfire so I suppose it is a trade off.
I went for my last run down the Wittenoom road today and broke the 6km barrier for the first time since I got to Australia. This may have been motivated by the fact that I weighed myself the other day and I have gained a few pounds here and broken the 160lb barrier. I blame this on the fact that I have been eating roadhouse food for 4 months. Hopefully my travel diet of trail mix, cereal and fruit will also help in this respect.
As much as I bitch about being out here sometimes, it is going to be strange to be on my own again. I have gotten used to the company of other people after being all by myself in Perth for those few weeks and to be suddenly alone again will be a bit of a shock. I have a feeling that by the time I get to Sydney I will have a car full of imaginary friends and a habit of talking to myself. One must cope how they can though.
-A.
PS: I heard an interesting fact the other day- apparently the sky is literally bluer in Australia and especially in the Pilbara due to the oil evaporating off of certain eucalypt trees which reflects the blue spectrum more vividly than the normal atmosphere. This oil is also responsible for the particular fury of the Australian bushfire so I suppose it is a trade off.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Recession? What recession?
"Jaws" was on television last night- it seems a tad insensitive considering the 10 shark attacks in the past year, but then again, Aussies always seem to take things wiht a certain unique sense of humour, so perhaps not.
I have started packing up all my crap; I seem to have accumulated an alarming amount of stuff considering I have only been here for 4 months. Random items include a fly net, non-functioning flashlight (or torch for you aussies reading this), 3 cans of fly spray, a candle, a package of facial cleansing mask stuff, and several rocks. Not to mention all the clothes I somehow ended up with from departing staff. Time to purge! I think I am going to hang on to the books until I get to Perth and trade them in for new ones at the used book store. I think I am more frugal now then I ever was in university. I got to Auski with $30 in my pocket and literally what I had on my back (namely my clothes and backpack). I will be leaving with at least two bags, a car and $5300. Not to shabby, eh?
-A.
I have started packing up all my crap; I seem to have accumulated an alarming amount of stuff considering I have only been here for 4 months. Random items include a fly net, non-functioning flashlight (or torch for you aussies reading this), 3 cans of fly spray, a candle, a package of facial cleansing mask stuff, and several rocks. Not to mention all the clothes I somehow ended up with from departing staff. Time to purge! I think I am going to hang on to the books until I get to Perth and trade them in for new ones at the used book store. I think I am more frugal now then I ever was in university. I got to Auski with $30 in my pocket and literally what I had on my back (namely my clothes and backpack). I will be leaving with at least two bags, a car and $5300. Not to shabby, eh?
-A.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Flying Doctors to the Rescue!
A little excitement out at the roadhouse today- well maybe excitement is the wrong word... a lady showed up here having chest pains, so we rang up the Royal Flying Doctors and over the phone it was determined that she might be having either a heart attack or a blood clot in her lungs. We put her into one of the motel rooms and let her rest. The plane arrived about an hour later and whisked her off to Port Hedland, which normally would have been a 3 hour drive. What a brilliant service!
10 days and counting now and I can't wait. There are a couple people here that I will be happy to not keep in touch with, and I will leave it at that.
-A.
10 days and counting now and I can't wait. There are a couple people here that I will be happy to not keep in touch with, and I will leave it at that.
-A.
Friday, March 13, 2009
The Holy Land
Contrary to popular belief, the holy land is not Mecca or Rome or even Jerusalem. It is, in fact, Karijini National Park. I went there for three consecutive days am in geological ecstasy. The week started of wonderfully when I went for a run down the Wittenoom road and had one of those perfect travel moments. The sun was setting in front of me with the almost full moon rising at my back. The Hamersly Range on my left and the Fortescue Plains on my right with a ukelele song by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World) playing on my ipod. All I could think was "f*#k yeah, this is freaking awesome".
On Tuesday a few of us went to Hamersley Gorge by the little used back road, only accesible with a 4WD. Road isn't exactly the word I would use to describe it at times, tracking through stream beds and gorges, but the rough ride was worth it, when we came out at Spar pool which was a turqoiuse blue and had a small waterfall flowing into it. What got me was the amazing folds in the cliff faces. Better than anything I had seen in my Structural Geology textbook, I know at least a dozen people from my geo class who would have been giddy as hell to be there. Being the only geo on site, I think my companions didn't quite understand why I was skipping around taking pictures of the rocks instead of swimming. On Wednesday we went to Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool which was less geologically exciting but brought to mind scenes from the Blue Lagoon. This little tropical paradise in the middle of the outback. We had a steak barbeque and since I had the next day off, I stayed behind and camped out. For the first time in my life, I was so confident it wouldn't rain that I left the fly off my tent, all the better to see the full moon and the stars. I could hear dingos howling in the night, but I had seen a couple that day and being smaller than some coyotes I have seen, I wasn't too worried. It was such a pleasant feeling to not have to think about bear worries. Instead of large predators, I just had to keep an eye out for snakes and spiders, neither of which could open the zipper of my tent.
In the morning I headed down a dirt road on the other side of the park- at first I was a little sketched out by the apparent isolation. What if I were to break an axle or something? My fears were alayed when I pulled into the day use area at the end of the road to find a tour bus. I chose a hike headed in the opposite direction to the german tourists and may have got a little more than I had bargained for as the trail was rated class 5 (class 6 is the highest and requires rock climbing gear). The trail was indistinct and I had to take a ladder into Hancock Gorge. Despite the danger, it was absolutely worth it. It was no worse than some of the traverses I had done in the arctic, complete with wading through a waist-deep stream and scurrying along the side of a shale wall (not too high, I promise!). The reward was Kermit's Pool, this little grotto where the gorge is only about 3 ft wide at the top, but opens up below into a deep pool that empties as a waterfall at the other end. Past Kermit's Pool you were only allowed to proceed if you had proper rock climbing gear, so I turned around and headed back. If I went home tomorrow, this week would have made the whole damn thing worth it. Amen!
-A.
Me at Kermit's Pool after a half hour waist deep wade through a blissfully cool stream. Luckily I brought my toggs (bathing suit for you folk from the Northern Hemisphere)
My friend Rohan gazing at the little fishies in Fern Pool.
Fording a stream in the 4WD. That's Adam in the side mirror.
Adam falling into the water at Spar Pool as Andy stands and laughs.
Sweet sweet folds!
PS: There are heaps more photos but my bandwidth is limited so I will try and load some up on facebook this weekend.
On Tuesday a few of us went to Hamersley Gorge by the little used back road, only accesible with a 4WD. Road isn't exactly the word I would use to describe it at times, tracking through stream beds and gorges, but the rough ride was worth it, when we came out at Spar pool which was a turqoiuse blue and had a small waterfall flowing into it. What got me was the amazing folds in the cliff faces. Better than anything I had seen in my Structural Geology textbook, I know at least a dozen people from my geo class who would have been giddy as hell to be there. Being the only geo on site, I think my companions didn't quite understand why I was skipping around taking pictures of the rocks instead of swimming. On Wednesday we went to Fortescue Falls and Fern Pool which was less geologically exciting but brought to mind scenes from the Blue Lagoon. This little tropical paradise in the middle of the outback. We had a steak barbeque and since I had the next day off, I stayed behind and camped out. For the first time in my life, I was so confident it wouldn't rain that I left the fly off my tent, all the better to see the full moon and the stars. I could hear dingos howling in the night, but I had seen a couple that day and being smaller than some coyotes I have seen, I wasn't too worried. It was such a pleasant feeling to not have to think about bear worries. Instead of large predators, I just had to keep an eye out for snakes and spiders, neither of which could open the zipper of my tent.
In the morning I headed down a dirt road on the other side of the park- at first I was a little sketched out by the apparent isolation. What if I were to break an axle or something? My fears were alayed when I pulled into the day use area at the end of the road to find a tour bus. I chose a hike headed in the opposite direction to the german tourists and may have got a little more than I had bargained for as the trail was rated class 5 (class 6 is the highest and requires rock climbing gear). The trail was indistinct and I had to take a ladder into Hancock Gorge. Despite the danger, it was absolutely worth it. It was no worse than some of the traverses I had done in the arctic, complete with wading through a waist-deep stream and scurrying along the side of a shale wall (not too high, I promise!). The reward was Kermit's Pool, this little grotto where the gorge is only about 3 ft wide at the top, but opens up below into a deep pool that empties as a waterfall at the other end. Past Kermit's Pool you were only allowed to proceed if you had proper rock climbing gear, so I turned around and headed back. If I went home tomorrow, this week would have made the whole damn thing worth it. Amen!
-A.
Me at Kermit's Pool after a half hour waist deep wade through a blissfully cool stream. Luckily I brought my toggs (bathing suit for you folk from the Northern Hemisphere)
My friend Rohan gazing at the little fishies in Fern Pool.
Fording a stream in the 4WD. That's Adam in the side mirror.
Adam falling into the water at Spar Pool as Andy stands and laughs.
Sweet sweet folds!PS: There are heaps more photos but my bandwidth is limited so I will try and load some up on facebook this weekend.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Cool down
The weather has changed recently and the highs are only peaking at a chilly 32 on average. In the morning when I start work at 7, it is 21 degrees!! You almost need a jacket in that weather.
I have officially booked my New Zealand ticket and will be catching an overnight flight from Sydney to Christchurch on April 14 with a return from Auckland on May 15. I am actually getting a little nervous now that my days at Auski are numbered (19 to be exact!) I have done a little planning but still need to book a car rental and work out a few hostels. God knows what I am going to do in Christchurch at 4:15 am when my plane lands. It is a ridiculous time, but for $108 all told for the trip it was worth the suffering. A gal from my hometown lives in Sydney and works for VirginBlue Airlines. She has very kindly added me to her staff discount travel list and my flights are easily changeable and refundable. Three cheers for High Prairians!
Not much else to report, other than a bit of a staff shakeup out here- my friends Jene and Therese have left for a trip around the world and there are a bunch of new folks to get to know. With less than three weeks to go, it almost doesn't seem worth the effort, as awful as that sounds. I have met so many people in the past 4 months that I will probably never see again that it kind of bums me out sometimes. The price of being a transient, I suppose.
-A.
I have officially booked my New Zealand ticket and will be catching an overnight flight from Sydney to Christchurch on April 14 with a return from Auckland on May 15. I am actually getting a little nervous now that my days at Auski are numbered (19 to be exact!) I have done a little planning but still need to book a car rental and work out a few hostels. God knows what I am going to do in Christchurch at 4:15 am when my plane lands. It is a ridiculous time, but for $108 all told for the trip it was worth the suffering. A gal from my hometown lives in Sydney and works for VirginBlue Airlines. She has very kindly added me to her staff discount travel list and my flights are easily changeable and refundable. Three cheers for High Prairians!
Not much else to report, other than a bit of a staff shakeup out here- my friends Jene and Therese have left for a trip around the world and there are a bunch of new folks to get to know. With less than three weeks to go, it almost doesn't seem worth the effort, as awful as that sounds. I have met so many people in the past 4 months that I will probably never see again that it kind of bums me out sometimes. The price of being a transient, I suppose.
-A.
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