Life on Woothakata farm

HELLOOOO!!!! I know it has literally been forever since I last blogged but I managed to temporary steal a computer & figured I should let you all know Im alive & give a brief update as to what I'm up to. First of all since the last blog I've taken a job working on a farm near a tiny town called Mareeba which is about an hour away from Cairnes. The farm is actually really beautiful & very secluded which explains my lack of communication & how many wild aussie animals I've already seen. My main job is to help the kids with their schooling-officially I'm the "home tutor" (basically a nanny although just to irk me the kids call me their governess). The family hs been great so far-the parents Marg & Greg & they have three kids. Kate & James are 12yr old twins ( I say they're 12-teen because they both act like their going on 16). Kate is always dramatically changing from day to day one baking up a storm, another painting or drawing everything in sight, yet another claiming to turn "goth". It keeps the house very interesting. James is a hard worker who seems to walk a thin line of trying to prove his manhood & still have time for fun & games. By hour two I had learned not to argue with James & just let him win because he is always getting into heated debates. I keep telling him he should be a lawyer when he grows up. Troy is 10 just about to turn 11 who had a very relaxed attitude about everything. He also seems inheritly allergic to shoes or pants as no matter what he's doing he runs around in shorts & barefoot. It absolutley carcks me up how he races around the property on his quad barefoot or goes hunting in the woods barefoot. I have come to realize that growing up on a farm in the middle of nowhere makes them pretty responsible from a young age & most days its hard to tell whether I'm taking care of them or they're taking car of me.

I was thrown into farm life from day 2 when I had to help brand the poddies ( which are like adolescent cows) & muster up the other herd of cows. A typical day for me begins with feeding the critters at 7am ( I know-I MISS the days of sleeping in!)...and by critters I mean shove my way through the herd of poddies to give them their pellets which they shove me back, nibble my shirt, knock my hat off before I even make it to their trough. I gained a little more respect from them recently but some days I just dont feel bad about eating meat. I also have to feed the herd of horses their molasses when they wander up to the fence. Some mornings when I'm lucky I'll see a passing pack of kagaroos or the emus will come up to the kitchen window looking for handouts. The kids start school 8:30 sharp & then its hitting the books till they've finished. In the evenings I'll help with a few jobs around the farm & then I usually go hunting for pigs woth Troy...and by hunting I mean he has the gun & I have my camera & he tells me to hide behind a tree until he says its safe for me to come out. The whole family myselft included has gotten hooked on Australian Idol & religiously watch it every Sunday night & I'll occasionally use my cell phone to text votes in for our favorites.

So the pictures posted are: Troy pretend punching me in the arm ( even though we usually end of wrestling & if you look closely enough there is a huge bruise from him); The daddly Emu & his little baby chicks; James & Troy burning a Stussy symbol into the ground ( yes I taught them the ever classic Stussy symbol); Troy hunting with his 22 rifle; week old baby calves so Cute!! they are Brahman cows by the way; Troy rolling past the house on an oil bin-oh farm life!; Troy, James & Kate on their motor bikes; pretty little stream on property with Troy in what I think is a classic Huck Fin look in the corner; James hanging on the OUTSIDE of the truck as he usually does; Kate on one of her creative days; James on his quad; cute farm dogs-& yes they are the herding working dogs; horses coming up for feed in early morning sunshine; some of the herd; wild Emus chilling on lawn behind house

Time to head off...new destination

So its been one whole week of training on Joe's cattle farm near Gympie where I've had more than my fair share of new experiences & found myself very surprised at all the things I could do when I set my mind to it. I have learned many things but among them the biggest realization is that while I try absolutely everything, farm life is not for me (especially extended stays).

I have been truly greatful for the loving yet backbuilding experience & family feel Joe & Peta along with Mr. & Mrs. Mooney, Scottie, & numerous farm/herd dogs provided for all of us. I think the best way to describe it is like Swiss Family Robinson meets Laura Engles Wilder with a pinch of the Bonanza feel to it. Mornings began at 6am sharp & by lunch time we had already put in a good solid six hours of work. My favorite tasks this past week were feeding the pigs, washing & herding the bulls, & the drive up into the hills (and by drive I mean serious 4 wheeling some steep terrain). There were many days when we ended very sore & exhausted from digging fence post holes, digging trenches, & setting up panels for the local Bull Sale this weekend. The food has been amazing with home cooked meals every night followed by spectatcular desert. Meal times were spent swapping stories of various colors & merry spirits. Afterwards everyone pitches in to clean up & tag team shower times while we try to one up eachother with bruises & farm related wounds. Despite nervous moaning & groaning I also had to learn how to use a chainsaw, drive a huge tractor, & ride a motorbike. Our small group has bonded quite well in the past few days already swapping emails & cell numbers with promises of keeping in touch as we embark on our new ways. Liz & myself have officially been dubbed the girly girls of the group with nick names such as Chatterbox, Miss America, Have a Chat. However it was unamimoulsy decided that we provided much needed comic relief & received A's in "communication" skills. Its nice to know my socializing can pick up the slack where my brute strength or construction skills lack.

Tomorrow I head North towards Cairns where I will be staying with a family doing a sort of nanny position & helping out with various odds & ends work on the farm with riding horses. So I need to finish packing...until next time!

Wow!!! What an incredible first week...that really feels like its already been a month. After one day & night in Brisbane Liz & I headed to Frasers hostel on Rainbow Beach where we had an awesome & very exciting first weekend in Oz. There we were roomed up with about six other girls doing the working program with us. We immediately hit it off with two other girls one from France (Bonjour!) & one from Scottland both of whom were down for anything & everything we threw at them!

Day three (sat. am) the day began by taking a ferry to Tin Can Bay where we fed some wild dolphins named Harmony & Mystique. I also spotted my first pelicans! They cracked me up too, & then I had to fend them off from the fish I was trying to feed to the dolphins. Then the people driving the ferry were super nice & let us bring our breakfast on board when it came late & it was time to leave. Later that day we had surfing lessons on the beach which was so much fun! Although I did not really get up (I did get half way a few times though) I had a blast & can't wait to try it again...& now I know I have to try to focus harder instead of being distracted by the cute surf instructor!

Day Four (Sun.) was just as much if not more fun than sat. We began sunday morning off by going kayaking to Double Island where were saw pods of botttle nosed dolphins swim right past our kayaks. It was so amazing! Then we ended the day with another amazing experience by sky

diving out of a plane 14,000ft up & landing on the beach!!!! It was crazy but so beautiful at the same time! It was just so great to be able to see all the spots we had been to that weekend from up so high & the water was just absolutely sparkling! After that I'm pretty sure the other girls in our room dubbed us the "wild crazy fun bunch". Really they were all too great oppportunities to pass up. After so much fun & playing we were ready to get down to business.

First Day in Australia!!!

YAAYY!!! We made it! We had a great, safe flight & temporary settling in Brisbane for our first day! The flight was about 13hrs which included 2 meals (& yes I totally geeked out & took a picture of it!) with loads of movies, games, music ect. to entertain even though I spent a large portion sleeping. We lucked out in the fact that Liz & I did not have seats next to eachoher because it encouraged us to befriend our neighbors & get up & walk around. While exhausted but at the same time excited so far we've already walked a great portion of downtown Brisbane while exchanging visas & whatnot. Currently I'm using the free internet @ the public library. Tonight is one night in a hostel called the Yellow Submarine before heading slightly south for the weekend & then on the move again to do a week of training before finding a job. My time's almost up but I'll do a quick summary. Within the first day of travels we have befriended new aussie contacts, chatted up a few locals, had my first Australian coffee & meal-Delicious!, & began life as a traveler living in hostels. Everything pretty much seems surreal at this point & I've already become snap happy although I realized I left my usb cord @ home...so I'll have to figure out how to upload pictures soon enough so be patient!

Alright I've added a few pictures from the plane ride Brisbane! Yay for pics.!!!

Packing my bags

So its not quite hello from down under yet, still trying to get everything together before heaading out. The official flight date is July 14th, so still a little time left before the wayfaring begins! At the moment I spending most of my time catching up with family & friends, squeezing in all those "...this is the last time we'll do this before you leave for a year!" moments. Slowly but surely I'm getting all my loose ends tied up & last preparations done. For anyone who may be fuzzy on the details of my trip here they are: In two weeks I fly south to begin my year long exploration of the beautiful & exciting country of Australia! I will be backpacking around with my friend Liz, traveling as much as possible & working through a program called Visitoz. I won't find out more about the specific work until I'm down there & doing the training but its supposed to be hospitality work, each job only lasting 2-3 months while we travel around! Plans aren't too specific yet as to where I'm going to go & when but as it is winter there right now we ideally want to head north first to catch the warmer weather. Thats pretty much all for now, so until next time...!