Yes, I'm Still Here

 Hello and welcome back to my adventures! I was considering permanently halting the blog since it had been so long but I am back (for now) by popular demand. Since it has been so long since the last update I will briefly cover the last four months with some highlights and then jump into more recent events. 

The main event of March was a 3 week roadtrip with Ben and Josch from Melbourne to Perth:  

- Great Ocean Road round 2 (it's still pretty great)

- Spent a night at Yellow Rock Farm near the Victoria/South Australia border where there was an especially inquisitive goose that had we been allowed to we would have eaten for dinner

- Spent several days exploring the coastline of the Eyre Peninsula of SA. We chose to camp for a night in Lincoln NP and arrived midday to have a swim and hang out for the remainder of the day. Earlier, in the process of booking the campsite I did see that there was a bee advisory for the park but none of us were particularly concerned as sometimes these park warnings are a bit on the cautious side. It soon became apparent that this one was well warranted. We did manage to enjoy most of the afternoon by taking our chairs and table into the ocean and hanging out there, but when we emerged everything we left on the beach was covered in bees. I kid you not. I managed to extract my things without being stung but we immediately decided this was not worth staying the night, threw everything in the car, and hightailed it out of there. We instead stayed the night at Fishery Bay which was amazing. It's quite remote so the stars were incredible, there were emus roaming about, and the bay itself was simply magnificent

- We heard through word of mouth about a popular surfing spot just before the Nullarbor, I didn't do any surfing but had a delightful time exploring the shallow rock pools at low tide where there were so many starfish. The caretakers asked us not to share the location on social media as it has become too popular and being somewhat overrun, so even though I don't anticipate this blog going viral or most of you going there anytime soon I shall still keep my word 

- Revisited some old favorites in WA including Esperance and Cape le Grande NP, The Gap in Albany (I could still spend hours here watching the thunderous waves roll in and out), Denmark and Green's Pool

Recreated my picture from the first visit to Frenchman's Peak

Took the trusty Subaru on its first beach at Lucky Bay

- Finally got some decent kangaroo pics, I was very excited about this seeing as it had been over a year

- Visited Augusta, which is where the Indian and Southern oceans meet

- Hamelin Bay is beautiful but also known for its stingrays that feed along the shoreline and they were out and about while we were there

- Had to stop in at the Margaret River Bakery, which is quite well-known in the area and has fun couches for seating outside. My only complaint is that they don't let you heat up all of the sandwiches they have on display, only certain ones designated for heating.  Even the warm sandwiches are cold while on display so I assumed that even the cold ones meant to be eaten cold could be heated upon request but was heartbreakingly denied 

This final somewhat disappointing bakery stop brings us back to Perth that same afternoon. I spent one night there before returning to Kulin with Ben in tow to work for the Lucchesi family in late March where I remained until the end of June. My two favorite Irish backpackers (Callum and Laura, went to Thailand with them) returned as well, and living with them was an Englishman (Jake) who we discovered had actually also been in Kulin when I first arrived in November of 2022. We didn't meet back then but this year the four of us quickly became a close-knit group for the seeding season and they are who I spent pretty much every weekend with. Since they were all living together out the other side of town I actually just sort of moved in every weekend and made myself at home. They often claimed that they never officially invited me over but they sure seemed to enjoy having me around.

Kulin this time around brought both new and familiar experiences and here are some highlights: 

- Starting off strong, I got to help with the killing and dehairing of pigs! It was not nearly as horrible as I was anticipating and as long as you don't think about what's happening too much I would go so far as to say it's a fun group activity. We had a pig problem  so we were all pretty happy to see some go (there was a gang that escaped daily and became very adventurous, spending more time in the sheep feedlot than the pig pen and even getting stuck in a sheep pen once). I think we actually got rid of pretty much all the mature boars, so the population should be more or less under control for a while. I was also often responsible for feeding the pigs and they are unbelievably noisy and impatient during this process. 

First you put them in a hot bath (quite literally and of course after they're dead) and use shovels to hopefully get the coarse back hair off, temperature is very important here and evidently if you get it wrong it doesn't work properly, the hair doesn't come off, and everybody is miserable

After it's scalding hot bath we hang them up on a forklift and use tin lids to scrape off a bit more. Then they use a blowtorch to burn what's left and scrape it off with sharp knives. Next it is gutted and hung in the cool room. My role was mainly forklift driver and tin lid scraper

Me and my work bestie

- Hockey of course made a return to my weekly agenda and I still love it. I think I really improved this year and had so much fun. The B grade was very successful again this year (even though I scored significantly less goals than last year) and is currently still ranked at the top of the league! I also made my A grade debut and played a few games with them when they were short on players

B grade pals

A grade ladies

- This year netball and hockey games overlapped so I was only able to play one game of netball, but had a wonderful time doing so

Mick & Minnie's daughter and I in our matching netball dresses

- Sunday Roasts - Callum, Laura, Jake, and I had all been given various cuts of lamb and sausages from our respective farmers so each Sunday we would have a roast or a bbq dinner and have a few games of cards before I went home for the week. We did branch out a few times after we were a bit tired of lamb, but the spirit of the Sunday roast remained throughout

- Beans on Toast - I was also thoroughly educated on traditional Irish and English cuisine. Nearly every dinner we had involved mashed potatoes, I tried the classic beans on toast, and learned what a Yorkshire pudding is. It is not a pudding at all but a little bread cup that you shove a bit of mash and vegetables and gravy into to eat. They are sooo big on gravy. I was chastised for not having nearly enough gravy on my plate and for not being interested in drinking the leftover gravy plain. In the end I did give in and have a sip and that was plenty. I would absolutely not recommend drinking gravy straight from the saucer

- I had arrived back in Kulin just in time to attend Blazing Swan again this year with the theme of Neon Caravan. I went Friday night with some coworkers and then again on Saturday for one of the big ceremonial burns, the effigy,  which is always very cool. I was standing pretty far away but the heat coming off it was still quite strong. One of my favorite camps there is still the one that does toasties at 10 for obvious reasons. Another favorite this year was the roving quesadilla stand, but in order to get one you had to do something silly or sing a song so I did a wonderful rendition of Mary had a Little Lamb for them.

We graciously accepted a lift across the grounds on this neon, bike powered buggy

- There was of course plenty of time spent with Morgan and the sheep. They are still stubborn and stinky (both Morgan and the sheep haha) but it comes with the job and so you learn to love it. Or at least put up with it, for the most part fairly happily 

Occasionally my job involves attempting to catch or somehow get sheep that have been left behind or are on the wrong side of the fence where they're supposed to be. Most days I have time to be pretty dedicated to tasks like this if I choose and if I don't it's highly likely they will be forgotten anyways. This particular day I chased these two lambs down the fenceline towards a corner, but much to my disappointment the fence wasn't intact and they just went under it. However I didn't want them to be lost forever and I thought I'd at least herd them back towards the original fence so maybe someone else could find and catch them later. Luckily I took so long to get around them we had traveled a decent ways and in the path back to where we began was another corner, but a smaller angle and much more secure than the first so I was able to grab them both. I don't know if you've ever tried to chase lambs but they're quite speedy and neither my attire nor the terrain were suited for nimble movements. I was so proud of myself I just had to capture the moment. It's hard to see but that is pure and genuine delight on my face.

Had my first 12hr day, starting in the pitch darkness and finishing at sunset

The only time I could get close pictures of sheep without spooking them was while cleaning the water troughs, which I did thrice weekly. They just gather and stare at you...

Morgan and I transporting a rogue lamb

The lamb was actually wearing a seatbelt for obvious safety purposes

- I learned how to stick fish for yabbies this year, it is quite simple and surprisingly fun. It starts like regular old fashioned fishing with a stick and a bit of line, but instead of a worm on the end you have a chunk of meat. You throw the line into the dam and after it's been sitting you slowly lift it up while simultaneously scooping a net under the bait where there are hopefully many large yabbies waiting to be caught. If you are too fast and erratic with the lifting or too slow with the net there will be exactly zero yabbies and you are back to square one. Later I also got to help sort and pick out the big ones (done while alive) and behead the yabbies as only the tail is consumed (done not alive and after cooking). 

- Not sure if I mentioned this previously, but last year I allegedly (read definitely without a doubt was the culprit, also there were witnesses) smashed a mirror on one of the work vehicles by backing it into a post (I mean seriously, who puts a post in the middle of the shed where all the utes are parked??). I apparently felt like this was a fun tradition to start for myself, so this year's memorable glass smash was the rear windscreen of our beloved Nissan Colorado ute. We were tearing down some old fences and as one does we were tossing the old fence posts onto the back of the ute and one just kept right on sliding. I feel it is important to note that I have never done any damage to any vehicles outside of these to on the farm. Seems to be some bad juju for me there or something. But evidently of all the times rocks and whatever else have been thrown onto a ute at the Lucchesi farm no one has ever achieved the feat of breaking the rear windscreen so I think perhaps this could actually be win. 

I left Kulin on June 29, and because I was so dedicated to hockey I played my last game in a neighboring town that morning on my way to Perth. We won by several goals and I even won the award for B grade which was a happy surprise. You probably wouldn't guess it but over the years I have become a real softie and there were many tears to be had that day, the first wave somehow arriving before breakfast! Luckily Jake was catching a ride to Perth with me and after many goodbyes I made him drive from hockey so I could have a minor meltdown in the car. On the bright side, I finally got a picture with my farm family for those of you have asked in the past and in a way it's good to know there are people you will miss and who will miss you. Kulin will always be special. 

Mick, Minnie, and their children

I spent two nights in Perth visiting friends and running errands before taking off on my next adventure with a complete stranger. I found Jovi through one of the many backpacker Facebook groups (don't worry, it's quite normal and significantly less sketchy here). Our first stop on the road was Lancelin sand dunes where we did some sandboarding. I have to say it was a bit underwhelming, but I think we just chose a bad board because other people seemed to be able to slide along than us. Nonetheless we only wasted a collective total of $10 aussie dollars so not much of a loss in the end. 

Yes, I did wipe out

Later that evening we met up with Lea, who had worked just down the road from me in Kulin, at the Pinnacles Desert NP. We had a walk around at sunset and then did the drive through in the dark, stopping for dinner along the way. 

Lea, Leah, and Jovi

A few days later Jovi and I had planned to visit Stockyard Gully caves, and since I am not especially confident in my sandy 4WD abilities I was planning to walk an extra 10km to avoid any scenario in which I may get my vehicle stuck on the track in. It was a mildly insane plan but luckily a wonderful family made space in their vehicle for us and so we had a lift in and out with them. They were on the first day of their own big lap around Australia and fun to chat to. I do think the cave would have been worth the walk, but was also very glad not to have to do it. It was a lot bigger and longer than I understood it to be. It is 300m long so in the middle it is completely dark. 

Our next big stop was in Geraldton, to see Minnie's parents. I had met them several times on the farm and they are very friendly and gracious. We got there in the morning and then spent the day seeing the sights of Geraldton (seen below). In the evening we had a lovely roast dinner and while it had only been three days since we'd had a shower it still felt lifechanging to have a hot shower in a private home. I also managed to lose my Nalgene that morning somewhere between our campsite and Geraldton which was absolutely devastating. The site was very close so we did go back to have a look but it was nowhere to be found. 

Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral - I didn't take this picture but I just had to show you the inside. I had a very hard time taking this cathedral seriously with decor choices more reminiscent of a clown house

The big marble

I quite enjoyed this memorial for the HMAS Sydney II

The next morning we were headed to Kalbarri NP, stopping at Hutt Lagoon on the way. It is a pink lake which does look very pink from a distance but the closer you get the more brown it appears. Our first stop in Kalbarri was at Natural Bridge lookout because Lea had heard from someone else that there were lots of whales there and they were correct. There were whales popping up everywhere. We walked along the coastal cliffs for quite a ways in the afternoon to some of the other lookouts and then hung around to have dinner and watch the sunset from there as well before heading to camp for the night. 

On the agenda the next two days were the Nature's Window/Loop Trail and Z-Bend River trails. I much preferred the river trail. It quickly descends into the gorge and it had been raining a lot recently so the waterfalls were rushing and there was water over the path. Further down where the path becomes more rock climbing than path the water was rushing a bit more so I ditched my boots and continued on alone as my partner chose not to. I made it all the way to the river which was very muddy from all the rainfall. I spent some time exploring the rocks along the edge and found a nice spot for a shower that was much needed and refreshing. By the time I climbed out a ranger had apparently been round to stop anyone else from going down so we had gotten there just in time. At this point we are also getting far enough north in our travels to begin seeing the red rock and dirt which is both beautiful and a real pain in the behind. 

 

The best kind of shower- a nature shower

The beginning of the deep red rocks

It had been very rainy since leaving Perth, so from Kalbarri we jetted up into the Shark Bay area in search of warmer and more snorkel-worthy weather. There was not a whole lot to be found so we went rather quickly all the way to Exmouth over the next couple of days. The most notable stop along the way was Quobba blowholes (second most notable might be what was listed on google maps as a cactus garden we visited in Canarvon which just turned out to be someone's front yard). Unlike the blowhole in Albany (which I have not seen blow once) these were very active and got pretty high. Right next to them is the Aquarium, a protected lagoon that is good for snorkeling. It is very cool because the waves breaking further out look enormous and incredibly powerful yet the lagoon remains nearly flat. Once we'd had our fill of the blowholes we headed 10km down a wet dirt road to Quobba Station to camp, making an absolute mess of the car along the way. We spent the following day at the Aquarium before getting a few hours of driving in, and the day after we drove into Exmouth. For reference, we arrived in Exmouth on Thursday July 12. 

Friday and Saturday were two full days of diving for me and while I don't have many dives under my belt yet these were easily my favorite. Friday was to the main part of Ningaloo Reef and the best part was definitely seeing all of the sea snakes. I had never seen one before and I can't even begin to describe how cool they are. I think they're actually quite dangerous but they'll just come up to you, have a look, and swim on. Some of them were pretty big as well and I was glad those ones weren't as curious as the little ones. Another new sighting was a wobbegong shark which is just sort of funky looking. Saturday's dive sites were a bit further out in the Murion Islands and the second dive here was probably my favorite out of the two days. It was quite shallow but while the main reef of Friday was quite flat, this location was covered in enormous mounds of coral that we traveled around, through, over, or whatever route you felt like taking. It was a lot of fun. 

Jovi and I were parting ways in Exmouth so Sunday morning I did a bit of organizing in the car so I would be able to sleep in it. Then in the afternoon Jovi and I went to Turquoise Bay in Cape Range NP which is supposed to be a really good snorkeling spot where you drift along with the current which is fairly strong. Unfortunately it was very windy while we were there but not bad. I ran into someone who had been on the dive the day before and he said further out there is lots to see with reef sharks and turtles, but I didn't have any fins so I wasn't too adventurous. 

Monday morning I was feeling good and finally flying solo again as I drove all the way from Exmouth to Karijini NP where I spent the next week exploring all but one of its numerous gorges. First up on Tuesday was Dale's Gorge. It is an easy walk but one of the longer ones with many nice spots as you circle back to Fortescue Falls and Fern's Pool for a nice swim. Fern's pool was warmest swim in the park. 

Swimming pool at Fortescue Falls

Wednesday was Hancock Gorge which was probably the most fun walk and required going through the most water. There is one spot where you either have to swim or skirt around the edges and most people chose the latter. I decided walking straight through would be much easier, and it was, but it was also much chillier. I had to pause after that section to warm up in the sun before continuing on into shadier bits. Eventually I made it back up for lunch but I had to intentionally work to warm my toes up because I couldn't feel them. After lunch was Weano Gorge, but the best part of it was closed due to millipede infestation and the other but was honestly pretty boring so that's all I've got on that.

Thursday I hiked Mt. Bruce. It was very windy and required a good bit of rock scrambling on the side of a cliff which already makes me very anxious as someone who isn't too fond of heights without the addition of wind. At the top I sat there for half an hour munching my granola with a decent view of the Rio Tinto Tom Price mine site. Not much was happening besides the occasional big truck dumping some dirt but I was still intrigued, particularly by the fact that it was so close to the national park which seemed relatively unusual. By the time I finally reached my car I had shed as many clothes as possible on the way down because I was so hot so I made the trek back to Fern's Pool to have a swim to cool down and hopefully get rid of some of the smell. 

Friday I went in to town to fuel up, get some groceries, then saw a brochure and spontaneously decided to take a tour of the Tom Price mine. It was well worth it. This isn't the biggest mine out there but the scale of operations there is still fairly incomprehensible. Here are some things I found interesting and wrote down:

- They go through 1.2-1.3 Liters of fuel per week. T

- They produce roughly 100,000 tonnes of iron ore per day which amounts to roughly $12-13 million in raw sales

- One of the big haul trucks can't see small vehicles within 50m of them which is a heck of a blind spot

- 70% of the employees/the majority of operators and drivers at this site are women

- A haul truck costs about $4.5 million, tires not included. One tire is $45-50000 AUD and there are six per truck which need to be replaced every nine months

- I also learned that the site is actually within the boundary of the national park but since the mine rights were sold to Rio Tinto before the park was established it has been allowed to remain. As the various areas of it are shut down in the future the land will be reincorporated to the park

This bit here was mined over 30-35 years and is not even half of the way through the mountain

Me and a big digger - I hope I don't need to explain the coolness of this

Saturday I did Joffre, Knox, and Kalamina Gorges. Of these three Joffre was the coldest, Knox had the coolest view at the end of the trail, and Kalamina had the best swimming spot. 

Joffre from above

There was a large gap at the end of Knox Gorge that was glowing red from the sun hitting the rocks on the far side of it

One of my many selfies lately, in Kalamina Gorge

Sunday I left Karijini and drove nearly 100km through part of a mine site on a dirt railway access road to Millstream Chichester National Park. It took absolute ages and I was so bored because it was very bumpy and I had to go very slow. I don't want to jinx it, but it is somewhat of a miracle that my car is still in one piece with four fully functional tires after the last week and a half. I spent 2 nights the park there, choosing to spend the day in between at Deep Reach. This is a very important cultural site for the local indigenous tribe as the home of the warlu, or serpent. Thankfully I did not encounter any actual serpents while swimming there. 

This brings us up to date all the way to today when I left Millstream and traveled the short distance back to the coast to Karratha. Before sitting down to finish off this post I spent the afternoon purchasing new running shoes and testing them out - the shoes work great but the lungs could use some improvement. I've hit many of the big ticket items on my list of sights already so I don't really have a clue what the next few weeks hold but I suppose we'll find out soon enough!