A busy month.... - Woodend, Australia
Woodend, Australia
Where I stayed
Noonan Grove
What I did
Mount Macedon
So!
It has been weeks since my last entry, which begs the question; what on earth have I been up to!
As predicted in my last update, I spent another few weeks working with Pete and Willy, living in the famous hostel, and partying with all the mad yins therein!
Damn good fun it was too. Obviously I took some time to explore Melbourne a little more. But there truly is so much to see there, that without a fortune to spend it's enough just to walk around and take it all in; or at least it is for myself. But I certaily managed to find some interesting buildings, lanes, and areas.
Chinatown is certainly a sight to see! Also many of the cities smaller lanes are basically given over as a amnesty-zone for graffiti artists, the result of which is far nicer than the average dingy alley in the UK. The mix of architecture alone warrants a whole page of writing, but I'll spare you from that!
There were some great outings to the nearby park, where they have public barbecues! We also discovered a cheap and rather lethal cocktail, which we dubbed 'the AC/DC of cocktails'. It earns this name by being, and I quote; 'the worst of Scotland meets the worst of Australia, and yet it makes something wonderful". I should explain at this point that cheap wine (usually bought by the box) is called 'goon' here. And I found a little bar that sold Buckfast! So naturally the two were mixed together, forming the all powerful... GOONFAST! Fun times ensued I assure you.
On the 7th we went out for Johnny's birthday, to a friends bar. I've never had such frankly unethical discounts on booze in my life, so that was damn good fun! Nothing too wild though, just a few choice folk and good chat.
Probably one of my highlights so far was with a few lads from the hostel - we were told about a rooftop near the city centre, just across the river from the casino. It was a 9-story building, and we got up to the roof by waiting for a tenant to leave, and then holding the door. But it was a beautiful building; an open centre with a ring of balconies, looking down over the shared swimming pool. So we took our drinks to the roof, and what a view! Normally rooftop bars in the city are super-expensive, so it was great to find somewhere with a spectacular view where you just brought your own! And from 9pm the casino complex across the river did something pretty amazing...
Along the river front there are 5 big stone columns (at least 30 feet tall), and on the hour they shoot giant gas flames up into the sky! With trains passing, the skyscrapers lit up, the fire reflecting on the water, the wavy Melbourne Aquarium just on our side of the river; it was pretty spectacular. Sitting with a cold beer, listening to our own music, and all for free!
On the 17th it was my (then) boss' 32nd birthday, so we went out with Pete and a bunch of folk to celebrate. After a short cab to the district of Fitzroy we spent the night in a few bars, before heading back to the hostel. I'm sure you can see that it was fun, and requires very little explanation!
If you really care to fill in the gaps in those stories, it's fairly safe to assume that I was working, then getting home and having fun with the hostel folks! And playing an unnatural amount of pool of course...
So on the 26th I headed for Woodend, 1 hour North of Melbourne by train, to start the first of my work-exchange type thingys. I use a website called Workaway.info to find people/places that are looking for backpackers like me to work in exchange for food and accommodation. It's a good way to move around! Go somewhere that isn't necessarily touristy, and instantly you have a place to live, food to eat, and company. Woodend is a typical small town for here, very middle class and quiet. It's surrounded by forested mountains, called the Macedon Ranges. There are endless brightly coloured parrots everywhere (instead of pigeons), as well as kangaroos and wallabies! Then replace the seagulls of home with giant gold-crested cockatoos, and you've pretty much got it.
So I'm living with Adam, a nice guy in his early forties. He's a local guy and a builder, but has travelled fairly extensively. He's a keen diver, and used to build and race rally cars/motorcross bikes, until he broke his leg skiing a few years ago. Hence the need to take on folk like me to help with work! Also here is his German girlfriend Nadia, who's very nice and quiet. And the dog, Buddy, who's a Bulldog/Chocolate Lab cross. He's a smashin' creature! And having left my own dog behind by coming here, I must say it's been nice to have one around again.
And every other weekend Adam's daughter Abby comes to stay. She's a funny and amazingly confident kid, and always good conversation. His mother has also been to stay a couple of nights, and she's a very nice lady. Her parents are both Polish, and I've met them briefly and spoken my **** and limited Polish to them! Henryk Suminski survived years in forced labour camps and the infamous Belsen, and turns 88 this Friday. He made not one but two escapes! He had just turned 16 when the war broke out. On leaving midnight mass with his family, he noticed trucks in the square, then he was snatched away and made to march to Norway with hundreds of others. It really is beyond comprehension eh!
So we're working up Mount Macedon itself, for a very nice guy called Simon. Currently we're building a great little cottage, just to the side of his house proper. It's an interesting design, and full of character. Most of the techniques and methods are familiar, give or take a few. And soon enough I'll be getting the chance to help render the building, which will be a great thing to learn. But Simon's an incredibly nice guy, and we've had many a fantastic lunch around the garden table. Not to mention that these lunches are cooked in the adjacent wood-fired pizza oven that Adam built for him. Words do not describe how good a pork-chop tastes when it's been cooked in there. And the tatties! My mouth is honestly watering just thinking about it! I've been back to Melbourne for one weekend, and spent an eye-watering amount of money. But once again, it was fantastic fun. Plus I've spent enough of my life in the countryside working my **** off, so it was grand to head into the city and live it up for a couple of days.
Last weekend was the Australian Rules Football 'Grand Final', so we went to watch it a a friend of Adam's. The house was a sprawling colonial place with an amazing view, and the guy (Pete Bland) is the first ever Australian to reach both magnetic poles, and does a bunch of adventure type-stuff! He was really nice, and the game's a bit mad but decent to watch once you get the jist of the rules. A very authentically Australian time I'm told - barbecued meat and televised sports. Good enough!
So apart from the odd day of rain, and the odd bad mood from Adam or myself, things are going well here. There are more work-exchange folk, or 'woofers' arriving in around 10 days time; one of whom is Nadia's younger sister. It'll be nice to not be the only stranger here I must say! Also I might have the opportunity to buy a car soon, which is by far the best way to see/travel around Australia. It's one that Adam sold to a woofer a few months ago, and now the guy's planning a trip to Asia and is hoping to sell it soon. Since Adam knows cars inside and out I believe that it's a damn good machine, and apparently very economical and safe. But the thing's in Perth (opposite corner of the country), so after it goes through an MOT-type-thing I'll probably be making an offer on it! Then possibly fly up to collect the thing before driving it back - road trip on the horizon perhaps; we shall see. I'd definitely take Johnny with me, as he's a little bored of the hostel/working all the time. Life has the same ******** wherever you go unfortunately, but we'll be doing some more fun stuff before long, so help me!
Really not long now until Andy gets to Australia, and no doubt general havoc/shena****ns/goodness will ensue!
Until then I'm still working on the cottage, doing some odd-jobs around the house for Adam, and relaxing. We might have a rendering job lined up near Melbourne, and for that I get a cut of the profits rather than an hourly rate. So not only do I learn to render, but I get some decent cash for it! Which is a pretty grand scenario, needless to say. But who knows - another few weeks here maybe, then maybe back to Melbourne to find some more gainful employment for a while... Or maybe I'll go do some woofing in Tasmania, which I have half-organised. Or maybe a road trip from Perth back to Melbourne, just in time to meet Andy off the plane and set off on the next adventure! I haven't to foggiest; but isn't that the beauty of it.