Renner Springs

Arrived on Saturday morning into Renner Springs Motel, after a 33 hour journey and a few delays along the way...  Going to write a complaint to Greyhound in a bid to get our money back. Worth a try and could bring in a few hundred dollars. Or solve nothing. But we literally have not much else to do. May backtrack a few other complaints I've been meaning to send to! I remember I once got a Malteser with no malt inside! So it was literally just a teaser! Looks like they will be getting an email through pretty sharpish!

Just got internet now so feeling as if I have been cut off from the world for ages, but at the same time it doesn't feel like I am in the middle of nowhere here. There are quite a few people coming in and out. The staff seem nice enough, all older women who are really nice, apart from one guy called Will who is from Derby, UK! He seems like a nice, easy going guy. He sits on his laptop a lot. Everyone has only been here about a month or two, people come and go quite frequently i think!

The first few days were a bit up in the air. The owners weren't here so we had to hang around waiting for them to arrive. They had a funeral in Darwin. We have started a fitness regime and have been going to runs and eating healthily. Weetabix in the morning, eggs and beans for lunch and soup/salad for dinner. Which is usually quite late after we finish work so try to eat something quite light. The run consists of running/walked up and down the highway, past truckers. Who don't honk their horn at us which is pretty depressing. Clearly we need this diet. Will start eating carbs again once honking picks up.

Had our first day of work on Monday. Got woken up by Alan (owner) at 6am, banging on our door, and asking us in a horrifically happy voice (too happy for 6am), if we'd like to begin work today. And by today he meant at 7am. We took this question as 'You will be getting up for work' and got dressed to begin our first day of work, which actually ended at 10:30 at night. Long slog but made about $250 so we kept thinking about money and visa the whole time. Mel did a lot prep and washing up, and I helped Christine (owner) cook; steaks, sausages, chicken schnitzel, baramundi... with veg, rice, chips, salad.... gravy, mushroom sauce, white sauce...... very simple meals but i found it pretty hard. Last night was my second shift and the worst one. Got left on my own to prep the veg (had no idea what to use, how much to use, how many bowls to make up, where to put it etc) and felt as if I was being left on my own to cope in an incredibly unorganised kitchen. Because I was being left on my own to cope in an unorganised kitchen. I may have broke down crying at one point, Mel came in at 6 to help and she calmed me down, she can always calm me down when I get upset so glad to have her here. Once the busy period was over I was OK and we begun to clean down. Apparently they are bringing in some marine chef to come in and work with us for two weeks so we can learn how to work, prep, organise etc a commercial kitchen, that should cost them a few grand so glad they are willing to invest in us.

Mel and I will be working 6 days a week I think, so looking to hopefully take home about 700 a week after rent and tax. We plan to work her for 4 months, save save save, get our visas signed off, then go to Asia (Malasia, Bali, Thailand (for NY), Loa, Vietnam, Cambodia) until Feb/March, then head to Aus for one month to do Perth - Sydney in a van, then NZ for a while to work and save again. Then maybe Canada for while. Of course ending up back in Sydney! :D

Missing all the guys from Uni a lot, really hope they can come out for New Year which will be an absolutely amazing thing if they do! Wow that would be amazing, really love those guys and hope they can join Mel and I on a part of our travels.

Sending love


Points about Renner Springs!
168 miles from the nearest town

Living in a twin bed room

Nothing but scrubs and sand around us
8/9 hour long shifts
Freezing cold weather but sunny, will get warmer as we go
We have a big pool (although cold at the moment), free laundry, pool table, internet
Food and rent for $171 a week
Small team
Hard Work
Can get our visa signed off
Can make good money
Get healthy
Good for our livers - 4 months of no drinking!!! not done that since i started drinking (even though it was only VKs/Reef/Bacardi Breezer) at age 15
Good experience living in the outback, but will not get a tattoo to mark these coordinates i doubt...

Congratulations to Laura on her ever-growing business, very proud of you my dear and wish you all the best in your new career path. Glad you have finally found your calling in life. Sending my love to Uncle Nigel who is still in Hospital. Sending my warmest wishes and praying for you to get better very soon. Also, sending my love and hugs to Granny and Keith who are going through some difficult times,. Even though I am not there in body, I am in spirit. I know my mum, Sharon, and all of the family will be there to support you and do as much as possible to help. Always thinking of you.

Once again, sending my love, missing everyone a lot, but trying to enjoy every day, even if it isn't all day (at the moment in RT), hard work will pay off I hope.

Love, Tash xxx

Port Douglas. Queensland's upmarket paradise resort

Helllooo

Currently sat in Parrot fish backpackers.... in my room, with a bottom bunk and free wifi which is a state of luxury when you are in a backpackers!!! and there is free breakfast tomorrow....!!

http://www.parrotfishlodge.com/

we moved into global backpackers last night but they are booked out for a few nights so we had to move out over the weekend. but are going back to global backpackers port douglas tomorrow hopefully because it is cheaper.... and it is a really nice hostel, no wifi unfortunately which is the only hiccup but its a great location near to work, the beach, and the esplanade as well as all of the bars and restaurants and coles! (supermarket)

http://www.globalbackpackerscairns.com.au/port-douglas

port douglas is beautiful, really upmarket, for those who are are coming on holiday to shop, eat, eat more and drink fine wine. there are two 'clubs' open until 2/3 which is good enough for us! not so many young people as in manly by any means, but there are a few backpackers and the place is lovely. today mel and i saw two weddings on the esplanade; it is an absolutely fantastic location for weddings, it is paradise. but my heart is of course always going to be in manly :)

http://www.adventures.com.au/themes/advco/photos/places/portdouglas/port-douglas.jpg

PD is much nicer than cairns central (an hour south of PD where we stayed when we first arrived into queensland) which is like a seedy holiday resort full of travel agents backpackers cafes and internet shops. they try to make it nice with palm trees but its still rough and there are aborigines everywhere who bring the place down a lot. they just hang around the streets, unemployed and are drunk all of the time too. but we are out of cairns now and in port douglas which should work out for us hopefully.

i have a job at find (arrived yesterday and had a trial within two hours which was very much appreciated... but i was severely hungover from our last night out in cairns, i nearly chundered on the bus but i ate an orange and that made me feel better....) i had two interview set up for the minute we arrived. but got the finz one which is better hours and close to everything!!! it is a seafood restaurant, very upmarket, with daily specials you have to learn and know everything about everything. a lot to learn but hopefully i will pick it up. a lot more full on compared to the very laid back moo, which i miss, but its more hours, 6 nights a week, with the potential to earn more too. currently on about $20/hour so with 5 hours a night i should be fulling in about $600 a week and apparently the tips can get up to $250 a week. EACH. and they are cool with me doing the farm in the day as long as I'm not too tired. i have a job guaranteed until i leave end of november :) mel has a trial tonight at a mexican doing dish washing with the view to her moving out onto the floor !!! :) and there is another cafe which asked her to come in for a trial too which looks super cool :)

http://www.finzportdouglas.com/

farm work wise, there is pretty much no work anywhere farm wise, we called up every farm and working backpacker and friend and everywhere had a long waiting list. which is why we are considering woofing which is volunteering but it means we won't be made to work every hour under the sun etc. but that won't come into play until the bloke is back up in port douglas in two weeks. he advised us to get a job to earn some cash, then when he is back we can move onto the farm if we like, to get free accommodation, do the work, then go to work at our restaurants in the evening!

hope you are all well, always appreciate an email or comment so i know you are all reading!!! :)

mel and i are have been chatting and we are thinking about doing asia (thailand, indonesia, cambodia, Lao, vietnam) over christmas and new year (3 months) then doing new zealand for a year and working there! then coming back to manly in 2014 to use our second year (the one we are doing the farm work for)... to try and get sponsorship! weeeee. :D mel and i are getting on really well, a few bits of bickering here and there when we are both stressed or tired but nothing major at all. so all good there. we are both on a health kick now and have found a great deal in coles for a salad box (mix of greek salad, meditteranean pasta and chorizo bean mix) for only $6 so thats a really nice quick evening meal that we can grab before work of a day and then get into the habit of eating fruit and cereal for breakfast. there is a gym here too but that is $100 a month. so are gonna see what happens with farming and jobs etc before we make any rash decisions... haha. there is also a 4 mile long beach here so we can go for a nice walk or run for free !!!

our friend tyler, from the US, is coming up to port douglas on tuesday we think, we may get a flat together depending on price but the hostel looks good for now. people at the hostel aren't exactly party animals it seems, but, i suppose thats good for our health kick haha but they are really friendly and we will meet people out and about and at work I'm sure.

this evening i went down to the esplanade and saw the sun set over the mountains.... absolutely gorgeous.....

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/11/18/main.gif

we are planning on going out tonight for a few beverages to take advantage of my night off, and hopefully mel will finish early because its a trial! then we are looking into doing a $50 for 1.5 hour boat cruise around the bay at some point too. and a trip to cape tribulation which is apparently a great place for backpackers! daintree is also world renown for crocodiles and outback adventures!!! but obviously the main focus is our farm work!! so we are hot on the search.... :)

http://www.insight-tnq.com.au/userfiles/images/daintree_cape_tribulation_2.jpg

thats about it for now! hope you enjoy the update, love you all loads! and will keep you updated!

xxxxxxx

Cairns

Hiiiii
Once again i know it has been a while!!!
Accidentally posted in the wrong blog but here i am now
Been spending the last month enjoying Manly, been to the zoo, went to sydney vivid light festival, lots of nights out, did a trip to palm beach, loads of shopping, eating etc.

booked our flights cairns in order to find regional work. we need to do three months farm/cultivation work in a regional part of aus in order to stay another year. i have until nov to get my three months signed off, so pressure is on.
So handed my notice into moo and said goodbye to manly on sunday, very sad, and really missing the lifestyle over there. everyone was so nice, the bars and restaurants were beautiful, loads of locals, a real homely feel. but.... we are now in cairns. been here for two nights, and its like maguluf! loads of travel agents, hostels, cafes, internet shops and cheap (but greasy) places to eat and drink. we are staying in global central backpackers with two girl we met in manly, french canadian girls called alex and claudelle. they have been here a while to save money, cos its cheaper and work before they carry on travelling and go back to canada at the end of the year. they are younger and start uni next year.

its a lot cheaper up here tho and a lot of backpackers!!!!! havent met many people as we havent been out yet. very conscious of money as we are quite low at the moment and our money is going fast as we are now paying for accomodation (werent in many because we were entertainment managers) and we aren't earning!!!
plus we have been focusing on trying to get up early, go online on gumtree, and find a job!! within 2 minutes of a job post, the job has 100's of visits so it is very competitive.... keeping our fingers crossed something will turn up. had a few potentials and possible work available up in darwin, but that is a very expensive flight away.... $500 :-/ which we cant afford.
i do have sponsorship from moo, so i can stay but i want to do my farm work, so mel doesnt have to do it on her own, and so i can travel a bit around aus/asia before i start working full time in a ''proper job''. hoping to go back and settle in sydney, manly.
we have a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel this morning we called two ladies who need two farm girls, $19/hour, 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, on the farm, pickign crops and eventually watermelons.
very hard work, we have an interview tomorrow with the lady. it is only an hour from cairns, where we are, so we are keeping our fingers majorly crossed for that one!!!!!! we have hired a car just now for $60 (30 each) for tonight until thur morning so we can go to the interview tomorrow morning (11am) and if we get the job then we will return back to cairns, drop the car off, have one big last piss up and then we are going to hire a live in van for 3 months. then we will live on a campsite for 3 months and drive to the farm (takes 30mins).... the van is the best option so we are excited to rent out a van and live there for 3 months haha literally with nothing around us it will be a real different reality check i think!

mel and i are getting on really well, a bit stressed due to no work and money, but we have some potentials, bankign on this job tomorrow!!!! we are enjoying the sunt hough, its been cold and rainy in manly for so long and cairns is beautiful hot and sunny!!!!! yayyyyy
if we are successful in this job we start friday!! crazy, things change so quickly. goig to go out for a drive tonight in our little wagon!!! haha. have a bit of fun then get to bed early for our drive to marreeba tomorrow!!!

keep your fingers crossed for us!!!
keep you updated
tash xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tattoo

P.S. I got a tattoo...

The coordinates of Manly on my wrist! :)

33 47 46 S
151 16 58 E

x

A month has flown by

Hey guys,

Sorry it's been ages since my last post. I forgot my password for a while and I have obviously been busy going out and working a lot.

Work
Moo is really good, I'm leaving in a few weeks because I am going up the coast to do regional work (fruit picking) in order to get my second year visa. I am going to miss Moo a lot, as I have been working there so long now. Elise, the other manager is also going, she is from the UK and is going back to finish her Uni course in Newcastle. She only came over to Aus for a year because she had an opportunity as part of her course to do a year out in another country! So she doesn't want to go back, but tells me she will come back to Aus and continue travelling, perhaps meet us somewhere, once she has finished her course in 2013. We have had a few leaving do's at work as two other girls are continuing / starting travelling, Lisa and Julia. They are lovely girls and am going to miss them a lot. So elise and I are doing our best to trial and hire girls to be our replacements which is obviously difficult because they need to be trained up and ready to go by the time we both leave in a few weeks. But we will do it, we have a few potentials :) I am still doing design work; I am currently making a few tshirt designs for our ''Deluxe Moo'' (a big burger) champions, those who eat it basically and want to buy a tshirt to mark the occasion! and also some promo tshirts to promote moo manly around the area. I'm also doing a video for Moo too, stringing together photos and video snippets and making a sort of advert. That's taking a bit of time and unsure whether it will get finished by the time I leave. I am hoping I get to do a bit of design work even though I am gone, that would be amazing. Not doing any online marketing work at the moment but did work at Malcolm's book launch event a few weeks ago. Mel and Adam helped out too and we got free alcohol, to drink and take home, as well as loads of yummy food to eat, and he gave us some ''boozing'' money haha and he paid us. i love Malcolm so much, I really hope to come back to Manly after my travels, settle down here and get sponsored by his company, that would be a dream situation, hope it works out, i will definitely keep in communication with all of the contacts i have made here.

Going Out and About
Now Adam has arrived, our other friend from Uni, we have been going out even more. We have now been appointed Entertainment Managers at the hostel which means Mel and I both get free rent! saving $162 each a week, and we organise loads of parties and dinners. So far, we have organised an Olympics night where we played loads of sports themed drinking games and everyone dressed as a country, that was our first and biggest event because there were loads of people. Then the week after we did a Full Moon Party, with body paint, glow sticks and we bought buckets to drink out of, like you do in Thailand :) everyone loved that and got really into it. Then we had a White Tshirt Party the week after that where everyone wore a white thsirt and everyone writes on your shirt, rude things and pictures mostly haha. Last night we had a traffic light jamaican party, where people wore red if they were taken, amber if they are a maybe and green if they are single! And I made loads of Jamaican delicacies for everyone, Mel said it was the best meal she has ever eaten which is so amazing :) everyone loved it, cooked for 12 people. Did a big roast dinner last week for everyone, 17 people!!! that was a big job but we did it and everyone loved it. So I have really got used to buying and cooking for loads of people now! which is good, seeing as I plan to open up by own bar, serving quick and tasty food, one day :) we have been out in the city a few times, and have been to loads of markets too. We went to Kings Cross to World Bar one night which was really good fun! really good music! And then we went to Cream fields festival at the end of April, about 15 of us went together, and we started drinking vodka at 11am, eugghhh, I'm hungover writing this so it's making me urge thinking about drinking. haha. We have been out to dinner a lot too, making the most of all of the nice restaurants, loads of nice steaks, and pasta dishes, thai and desserts, yum! and eating at Moo as well. We cook a lot at the hostel though too, so my cooking has got a lot better. It's freezing here though. Beautiful weather though, blue skies!

Friends
So many people have come and gone. The hostel is fun but a lot of my 'friends' have gone. The good thing about the hostel at the moment is that there are no cliques, everyone knows and hangs around with each other and all of the 'old' long term people are really open to meeting and talking to new people. Adam has made friends with a few lads who are staying here for a while, think he misses the lads at home a lot bless him :( and the football team in Perth. One of my friends, Martin left this morning, he is off to Bali to surf. then going home to Sweden then back in September possibly. Then Claudelle and Alex, two of our good friends have gone to Fiji for a few weeks but they are coming back in a few days now. Katie, my really good german friend who went to Perth in January, came back, as a surprise!!!! i couldn't believe it, she was flying out of Sydney so she popped to see me in Manly for a few days before she flew back home! we said we would meet again in another country. She is an amazing friend and will miss her a lot, but i know we will see each other again one day. Jo, Emma, Karin and Sandra, four girls, german, Norwegian and english, are heading up the coast in a van! haha! and Luke is going to Thailand. Tom is chilling in Manly and Adam is going to work here for a bit, he has a wedding in Bali then he is coming up to cairns to meet us to do regional work. Colin and Dave are staying here for a while i think. My friend

Plans
So Mel and I have tried to make a bit of a life plan over the last few weeks. We are moving out of the city in a few weeks, spending a few days there doing all the touristy stuff! Blue Mountains, Opera House, going out in Bondi, going to Newtown, etc! Cant wait until that week! Mel Adam and I are planning on going to the zoo this Sunday and we are going to the city, at The Rocks on Saturday night, which we are really looking forward to. We are going to Cairns on Sunday 9 June at 6am I think! haven't booked yet but that looks like the best price! :) then we are going to spend a week in Cairns, enjoying the sun and heat!!! then we will go to airlie beach to search for fruit picking work! Then after that we are planning on going to Indo, Thailand, Lao, etc Canada, SA, then come back to Aus when we are done travelling and find some work in Manly where we can get sponsored to stay! we <3 manly :)

Gosh there is so much to tell but not enough time, but I am still loving it in Manly and don't really want to leave :( but know I have to in order to come back.

Lots of love to all,
I'll try and update you a lot sooner next time,
xxxxxxxx

Shoesmith arrives just in time for my 23rd Birthday!

Hello all!

Wow, this week has been amazing!

Mel arrived on Monday morning early (had to wake up at 5am to go and collect her from Central Station in the City). Was a very emotional and fun filled day with lots of catching up. We came back from the airport and city on Monday and went to the beach and chilled. Took a few days for Mel to settle in but I think she is happy now she has met everyone! Tuesday we chilled on Shelly beach and then went to a Salsa evening in the city. Loads of photos to upload from that and took a few cool videos too! Was so much fun, met some aussies who we hung out with all night. We wen with Jill who is a professional hip hop dancer and everyone kept on wanting to dance with her because she was amazing. someone told me i looked South American though! and told me i looked like i knew salsa! I clearly don't but i obviously shake it like a professional! brilliant! Mel was a bit livid though because someone called her ''fair'' skinned and she is annoyed about her pale skin compared to everyone else already haha, is a bit of banter anyway.

wednesday night we went the the steyne and met a very strange new zealand guy who kept on shouting ''South Side'' and singing ''Sexy... Can i?... Sexy... Cani i?'' which obviously makes no sense. He also kept on being incredibly racist, pulling is top up and punching himself in the chest. We took videos of him too. We also met a bloke who looked like Wagner from the X Factor and kept on smelling my hair... :-/ weird people, but met some cool guys too and we just had a good laugh!

Thursday Mel went looking for jobs and I was at work all day, then we went to Reggae night at Shore club and Shark Bar, was such a good night because everyone was out pretty much and we had all just had a massive dance!! amazing! Then Friday we went to Collins Bay for the day which is up by north Head and then went out for the most amazing Thai meal I have every eaten!!!!! yuuummmmm then we went to Space Bar where there was a live guitarist and he sung happy birthday, bless! Then we had a mini party in the hostel! Yesterday we went to the Rocks for the day, then we went to Darling Harbour and went shopping and I bought a new black dress. We played a few drinking games in the hostel then we went to the Steyne and Shark Bar. Everyone was knackered but we still spent a few good hours shaking it on the dance floor!!!! :)

The weather has been amazing here but today is the first day it has been overcast and miiissseerrraaabblllee. But it means I can get some emails, updates and work done.
In general I am good, lovely having Mel here and doing loads of different things! Adam, a guy from Marketing, is joining us from Perth at the end of April and we are going to Creamfields festival together and then up the coast to do regional work so we can get our second year visa!!!!! woooooooo.

Hope everyone is good, keep me updated with all of the goings on!
Lots of aussie love

xxxxxxxxxx

Moo Posters!