Time for an update...

Well it's 3 weeks now since we left Winkie and 2 weeks that we've been on the property.

I've been busy babysitting and thoroughly enjoying it. There are 3 little girls, aged 4, 2 and 4 months.  Their mother, Jaime, is from England and lovely to chat to.  Her husband, Andrew, is busy with the harvest so I feel like I've helped out a bit.

 

Smoke haze makes for an awesome sunset!

This was from an early morning start on the way up to Queensland, I was the last in line behind the chaser bin and 2 headers so the dust hung in the sunrise.

 

Bun has been acting as a 'gofer' helping out wherever he can. We have also had time to relax a bit too.  The people here are really lovely and have been wonderful to be around.

The contractors have moved the machines to another property about 30 kms away to start harvesting there from today but the vans have stayed at the first property as the living conditions wouldn't be great at the new place.

We have decided that we will probably stick with this for the few weeks and then head off and have a much-needed holiday.  Bun really needs to relax and clear his head after the last few months so once the contractors are back over the border into NSW, we will try and catch up with Ben before he goes off overseas in mid-December.  We also plan to see Timmy if we can, he's based near Armidale.  Other than that, we plan to see some National Parks and maybe spend some time near beaches.  Maybe then, Bun will get to do some surfing :)

Cheers
Anne

Well we survived the trip up to Queensland!


We left Victoria about 10am on Thursday and travelled towards Moulamein, staying at a truck rest stop just outside Hay overnight. It had been bitterly cold all day with drizzly rain and we heard later that there had been unseasonal snow in SA, Vic and NSW that day.  Next day we headed through Goolgowi and Rankin Springs then up to Lake Cargelligo.  After that it was stock routes and dirt roads to Tottenham and on to Warren.

On Sunday morning we went through Coonamble, Pilliga and Burren Junction. I have to say that having not done much driving on dirt roads, my confidence level was not great, especially towing a van.  There were times that I looked behind me and either looked away because it was swaying so much or was surprised that it was still there!!
The corrugations from Burren Junction to Collarenebri were so bad that I sorely regretted my decision that morning not to wear a sports bra! :)

We stayed Sunday night beside the road just outside Mungindi and yesterday we went through Talwood, Westmar and Moonie.  We reached the property about 2.30pm and soon after we set up camp around the shearers quarters.

We've had really long days to get here, on the road as the sun comes up and driving until just before the sun sets.  I posted a photo on facebook showing the dusty road ahead as I followed the chaser bin, saying that this beats an office but the hours are a bitch!  Still, even though I was stiff and sore and more than ready to get out of the truck at the end of the day, it was good to get back on the road the next morning. The trip back will be much easier as we will be stopping in at various properties to work along the way, so when we change properties it should only be a short day's drive not 5 full days in a row.

This morning I'm sitting outside in shorts and tshirt waiting for the next lot of washing to be done. There's a lovely breeze going that will mean all the washing for the week will be dry quickly.  The guys, and girl, have gone off to get the headers washed, greased and put together while it's cooler this morning, then we will probably head off to Goondiwindi to the shops. We need a few more groceries and Bun needs some overalls.

The mother of the farmer here came over last night to say hello and it turns out she sews!!! It sounds like I've landed on my feet here :) I will probably score a ride into Dalby with her tomorrow and she said there's a great quilt shop there, oh joy!! And she said that her fabric stash is embarrassing haha and Bun told her that 'apparently there is no such thing'!
The farmer and his wife have 3 young children, 4, 2 and 16 weeks so I might even get some babysitting time in too. 

I plan to start looking at the instruction manual for the new camera shortly and work out how to use it on manual instead of auto :)

I've been taking photos along the way and plan to put some on here but I seem to be having trouble loading them into blogger.  The service is a bit patchy here so the photos may have to wait until we have some better service.

Bun said he was really pleased with himself as he drove all the way from Victoria to Queensland, it was a goal he'd set for himself.  However I know he will feel more relaxed after Thursday when he's done his first shift in the header and knows more about what he's doing.  The unknown is always more daunting, as I found out this last few days :).  Some days when Jamie (the boss) had to head off to see farmers along the way, I got to be lead vehicle and thankfully it was only when we were on bitumen or when the roads were well sign posted.  Jamie led the way when we were out really bush on stock routes, whew!!

In this little crew, there's Jamie, James (from Ireland, only been in the country for 10 days!), Brooke and Bun and I.  Jamie's dad, Spud and his wife Bev will be turning up with another header and a driver in a couple of days.  They're really nice people and Bun and I have joked already that with Brooke around, we shouldn't miss Callie too much because she's a bit of a clown too :)

That's probably enough for now, I've just tried loading photos again but the bugger won't work for me so you'll just have to put up with reading rather than looking!

Cheers
Anne and Bun

So it begins...

Well the first day is done!


We left home around lunchtime Tuesday and headed off..
I was driving because both Bun and I needed to know that my driving and towing skills were improving :)

On the Pinnaroo road, I had 5 oversize loads coming towards me and I like to think that I scared Bun less with each one!

We stayed at Manangatang overnight and got to Spud's place about 1pm today, having wandered around Swan Hill and stocked up on fruit and veg.

Since arriving, Bun has been for a short drive in the header and then been helping Jamie with odd bits and pieces. An Irish guy, James, arrived on Sunday to also drive the headers.

I'm using the iPhone as the internet connection at the moment and I'm having trouble downloading photos so I'll try that later.

As far as I know at the moment, we will be heading off for Queensland tomorrow but really who knows?

Cheers!

Well we're back from the USA!

We're home briefly, got back on Monday afternoon, having had about 5 hours sleep on the plane. However that was the only sleep in about 44 hours, so by the time we went to bed around 8pm we were really ready to sleep :)

 

We had a really great time, did lots and lots of things and made some great memories!

 

 

My highlights were the Grand Canyon and seeing "O" the Cirque de Soleil show in Vegas, Callie has loved the shopping and apparently she is still shopping despite having to buy another case :). The guys enjoyed visiting a shooting range in Vegas too.

I also really enjoyed the days when we hired bikes and rode along the beachfront, there are so many 'characters' in LA!

 

It was also a highlight for me to travel with adult 'kids' and have a lovely holiday with good times, great memories, no dramas and so many laughs :)))

 

 

 

 

 

When we got back on Monday afternoon, Ben was here. He'd done a quick trip home being the last chance he would get to come home for the rest of the year. We took him back to Adelaide Tuesday afternoon to the airport.  We may get to catch up with him in NSW somewhere, depending on where we end up for work.

 

Callie and Steven will be back in Mildura next Monday and then do a quick trip Tuesday morning to pick up the dogs so we'll get a chance to say goodbye.

 

Josh is coming up for the weekend to catch up before we leave.  Bun has talked to Spud (the new boss) and we will leave here after lunch on Tuesday and get to his place at Kerang on Wednesday.  The trip isn't really that far but will give me the chance for some more driving and towing practice with Bun on board.  We will be leaving Kerang on Thursday to head up to Queensland.  Bun will be driving a harvester up there. They only do about 35km per hour and it takes about 50 hours of driving to get there so I will have plenty of driving on my own by the time we get there.

 

 

 

 

We're heading out for tea tomorrow night with my parents, my Dad will turn 80 on 14th October after we leave. I plan to catch up with a couple of friends for coffee on Saturday then see some other friends on Sunday. Hopefully by Monday all we'll have to do is put clothes into the van.

 

The next post might be a little while coming but will probably be done from Queensland!