Sometimes it's the small things...

Highlights	Not such highlights
Seeing Geoff and Gail – both	Sandflies - Kate
Getting a job - Will	Sandfly bites - Kate
Will getting a job so Kate has the van to herself now and then - Kate	Itchy sandfly bites - Kate
Becoming familiar with Bundaberg - both	Bloody sandflies - Kate
Seeing Ken and Anita - both	Smelly antidotes to bloody sandflies – Kate
Bike riding - both	Having to relocate because of sandflies - both
Swimming – Kate	Swooping magpies! – both but Kate much more than Will
Friendly people around town - both
Having my first article written and officially accepted - Kate
Naming and taking a head shot for my regular column - ‘Haulin’ History’ - Kate
Bike ride and swim followed by ice-cream – Kate, Will too but swap swim for paddle
So many choices for fresh and yummy food – butchers, fruit and veg markets on what feels like every corner plus farm gate sales – Kate, not to mention bakeries everywhere you turn – Will

 

We arrived in Bundaberg 15 days ago and hit the ground running. Within a few hours we contacted Geoff and Gail, Birdsville buddies from 2015. They live in Burnett Heads, right on the coast just 15 mins east. Task two was to create a profile for Will on Seek and apply for two jobs.

By Saturday we’d been here for 48 hours but didn’t want to let the grass grow under our feet. We’d set up home in a little caravan park right on the edge of the Burnett River.

Right in the middle of town – can you believe it, Will, in the middle of a city! We could hear hoons at night and watch trucks go over the bridge. Torches weren’t needed and stars weren’t very visible thanks to streetlights and city lights of this town of about 100,000 people. We could walk or ride to restaurants, coffee shops, supermarkets and much more.  But rather than get our bearings we (OK, me, Kate) chose to go to Apple Tree Creek Market, just out of town, on the way to Childers. There was a little country pub right beside the market. Kate couldn’t think of a better place to chat with a publican to find work for Will.

But before we could go, I just had one little job to do. As so often happens, the quick little job on the computer took hours, (thanks MyGov – and I’d still be trying to sort it without my sister, Clare’s, help). By the time we arrived we had 20 minutes at the market. After a very quick walk through the closing market and a very informative chat by the local avocado grower who was just a little enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge, I suggested we head to the pub for a meal. Will asked, “Didn’t you see all the Harleys?” I’d buried my head in the sat nav and hadn’t noticed the pub as we went by. He assured me that with what looked like well over 150 Harleys out the front it wasn’t the day to go and chat about work. I had to agree with him.  

We found a bakery in Childers for lunch and decided to skip chatting with a publican for the day. We drove home the back way, going past cane farms, macadamia farms and lots of market gardens. When we did get home, Will suggested I pop something up on Facebook as farmers might have time to read it over the weekend. By 9pm a message was uploaded and was receiving lots of encouraging likes and well wishes. Day three ended well, with a sense of positivity and I suppose a sense of relief, we’d finally made it to our major destination, Bundaberg.

Day 4, Sunday, started with a message, ‘Ring me – I’ve got work for Will’. By 8am Will had a job interview at 3pm. By 4.30pm we were stocking up on high vis vests and steel toed work boots. We couldn’t have asked for a better start.

Monday, I drove with Will to the Port of Bundaberg where he was to use an excavator to sift reject plasterboard to repurpose it as fertilizer. I left him there, and I have to say, it was a little like leaving a kid at high school. I knew Will would be fine and that he was doing what he had to do but I also knew that he was experiencing first day nerves. Remember, when I met this man he said, “I will never leave South Gippsland or live anywhere else.” And here he was, in a town he’d known for three days and he was walking into a facility where he knew no-one!

I’d packed my computer, thermos and sun hat so after a walk along the coast I spent the morning on the computer writing my first article, every now and then looking out to sea, 

pinching myself. Mid-morning, I returned to the van and continued with my organization of the ‘house’ and becoming familiar with Bundaberg.

Tuesday, I had the day at home and Will took himself to work. I got the bike out and after a morning of writing headed off for a walk to find my way around the town. As Will was working a short day, the phone rang just after 3pm. “Yep, I’m lost,” he said. He wasn’t really, he’d just taken one turn early and by the time we started talking he’d already found landmarks that had him on the right track.

Wednesday was a different location and different job. Will was to be at Bagara by 6.30am (20 mins from here) where he would be working in the excavator on a housing sub-division. Bagara, I knew, was also right on the coast and received rave reviews but even so, I was relieved when Will organized a ride with Adam, the boss. I’d get to have a bike ride, do some writing and maybe a bit of washing before having lunch with Ken and Anita who were due to fly out of Bundaberg, at the end of their trip to Hervey Bay.

Plans were going well until Will rang at 6.30am. The crew didn’t want him on site without a long-sleeve high vis shirt. He and Adam convinced them to let him start but I was to get a shirt out there as soon as possible. “Yellow or orange,” I asked. “Everyone is in orange,” Will said. Adam found it amusing that my response was “That’s it, I’m getting you yellow, so you’ll stand out like a sore thumb.”

I went for my bike ride and made it to the Botanical gardens where lizards and turtles

Eels were nibbling on the turtles that were
hoping for a feed.

were sunning themselves. I held back a few tears; these are the moments when I really miss my family. I do something similar to home but I see something so new and different and wish the family was with me to experience it, or that I could pick them on the weekend to show them what I’ve found. I’ve made a date to go to the Bundaberg Zoo with Lols and Lily via Facetime and I can’t wait, but I will wait, so the girls and I can do it at our leisure when it suits us all!

After taking some deep breathes I headed home. I packed the thermos and computer before heading to Bagara via a quick stop at K-Mart. With Will sorted, I headed to the beach. I sat there, scribing some recordings I needed to listen to and watching the whales go by. These are the moments I pinch myself! I’ve been game enough to swap the classroom and home for the unknown, and this was today’s beautiful unknown!

So nice to see family, thanks for visiting Ken and Anita!

Ken and Anita kindly met me at Bagara, where we enjoyed fish and chips by the sea. After a quick chat with Will, we did a few laps around Bundaberg, with me acting like I knew my way around before dropping them at the airport. By now, I had the centre of town fairly well under control thanks to daily bike rides or walks.

I was nice and bought Will the orange shirt!

Thursday and Friday went by in much the same way, except I’d started to find an itchy spot or two. Friday I ‘fluffed around’ and took a selfy, suitable for my magazine column. That was fun!! After that, I caught the bus to Bagara. Will picked me up from the beach

If you don't behave, Gail will slap ya' 

and together we headed to Gail and Geoff’s for dinner. It was only three weeks or so since we’d left friends in Alice Springs, but it was lovely to be spending time with mates. The easy flow of conversation and laughter was good for the soul.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday we slowed down a bit. We went for bike rides around town and familiarised ourselves with where we were now living. We were both excited about the location. Being in town was fun! We’d ride to the butchers together, check out a lake or wherever our nose led us. Monday Will only had to be a passenger to familiarise himself with the route he’d be taking the Mack and dog the following week, so it was a very short day for him. By now, I had slightly large welts on my face as well as my ankles and arms and the number of lumps was growing each day.

It turned out that Will wasn’t needed for the rest of the week. Although it was disappointing to begin with, in some ways it turned out to be a positive. I think we hit the ground running so fast that a bit of down time to familiarise ourselves with the town and surrounding areas was a good thing. I’ll admit, I haven’t written as much this week, but I’ve enjoyed Moore Park Beach, Elliott Heads and rides in town. I’m sure I’ll write plenty next week, as Will has been assured he’ll have a full week of work.

Elliott Head

Elliot Head, just near one of three swooping magpies

 Cormorants on the rock

Moore Park Beach, 20 mins north of Bundaberg

It seems, that beaches north are sandy, beaches East are rocky.

By Wednesday, I was pouring rubbing alcohol on my lumps and bumps without much relief. I didn't miss the irony, I'd been so worried about crocodiles and stingers, here I was now suffering at the hands/tongue/something of sandflies. I was rotating 3 varieties of Soov, again, without much relief. I’d even started wearing Eau de Cologne ‘Sandfly’ made from equal parts Rid, Dettol, Baby Oil and Eucalyptus Oil. Lucky Will’s sense of smell isn’t great because let me tell you, while my sinus is clear thanks to the Eucalyptus oil, my scent was not wonderful.

By Thursday morning I was sick of playing the ‘How many extra lumps do you have this morning?’ game, that we’d now been playing for a week. So, I researched other caravan parks and we made the decision to relocate. We are now 5kms south of the centre of Bundaberg. I’ll be able to wave to Will when he’s carting ‘fill’ on Monday and Tuesday. We are both a little disappointed as there doesn’t seem to be as many bike paths and we certainly aren’t as close to the centre of town but hopefully, I will be lump and itch free within a few days.

 

Tinaberries Farm near Elliot Head - now that's an ice-cream!

Of course Bundaberg has an Early Holden Car Club and of course Will sniffed out there car show day.

There are some lovely garden and open spaces, but also some empty shops and many, many homeless.

The gallery had a wonderful exhibit around the theme of 'Sacrifice' - it spoke to me, given that there are days I ponder about the sacrifice of family time that we have made to do what we are doing.

Our new neighbour