3 days of work done

Oh my god we are working again today, both 12pm-9pm shifts, three days in a row. Tina is quite content and thinks she will continue to do this. I have my sights set on a senior management role and have a job agency on the job already contacted major firms dropping of my CV for them. I’m happy though to keep working until I find the right position. I told them I was looking for other work and they were OK with this and gave me a job anyway. I have been very honest about this and will continue to do so. I have had feedback form a couple of jobs and so has Tina but she is happy where she is. For me it’s a bit more about the salary and I just ask them and if its not enough I just tell them.
It’s the AFL trade week, what a week it is been, the Fev is gone to Brisbane and although I’m a little sad Carlton had to move him on. They don’t want anymore bad press and I’m surprised Brisbane took him. I hope the can keep him away from the nightclubs.
Sorry Mel to many trades for me to name them all but the Doggies got big bad Barry Hall so I hope he can stay out of trouble to. (you can always go to the AFL site and see all the transfers)

Working LIfe

Its are last day of not working and we are in a bit of a panic lots to do and only one day. We are both a bit nervous not really about the jobs but having not worked for so long. The tarp is up and we have a huge shady area now. Guess what more pool action and down to Parmerston for some last minute shopping. The only Target is there and
They have the biggest women’s clothing section I have ever seen.

Today is the day, Tina is working at the Mitchell Street store and I’m at Casuarina. Tina is 12pm-9pm & I’m 10am-6pm, so Tina catches the bus & I take the car.
Its pretty straight forward register work and stacking shelves of liquor. The staff are friendly and it seems like a pretty good environment to work in. Its over our first day working is done. It will be good to see the bank account finally going forward again after 12 months of shrinking funds.

It’s our second day today and we are both working 12pm-9pm shifts. It’s a long day and we have sore feet from not being used to standing up. After work Tina heads across to the Tap bar where she is quickly picked up by some Navy guys, while waiting for me to drive from Casuarina into the city. A pretty girl sitting alone in Darwin will not have any trouble attracting men. So a big kiss from me when I arrive just to let all the boys know she is taken. Trust me an engagement ring will not scare them off. The boys work on a hospital ship and are off to Indonesia tomorrow to help after all the earth quakes We have a beer an wander down to the Wisdom bar for another and listen to some live music for a while before heading home.

Tina & Andy get a Job

We are pumped and start applying for jobs about 6 each. My wireless is either getting hacked or we are just to close to the tower so we head over to Brian’s and work there. Off to Drake a job agency, they have some temp work and we could start tomorrow if we wanted. We decline in search of something a little more permanent. I’m keen to pick up a managers jobs and there are plenty on offer in Darwin. Mostly in Mining based or construction and I’m hoping with all my experience I can get into construction. This will really broaden my employment prospects anywhere. Tina is more interested in retail but there are plenty of Customer service jobs on offer.
In the arvo we call past Liquorland who are advertising for staff so we both grab a form fill out and hand it in. We are told that we are a shoe in but we will se what happens.
Back home late in the arvo and off to the pool.
There are heaps of Midgee’s here but there are lots of trees so I suppose you must have both.
Off to Bunning’s today to get the tarp and more job applications
Guess what more pool action and sitting around outside with ever increasing Midgee bites. In the arvo we get a call and head over to the main store and we both have a 5 minute interview. I’m not sure they are going to give me a job given my experience but we will have to see.
But not long after the interview we are called both offered jobs, and have to start on Thursday.

Look out Darwin here we are

Today is the final leg to Darwin although we firstly decided that we would stay at Adelaide river we are so close and it is so hot we just want to get there. So we kept going only stopping there for a beer. And then it happens we finally arrive in Darwin we have made it ½ way around Aus. After we check into the Caravan Park a quick set up and into the pool.
We are planning to stay here so the job hunting begins using the paper and internet.
Today we set up properly and drive around Darwin having a bit of a look around. We need some stuff as well as some shopping. It is quite hot and although we have been to Cape York it will take a bit of getting used to here. Brian & Jan are still in QLD so no boat fishing this weekend. We don’t manage to get all the stuff we need.
Its so cool to be able to live outside of the van although we will need a bloody big tarp like the guys near us living in the tent. Our annex is just crap and the red roof would be unbearable here. Having a pool is great and we have more than the odd swim. It cools you down as well as some exercise, something we both need if we are going to fit into our pants for interviews.

Tenant Creek & heading north

We have complained a bit about the heat but we are getting soft you know. Up early after a crap night sleep but on the road by 7:00am and a tail wind today. It’s party Friday today so we are chirpy and off to Tenant creek or is that “Ten Ant” creek. Tina hasn’t been here for 20 years either but I don’t think it has changed.
We hit Three Ways where you stop heading west and can turn South to Adelaide or North to Darwin. Its 994km to Darwin and after fuelling up we are off. The run is good and the odd cloud makes driving good. This lasts until about 10:00am when surprise, surprise it’s hot. It has rained at Eliot and you can feel the increased humidity which actually makes it feel cooler. Our goal is Daly Waters and we arrive just after lunch. A powered site means on with the A/C and they have a pool where a couple of beers and a swim makes everything OK again.
We probably don’t talk about the wildlife enough because I suppose we are just used to it and only rave on about the road kill, but there isn’t anything much we haven’t seen lately. Sad really but we do really appreciate it and we marvel at everything we still see. In the last couple of days we have seen so many huge Eagles on the side of the road they are so spectacular.
Funny about wildlife but today in the pool some Male French tourists jumped in soon after startled by the water bugs, he said “what are they?” I said “I don’t know Australia is full of bugs, but they don’t bite”. He jumped out not satisfied by this. His mate had a little more trouble realising his pants were see through once wet. With Tina in the Pool he called a mate to bring over a towel, I suggested if just gave it a fluff he could jump out.
Back to the van where the A/C has made it quite cool. After dark we sit around and call up some family & friends and enjoy a nice steak on the BBQ.

Accross the border and into NT

Up early again this time we have bacon & eggs, on the BBQ which means we are not on the road until 7:30am. We have done 460k, 400k & today is nearly 400 again. We drive through Mt Isa which looks mostly like any other mining town and pushed on to Camooweal, which is just inside the QLD border. We stop for a beer it is not even 11:00am yet but its already hot and we are being slowed down by a near Northerly head wind. We make it to the border and we have left QLD, Goodbye for now we will miss you. QLD has been great and we have both fallen in love with it especially Innisfail.
Onward and there is a Highway Patrol car at the border where the limit drops from 130 to 100 at Avon Downs which is just a Police Station inside the border and then back up to 130km. It must of cost the NT government a fortune to put up all these signs.
Today’s rest stop is Suadan Bore, the first one we are staying at that doesn’t have toilets. It is hot and windy so we try to sit in the van with all the windows open. After a lunchtime play we decide it is to hot and out goes the Geny and on goes the Air Con. The bloody thing stall every time I put the Air Con on, oh no what could it be, its OK just needs petrol.
It will take us 6 days at this rate and it will be 35°+ every day. So if the wind stops at dusk we will drive at night tonight. At least try to get another 120k in. Once it hits dusk we are on the road again and drive through sunset and on in the hope we don’t get to see some of those bloody big Roo’s first hand. It’s all good and we end up driving further than we hoped. All the way to 41 Mile Bore only 100 odd Km from Tenant Creek. It doesn’t really cool down but we have a 2 minute wind storm with 6 drops of really big rain and then it passes and it’s hot again.
As you all know in the bush there are plenty of Grids but today we drove over 2 painted on grids. Yes that’s correct not an actual grid but ones painted on the road. That really just explains why humans eat the cows and not the other way around.

Heading West.

Today we are heading west on our way to Darwin. It is 2,500k across bloody hot country. We pack up & fuel up and we are off. It’s only a short 130k to Charters Towers. We press on hoping to clock up as many k’s a day as possible. It is hot so we are trying to stop by 1.00pm each day. We make it all the way to Marathon Rest Stop which is 60k west of Hughenden. It’s just a toilet and a shelter on the side of the road. It is hot so we try to use the shelter roof as a bit of shade. The drive has been OK and not to many hills.


Near dark it gets cool and I mean less than 15° and I even have to put a shirt on. It feels nice and at least in the Outback it gets cool at night. A few Road trains pull in during the night as well as a few other travellers.

We are up early and on the road by 7:00am. There is no shortage of Road Kill along here with lots of Pigs & huge Roo’s. We push on through the heat and it sure is getting bloody hot. A spray bottle is our Air Con and its works well, it’s a shame it does not last longer. On and on we go, hot as well and we get to Fountain Springs rest stop 60k short of Mount Isa. Just how hot is it? well we got the Geny running and the Air Con on but anywhere away from it is hot. There are thousands of what seem to be huge moth’s on the road and at dusk they fly from everywhere. It cools down but not as much as last night. We watch Speed Racer and relax out in the stars.