FIRST HELPX CASTLEMAINE – FEBRUARY 2012
After leaving Scotland, we visited Singapore, Western Australia and Melbourne. Stopping over in Singapore was a real treat and meant we had no jetlag. We saw some amazing beaches, lots of kangaroos and lots of bush. We even managed to catch up with a friend’s sister and her husband who lived in Williamstown not far from Melbourne. We learned some new words and phrases – Schoolie (schoolchild), Derro (homeless person), Skimpie (topless waitress), Tight-arsed Tuesdays (pubs trying to entice people to drink mid-week, Charge like wounded bulls (shops and restaurants whose prices are considered expensive). We also learned heartrending details about the children who had been sent from Britain to work on farms in Australia and to whom Gordon Brown and the Australian government issued an apology and about the treatment of the indigenous population of Australia which has left a terrible legacy of deprivation for many. The following is an extract from the blog we wrote about our first HelpX work experience.
We travelled by car (a little Hyundai Getz that we had hired) from Melbourne arriving early afternoon in the blistering heat. The homestead we would work on turned out to have a fascinating history. The original house was built in 1850 during the Goldrush years but as the goldrush fizzled out, the property was transported around 200 kilometres to its current location in Castlemaine and became a cattle farm. It is now a homestead with fruit trees, chickens, and a vegetable garden.
Our work for the week was gardening and painting. We both started off in the garden working the old mulch into the ground and then Charlie moved indoors. I then got the lovely job of putting on manure before covering it in fresh mulch. There were bags of coo poo and chicken poo requiring to be treated with water, which caused it to swell (and smell) before I could fork it into the ground. I did this with the help of Maudie the dog who loved jumping through the water coming from the hose. I became an expert in manure spreading! Meanwhile, Charlie was on paint duty, which didn’t have the same nasal requirements as the gardening work, but he found it equally rewarding to see the woodwork being brought back to life with a fresh coat of paint. There was quite a lot to do as there was another Helpexer, Arnaud, a joiner from France, who was helping to renovate one of the rooms. Charlie got some French lessons in return for teaching Arnaud the guitar. Merci beaucoup. We encountered our first spider in Castlemaine and were terrified having read Bill Bryson’s ‘Down Under’ but it turned out that although it was large, it was not dangerous.
Working here was a good introduction to HelpX. The host, Martine, was so friendly and helped us adjust to this new experience. We met a lot of new people who were also friendly and interested in where we were from and what we were doing. HelpX means we see parts of Australia we would not see as just a tourist with the added bonus of experiencing the local culture. For example, we had a great night out watching a reggae band called Soul Nation – dancing in a string vest and sandals outdoors in February is not something you can do in Glasgow unless you’re Rab C – although we passed on the invitation to swim in a water hole on one of the many hot days and stuck to the local swimming pool. On our time off we were able to visit many small towns around Castlemaine. The most prominent was Ballarat which was a major goldmining centre. We visited Sovereign Hill, a replica working village depicting the harsh conditions the early settlers endured. It reminded me of the towns in the westerns we used to watch in the cinema when we were wee. I bought a cowboy hat and felt like Calamity Jane in one of those movies.
Next time second HelpX in Shepparton.
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MARION MACDONALD 