THIRD HELPX
GLADSTONE GIGS AND GIGGLES APRIL 2012
After leaving Shepparton we went to Geelong where we met Jim and Lesley who were over for the racing then we drove the Great Ocean Road where we unexpectedly bumped into Pascal and Ines for a second time. We saw loads of koalas and even saw one eating which is rare as they sleep for 20 hours a day. We found out the males were not the sweet creatures they appear to be in terms of their mating ritual. We also saw pelicans and a possum. Charlie got stung by a wasp on the foot but luckily it wasn’t too serious. We stopped at the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge. famous landmarks on the Great Ocean Road. The weather was stormy, so it was quite spectacular. Unfortunately I can’t find our photographs. We visited Port Fairy, Penola (where Mary McKillop, Australia’s first saint set up the first Catholic School way back in the 19th Century. She was quite a woman for her time), Mt Gambier and Handorf, a lovely village with a German influence full of cuckoo clocks German sausages etc. The following blog was written by Charlie again.
Our next placement was in a small town called Gladstone, which was in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. It has a population of around 700 people. We also found it to be one of the friendliest places in Oz. We stayed with Stephen, Lisa, wee Ella, 5 chooks, 1 cat, two kittens and a puppy and we all got on great. Stephen and Lisa are two of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet, and their daughter Ella was a lovely chatty we girl of 3. Lisa was pregnant when we were there, and she later had a baby boy after we left who she called Charlie. We were introduced to the owners of the local café, Geoff and Linda who came from Yorkshire, and we became good friends over the next 3 weeks of our stay. During our time there we were invited to the local bowling club where we met other locals, one of whom taught me to play the harmonica and kindly gave me one as a leaving gift. We were also invited to an Easter Bonnet Party, followed by a special show on Easter Sunday at the hotel. On the final Saturday we were invited to do a gig in the local hotel, where I played guitar and led a singsong – so Chaz and Maz on tour in Oz became a reality – Awesome. Marion composed a final farewell ditty to the tune of ‘We’re no awa tae bide awa’ and I believe that Stephen put it on You Tube.
Stephen worked for the SA Tourist Board and took us out and about around the region – including wine tasting at Blessing’s Winery. He also made his own beer which was very nice and baked his own bread. Mmmm. We also tasted kangaroo for the first time when he did a BBQ. Other places we visited were Port Pirie the regional centre and Port Germaine where we saw a huge manta ray swimming just below us while we were on the pier. It wasn’t all play as we did do some work – mainly gardening, housework, cooking, chook and cat feeding/litter cleaning. We got a bit of a fright one day when a chook got out of the coop and the cat was roaming about. Me trying to recapture it was like a scene from a comedy movie, which unfortunately Marion didn’t manage to capture on camera.
So far this has been our favourite placement. It let us see what country life is like, how people in these small communities are so close knit and friendly and really look out for each other. It was totally different from city life, and it really was a fantastic experience and surely one of the highlights of our adventure.
Next time Sensational Sydney our fourth HelpX.
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MARION MACDONALD 