Farming in Victoria for my Second Aussie Visa

I'm writing this post from my new home- a sheep farm in rural Victoria, where I am slowly become a sheep mustering master! Coming from a city-loving girl like myself this could seem unpredictable, but the best things in life always are!

As I've previously mentioned, backpackers on a working holiday visa need to do 88 collected days or 3 months straight of 'specified work' in a regional postcode to be able to spend another year in this fabulous country.

I found a lovely farm willing to take me on as a volunteer for 3 months in exchange for food, drink and accommodation (like WOOFing) near Hamilton in western Victoria (3314- on the postcode list yay!), around 3.5 hours from Melbourne.

Having minimal farming experience in the past, my experiences so far have been a real learning curve! 


So far I've been;

• Mustering (gathering) sheep into 'mobs' (groups) 
• Droving sheep (moving) from one paddock to another on my trusty quad bike
• Drafting (separating) the ewes from the lambs as they run down a 'race' (metal runway)
• Repairing wire fences
• Driving the Utes all over the farm
• Bottle-feeding gorgeous little orphan lambs
• Preparing hay paddocks ready for mowing
• Testing stock water quality for salt levels
• Weighing lambs for selling to Aussie supermarkets
• Assisting with lamb marking- which includes a 5-in-1 vaccination, ear tagging, and castrating their tails and boy-bits with elastic bands (elasticators!)

It's been Spring weather so far so a bit of everything, though as it comes into summer I'll be ditching my very attractive waterproof trousers, jacket and gumboots in favour of a sun hat, t-shirt and shorts ready to get a farmers' tan :)

Here are some pics of my farm life so far...

George and Junior before I started fattening them up :)

Fencing in progress

Ready for Drafting

Little lamb being marked

New best friends- quad bike and Bindy

Feeding my babies

Daunting approaching mob!

Happy as Larry

Canola Field

New gum boots and fleece :)

Chooks!

Lamb kicked me!

Chasing a wild Emu

Queen of the mowers

Watch this space for more updates from life on the farm, and a blog post re-capping my month spent travelling around Oz and Indo with Mum!

Travelling in your Twenties... and Forays into Tarot

There is an epidemic among 20-something year olds.

It seems that my friends and I feel like we have everything, and yet nothing at the same time. 

Our generation on the whole are fairly independent, well educated, have the opportunity to travel or work abroad, to chase good jobs, to get on the property ladder, to date Mr Right, have beautiful babies, to eat, drink and be merrier than an elf drinking mulled wine yet still look hot in our disco pants. The problem is- we want it all before the dreaded 3-0.

--- THIS ARTICLE in Cosmo caused many a discussion around Cairns lagoon, there are some interesting comments on the matter HERE, and in this TED talk on The Defining Decade' ---

I, like many of my travelling cohorts here in Australia, often mention starting our so-called 'real life' when we're done with travelling. We're forever brain-storming (sorry- thought-showering) 'What To Do With Our Lives' and the merits of everything from being a pilot to a pole dancer have been pondered. Do I try and do 3 months of farm work to stay another year in Australia, go home and do a Masters course, apply for jobs or internships in a place I'd love to explore further, do a ski season or a stint on a cruise ship, or move to Bali and become a masseuse?!

It's a blessing and a curse; being of the generation who have the world at their feet, but want to walk all paths, including the road less traveled, to an idyllic ideal destination too hazy yet to make out. 

I even read Po Bronson's anecdotal 'What Should I Do With My Life', which only really made me realise that people face this dilemma at all points in their life.

Turning to Tarot...

The other day while I was weighing up my options at the Cairns Night Market T-shirt stall I ran part-time, a tarot card reader I've befriended offered me a free reading. I was skeptical at first, but I came out of it feeling far better about my past choices, present situation and future decisions. Here's what happened...

My reader shuffled the cards and explained what each card in turn would mean when he pulled it from the pack. He placed 7 Osho (Indian guru) tarot cards into a V position representing the wings of a bird; the top wing being my female energies like intuitions of the heart and the bottom being male representing action. 

Cynics- beware- an open mind is required for the rest of this post too!

The first two cards are read together and reveal how I came into this life from previous ones- I thankfully got 'Moment to Moment' and 'Turning In'.  My reader told me I naturally live in the moment, listen to my heart and am very independent. Sounds about right to me- he also said that I love people but don't need them- apparently if we need others then we are dependant, but if we build on our relationship with ourselves and become our own best friend then we can't feel broken by disastrous relationships with others. 

My next feminine card was 'The Fool'. I instantly thought this was a negative thing but he almost applauded my ability to step off the proverbial cliff and just trust that everything on my journey will work out OK, which it will as long as I trust my heart and rid myself of the bugs in my male energy line' 'The Mind' and 'Politics'.

Apparently my mind is too cluttered by my own thoughts and other people's advice and I need to gain clarity through meditation and focusing on being aware instead of thoughtful. I've only dabbled in meditation in the past, for example last year in Byron Bay I instructed a yoga session for a hippy chick who was staying in my tee-pee and in return she talked through an uplifting meditation (I am aware this sounds very hippy but just go with it). 

He used the example of playing netball- when we're playing we're not thinking about what will happen, we are at a heightened state of awareness so we can act when we feel we need to. If we can have the same awareness of self in every action from feeling your heart warm when a decision is right for you to savoring each bite of an apple then life is lived more fully and yet more simply, leading eventually to happiness. Simple equation, no?

My female energy line ended in 'Schizophrenia'- he said it's trusting in myself that will give me the ability to only follow my true desires and not be influenced by other people's ideas manifesting themselves in my head, like the hopes of parents, the expectations of past teachers or the comparisons we make against peers (and, let's be honest- celebrities! Half of them are younger and less intelligent than me but will be able to retire in a few years as long as they don't form a drug or Louboutin habit!)

The last card on my masculine energy side was 'Understanding', where a picture of a bird being freed from a cage and into the universe served as a metaphor for 'Super Stacey' (his words not mine) who will live in the moment, make decisions with my heart instead of my head and have a happy and fulfilled life doing whatever makes me happy.

I'm looking forward to seeing where listening to my heart will take me, and instead of waiting for my 'real life' to begin, I'm going to enjoy every moment of this wonderful one I'm already in. If that means I don't have it all by 30, then I only have more to look forward to on the run up to 40 :)

If I joined Pinterest or Instagram I'd waste half my life finding more inspirational quotes than I have time to ponder :p

As for now- I've decided to do the 3 months of farm work to qualify for my second year visa- you can expect an update on my farming life once I travel miles into the nearest town for wifi! 

Maybe all that time spend in the fields will enable me to meditate, or maybe nursing newborn lambs and driving tractors, planting veggies and learning new things will help me realise that this IS my 'Real Life'- and I love every minute of it.

Any excuse for an Oscar Wilde epigram

Going Bananas in Far North Queensland

I've recently returned to my beloved Melbourne from 3 months in tropical North Queensland, and it's time to share a few insights from my experiences banana farming and burning the candle at both ends in Cairns before I embark on a 25-day Mother and Daughter escapade around Australasia.

As all backpackers know, you can extend your first Working Holiday Visa in Australia by doing 3 months (or 88 days) 'specified work' in a rural postcode. Intending to get mine out of the way before Mother's imminent arrival, I traveled to Innisfail, a small banana and sugar cane farming town an hour south of Cairns, to work on a farm owned by a friend's family. Arriving in the rain faced with depressing hostels and even more depressing testimonies from their inhabitants, my mood and optimism plummeted. On being rescued from the rain and checked into the newest hostel 'Backpackers Shack' by owner Nick, then arranging to start work only 3 days later (most others were waiting a fortnight), I was keen to get stuck in!

Here's a crass walk through of the banana farming jobs:

Trailers of bunches ready for processing!

Strong men do the banana 'humping' (yes, you read that correctly) to get the huge heavy bunches from the trees onto trailers and into the packing sheds. The bunches are released from their bungy cords, the bags sheltering them are untied and their stem is chained ready to be hung up- my favourite tasks as you got to move around and could at any time discover frogs, toads, spiders, snakes and other lovely surprises!

They are de-bagged (you will be splattered with rat poo and questionable liquids) before they go through a banana version of a car wash, and get cut into 'hands' and further into 'clusters'.

These clusters are sorted as they move along a soapy conveyor belt to weed out any less-than-perfect bananas- cue judgmental categorization of the ugly, bruised, cut, diseased and freaky co-joined fingers, with different 'grades' and sizes separated at break-wrist speed.

Next- the packers place 14kg of bananas into pre-assembled boxes, a boring job perfect for anyone who likes Tetris. I do not. I also got to assemble the boxes, poke a broken button to dispense glue while it was faulty, and separate boxes that were stuck together by a faulty tape machine- variety is the spice of life and all!

Honestly though, my time banana farming wasn't as bad as everyone complained it was during our regimented breaks, Innisfail wasn't as boring as everyone else in my hostel seemed to think it was, and it wasn't the farm's fault I had to be laid off after two weeks when the harvest was slow. C'est la vie!

I joined a friend in Cairns and after hardheartedly and unsuccessfully trying to find a new farm job, I got sucked into the black hole of Cairns life and have only this week emerged out again; many friends richer, a little fatter and with a much more damaged liver!

Lagoon life :)

Cairns is a city with a small town vibe- everyone ends up knowing each other, you see the same people every day and you can walk practically anywhere you need to go. Most backpackers only really see the Lagoon (sunbathing mecca), the Esplanade (ocean front jogging haven), Cairns Central (air-conned shopping centre) a few watering holes (mostly The Woolshed and Gilligans), Woolworths and BWS.

AKA everything you need; Sun, Sea, Shopping, Sambuca, Sausages and Spirits.

While waiting to hear if I could have my Innisfail farming job back, I started working for free accommodation; most people clean their hostel, I blew up balloons in The Woolshed! Realising I also needed money too, I started selling T-shirts in Cairns Night Market a couple of nights a week for a friend of a friend at xviclothing.com. 

Wanting to fill my time further, I joined the Ultimate Party crew; selling tickets for and running bar crawls around the city on a double-decker bus. Not your average 9-5 jobs I know but I’ve realised I’m not really about that at this stage in my life! The banana harvest this year has been really poor so there was no more farming work to be had, hence staying in Cairns for the fastest 3 months of my life, but working 7 days a week and partying hard has finally caught up with me, so now I’m looking forward to a month off work travelling around with my dear Mother.

Anyone who knows me knows that it won't have been all work and no play though- since I’ve been in Cairns I have tickled turtles scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, felt the rush bungy jumping at AJ Hackett, have driven the Raging Thunder speed boat, zip-lined over a crocodile at Cairns Zoom, hung off the roof of the Casino, partied at Gilligan’s Sinners Ball, eaten delicious food and far too much Baskin Robbins ice-cream, listened to great live music, dived into beautiful waterfalls, rafted down rapids in a $15 K-mart dinghy, celebrated my 23^rd with a big BBQ picnic, watched my friend play AFL at Cazalys stadium, bushwalked through rainforests, partied on Fitzroy island dressed as Santa, marveled at the Circus, browsed through Rusty’s market and laneway vintage shops (Coco Lane- The Best!), salsa danced in a carpark then on the Woolshed tables and made friends I know I’ll be in touch with for years.

Here are some snaps from my escapades!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Millaa Millaa Falls- FREEZING!

The Party Bus!

Bus Life!

Found Crush, AND Nemo!

Boom-netting, tighten your bikini first!

Me- hanging out with friends :p

I've just left the sun to meet my Mum in chilly Melbourne, and though I miss my Cairns family, I'm loving being back to the Australian city I first fell in love with. Wish me luck on the next phase of my adventure; Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Bali, Lombok then Darwin!

Working Holiday in Melbourne... Part 3

Melbourne- my four months living in your ample bosom have been AMAZING, but- alas!- I have just left to do my three months of rural work in order to extend my Working Holiday Visa for a second year, so I can return to you, you see? You deserve a re-cap of some of my favourite city memories since my last post:

A Pic collage of some city snaps

I've attended some great festivals and events in the last couple of months; Sydney Road's Street Party and a cheeky Sunday beer garden sesh was an ideal arvo, as was watching the fearless waterski jumps, riverside fireworks and jumping around at the sweaty Ball Park Music gig at the Moomba Festival weekend.

Fireworks by the Yarra at Moomba Festival

Future Music Festival was an awesome day too- though to me a festival isn't a festival without a hastily-erected tent to crash in(to) after tripping over a million insivible guy ropes, waking up with a hangover claiming 'hair of the dog' actually works and doing it all again for the next couple of nights. A lot of Aussie festivals end around 11pm, leaving hundreds of people cramming onto the same packed trams or walking miles to find an open bottle-o, only to find themselves in the casino and bailing at 2am. Wish I could go to Splendour in the Grass!

A highlight of my whole LIFE was watching Passenger (a.k.a Mike Rosenberg) perform at the quaint Athenaeum theater  a gig I had bought tickets to around Christmas! He was PHENOMENAL- I spent every strum, stomp and word transfixed at how witty, humble, entertaining, funny, talented (and thus attractive!) he was, even laughing out loud at his Taylor Swift/goat bleat cover, almost crying at Let Her Go, shouting out the lyrics to Holes with the hundreds of other spectators, and holding my breath while he gave an unplugged rendition of Blind Love. He was supported by the talented, hairy and soulful Stu Larsen and another less impressive fellow whose name I forget. WATCH THIS and begin to understand his greatness--->

I had another fun camping weekend in Moama for Easter (complete with egg hunt), and two glorious days spend visiting my camp friend in Torquay where I tried to surf (still a bit of a 'kook' though- someone who can't surf!), leapt off a huge rock into the ocean, ate shark and chips by the sea, grabbed bargains at surf shop warehouse sales, sampled the local nightlife and sunbathed on Bells Beach.

Yeah that's me almost standing up on a baby wave!

Another fantastic road trip took us to Philip Island, where we watched the cute fluffy penguins waddle in to shore at the tourist-fave Penguin Parade, spent time with my friend's Gran (she loved our enchiladas and cards evening!), seal-spotted from the Nobbies and went sand-dune boarding into the sea- NOTE: do this with your mouth FIRMLY CLOSED or you WILL have a mouth full of sand!

So excited for penguins!

At the top of a sand dune- ready to hurtle down it!

Melbourne International Comedy Festival was in full swing from March to April, with a myriad of shows to suit every sense of humour. I saw Neal Portenza's Test Show at the Tuxedo Cat and only endured one moment of pick-on-the-audience embarrassment but many moment of this-is-ridiculous-but-hilarious joy.

 

I started to look at Melbourne in a different way before I left- taking photos of the beautiful parts I knew I wouldn't see for a while and visiting the places I should have already been like the Shrine of Remembrance, the ACMI and the NGV (which has a Monet exhibition coming soon that I'd have loved to have seen, Claude being my fave French Impressionist and all- I've been to his house y'know!) and cool soon-closing events like the People's Market in Collingwood. 

Australian Art in the NGV Federation Square gallery

Interactive Screen Worlds exhibition at the ACMI

View from the Shrine of Remembrance

The Melbourne Museum has an interesting exhibition on the lost treasures of Afghanistan that were hidden in the depths of the presidential palace by Kabul's National Museum staff during times of political turbulence and warfare, but re-discovered in 2003. From intricate pottery to stunning turquoise and gold jewelry, the unearthing of these objects has given Afghanistan back a tangible sense of their rich culture and history, and it was refreshing to experience something positive in relation to the troubled country, as well as just to swoon over the elaborate adornments!

I started attending hip-hop dance classes at the Melbourne Dance Hub, where I worked on improving my "swag"- it's a work in progress! My friends and I also worked up a sweat at the 5K Puma Glow Run along Birrarung Mar; where dance tents every kilometre and a rave-like party at the finish line allowed us to punctuate our speed-walk/jogging bursts with booty-shaking and skanking under showers of glow sticks, all to the backdrop of the night cityscape, and followed by a great night out on Chapel Street. I've been to so many of Melbourne's best (and worst) watering holes that a thorough run-through of my favourite Melbournian nightlife spots deserves a post of it's own- watch this space!

The Glow Run Starting Line

My drink-fuelled escapades and culinary extravagances were funded by another temp admin job I had at Victoria University's Sunshine campus (Sunshine being possibly the most ironic name for such a bleak suburb), with the rest being spent at weekend garage sales, vintage warehouses and op shops, if not on my ever-depleting Myki card.

RetroStar vintage warehouse just opposite my flat in Brunswick- epic!

My next job (and lifestyle) will be wildly different- banana farming in a town called Innisfail roughly 1 hour south of Cairns whilst living the backpacker life in a working hostel! Once I've settled in and had my first taste of banana farming I will reveal all in another post. 

Until then- wish me luck!

Working Holiday in Melbourne- Part 2

How fast time flies when you're having fun SO BUSY YOU CAN'T EVEN HAVE A JOG!

To be honest I could get up earlier and jog before work but... but... well, there's always a reason, right?

Anyway the reason for my packed schedule is a combination of having kind-of sorted my life out as I intended to in my last post, and also just being so overwhelmed with how much there is to see and do here that I am scared (yes, terrified) of missing out of anything I'd regret! YOLO induces FOMO- fact.

The view from my friend's city pad I stayed in before sorting my life out

A couple of days after my skills test and interview at a temp recruitment agency (Shave HR), I got my first gig working for the Australian Red Cross processing donations for the Queensland Floods, Tasmanian Bushfires and other disaster appeals. It isn't the most... challenging work but I'm always keen to try new things and learn new skills, even if it leads me to the conclusion that I do not want to do this kind of work- I need more stimulation! Though I have made some wonderful friends, gained useful office experience and I do love the notes the elderly tend to include with their donations reading "God Bless the work that you do in times of crisis" and such like- I'd consider working for a not-for-profit again, even if just for those snippets of joy that brighten my day and all the other amazing things about working for a charity, like staff who bake cakes...

I also found a flat! Gumtree is such a great resource for people on a WHV, there are a few other flatmate-finding sites but Gumtree really is the monopolizer of all things free, cheap, short-term and occasionally odd. Amid the ads for 'free rooms depending on what you're willing to do' (GULP) I found a fully-furnished room for short-term let in the cool hipster suburb of Brunswick with a lovely housemate, goldfish and many terrariums. Happy days!

Chinese New Year Market on Southbank

Between work, shopping and exploring the city with my new and old friends it's hard to find time to look for The Job, but I'm working on it. Melbourne has so many festivals and events on during summer (which is drawing to a close here) that I've been spoilt for choice- more on that at a later date! I have had fabulous times at the St Kilda Festival, Chinese New Year celebrations and the Queen Victoria Night Market recently, but I do tend to oversubscribe myself to things I want to do!

St Kilda Festival for my second year in a row- sang along to Pez's Festival Song, fest so apt!

Take last weekend for instance; between after-work drinks in the city (including the cool but crate-clad Section8 and $12 jugs at La La Land), Mexican fare from Guzman y Gomez (bit obsessed with this place atm), laundry, groceries, Skype dates, a jog, some op-shopping in second-hand stores, a rad festival party in St Kilda, a wonderful free outdoor symphony orchestra concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, the artsy White Night festival that took over the CBD, all-you-can-eat Indian, garage sale browsing, markets and a movie marathon- who even has time to check out the pre-Savers sale stock you want to buy never mind job-hunt!? Well, I fitted that in too and got some bargains on their 50% off night on Monday!

Repeat after me: I-Must-Be-Less-Sociable-And-More-Disciplined... but doesn't Live-Life-To-The-Fullest have a better ring to it?

Enjoying Mozart and wine at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl

My Working Holiday in Melbourne- Part 1

On visiting Australia as a tourist less than a year ago (more on that HERE) I absolutely fell in love with this country; I had an amazing time with friends in Sydney and Adelaide and more fun than is probably healthy travelling up the beautiful East Coast to Cairns, though it was the wonderful city of Melbourne that I saw myself returning to.

<3 This City

I was told by a friend that Sydney is like a glamorous trophy girlfriend, but Melbourne is the woman you spend the rest of your life with- a metaphor I think fits perfectly. Almost a year later, here I am in the bosom of my 'wife' on a Working Holiday Visa, (£240 in GBP atm) seeking full-time employment and a fun house-share for at least the rest of the year, and I'm one happy camper (well, lodger) for choosing to do so.

Aussies are like Northerners without coats on; they're friendly, they like to drink and they will go out of their way to help you (or so I have found). Luckily I have fantastic friends and their accommodating families who are letting me stay until I find my feet, and I've almost been having too much fun so far to sort my life out; getting to know the best places to eat and drink (more on that coming soon), attending the Tennis Open, exploring the city and its laneways, its suburbs and shopping districts, making friends and even going wake-boarding on the Murray River during an Australia Day camping weekend- yeah mate!

Having fun at the Open in the freebie and photo-op rich stalls :)

I have however done the basics, all in my first trip to the mall:

• I got an Aussie phone number ($30/month for a pretty good Optus deal, do this first!)
• I set up a Commonwealth Bank account (needs a $50 deposit to get it going for a $6 charge)
• I applied for a Tax File Number (you need this for finding a job but it's super easy to apply for online)
• I registered for Medicare (similar to the NHS but you pay a portion of your fees; Britain has a 'reciprocal agreement' with Australia so we get cut-price healthcare too).

Now my building-a-life activities include adding jobs to my rapidly-growing Seek shortlist, signing up for recruitment agencies for some temping work while I find The Job (TBC), and prowling Gumtree and house-share sites to find a friendly, non-creepy bunch of people I can move in with on a short-term basis. If you're staying in a hostel first you might meet like-minded peeps who you can find a house together with, just make sure they have some degree of personal hygiene first!

Moving to Australia for a year or two needn't be stressful if you adopt the laid-back vibe of those who surround you once you get here. Be prepared, do your research and keep on top of your to-do list once you get here and everything will (hopefully) fall into place, or so I hope :)

Apparently it's snowing in the UK. SHAME :p

Feeling Crafty- Handmade Cards, Gifts and Jewellery

As a gift for my friend's adorable baby I made this little name plaque, to go with the awesome NY Yankees romper I got her in the states. There's loads of cool handcrafted gift ideas on sites like Etsy so why not give it a go, it might even be good enough to actually give as a present (unlike last year's decorated xmas candles that now gather dust on my loft!)

For the M- I punctured holes through thick textured card, threaded through pink ribbon and added a sequin.
A- I did a similar thing with pink beads threaded onto sparkly thread to form an 'A'.
C- I cut the motif from my Christening ribbon (sentimental!) into a 'C' shape.
I- Sparkly sequins threaded together to form a line were finished off with a heart sequin.
E- I cut pink tissue paper into the right shape and stuck on a duck shaped button.
Et Voila!

Also check out these cute handmade cards I made for friends and family this winter in moments of pure and unadulterated crafting bliss...

Mother Bear's card, pamper voucher and handmade leaf earrings (well, I bought the components and put them together!) 

Granda loves living in the Lake District almost as much as he loved my card :)

Metallics, sheer ribbon and buttons add texture to my fancy floral creations

Snazzy card I made for my last day at work.

I'm also partial to a bit of jewellery-making as you may have gathered in previous posts, but here are some of the friendship bracelets I made at camp, and a few necklaces made by my own two manicure-starved hands:

L-R: This tiny bottle and dried flower were a gift from a very creative CouchSurfing host I had the pleasure of meeting in West Philadelphia, which I added to a shoelace. Resourceful!

The swirly black pendant is a Fimo creation made at Camp in New York, as were the galaxy-inspired beads beside it, all threaded onto leather.
The hamsa hand (symbolising protection) and the monochrome amulet were made using copper enameling which I'll go into a little more detail on below, and the wooden cross was a rainy day project in Byron Bay on the east coast of Australia.

The back of the hamsa hand above shows the 'before' finish to these pieces of copper, but they look far more interesting with a little coloured enamel, especially in the ombre style I carefully created above. At camp we sprinkled the sanded copper shaped with coloured powdered enamel (more on that HERE- thanks again eHow!), VERY CAREFULLY carried to the oven and baked. I prefer the one on the suede cord but the beaded one has an ethnic charm I also quite like!

These heart earrings were also made using the copper enameling technique, I just stuck some earring posts to the back to make them functional!

Next I think I'd like to make these cool framed heart-shaped maps of places I love, or this Robert Indiana style 'Love' button creation (ha- love button) from Not On The High Street as I DO love buttons!