We haven't posted a blog for a while or even took our camera out (very bad) but I thought I'd do a quick blog about what we've been up to! We arrived in perth on the 19th of January at 6am and it was... cold! We felt like we'd been lied to about how hot Australian is all year round! Don't get my wrong the North is a scorcher but the south not so much! Although it did hit 41 when we were in pemberton... botton line, Australia has random weather that we weren't prepared for in our flip flops... or thongs as the aussies call it!
Our first week was spent in Perth which is a lovely laid back city with very friendly people. We did a range of things in perth from visiting a Fremantle prison to beach days when it was hot. We we're also in Perth for Australia day where we ate Kangaroo burgers and watched a spectacular firework display! However our favourite thing in Perth was the visit to my Great Auntie Joyce and Uncle Harry who I haven't seen in about 20 years. The minute I saw her she reminded me so much of my nana which was really special. After one day there, it felt like we'd known them for years! They were so welcoming and just like nana, Joyce made such we were well fed. Harry also made his own beer which was very tasty (I still can't believe I like beer). Just before we left a friend of Joyce and Harry popped around invited us to have a day out on his boat! So a couple of days later we met up again with Joyce, Harry and there lovely friends Ben and David then of we went sailing along city beach! It was quite a calm first hour until a thunderstorm developed! It was just our luck but having said that, being on a boat in the middle of a thunderstorm was super exciting and it was such a great experience! We are so grateful to Ben for having us and it was great fun! Over the fews days that we saw Joyce and Harry we realised how lovely they were, not to mention hilarious. We were told stories of her childhood and she loved pulling pranks on Gareth and all in all it was a great start to Australia!
After a week in Perth we realised Australia was eating up our money fast so we took a chance and headed to Pemberton which is a small town south of perth with a population of 800 people! We arrived on the Monday and on the Tuesday we were Avacado picking with a 5am wake up call! Avacado picking was physically demanding when you had to climb to the very top to reach the high ones and crawl on your belly to get the low ones for 10 hours each day. Gareth had an experience of falling from the top of the tree! You'd think he was a stunt man with the landed (he did a backwards roll haha). I find the first day quite difficult because the farmer wasn't in the best of moods due to the fact a fellow worker was smoking weed on the premises and took a beer from the fridge without asking! Needless to say the farmer was not happy and we got the backlash! The next day however was better and once our work was done and he didn't need us anymore we were rewarded with beer! If only that guy had of waited!
Because we'd payed a weeks rent to the worst hostel I've ever stayed in we decided kill some time and climb the 53ft tree that was once a fire watch post! When we got there we thought we'd have to pay and be harnessed up but nope, it is literally the tree with metal bars sticking out of it and a safety net the going around! It was free though haha! I have never experienced a fear of heights but by god it was scary! At one point my legs were doing an elvis impression but before we knew it we were at the top! It was totally worth it because the views were awesome and you could see for miles! Going down was a lot easier and I was so proud of us for doing it because even after the first few steps I was so close to giving up but we did it! That evening we also did an unexpected shift as waiters at a vineyard that had a wedding that night and they were two staff down! The venue was beautiful and working there was really enjoyable! Time flew by and before we new it we had done an 8 hours shift! So after the avacado picking and waitressing, I'd say we'd had a pretty intense work out as it took a few days for my muscles to stop hurting! Pemberton wasn't a very good week for us due to the accommodation standards/ security and lack of sleep. The YHA in pemberton however is supposed to be much nicer meaning it can be a pleasant visit and is worth visiting if you're passing through but in honesty, you wouldn't even have to stay the night! Thankfully it wasnt all doom and gloom and we had good moments. Sitting in the park reading a book whilst a wild eagle flew over our heads hunting for prey was one of those good moments!
Oh but the day came when we could leave and the minute we arrived in Albany we realised we've came to an awesome place! The hostel we are at is so much better and comfortable! The backpackers in general are a lot more considerate too! We have been here for about a week and we've done two days of grape picking with another day of it tomorrow! The best thing is that we are being paid hourly due to the hostels policy of only finding jobs that are fair to the backpackers as well as the employer meaning no wage by the bucket! We aren't too sure what we have planned next or when we'll be moving on but for now we are happy here! I lie our only plan is to get a car because without one life is a little bit more challenging!
Fun fact for you ladys! To my knowledge, the beloved Aussie hair products are non existent in Australia!
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