Our house

My first day in the Infront office, a co-worker mentioned her sister had a fully-furnished townhouse with a local rental agency and it had been sitting vacant for a while. On my lunch break I popped over and took a look and Will and I decided to move immediately on putting together our paperwork for a 6 month lease. Renting in Australia is almost as rigorous as buying a home for the paperwork you need to go through. Will and I had to have personal, professional and former landlord references, copies of passports, bank statements and drivers' licenses just to get "approval" to rent.

We thought we'd lost out on the opportunity for the townhouse as I couldn't get my bank statements into a PDF format. There was also someone else interested in renting the property so we felt we were really under the gun. Running of to Hamilton Island last week I had totally forgotten about our rental application until I got a phone call this Monday morning saying we had been approved to rent the property. So now we have to sign the papers and post a full months rent plus two weeks and then the home is ours. Here's a shot of the complex, we'll update with photos inside as soon as we move in.

Things are working out for us more and more each week. I feel a lot more close to normal. It's about time!

2008 Hamilton Cup

- See more photos of the Hamilton Island Outrigger Races -

 

Well it's already been a hectic first week at Infront Communications. I have been out on Hamilton Island since Wednesday as our office is the organizer for the Hamilton Cup, one of the largest outrigger canoe regattas in the world. Teams from all over Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti, Singapore and Hong Kong are gathered here for most of the week.

Will and I have checked out of our gungy backpackers and have been living in 5 star heaven on the 16th floor of the Reef View hotel on the island. When they say Reef View they mean it as our balcony opens right out over the beach where the canoe races are being held. The main form of transportation around the resort is by golf car which has been a lot of fun for me! Super-charged golf carts with headlights, signal lights and driving with the steering wheel on the proper side (for me anyway) but on the wrong side of the road. Cool!

 

My days have typically started at 5 a.m. to be prepared for the first canoe races at 7 a.m. The day shuts down early because of the tides but we still put in hours until suppertime. Then we head down to the main street at the marina where they've blocked off the streets for picnic tables, a dance floor, a stage for live music and food tents. It definitely has a small town country fair feel to it.

 

Being in Airlie Beach/Cannonvale finally doing PR work makes me finally feel like I've found what I was looking for when I started this trip. Suddenly thinking of doing a couple of years up here doesn't sound so bad. But we will take it a day at a time.  

 

Enjoy some of the pictures that Will and I took today. No matter what time of day it is we love it here.

Rock Bottom and Back Up

We're finally here! Will and I arrived in Airlie Beach/Cannonvale Sunday afternoon and it wasn't easy. First, we were prepared to pay for an extra piece of luggage as domestic airlines aren't as accommodating as international carriers. We learned, the hard way, not to fly Jetstar as an air carrier. They charge $10 per kilo over the weight limits, and as such we ended up paying $270 to get all our luggage up to Airlie (the price of a return flight for a whole other person).

When we arrived in Airlie and went to check-in at the backpackers we had booked at we realized we didn't have enough money to cover the week we had booked (having drained our accounts to get the extra luggage here). So we paid for a roof over our head until Tuesday, promising to pay the rest when payday arrived. When we took a look at our room we decided maybe we wouldn't come back to pay the remaining balance. Although functional our room is not at all nice, so we've been trying to find another place to stay.

 

In the meantime we both started our jobs yesterday. I was dumped right into the chaos at Infront Communications. This coming weekend is the big Outrigger event on Hamilton Island where canoe paddlers from around the world come to compete for the title and $60,000. As part of my support role in the office I will have to be on hand for the event all this week and into the weekend. But that does mean that I will be put up in a hotel room on Hamilton Island at their 5-star resort. And I can bring Will too! So bye bye icky backpackers and hello posh island living for the rest of the week! We'll send photos soon.

Coldest before the warm? - Day 83

It seems fitting that on the night before our departure from Brisbane, it is the coldest night we have experienced. One might think Brisbane is saying, "get the hell outta' here!" and giving us a little kick in the pants to send us on our way to Australia's tropical playground. 

Actually, we've been very lucky with the weather to date. Living in a Queenslander home could have been much worse. But for some reason the weather has been very kind and we've really only seen nightly temperatures about 15 degrees Celsius. Tonight though, its a chilly 8 degrees. Not exactly what you would envision when thinking of Australia. Even though we did our research before leaving, it is still shocking when we have to stay warm by huddling under the covers with a bottle of wine. Just as a review, Queenslanders are not much more than a roof. With windows and doors that barely keep large rodents out. 

 

Many of the readers to this blog will find this amusing; I think that it's actually warmer in Canada. Yes, I said it, warmer. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but living in Brisbane, and possibly many places south of here, you put up with more cold than in Canada. With homes that are not insulated, probably don't have central heating (or heating at all), if you have windows that seal they more than likely are not thermally broken. Which means that the homes and buildings here are colder than at home. Even though we Canadians have to live through snow and -30 winters, our homes, cars, places of work, and more importantly bedrooms are toasty warm all year long.

 

It is comical because we actually find the cold conditions the night before our departure, reaffirming, that we have made the correct choice to move. (You Chose.....Wisely) Sorry for the Indiana humour. 

 

We look forward to our time in the sun. We have made many friends here in Brisbane that are all welcome to visit, and we have told them all. Actually, if any wants to come visit. please give us a call or email, we'd love to see you.

 

Our next posts will be more lively with photos of Airlie and Cannonvale. 

Packing, again, and again, and again ....

It would seem that this trip is a lesson in packing. Every time something new happens it seems were packing. Whether it be small bags, big boxes, or everything back into our suitcases, we are constantly packing. Even trips to work require us to pack. Life is very different when you don't have transportation and limited budget; you need to take more with you than you might otherwise. 

A good example of packing for work is the other day. It has been unusually wet here and that means extra planning when on foot. A simple trip to work now requires wet weather gear or a change of clothes, in addition to things like computers, lunches, the regular change of shirt in case of an accident at work (if you know Will, you know what he means by this), glasses, coffee cups, and other items required for a simple day at work. My case is worse than Andrea's because I often need to bring a laptop and need to dress well for the office environment (Note on office attire in Brisbane: read previous blogs).

 

When you have a vehicle and more disposable money, thing are a lot simpler. The first thing being you don't need to pack more than an umbrella just because it’s raining; that makes a big difference. Two, lunch can be an outing. You don't need to pack your lunch every day if you can afford to buy your lunch, and with a car you have greater opportunity to find a lunch.

 

Don't forget that I am a temporary employee; this makes it difficult as well because I can't keep things at the office. All of you with a full time job can keep small things at work. You can keep a back up shirt hanging on your door or coat rack. You can even keep a change of clothes at work. We've all done it in Canada. You know, the office shoes you change into when you take off those massive winter boots!? :)

 

Regardless of any of the above, it has been a great trip. Yes the constant packing is a bit annoying, but it’s all part of the package. Besides, every thing is changing, for I do have a full time job now. The move to the Whitsundays is going to be very interesting. I don't want to say it will be great, because I don't know that. What it will be is an adventure. Having a stable job and income will allow Andrea and I to do more. 

 

Yes that sounds odd, but its true. With steady income and steady accommodation we will be able to SPEND. Without the money you can't do much. Even in Brisbane it’s difficult to go and look at something with out money. Sites are spread out and transit is expensive. A typical train ride one way is usually $2.50 to $3.50. This depends on when and where you are going. Short trips downtown are often more expensive than the long treks to the end of the line, but even those can cost a small fortune. Andrea and I wanted to see the Australia Zoo, made famous by the late Steve Irwin, before leaving Brisbane. But the 40 - 60 min train ride north would cost about $50.00 each plus a $52.00 entrance fee each. Needless to say that a $200.00 plus outing just is not going to happen right now. Not when you compare it to airline prices.

 

Flights in OZ have been shocking. It is amazing how inexpensive air travel is here. Yes it cost a pretty penny to get to Australia, but when your here, you can hop around for very little. Considering most things are more expensive than Canada, air travel is at par. A trip from Sydney to Brisbane is about $200 round trip. That’s about the same trip and cost to go from Calgary to Vancouver. 

 

As I mentioned I hope this is the last time I need to pack for a major move in a while. Andrea and I have secured jobs in Cannonvale for the next five months. Graphic House would love to have me longer, but we decided not to commit longer at this time. Five months is when our legal ability to work in Queensland is up. At that time we either need to be sponsored or move on. A move from there would be fine, because by that time we will have a car and saved some money. We are thinking that if we don't stay there longer, we would travel back down the coast by car; head to Melbourne or Adelaide for the summer months. Follow the sun I say!

 

I am going to miss Brisbane, we've barely scratched to surface here, but there are good jobs waiting in the Whitsundays. There are also friends we've made, sailing, scuba diving, and who knows what else. We leave on Sunday, towards the sun and hopefully a better life than Brisbane.

 

It is true that I hate packing, but I think this will be that last big one for a while.

Andrea's Whitsunday Weekend

Well there isn't much left to share with anyone. I recently went up to the Whitsundays to visit with Tara, meet up with Will and have an interview at InFront Communications.  After four blissful days in Airlie Beach/Cannonvale I had a job offer and a great visit with Tara, Chris and their friends.

Airlie Beach and Cannonvale (nearly the same town) is pretty tiny but is a tourist mecca, so the town is always full. There are great little shops to spend lots of money in and some really great restaurants. I think my favourite part of the weekend was walking through the weekend market on the edge of the beach, searching for trinkets while kids rode camels behind us on the beach. It was also pretty neat bombing up and down the coast with Will in his rental car (a Honda Jazz = Honda Fit). If I thought he was a crazy driver in Canada, he's even more frightening in Australia.

 

I regret now that I didn't get any pictures of the locals (aka. Tara, Chris, their roommates and co-workers) while we fell into a couple of pitchers of sangria the other night. It was pretty interesting to hear some of their stories of working on the boat charters. I did take some of my own pictures though of our accommodations for the weekend and some of the sights around Airlie Beach. I hope you enjoy them; I can't believe I'm actually moving to this place in a matter of weeks! Anyone and everyone is welcome to come and visit!

On the move again

Many of you reading this already know that I spent three weeks in an area called the Whitsundays. The Whitsundays are a tropical playground for many Australians. It has some of the best sailing in the world, many would say the best but I disagree. I will say that the area is definitely one of the most memorable places I have seen.

A while back my friend Tara who is also on a working holiday here in OZ sent me a job ad. This ad was for a print shop and design studio called Graphic House. They are located in Cannonvale just outside Airlie Beach. Airlie Beach is the starting point for most people looking to spend time on the islands or go sailing. The main marina is located here and is a popular destination with backpackers. 

 

I decided that I should go up and check out this job, and visit with my friend. I had worked out a deal with the company that we would do a mutual trial period. So I headed up the the tropical destination like a moth driven to light to see what this place in the sun had to offer. 

 

After being in the area for a week just drinking and partying with Tara and her friends, I had already found that I was quite partial to the area. Week two was the start of my trial period with Graphic House. This was a trial for both Graphic House and myself. I wanted to see what they were all about, and they wanted to see what kind of person and designer I was. It didn't take long to realize that it was a good fit. 

 

After two weeks of working at Graphic House I had pretty much made up my mind that I wanted to work there. The only problem was Andrea. I couldn't drag her along if she didn't have work. It had been difficult enough finding work for her in Brisbane; actually it has been virtually impossible to find any work in her field. The gods were smiling down on us it seemed, because shortly after I started with Graphic House, she got a call from a public relations agency in Cannonvale. 

 

So Andrea hopped on a plane and met me in Airlie. After a brief interview the company realized Andrea's potential and offered her a position. This was great, but left us feeling like two small fish in a big ocean again. Up there we each now have full-time paying jobs with good companies, but nowhere to live and no transport. 

 

Taking into account all aspects of a move to the Whitsundays, and all that Brisbane has to offer, we made a decision to accept both our offers. This brings us to the present. We are both heading back to Brisbane to pack and clean up loose ends. In the mean time we are looking for furnished accommodation and some kind of vehicle. Sounds like another adventure.

 

Hope all reading are well. We will keep you posted about the move. 

 

What a Ute*!

(* and all other vehicles Australian)

When Will and I left for Australia, the only thing our friend Dave asked of us was to send fun and interesting photos of the vehicles here back home. Sadly we've failed at this task so far. I've had this blog in mind for two months now and I'm finally going to populate it with what Dave was looking for. And what better way to kick it off than with the quintessential Australian vehicle - the ute!

 

I'm unsure what "ute" actually stands for (is it cute? is it some sort of animal?) I have a sneaking suspicion that due to the way Aussies affectionately shorten most words in their vocabulary, a ute is short for a utility vehicle. They are basically a station wagon without the roof in the back; mostly sedan but yet useful in their own right. They are to Australians what pick-up trucks are to Canadians. Customize it, use it, make it your own. See the photos below. This black beauty I snapped at Surfers Paradise the other day. It came complete with its own custom mufflers. It reminded me of my brother's showpiece of a truck that he drove in university. Each year they have a weekend-long festival paying homage to this unique vehicle.

 

The array of vehicles here is amazing. Peugot, Citroen, Suzuki, Mercedes, Mitsubishi; they all share roadway with Ford and Australia's answer to General Motors; Holden. Oh yes, the Ford Falcon and even an updated version of the Ford Fairlane can be seen cruising around the streets. Datsun still has vehicles on the road here. More than once Will has seen his first car - a Datsun 280 ZX. And they have proper 4X4's here, many of them remind me of my uncle's old Toyota Landcruiser.

 

This last one - well I just can't explain it. Don't read or look too closely. Apparently backpacker vans are the largest, lewdest travelling billboards around! 

Scuba Trip - Day 54

There was a time in my life, long ago, that I was introduced to scuba diving. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world and I went and got my license right away. Even my open water certification dives that were held in a glacier feed lake didn't turn me off. I went diving with my parents on the British Columbia coast, and had dreams of maybe becoming a commercial diver.

For many years I had intentions to continue diving and to dive often. Somehow I never actually went diving all the time. Weeks and months went by; eventually years went by. Yet somehow those first dives feel like yesterday. I love diving and my parents for introducing it to me. So when Tara's friends asked me if I wanted to go diving with them, I jumped at the opportunity. Its weird but I felt as giddy as if it were my first dive. It's strange how the passage of time seems to affect some things like metal, memories, and our view on the world. Somehow the passage of time has never affected my view about scuba diving.

 

Maybe it was my childhood love of going diving rushing back, the weather, all the sights. I don't know, but what ever it was, it was definitely the best day I've had in a long time. 

 

Tara's friends work for a scuba diving charter company that is basically just a boat that goes out to meet other boats. Instead of having to carry all the equipment on board the charter boat, this high speed power boat meets you at a pre-defined destination and time. They have all the gear and dive instructors, so you don't even need to be licensed. Its a great set up. 

Because the dive boat is on a pre defined schedule, it will often get to the next dive long before the charter arrives. So they get a chance to have some lunch, play with the fish, and go for fun dives. This is where Tara and I got our chance to go out, on a fun dive before the work started. We tagged along with the boat, staying away most of the time, just watching as the dive instructors did their thing. 

 

It was a really nice day. After a quick ride on the boat we arrived at our destination. Right after getting there we were surrounded by fish. Here you can see one of the instructors, and Tara's friend Ebony (I hope I spelled it right) feeding the fish. They seem to like crackers. On a really funny note, you need a license to feed fish here. Not exactly sure how you'd enforce that one?

Here is Tara taking a nap before lunch. We had just gone for a quick snorkel around the boat to check out the fish. Mmmmm, burger! yum yum yum.... This was the other instructor on the trip, just catchin' some rays. I forgot his name. Sorry "nameless dive instructor." Below is one one of the "MAXI" yatchs that sail around the Whitsundays. These are basically converted racing vessels; not much more than sailing bunk house. This one, British Defender, is also one of the boats Tara has worked on.  It was a great day and I took nearly 200 photos. These are but a few choice picks. I could have put more up, but you would have all gotten tired by now. Also I would have used up all my space for posting images.

 

It was a wonderful day, and I look forward to another dive trip.

Can my fortune be changing?

This past Sunday I saw Will off to the airport. He flew off to the Whitsundays on a double mission. First, he is going to connect with a job opportunity at a place called Graphic House. Second, he's going to spend some time visiting with our good friend Tara and her boyfriend Chris who live in Airlie Beach. Me? Well I'm holding down the fort here in Brisbane.

This week I started my second job. I began my training with Starbucks yesterday. It's a bit tricky trying to balance two full-time work schedules between both jobs, but I'm able to do it. I'm also still cruising the job sites daily and applying to PR jobs all over the country.

 

Yesterday, on a whim, I opened up a document Will had forwarded to me from a resort on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays. It had the contact information for a PR firm up in Cannonvale (basically part of Whitsunday territory). Being the plucky person I am, I wrote a brief e-mail of introduction to the PR firm and attached my resume asking if they were hiring. Today I got instant responses: yes, they are hiring, and when can I come in for an interview? It's a two-hour flight away, so I won't be getting up there for another week and a half. But I think it's worth making the trip. Why? It could have something to do with the phone call I placed to Will later today to share my good fortune, and he shared with me how he, Tara and Chris were all sitting on the patio at Tara's place looking at the ocean and enjoying a beer. Sign me up for some of that!