Australia

Danger, heat, and loads of laughs. That’s what you can expect form Aus. Durig my time down under, I becamer a true Queenslander. I resided above the Line of Capricorn, where the air was hot and humid, the floods were a real danger, and creatures from the Jurassic age still live. 

My first three months were spent in one of the oldest rainforests on the planet, in the Daintree Rainforest. Here I worked and lived among the pythons, cassowaries, crocodiles and backpackers to name a few. While I realize the Daintree is usually a one-day excursion from near-by Cairns and most people would opt for Uluru or any other of Australia’s wonders, I lived in the rainforest and became immersed in the underbelly of Australian’s backpacker world. This is a world that is not as easily navigated as New Zealand’s. The resources for backpackers is small, and the working conditions to stay for a second or third year extension on the working holiday visa are to be contested.  Be that as it may, working in the Daintree was similar to being “on the mountain” as we called it in Tongariro, and the experiences are not one I’d trade. But if I were to go back in time and do it over knowing what I know now, well, if you’re going to Aus let me lend you a few tips. 

The rest of my time in Aus was working on a catamaran that sailed a three day, two night cruise along the Whitsunday Islands. My time working on the boat was extraordinary, and I wish I had been able to continue my stint. (Another win for Covid-19.)

The Australian people are some of the most fun people you will ever meet. They love to laugh and laugh and laugh, and have no regard for what American’s would call “PC.” Aussies are the best guests, the best friends, and maybe not the best role-models. But who cares. Those Aussies will grab life by the balls and giver ‘er a go!