After 4,300 kilometres we finally arrive, moving into our temporary accommodation in the Swan Valley. No idea where that is? Oh Boy! Look up Perth’s Northeast; about 25 minutes from the CBD; bit rural with grand old homesteads, farms, vineyards! And an Aldi store just down the road. This is heaven on earth!
Everything is at our fingertips! The Dog’s Breakfast is a cute hole-in-the-wall café at the local vet, complete with agility park, dog-pool and -kindy - literally five minutes dog walk! We are organising flights to Brisbane, visiting Paul’s ophtalmologist, ordering new glasses, fitting work shoes and pants - and the day is only half done. Time for some giggles at the movies. Ok, “The Addams Family" is not really the pinnacle of high culture, but after a year in the middle of nowhere this is sheer bliss!
The coming weeks are occupied with training, about 5 days or 38 hours per week: Well structured, great mix of theory, class room, hands-on and coaching sessions. Paul and I dive into anything that staff are expected to master and then some. The ideas is that we will be able to uphold the brand, its values and quality at Newman. Weekly stock take, ordering, production and service delivery, staff training and reporting are all standardised We have got to get our heads around that. I have never experienced a work place this organised. The German in me is rejoicing!
The coming weeks are occupied with training, about 5 days or 38 hours per week: Well structured, great mix of theory, class room, hands-on and coaching sessions. Paul and I dive into anything that staff are expected to master and then some. The ideas is that we will be able to uphold the brand, its values and quality at Newman. Weekly stock take, ordering, production and service delivery, staff training and reporting are all standardised.
We have got to get our heads around that. I have never experienced a work place this organised. The German in me is rejoicing!
Here is a BIG SHOUT OUT out to all the fantastic people who looked after us. No question is too silly, no moment too awkward not to have a laugh or to turn it into a valuable exchange of ideas and thoughts. Having said that, running your own show will be quite something else. But more about that later…
The best thing is that the job allows us time off where we can be ourselves, go shopping, dog walking or exploring like the cute old town of Guildford (Perths oldest settlement), the breweries, chocolate places, ice creameries, pizzerias. All of a sudden we have choices!
Perth is rapidly expanding. The amount of new estates, roads and buildings in the making is staggering. It appears to be well planned with amenities in every new suburb. No need to drive into the CBD if you don’t want to. The freeways are in great nick without a toll road in sight - the perks of a booming commodities market. Public works pay tribute to this wealth, e.g. see the new Optus Stadium, Elisabeth Quay and the make over of the Western Australian Museum and the WA Maritime Museum.
Here some staggering figures: Western Australia covers almost one third of the southern continent. If it was a country, it would be the 10th largest in the world. By population it’s only 11% of Australia or somewhere between Estonia and Lithuania. WA’s economy is riding spectacularly on exports of gas, iron ore, gold and bauxite mostly to China. When the Asian market sniffles, Australia ends up with pneumonia as shown in the 1990 and 2008 crises. It appears that the state still does not have a system in place to use the one-off mining royalties to establish sustainable employment and welfare for its people. The mining industry creates enormous wealth for few. Jobs outside the industry are sparse, tourism - labour intensive and cumbersome - nearly an afterthought. Lucky we have got a job!
It’s the 21st of December, we treat us to a trip to Rottnest. I am looking forward to a bit of island time but it is the quokkas (Setonix brachyurus) that I am really keen to meet. When Dutch explorers first spottet this place in 1696 they thought they were seeing rats, hence the island’s name “Rat’s Nest”. On the mainland the cute marsupials are nearly extinct. The island mob nearly followed suit: Early visitors used them as balls for popular games such as soccer, cricket, golf. Humans are feral, aren’t they? For more on this fascinating topic, have a read of Tim Flannery’s book “The Future Eaters” - a must for any Aussie - revealing and rather disturbing!
Like teenagers quokkas get up in the afternoon. And they are everywhere. And super cute! And they know it. You find them in local shops (no kidding) and cafes. They hop around your feet and picnic on the foreshore. Can’t help myself, but it’s selfie time! Notice the grin on both the photographer and the critter!
Besides that, Rottnest is a stunning island with blue water, corals, cliffs and pristine sandy beaches. We embark on an organised tour first with a bus, then with the local train. Our guide, Cherry, is a ripper! A living version of Hyacinth Bucket!!! Exactly the kind of distraction I need and probably the most I am able to master physically and mentally. I have nursed a bad neck / shoulder for the past two months and it is driving me insane. Sorry, Paul, it will get better, I promise. Hot showers, heat patches, a lot of exercise and tonnes of pain killers!
Crazy Christmas Eve: 4.30 am pack the car, making coffees from 6 am, pick up Olli from the dog shelter at 2, move in to the new place at 3, X-Mas shopping done by 4, dog walking by 4.30, at 5 we are at Paul’s nieces for an early X-Mas dinner. Time to catch a breath! And to check out her fabulous gin collection - Yeay! Thanks for having us!!!
Mosman Park, our new home, is a stunning suburb between the lower Swan River and the Ocean. Mix of old and new mansions, this is where money resides! Our converted boat house sits right on the water! With its own moorings! The river serenades us while we enjoy a glass of red some nibbles; pelicans, dolphins and our own family of black swans for company.
Waking up to the most stunning water views. And Freshwater's Café, just around the corner on its own sheltered beach. Dog is excited about swimming and snacking on jelly fish. I join him for a swim (not the jelly fish), snorkel around our adobe and later explore the river and its sheltered bays with the kayak. What a stunning place. Never mind some idiots stealing the boat later on. May have been too trusting - after all, it’s a 2million plus city.
Christmas Day we are off to explore Cottesloe Beach and Fremantle. The first one is overrated, the second is an absolute Must: Beautiful town that has kept its historic charm. Shady laneways lined with old buildings - or lovingly restored facades and hyper modern insides - very cool! And then there are the parks, lookouts, museums, cafés, public art, beach, and the lovely ocean breeze. Super liveable, despite the tourists. We check out the shipwreck museum with its star attraction the Batavia; or what’s left of her - very much recommended!
Talking about parks: Stay away from Melville Reserve, that’s where our beast lost all gears. As it’s metropolitan it is easy enough to organise a town truck and repairs. I kind of enjoy the thrill of it! Bloody expensive though. And at $2,500 you would expect all the gear box brackets to be put back in the right way; someone must have had a really bad day! Considering this is the first major repair in 8 years, she has done well that old girl! And then there is another $2,500 service a couple of weeks later - Oh Boy! But now we are ready to explore again.
Coming back from a very special celebration on the East Coast (more on that in the next post), we are galloping towards the end our training. I have got a week in the kitchen without too many stuff ups. Paul is testing his abilities at front of house duties. The chef is running the kitchen like a concert hall: Everyone knows their position and job. Like Willem Dafoe in the movie “The Boondock Saints" our maestro is directing this grand symphony with the composed coolness of a seasoned pro - a true artist! I’m comfortable working under him! Even I can cook like this - sort of - if it’s not too complicated - or fast paced… All together we are surprised how well we fit in and how excited everyone is to have us on board - even after six weeks of work.
So that’s it, let’s pack up and drive the last 1,200km to Newman up the Great Northern Highway!
Comments