First Horse Race

Lindsey basically has races on the weekends every now and then and I got to go to my first horse race. We picked up Aaron, one of his mates from high school I assume. He’s a funny dude, has a lip stain tattooed on his neck. I’m not allowed to touch the horese at any time at the races because I’m not licensed so I just got to watch.

It was a small race out in Parkes. There were a few ladies who wore fascinators. I had a really nice chat with this old lady who also dressed up for the occasion. I thought it was quite boring, and people basically just go there to drink. Aaron was drinking non stop, one bourbon colas after another. Later that night we went to the nearby Royal Hotel for a few drinks where Aaron bought me a shot of Alien Brain Hemorrhage which’s got peach schnapps, Bailey’s, blue curacao and grenadine. It looks like a brain hemorrhage and tastes like one, you could feel it going down your throat. Lindsey disappeared somewhere so I was left with Aaron and we started chatting with a table of older folks. Aaron moved away from Narromine, so he knew most of the people. One of the ladies we were talking to I think was the owner of the hotel. Everyone was really nice.

Narromine

Narromine is a small town, about 30min out of Dubbo. I woke up at around 5AM to be ready for work at 6AM. We feed the horses twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon around 4PM. Lindsey keeps the horses at a racecourse about 5min drive from the house, along with a couple other horse trainers. It was basically a dirt ground. He showed me how to mix the feed, with different ratio of grains, wheat and such. Once we finish feeding we’d prep it for next feed. There were about 12 horses, plus a poney he had kept for Dakota. He was a mean ass horse. Lindsey put the new horse we got the day before with the poney and I often see it gets bullied, eventhough it’s twice the size of the poney. Lindsey would train the horses while I feed and water them. It took me a long time to get it done the first few days because I need to make sure the water doesn’t overflow and make the ground all muddy and wet because it’s bad for the horses’ feet. He said it gets easier once I get a system going. Eventually he showed me how to put the rugs on the horses, so I could do that once he finishes training a horse. I had to catch the horses so they don’t move around when I put the rugs on them. I was familiar with catching the horses from Leconfield, but these were race horses, so they were quite tall. Most of them were pretty tame, but there was one named Socks and he was especially tall with an attitude. Lindsey said that Socks knew he’s tall so everytime I go put the head collar on him he’d keep his head high so I couldn’t reach him. I was always quite scared of him at first. One time I already had the head collar on him and had him tied to the fence while I put the rug on him. He might have gotten spooked or something all of a sudden he pulled back, pulled the fence, and it hit me in the ribs and I fell over. I was hurting for weeks after.

There were also 3 kittens and 2 puppies that lived at the yard. Lindsey also has a dog name Spike. He looks like an old dog because of his fur but he’s not, and he likes to paw at people to get petted, but he doesn’t get along with other dogs and likes to bark at the horses. One of the puppies always likes to play with him but he always growls at him. I’ve gotten better after the first week and finished quite fast, so Lindsey got me to clean his trailer where he kept all the winter rugs and reigns and clean around the yard when I’m not busy. Then he also got me to start shoveling shit around the yard. The other puppy usually just sleeps around while I clean out the trailer. That one eventually died for some reason. We came in one day and it was just lying there pretty much lifeless, and Lindsey just chucked it somewhere I don’t wanna know.

Because it was working for accommodation so I wasn’t getting paid, but since I only work a few hours in the the morning and a few hours in the afternoon I thought I could get a job in town working at a hotel or something at night to make a few extra bucks. It was about a 15min walk into town. There a few hotels and a couple Chinese restaurants. I went into a kobab shop and a Chinese restaurant. The Chinese restaurant told me to go in for a trial the same night. The kobab shop told me to go back in another day for a “talk,” and he told me to go in the week after for a trial as well. The Chinese restaurant just kinda started giving me more and more shifts, there’s a whole other story with the Chinese restaurant. The kobab place didn’t work out. At the trial the owner basically just told me to sweep the back room, and wipe down all the cupboards. He told me he’d give me a call in a couple days but he didn’t till a week later and I didn’t wanna work for him anymore.

I got to meet the saddle maker in town with Lindsey. He’s a really old dude who slurs alot, even Lindsey could hardly understand what he’s saying. He’s got the cutest tiniest puppy ever! He also makes other horse stuff I think it was a whip or something and he made the handle out of deer antlers or something and it looked absolutely exquisite. I also got to go to the feed lot where Lindsey buys all his horse feeds. It’s basically a warehouse for all livestock feed, chickens, goats, pigs, etc. I share the house with Lindsey and his brother Matt, every other week Dakota would come stay with us, sometimes her brother Ryan as well. Ryan’s a good kid. When he’s around he’d go help feed the horses while I water them. Matt has his own boat and he likes to go fishing. He’s a builder, and he’s got a couple backpackers working with him as well. One time he had them come over and we all went boating together at a nearby lake. They were 2 English boys, really funny dudes. Matt showed us how to go surfing on the lake and had the boys try it. It’s kinda like waterskiing but with surf board. You had to get the boat going at the right speed and try to stand up on the surf board. Matt made it seem so easy and he even showed us some stunts. When the boys tried to do it they just kept falling off the board or couldn’t even get up. I didn’t have the nerve to try it, because I can’t swim and I don’t know what lurks in the water.

I eventually got to know the horses and learned most of their names. I never had much experiences with horses, so it was interesting to see how different each horse is, and I soon had a favourite. There was Benny Blue Eyes, who seemed to be the star of the bunch because he seemed to have won quite a few races. However he often needs something like a choke collar to help him breathe before races, otherwise you’d always seem him acting like he’s gagging. Benny’s best friend is right next to him. He always gets anxious whenever Benny goes away for a race and he’d run around in his yard. He’s obnoxious when drinking water, splashing it everywhere, so every morning I come in his water bowl would be empty. My favourite is Jane and little boy, whom I later think is actually a girl. They’re right next to each other and both are very calm and loving and they got along with each other as well. Everytime I finish early I’d spend some time playing with them and both of them would keep rubbing their heads against me. Jane do like to eat a lot though. There’s Rugs, we don’t have a name for him but I call him Rugs because he likes to tug at his rug. Everytime I go in his rug would be hanging off his name or on the ground eventhough I’ve tied it properly, he’s a naughty one. Charlie who can never wait to be fed and likes to tip the feed over. George who likes to roll in the dirty. Socks the mean one, but I think eventually he got used to me and was nicer to me, doesn’t keep his head high so much anymore. There were a few other ones that we don’t have names for. One I think might have had stomache ache or contispation or something for a while and didn’t eat, just laid on the ground all day. He was fine later on. I call these the twins eventhough they’re not, but they’re right across from each other and I thought they seemed like naughty siblings. One likes to pull the hose out from the water bowl when I leave it in to fill it up, and the other likes to tred in the clean water I just filled up. I felt like I was dealing with a bunch of naughty little kids. Another one I thought she was pretty quiet, nothing special about her. But I found out one time after I put the rug on her and took the head collar off and was walking away she actually followed me. Don’t know if she’s developed some kinda bond with me or just thought I was gonna feed her, but I thought that was kinda sweet. There was also another horse I call him The Handsome One. He’s tall, dark, and beautiful. He kinda distanced himself from me at first, wouldn’t really cooperate when I try to put the head collar on him, but he came to eventually and I thought he was quite a nice horse as well. Kinda like when you first met a cool dude and he was just trying to act cool or something but later found out he’s actually a really nice guy.

Funny story. Couple times I went in in the morning, day was still quite dark, the first thing I do is to go get the feeds going, then all of a sudden a horse came running at me, well not really more like trotted towards me, scared the crap out of me. It was Charlie who got out, probably rolled out from under her pen. Guess she heard me and wanted to get fed. Second time it was Rugs. It was quite windy the night before so his cable fence fell over and he got out. I was able to get them back both times no problem. Rugs kept wanting to get out when I was trying to put the cable fence up, that naughty boy.

Lindsey said I could go with him to the races tomorrow. It'd be my first horse race! We have a racecourse by my house back home but they hardly have races, and I never got a chance to go to one. This would be exciting.

Newcastle

We got dropped off at the parking lot at the train station across from YHA at around 9AM. Girl from the Netherlands left last night to catch her flight. Everyone went across the street to the hostel as we all got some time to kill. I still have about an hr and half before my train departs and Anica had to wait for her cab to the airport. Katrin and the French girls had booked accommodation at the hostel for the weekend for the country music festival. David and Matty got a job doing irrigation on a farm and they were waiting to get picked up. Lee and Colin were waiting on a call from their farmer. The rest went their separate ways. I said my goodbyes when it was time for me leave. We had fun. I’m definitely gonna miss these guys.

While waiting for my train I checked my ticket and it said I had to transfer at Broadmeadow and it was unreserved. I thought it meant that my ticket from thereon wasn’t reserved yet, but it also seemed like unreserved seating, so I asked an elderly couple who sat beside me and they said I might have to pay, but they weren’t so sure either. I figured I’ll just ask the train attendant later on when they check for tickets. The train was running a bit behind schedule. From Tamworth to Newcastle was about 4hrs. This time I remembered NOT to order food onboard eventhough I was starving. I had to transfer at Broadmeadow from regional to intercity service. I asked the ticket vendor about my ticket and he said it was all paid for, however because my train was late, my connecting train won’t be for an hr, but I could check in my luggages at the storage room. Just as I’ve checked in my bags, I was telling the lady there where I was going and she told me that my connecting train was actually late too and it’d be coming in about 5min, I just had to make it to the other side! I quickly made my way through the under tunnel and only waited 2min for the train. I did ask a father who was taking his 2 sons out for a bike ride if it was the right train.

I knew that Newcastle Beach YHA wasn’t far from the train station, but carrying 2 luggages really made it hard. I’m definitely gonna send one luggage home, I’m getting really tired of hauling all this crap everytime I had to move! The hostel was old but with historic characteristics where I had booked 4 nights. When I checked in I asked if there was a lift, and the guys at the reception responded no as if I’d just asked a stupid question. It is an old building after all. However, one of the guys did offer to help me with my luggages up the big staircase. My room was right by the staircase, so there wouldn’t be too much trouble when I leave. My doorknob felt like it would fall off anytime, but luckily I could still lock it.

When I walked into my room I met Ada, who was from Toronto. She was in Australia for a sponsorship working as a nurse in the nearby hospital. We got along very well. The weather was beautiful, and once I’ve settled in, I took a look around the hostel to see where everything’s at, then I set out for a walk around town. I went down to the reception and asked for a map and points of interest in the surrounding area. Ada has been in town for a couple days and she told me a few spots as well. I first went around Hunter Street just 5min walk from the hostel. I got myself a chicken schnitzel for lunch since I haven’t had anything to eat since I left Leconfield. Unfortunately it was the weekend so most of the shops were closed. Then I only walked as far as King Edward Park and made a turn around back because I was getting tired and it was getting quite warm. However I did notice signs of an outdoor cinema playing that night at the park.

Back at the hostel I ran into one of the guys from the reception, Gordon. He offered me a beer and we started chatting. He’s German but he’s been in Australia for the last 6yrs. He also started out with working holiday visa, got working at the hostel, then the owner decided to sponsor him and now he’s manager at the hostel. I would never have thought he was German. He speaks fluent Australian but with a slight accent that I couldn’t distinguish. He told me how he likes Canadians because we’re so chill. His buddy, the one who helped me out with my luggages, is Canadian as well.

Back at my room I met a Dutch girl who just moved in. She got herself working for accommodation at the hostel, but she was also looking for work in town. Then Ada came back and the 3 of us had a really long chat. Dutch went out to drop off some cv’s. It was close to dinner time and Ada asked what my plans are for the night and I told her about the outdoor cinema and asked if she’d like to join. We decided to try this fish ’n chips place on Hunter Street, supposedly one of the best in town. We each ordered a combo of catch of the day with salad. It was delicious and the portion was huge!!! It was take away, wrapped in paper. They don’t give you any tartar or tomato sauce (I doubt they carry ketchup at all in Australia!) unless you ask and pay extra, but I actually like the way they are just seasoned with salt. I couldn’t even get to the salad before we had to leave to get some alcohol before the movie. I got my leftover chips and bought a 750ml of VB. Ada bought herself a little bottle of wine.

By the time we got to the park there was huge traffic and the hill was filled with people, mostly families with kids. There were a few food and drink stands as well. The park was set up perfectly for outdoor movies as the hill was formed in the way of an auditorium. We didn’t know what movie was playing, turned out it was Despicable Me 2. We found a not bad spot right by the foot path, a few trees were in the way but decent view, except for the annoying family who stood across the path from us blocking the view at times with their kids running around. I wasn’t sure what the law is for drinking in public in Australia so I was discreet with my beer just in case. I did see a couple popos on patrol. The movie was great! Just as good as the first one. However Ada doesn’t really watch animated movies, and I was surprised she’s never seen Despicable Me!

Next day, me, Ada, and the Dutch girl went for grocery shopping at Aldi’s. It seemed like a really long walk, but partly we were a bit lost as well. We did, however, got a nice walk around town and saw a wedding car showcase. After we dropped off our food, Dutch wanted to take a nap. It was still early afternoon, so Ada and I decided to take a walk along the coast, and she’ll show me the Bogey Hole where you can swim in. On the way there we saw 2 teenagers riding bikes on a half pipe. We sort of stopped just to take a look. I happened to be recording and one of the boys just decided to do a stunt for us. The Bogey Hole was constructed by order of a commandant for his personal use back in the days. I went in for a dip in the pool filled with algae and uneven bottoms, careful for my footing as it gets quite deep at certain parts. On our way back we passed by Newcastle Beach where they had a large outdoor swimming pool and made a mental note to go back there for a swim. We went further down to the sandy part and just relaxed there till just before dinner time. We got another new roommate, a really cute English girl name Sophie, travelling on her own. During dinner we met Adam, an American, pretty chill dude, pretty American.

Since it was the weekend, Ada and I felt like going out for drinks, and we heard Dalby Street is where all the fun’s at. We asked if Dutch would like to join us but she had to wake up early next morning for work at the hostel and Sophie was tired from that day’s travel so they both declined. We headed out just after 9PM. Dalby Street was about 25min walk, which was alright because the weather was warm, and we didn’t feel unsafe walking there at night. There were quite a few bars and everywhere seemed pretty busy. We ended up at the 5 Sawyers and ordered our beers. Half an hr later we were told that they would be closing soon and we looked at the time and it was only 10PM. Both me and Ada were quite surprised and disappointed. No bars close this early back home!!!

Next morning Dutch was already up working the hostel. Ada, Sophie, and I decided to grab a coffee on Hunter Street and to check out the shops. We sat outside a café and chatted over coffee/tea in the beautiful summer weather. There were a few stalls set up on the street, we also went into a vintage shop which reminded me of Vancouver, we had quite a few of those. We came back for lunch, and I met up with Katrin, who happened to be talking to Adam. We caught up over lunch. Adam suggested that we all go to the beach in the afternoon and he'll teach us bodyboard. Katrin had to go off to take care of some business, so it was just me, Ada, Sophie, and Adam. The hostel had free hires for surfboards and bodyboards. We headed down to the beach, ran into Dutch who was just on her way back. Neither me nor Sophie could swim, so we pretty much stayed on the beach. It seemed so easy watching Adam surf and bodyboard, Ada had hella fun trying it on her own. Me and Sophie decided that we'd try a couple times ourselves with the bodyboard. The waves were pretty strong that day and we were both tiny girls, so we almost got washed under a couple times, but it was still fun. After we dropped off the boards we went to Newcastle Beach to swim in that big outdoor pool and played (they) Marco Polo. It's really nice to be swimming in an outdoor pool right by the ocean where you can watch the waves wash ashore without having to worry about getting washed off.

It was around 4PM when we got back. Ada was pretty tired, but Sophie and I still felt like doing something, so we decided to walk to the lighthouse. Sophie had to get some aftersun, she was getting pretty burnt being the white girl she is. On the way there we saw concrete pillars made to look like pencils. We walked back along the wharf towards town and got to Dalby Street, went into the Newcastle Region Art Gallery. On our way back we stopped by IGA and I got myself a whole roasted chicken for $8!! Katrin came back for dinner and we were all chatting. Too bad she's leaving the next morning, but she'll be meeting up with her boyfriend in Sydney and they'll be travelling to Malaysia, so I wish her all the best. Later that night I was chilling at the outdoor patio at the hostel and ran into Gordon again. We started chatting in his office and he offered me beer and even pizza because there was pizza night that night.

Next morning I woke up early and walked around town looking for cardboard boxes to pack up some of my stuff to send home. I went to quite a few shops but they all had nothing or boxes that were too small, but everyone was really helpful in suggesting where I might find some boxes. I finally found a decent size box at a grocery store. When I first walked in I had mistaken a customer for one of the clerks. After I got my box I saw him sitting on some steps having a smoke on my way back and he congratulated me on finding my box. Back at the hostel, I packed up most of my winter clothes, as well as the travel pack that my friend lent me, leaving only my luggage, the small backpack, and my sleeping bag with me. Borrowed some tape from the reception, and it's ready to be shipped off next morning. For lunch, I had a chicken breast, canned pasta, and some salad that Ada was giving away. Sophie had instant noodles over salad, Ada had something random she whipped up. We were all looking at each other's food and just laughed at how random and creative backpacker's meals could be. I still had a chicken breast left but since I'll be leaving next morning, I told Dutch she could have it if she wants.

The hostel hosted a pub night where there's free food and possibly free drinks at a nearby hotel. The food was simple sausages and jalapeño poppers. We played games and a few of us got free drinks from it. The host left us to mingle soon after the game. Sophie seemed to have acquired an admirer who's also from England. He seemed pretty wild, and invited us over to his dorm for some drinking games. We all had a few more drinks then headed back to the hostel, I was pretty buzzed by then. I bumped into Adam on my way back to the room and asked if he'd like to join us, but he was just on his way out to watch the stars down at the beach, and he was leaving the next day. There were about 10 of us, and we played ring of fire. One of the girls kept forgetting to do the rule before you drink. A guy just moved in and we quickly got him to play with us and he got the Question Master card and right away tricked another guy to take a drink. There were a couple Canadians as well. When it was waterfall Ada was right next to me so I tried to make her drink more, as I usually do for my friends. By the end of it everyone was pretty drunk and Wild Brit suggested we go to the beach. On my way out I bumped into Gordon and we started chatting, I was pretty drunk so I kinda lost everyone so I just stayed and chatted with Gordon till pretty late. Next morning I heard apparently Wild Brit went for skinny dip in the ocean.

I woke up really early next morning to send off my package, got to the post office even before it was opened. The lady said my package was slightly oversized, luckily she just let it slide, it cost me around $175...... Then I got back to my hostel, checked out, and waited for my ride to Narrowmine. Apparently my new boss sent one of his buddies to come pick me up because he happened to be in town. Saves me the train ticket. Ada couldn't believe I'd just get a ride from a stranger's stranger friend out to the middle of nowhere. At the moment I didn't think much of it, but when talking on the phone I didn't feel anything fishy about them, but looking back, I guess I got lucky they were good people. When I was waiting for my ride I got to chat with one of the ladies who work at the hostel. She's Australian, but she's been travelling around Australia on her own as well. Then Gordon came in, and he looked like shit. Apparently he had hell of a night last night as well. I left him some time after midnight, don't know what happened to him afterwards, seemed like he had quite a lot to drink!
Sophie left that morning as well to Port Stephens via Greyhound. She’s such a tiny girl with her huge luggage. We bid our farewells. Ada came to say goodbye but she had to go get her blood test for her nursing job. I gave Gordon a hug before I left.

I knew I was going to work at a horse stable and I knew that my boss' friend was there to pick up a horse, so I was expecting like a truck of some sort, but he came in an ute (which I didn't know was called an ute at the time)!! I've seen those cars around all over Australia and they seemed cool, like a low rise pickup truck but made to look more sporty and I've always wanted to sit in one of those and now I got to! On the way to meet up with my new boss, Lindsey, I got to chat with Damian. Apparently they've known each other since high school and they both grew up around horses. He used to live out in Narrowmine as well, but decided to move out here closer to the city and started his own horse training business just like Lindsey. Then we met up with Lindsey where they were picking up a new horse that hasn't been broken in. Took them a very long time to get the horse into the carriage. Finally got the horse in, got to ride in Lindsey's big ass truck. I was working for accommodation, so Lindsey would be providing all the food as well. First meal he got me was McDonald's... When we got to Dubbo he said he needed to meet up with his daughter and his brother, so we stopped by another McDonald's and I met his 5y/o daughter Dakota and her cousin, I forgot her name, and his brother Matt. The girls were definitely farm girls, even though Dakota was wearing a princess dress she was jumping and running all over the place enjoying her time. Adorable little girl.

When we finally got to Narrowmine and dropped off the horse at the stable it was already dark. Lindsey gave me his little daughter's room (it's so pink and full of butterflies and barbies and princesses!!!) because she stays between him and his ex-wife, and his brother is currently staying with him as well. Finally took a shower, which barely had any water pressure, settled in, and be ready to work next morning starting at 6AM!!!

Leconfield Jackaroo School

There were about 15 of us ready to be picked up by Tim, founder of the Leconfield Jackaroo School. There were 3 Scots, David, Lee, and Matty, who were travelling together. Couple French girls, Pascaline and Flora. A German mom and her daughter who were from Sydney just doing the school as a holiday thing. An Aussie lady, a girl from the Netherlands, and the rest were all Germans, Colin, Anica, and Katrin. Tim came to pick us up at 9.30AM. We first went to a second hand store to buy some work clothes. I already had mine from the cattle farm so I didn't get anything. Then Tim brought us to a bottle shop to buy alcohol for the week. The boys got a box of beers each, plus some more. Me and Katrin and Anica decided to share a box since I was tight on money, and they don't drink much. The other girls mainly got wine.

DAY ONE: The farm was about an hr drive from Tamworth, and a good 30min was spent driving through the outback valley. The mom and her daughter had their own car, but it was a small fiat and it had trouble going up the steep hill. At one point the boys had to help push the car to get it going. When we finally got to Leconfield we met 4 other backpackers who were helping out on the farm, 2 Germans and 2 English. We picked out our beds in the big shed where we'll be spending our evenings. It's got the shared bathroom, couch area and the kitchen. Outside we've got the bonfire, a table tennis, as well a dining area. There were also hats hung on each bed post that everyone could pick one to wear on the farm. Some people had their own Aussie Jackaroo hats and I pulled out Mundy's old hat, everyone was asking about where I got it and they all really loved it. Anica took a look at it and told me that it's a really good brand. Once everyone's settled in Tim made tea and got us to all sit around the bonfire and introduce ourselves. He assigned each one of us a horse and Justin, the farm boy, gave us a quick grooming and saddling lesson. Mine was a white horse named Blue, he was very calm. Then we went to the arena where Tim showed us how to create a friendship with our horses. Afterwards Justin took us out on a ride to the bush and showed us the different types of trees, especially the certain kinds that the horses could eat and us to eat if we ever get lost or thirsty out in the wild, but everything looked the same to me.... We finished around 6.30PM and let our horses off to the field and the 2 backpacker girls made dinner. It was nice to eat outside with the view of the valley. Later that night everyone just had some drinks and mingled.

DAY TWO: We were woken up by very loud music at 6.30AM. Apparently that was the routine where one of the backpacker helpers would pick a song each morning as our alarm. If that didn't help, there was also a pet sheep bleating right outside our door for its morning milk. There was also a farm cat. Everyday some of us would have a daily duty such as cleaning the bathroom or doing dishes after meals. After breaky we had to catch our horses, which was basically recognizing your own horse and putting a head collar on it. All the white horses hung out with each other, but Blue had some discolouration on his fur so I was able to differentiate him. Tim first gave us another lesson on natural horsemanship, then back at the shed they had 3 sections set up: whip cracking, lassoing, and barefoot trimming of the horses. Boy English backpacker showed us how to lasso and we practiced on a tie post with 2 bull skulls. It was fun, made me feel like a cowgirl, but it was hard. Apparently there'd be a lassoing competition on the 4th day so everyone was trying hard to get it right. The Boy English even volunteered as a running bull for David to try to catch. Whip cracking was cool too, and it wasn't as hard, but you could easily whip yourself as Katrin did. The barefoot trimming required strength in keeping the horse's foot held up and filing it at the same time.

After lunch we got to muster sheep. They split us up into experienced and beginner riders as some of us have been riding for at least 2 yrs. I was with the Scots and couple other people. We took different routes as they weren't sure where the sheep were. Lee's horse was a rascal, it kept taking alternate routes! We went downhill and my girth wasn't done up properly so I was sliding forward, so Boy English had to re-do it for me. The experienced group ended up finding the sheep and they got them to the gate of the farm. We had to muster call to get them moving. Tim showed us how working dogs were much more useful than us because it rounded up the sheep within minutes! After we got the sheep in the pen we went back to the arena and practiced trotting horses for the beginners and cantering for the experienced. Blue basically knew what to do because when the other horses started trotting he started to trot without me having to do anything, but maybe because I'm too short or my stirrup wasn't done up right because I always feel like I'm gonna fall when he picks up speed. Then we were split up into 2 teams and did a barrel race where we had to do an 8 figure around 2 tires, trot to a barrel on the other side of the arena, go around it and trot back and our team won!

Afterwards we went back to the sheep pen and Tim and Justin showed us how to catch sheep. For some reason once you've caught the sheep and got them to sit upright they'd calm right down. The sheep's fur also got a lot of prickly pear seeds so a lot of people got all scratched up. Afterwards they showed us how to sheer sheep and we all got to try. I didn't realize how easy it was to nick them and cause them to bleed so I didn't enjoy doing it. Someone saw one sheep had a blind eye, so they decided to butcher it and showed us how to kill a sheep by cutting its throat and letting it bleed out and I got to carry the dead sheep back to the shed with the Scots. Then we unsaddled and brushed our horses, and cleaned their hooves before letting them off to the field. We do that every time before we let them off. Back at the shed Justin showed us how to skin and butcher a whole sheep, the boys got to use a small chainsaw to cut it up.

DAY THREE: It was a long and boring day. We first had another horsemanship lesson where we tried to steer our horses without using the rein and I was frustrated because I wasn't getting it right! Then we waited for a long while back at the shed, not really knowing what was going on until we were finally split up into 2 groups doing pasture improvement where we basically just walked across fields "painting" weeds with some kind of chemical stick, the other group however had to pull them out by hands. We packed our lunches back at the shed and jumped on the backs of the trucks and went up to eat at a hill that overlooked the valley. We were split up again and Lee, Matty, and I got to do some fencing with another guy that worked on the farm. We learned how to use a fence strainer and at first it seemed so complicated because there's a certain direction to work it but once you got it it becomes quite easy and we each had a go at it. The guy was really nice and he even offered us a nice cold pop from his travel fridge afterwards. When we got back to the shed we learned that the other group were doing yard building. Then we went back to the arena and Tim showed us tricks he could do with his horse, even riding it without a saddle and directing it just by using his body language. We also played limbo with Tim's horse.

That night after dinner the backpackers got us to play some games. The first one was "I Love My Pink Pig." Girl English got a pink pig stuffed animal and we all passed it around saying "This is my pink pig and I love my pink pig. I'm gonna kiss (whichever body part of the stuffed animal you want)." and it cannot be repeated. So some people said ear, left eye, belly, butt, etc. Second round came around and we all had to kiss whatever body part we did on the pig to the person next to us. Colin said the crotch and David was next to him so he refused, and since he didn't comply with the rules of the game he had to either run across the field naked or jump into the dirty tub. He ran naked. Boy English got us to play action observation games which took me a while to understand. Girl English also got us into pairs with our arms hooked up with strings criss crossed and we had to figure out how to untangle ourselves without taking off the strings. I was with Katrin and she figured it out right away, others tend to get more tangled.

DAY FOUR: We reviewed all the natural horsemanship we've learned so far and I still didn't do too well. Then we went out to muster the cattle, it was a very long and slow process especially under the heat. When mustering cattle you don't want them to be running or else they'd get thin. Once we got them into the cattle pen they separated the calves from the adults and we had our lasso competition. We just had to get the rope on a part of the calf, I only got to the second round getting its ear. Matty won in the end with a running calf. It was very dusty. Tim had his kids in the pen with us as well because they wanted to watch. His wife was holding the little daughter and his 3y/o son was happened to be right next to me and just asked me to hold his tiny hand. So adorable. Then they showed us how to put pink eye spray on cattle by getting them into a head gate. In the end they get a makeshift eye patch, looking like a pirate. They also showed us how to wrestle calves in order to castrate them and even the boys had a tough time, those calves were strong! Me and Anica had a go at it and we got one down pretty fast, but not before I got kicked in my thigh twice! Got a huge bruise afterwards. Once the calves were held down Tim and Justin castrated them and marked their ears by nicking them. It was pretty brutal actually. We also saw a small huntsman spider on one of the plants. First huntsman I've seen! That night we had lamb that Justin had butchered the other day. It was kind of odd eating the sheep that was seen alive...

DAY FIVE: Boy English showed us how to maintain the saddles by rubbing every part of the leather with sheep fat to keep them from cracking. Then we got to swim with our horses at the water hole. They had a water hole that we go swimming sometimes after school. I was never one to go swimming in muddy water, but I actually jumped into it a couple times and it was definitely refreshing after a long day under the sun. It was fun swimming with the horses and Blue did a pretty good job as some horses weren't really good swimmers, but I think he might have choked on some water when we got out. Afterwards we went to a field and the beginners got to canter our horses. Blue was all excited because when it was our turn I didn't even have to do anything and he just started going, but I thought I was really gonna fall off so I had to slow him down and I think he might have been a little disappointed. They said you had to get into a rhythm with the horse but I didn't know what that rhythm was till after the fact.. No one explained. Anyway, Flora's horse actually galloped across the field.

We went back to the arena and we got to try to track a calf, which was basically following it closely on horseback. I got to see Justin "cutting" calves, a term used to describe separating a single animal from its herd on horseback. It was so cool to watch because the horse seemed to know exactly what to do without Justin having to steer it too much. When it was Colin's turn to track the calf, he got the horse going by using his upper body like you'd see in the movies when you were supposed to use your heels. It was funny to watch, but it worked. Usually they'd drive us back in town for a night out on our last day but there was the Tamworth Country Music Festival, one of the biggest country music festival in the world, so instead we got to stay on the farm for another night and go back early next morning. Back at the shed Justin got out Tim's branding iron and we all got something branded as souvenir. That night the backpackers had the night off and we made dinner for ourselves. We played sound observation games around the bonfire like "In Happy Sunny Valley" and "On Venus and Mars." We also played "Suck and Blow" with cards and rolling a ping pong ball through people's pants as fast as you can.

Everyone was drinking lots, especially them Scots. Colin tried to keep up with them but he was getting pretty drunk and was telling us his drunk stories. In the end the Scots changed into their kilts, going commando, and taught us traditional Scottish dance. We also played the laughing game where one person picks someone to sit on their laps and say to them: Darling I love you, and if you love me please laugh, The other person would reply, without laughing: Honey I love you too, but I cannot laugh. But if they ended up laughing then they'd have to give their seat away. Girl English was the easiest target she just couldn't stop laughing while saying the line, but her laugh could also be contagious. David tried to use his kilts to his advantage, but me and Matty were the only 2 who never broke out laughing.

Katrin and some other people got rooms for the weekend to check out the music festival, but I found out too late and everywhere's booked. Anica's heading to the airport to fly up to Cairns, and I've booked 4 nights at Newcastle Beach YHA, so I'll be taking the train at 10.30AM. I've wanted to check out Newcastle because it seemed like a nice town when I passed by it on Greyhound to Sydney. Tim wrote each one of us a reference letter, and I also bought a DVD of our 5 days on the farm for $25. Tim also found me a job looking after horses in Narrowmine, however it'll be working for accommodation so no pay, which means I'm gonna have to look for a side job. I'll see how it goes with this job... My new boss Lindsey seemed like a nice guy when I had a brief talk with him over the phone, but he didn't know anything about Working Holiday Visas and he thought he had to pay for it. I explained to him that he just had to sign me off for the work I've done when I leave, and he was okay with it, as long he didn't have to pay for anything.....

Tamworth

It was a 3hr train ride from Sydney to Tamworth through the outback, sometimes my mobile would go out of service. I was super hungry as I didn't have time to eat anything when I left Railway. The train had an onboard menu so I ordered a stew beef with veggies for $10 and it was pretty gross, microwaved food. YHA Tamworth was right across from the train station so that was convenient. The hostel was really small and it didn't have a lift. When my roommie came in I recognized her from the Greyhound, she got off at Newcastle, and she recognized me too. Her name's Katrin, from Germany, and she was also in town for the Jackaroo school. We quickly became friends.

Our part of Tamworth didn't have much. Couple hotels and some shops that never seem to be open. There were Aldi's and Coles a few blocks away and a BWS (Beer Wine Spirits bottle shop) right around the corner so that was good. Katrin was looking to buy some riding boots. She had checked out a saddlery shop close to the hostel but it was closed. One guy from the hostel told her about this other shop closer to city centre, it was also close to the city landmark, the Golden Guitar, so we decided to take a walk there. It turned out to be a 2hr walk under a 40° sun, we almost gave up half way. The Golden Guitar was a gigantic monument that symbolizes Tamworth's recognition and celebration of Australian country music. The tourist centre behind it had a café, gift shop, and a wax museum. I was looking through all the jackaroo hats at the shop and was really tempted to buy one but I already got Mundy's rustic hat.

We weren't able to find that other saddlery shop and figured maybe it'd moved so we decided to head back. We didn't feel like walking all the way back in the heat, and it was the weekend so no buses were running, so we actually tried to hitch hike back. It took us 2 girls about 10min and after several cars passed us by, a guy finally stopped and gave us a lift right to the hostel. It was my first time hitch hiking, and I definitely wouldn't have done it if I was by myself. When we got back we tried the first saddlery shop but it was still closed, then we tried to look up the address of the second saddlery shop from their website which said was close to our hostel. We finally found it, it'd now turned into a fishing and sporting goods shop and the lady there told us that it moved to where the Golden Guitar is now. We were right there!!!

Finally got back to the hostel, jumped in the shower, made dinner and enjoyed a much needed ice cold beer in their tiny outdoor patio. I was just doing sudoku, minding my own business, when one of the French boys sitting beside me started chatting with me. He was really young, like 20 or something, but really nice kid. He's currently working at a chook farm, getting his second year and getting paid pretty well. I told him I was looking to get my second year as well and he said he'd take me to the job agency that got him the job. I also met an Aussie who's in town doing his butcher apprenticeship and his really tall and skinny but good looking friend Russell. The Aussie gave me a Jim Beam, at first I thought it's just beer, turned out it was bourbon&coke. Later on that night they were gonna go pub crawl and they asked me to join. Everyone was pretty buzzed by then, including myself after that Jim Beam, so we were all pretty hyped up. The first pub we went was a few blocks away. It had live band playing rock music in the front and a dj playing dance music in the back room. I'd much rather dance to rock but they all wanted to stay in the back. Later on when we were all taking a break sitting outside, Russell's friend, not the Aussie, asked if there's anything going on between me and the French boy because apparently he was planning to hit on me?! I guess I was pretty fond of the French boy, I felt like he's the little brother I've always wanted.

The pub was going dead, so we moved to the Imperial Hotel, apparently THE pub in town, which was actually right across the street from our hostel. Everyone was even more buzzed and on the way there Russell for some reason picked me up like a potato sack. When we got to Imperial there was actually a line up and we had to pay cover like $5. The hotel was packed, and they had a huge outdoor patio in the back as well. I guess there was nowhere else to go so everybody just goes there. I tried to buy the French boy a drink because he's bought me a couple but he kept declining and kept buying me more Jim Beams. At one point we met this group of girls when we were sitting out back who were probably just as drunk as we were, and one of them just grabbed me to go dancing with her and we were like besties for the night. I left around 2AM because I was getting really tired while the rest of the guys stayed behind.

Next morning everyone who went out was hung over. The apprentice Aussie came out with his sunnies on, much more mellow than the night before. Didn't see the French boy, figured he had to work. A few girls that I haven't met showed up at our hostel, and apparently they were all there for the Jackaroo school. I took a relaxing day. Went to the main street in the morning and was gonna try to find that job agency but nothing seemed to be open, figured it was a Sunday. Was gonna go to Aldi's but ran into Katrin and we had sushi together at the food court. Sushi in Australia is weird, and expensive. They have maki rolls, but not cut up, so you eat it literally as a roll. Then I found out there was WiFi at the food court. So Katrin went to the public swimming pool, and I went back to grab my Mac so I can start planning my trip after the Jackaroo school because we won't have any reception there. I was there till pretty much dinner time when I finally went back to the hostel and started packing. Then French boy came knocking on my door. He said he's been looking for me all over because he was gonna take me to the job agency but it's closed by then. I didn't know what time he got back. probably should've gotten his mobile number.

Later on that night a few more guys showed up for the Jackaroo school. One guys said he did an 11-Day school, I didn't know they have that. Then when I was having my late dinner I got to talk to this guy who's a refugee from the Middle East. His story was fascinating and hard to hear. Apparently he travelled all the way from his home country to Australia on his own in the most unconventional ways. He hasn't seen his family since he left and he was telling me about life back home and it was heart-breaking. People there basically have no rights.

Next morning the Jackaroo school will come pick us up at 9AM sharp, so gotta be ready! Also I ran outta food, but Katrin said I could have some of her wheat-bix for breaky tomorrow morning!

One Night in Sydney

On my last day in Byron Bay I was just walking around town, then this guy from Happy Travels stopped me and asked where I'm from. I said Canada, and he was super excited because he was Canadian as well. I should've known it's one of the first tactics them travel agents use. He asked me about my plans, I told him I was thinking of doing the east coast, then he pulled me into the shop and showed me a bunch of stuff I could do. After everything, I basically got bought into booking tours to Fraser Island and Whitsunday, plus the Premier Bus Pass for just over a grand. He gave me somewhat of a discount because I told him I was tight on money, and a bunch of freebie vouchers that I doubt would be much use to me. Soon as I bought the package I checked my bank account and regretted it instantly. Also found out that the Premier Bus only has one service a day, and only includes one luggage. I have 2 luggages with me, so every time I travel I'd need to pay $10, and that's only if they've got room. I wasn't told about any of that, except that it's about $100 cheaper than Greyhound. So I went back and was freaking out and wanted a refund, but their manager explained to me that the bus pass has no refund, and I'd only get about 50% back for the tours. The tours are good for a year, so I'll just have to settle with that I guess.

Next morning I got up early and was ready for my Greyhound to Sydney at 7AM. It was raining and there were a lot of people waiting at the bus stop. Buses came and went, most of them were heading north. I saw one bus that wasn't a red Greyhound bus that said Sydney Express, so I figured maybe it's another company that's doing the same route. I watched that bus leave. I waited 2 more hrs, more Greyhounds pulled up and they were all heading north, so I finally asked one of the drivers if the Sydney bus was coming and he said that bus already left 2hrs ago! He said that Greyhound sometimes operates with other coaches and that I should always check with the driver. I was speechless. I didn't know what to do and it was only 9AM and nothing was open, even UltimateOZ doesn't open till 9.30AM. I was on the brink of tears. It's a 12hr ride to Sydney and I didn't want to waste my accommodation there so I HAVE to get onto the next available bus!!

Soon as 9.30 hit I emailed UltimateOZ, luckily they were able to respond right away and got me the next bus at 11.30AM. So another 2hrs to go and $100 gone, but at least I got a ticket outta here. I sat and waited and told my friends back home what happened. Andy right away called and we face timed which made me feel much better. I made sure I get on that bus and it was 1hr late. There were only about 5 of us on the entire bus, some got off at Port Macquarie and Newcastle. We had a 45min break where I got to talk to a couple from Nanaimo, BC who were in Australia for their son's wedding at Coffs Harbour. We finally made it to Sydney around 1.30AM. I rolled up to Railway hoping someone I know might still be there, and there they were, none other than my 2 favourite boys from Sydney, Cam and Scott!!!!!!

After I checked in I went out to our usual spot at the Railway entrance to catch up with my boys. Cam said that he was actually planning to leave half an hr ago. I was just glad that he happened to stay and I got to see some familiar faces. He introduced me to some of his newfound friends from Railway. Scott left soon after because he was staying somewhere else. Me and Cam stayed up to catch up. He told me that Jana found a job working at a farm but the guy was a creep and he felt terrible for her. It always sucks for girls to go all the way out to a farm by herself only to find a terrible employer. Cam was actually staying at Silvia's old room in Newtown, she's gone to Melbourne now. I ended up going over to his place and we stayed up talking, drinking beers. After only 2hrs of sleep, I took the morning bus back to Sydney Central, checked out and headed for the train at 9AM to Tamworth. Central Train Station was still confusing to me after all this time. When trying to get to my platform I got onto the wrong lift. There were 2 right next to each other, but they take you to different platforms! A train attendant had to help me out... Also when looking for my train, apparently it separates and go to different destinations, so you have to make sure you're in the right section of the train... I had to ask for help yet again. Why does Australia make everything so confusing! Anyway, Jackaroo here I come!

Nimbin Day Trip

I've booked a day trip to Nimbin with Happy Coach through UltimateOZ. The bus came to pick me up at 10AM, and not to my surprise it was painted in a rainbow. There were quite a few of us, including one Japanese girl. The weather wasn't too nice, and we were actually driving towards the dark clouds. We first stopped by a lookout point off the highway that looked over Byron Bay. I could tell that some of the people on the bus were there for the weed at Nimbin, most of them seemed quite young. Next stop was the waterfall a short walk through the woods. We passed by a bunch of nut farms. Apparently everyone in the area used to grow cannabis, but once the police cracked down on everything, they started growing macadamia nuts. The waterfall was nothing special, just a bit of water that falls into a round cliff. Some people were already smoking up.

We did a pit stop at a hotel for some drinks before finally heading off to Nimbin. I had a quick chat with the Japanese chic who was in Australia on holidays. There was this German chic who seemed pretty fond of our tour guide, he was an old dude, and she bought him a drink but he couldn't take it because he was driving. We passed by Lismore where there was a telephone pole that marked the flood in 1954 where it seemed the whole town was under water. It was pouring when we got to Nimbin. The town was really small, but it had an Information Centre, a school and a police station. We were given couple hrs to tour on our own before our BBQ would be served at the bowling club, but you really only needed half an hr to see the whole town. Not 5min in town I got asked by a random bloke if I wanted some cookies or brownies, probably because I had my Canucks tank top on again. I found the Nimbin Museum that the Italian dude from Nomads told me about. He said it was weird for him, but I quite like it. It was really artsy fartsy, everything inside was pretty much hand crafted and painted with sayings, really hippy. There were a lot of old junk too like half a Volkswagen camper van.

The tour guide told us about the Rainbow Café that had the best coffee. I first went into a few shops that sold pipes and incense and everything hippy. Saw a small wooden pipe and I really wanted to get it as a souvenir for PO but I just don't have the money. I was getting chilly from all the rain so I went and got a Flat White from the café and it was actually really good! Then me and the Japanese chic met up and we headed for the bowling club. Some people were already there and we were just served burgers and some salad. Right next to the bowling club was a pub and me and Japanese had a couple drinks there before we had to rush to catch the tour bus before it leaves us behind. The tour guide was actually late, he got caught up with the German girl and her friends....

It was a really short tour, and for the rest of the day I just chilled and did some sudoku. The hostel had events every night like Pizza Night for $6 or Trivia Night. I pretty much kept to myself, didn't really enjoy all the noise and the crowd.

Cape Byron

I was really excited to finally leave Coolangatta, there just wasn't much to do. My Greyhound wasn't till 2PM in the afternoon and the courtesy shuttle bus only goes out at certain time so I left the hostel at 11AM. Just before I left I got to chat with one of the staff, Chantel, really nice girl from Brazil. She's quite young, early 20's, and have already travelled through NZ by herself. She'll be going to Fiji afterwards. Too bad I didn't get to know her sooner. On the shuttle bus there were 2 Swedes who were going surfing at Rainbow Bay. We talked for a bit about hockey, and Olympics had just finished and I mentioned about Canada beating Sweden, but they only watch the World Championship. They did tell me about a nice little surf town called Newcastle though. Matt was driving the shuttle bus. I finally learned his name on the last day. Really chill dude from New Zealand, kinda quiet. Once I got dropped off at the bus stop I still had 3hrs to wait.

It was only about an hr ride to Byron Bay, and soon as you roll into town you see heaps of restaurants and people. I had to call up Nomads to figure out where they were because their entrance was actually in an alley. I'd forgotten that I booked a mixed dorm, so I was bit confused when I saw a guy in my room at first thinking maybe he was just one of my roommie's boyfriend but then he had stuff in the room. There were 3 Irish girls, 1 German girl, and 1 Chinese girl who had a huge Guan Yu tattoo on her back, and she seemed to have travelled a lot. She was really cool. The Irish girls were really nice as well, and I hardly seen the German girl. I had wanted to stay at the highly recommended Arts Factory but it was all booked up. Once I've settled in and took a shower I went for a walk around town, had lunch at Asia Joe's. Apparently a lot of restaurants in town are BYOB. So I went to the bottle shop around the corner and bought a 750ml VB. It was kinda weird to be able to drink your own beer in public, but nice. It started to rain so I just went back to the hostel.

Our room unfortunately was right next to the courtyard. I had a hard time sleeping the first night because people partied till midnight. That's the hostel's curfew, then people would go out and party more. The guy and the Irish girls went out as well. The girls had asked if I wanted to go out with them but I was pretty beat. Throughout the night the guy and 1 of his friend kept coming in and out of the room till like 3AM. His friend ended up spending the night, sleeping on the floor. The guy from our room snored so loud that his friend had to get up at one point to make him stop. It was a Monday...

Today was sunny so I headed for the beach. I walked towards the Lighthouse, came to the end of the beach and I could either walk up the steps or cut across the rocks by the beach which I saw a lot of people do and I decided to do the latter to see what's on the other side. Turned out it was the Wategos Beach and it had a lookout point on top of a hill where people watch surfers catch waves. It was mesmerizing to watch a bunch of people on surfboards, waiting to catch the next wave. Some would fail, a few good ones would always catch it and surf all the way down. There was this chic who was really good. I could just watch them for hours!! I went further along the coast, took the trail up to Cape Byron to the Lighthouse. It was a very long walk but the view was amazing. Just before the Lighthouse was the "Most easterly point of Australian mainland." I had a steak meat pie and a strawberry milkshake for lunch from the café. I was getting tired of walking and just realized that there weren't any buses that goes up the mountain and I wasn't about to spend money on taxis, so I figured might as well finish the whole trail plus downhill shouldn't be too bad. The whole trip took me about 4hrs and I was exhausted, but I had to make a grocery run before heading back to the hostel.

Later on when I was having my dinner out on the balcony an Italian dude sat down with me and we started chatting. He was actually pretty nice. He'd already done his second year and was leaving the next day. Then a French kid sat with us and started going off about his crazy sex stories with girls. He was also working at the hostel for accommodation. Time for bed, I gotta be ready for the Nimbin day trip tomorrow morning. I just hope tonight wouldn't be as crazy as the first...

Surfers Paradise

I wanted to do my laundry Saturday morning, but the hostel only had 2 washing machines and the staff needed them to do their sheets so I had to wait till the afternoon. I decided to take the bus to Pacific Fair to see what they've got there. It was a 40min bus ride, at first I thought it looked like an outlet mall with all the shops outdoors, but further in they got an actual shopping centre and it was really big. There were supermarkets and large department stores like Target, Coles, and Myers as well. I wasn't too intrigued by their shops though, their fashion wasn't to my taste, however I was able to buy a Swiss Army Knife for my brother that I had lost during security check back in Brisbane. I think I only spent an hr at the Pacific Fair, then I decided to take the bus further up to Australia Fair, another big shopping centre that I hoped may be better.

It was about a 15min ride up past Surfers. The mall was big, but it was dead. Barely anyone was in the mall, and some of the shops were even closed! I don't know if it's the weekend, or the holidays, it just seemed dead everywhere. Weekend's usually when the malls are supposed to be busy ain't it? At least in Vancouver, especially during the holiday season. I had a MosBurger for lunch, then I headed towards the beach at Broadwaters just down the street, I needed some fresh air. It was a nice area with a café, a couple water parks, a beach area, and a little pier where some people were fishing. I relaxed at the pier, and looking over the water I could see a theme park. Gold Coast actually has a bunch of theme parks like Dreamworld, Wet 'n Wild, Sea World, and Warner Brothers Movie World, but I'm not really into theme parks... There were also some sail looking architecture that reminded me of Canada Place, high-rises where Surfers Paradise is, and the Q1 Building which's where I'll be heading next.

I took the bus to Surfers and went straight to the Q1 Building. Surfers Paradise didn't interest me at all because it was so commercialized that it didn't seem unique at all. Also it's got all these fancy hotels, even a Hard Rock Café and something that said Vegas, that made it seem like a little Vegas by the beach. Inside the Q1 Building was the SkyPoint, which's a 360° observation deck of Gold Coast. It cost me $22 for a day pass. It's the tallest residential building with 77 floors, a lounge area that cost an arm and a leg, and a lift that takes you to the top in less than a minute. The view was pretty cool. On one side you see the high-rises and the fancy hotels, on the other were the Surfers Paradise canals, then there was the ocean and the coast line. The canals were really cool to look at. They were actually man-made which made more sense, and apparently there are bull sharks in the water so definitely not suitable for swimming. I started making my way back to the hostel around 6PM because it looked like it was about to rain, and I also wanted to make it to the bottle shop before they closes. This time I was able to get off at the right stop, went and got myself 2 6pks because they don't sell them in a dozen and 24 would've been too much for me. Had pasta for dinner, watched some Supernatural, and retired for bed around 10PM. A couple girls have moved in, had a chat with one of them and turned out they were Australia born Koreans. Them and a bunch of others were in town for a day trip from Brisbane.

Sunday was super sunny. I was having breaky and Saul came to say hi and asked if I wanted to check out Currumbin Creek with him. I told him I've got stuff to do and luckily he left me alone. Since I didn't get to do my laundry the day before, I gotta wait for the laundry room to open up again. It was a super hot day, already 30° at 11AM. Finally I was able to drop my laundry then I headed for the beach. Later that evening I was making dinner and this bloke came up to me and told me I got an awesome shirt on. I was wearing my Canucks tank top. I've seen him around and he seemed like a cool dude. Turned out he's also from Vancouver, and he goes to SFU, same as I did! He wasn't creepy at all, just excited to meet a fellow Canuck.

Next day I went to Rainbow Bay, since I went to the wrong place last time. I walked all the way along the beach and up this hill to a lookout point.  All along the railing with lovelocks were plates that commemorate fallen soldiers during the Darwin raid by the Japanese. The view of the ocean was stunning and it was a beautiful day. On my way back I was waiting at the bus stop and noticed a couple dudes with backpacks who seemed confused about which bus to take. One of them took the same bus as me, but got off a couple stops earlier. Later on when I was doing my sudoku in the outdoor patio at the hostel that same dude showed up, apparently he got off the wrong stop and we started chatting. He's Czech, and he works in Abu Dhabi in military design or something for one of the emirates, and he comes to Australia to spend his holidays. He seemed nice enough... 

On the morning of New Year's Eve, Saul came up to me again and apologized for whatever douchey move he's made, I just said ok and left it as that, didn't want nothing to do with him no more. Later on I was outside having a beer and a bloke sat down and started chatting with me while he's eating his mango. He was another Aussie who was travelling with 6 other guys, 2 of them were from Perth. They all met up and rented a van together. I've seen them around as well, always come back with boxes of beers. They planned to go to Tweed Heads on NYE because apparently that's the border of QLD and NSW, and since there's 1hr difference between the 2 states, they were hoping that there might be 2 fireworks back to back. I told him I'm going to Byron Bay after New Year and he said they're heading the same way too and could give me a ride. I said I already got the Greyhound ticket, plus one of me and 7 other dudes after what happened with Saul? No thanks...

There were fireworks all along the coast starting at 8PM. I was still debating whether I wanted to go out or not, then I found out that the buses were free and they run all night long, so Czech and I decided to go countdown at Surfers, he also brought a bottle of champagne. The bus started to get packed as we got closer to Surfers, and a bunch of people dressed up as Waldo. They got really rowdy and started chanting on the bus, and the young Asian bus driver got really pissed off, even called the cops because apparently someone was smoking on the bus but they never found out who.

The plaza at Surfers was lively with people. We found a spot on the beach, which to my surprised wasn't packed like Vancouver whenever we'd have our Celebration of Lights fireworks at English Bay. There was a DJ playing top 40's. 5min before midnight it started to drizzle and us and a group of teenagers who were right next to us were just like WTF. The rain got harder as it got closer to midnight and everyone started getting up but we were all laughing then New Year hit and everyone just started dancing. Czech suddenly grabbed my hand and we ran into the water and watched the fireworks. The water was warm and I really wanted to go for a dip but I was wearing denim shorts. We went to catch the bus back but there were so many people, and for some reason our bus either never came or was full and didn't stop. I was getting hungry and annoyed after waiting for a good hr then a bus came that only goes to Burleigh and Czech just grabbed my hand again and we got on. I pulled my hand away on the bus, feeling kinda uncomfortable. We got off at Burleigh, he bought me a kebab, and we were able to catch the right bus soon after, but we didn't get back to the hostel till 3.30AM. I kinda kept my distance from him afterwards, plus he was leaving soon anyway.

Slept in on New Year's Day, went to the beach, took a dip and nearly drowned myself. I was still in shallow water but a wave caught me off guard. I bumped into the Aussie and asked about their NYE. He said there was no back to back fireworks so it kinda sucked for them. Today's my last day in Cooly and I can't wait to get to Byron Bay, I've heard good things about it. The Aussie and his mates had already left in the morning. I also met a really nice girl from China who was travelling on her own as well. She's been staying in my room and I thought she spoke really good English considering, but she doesn't believe so. I also went to the Pacific Fair again and bought myself a pair of boots from City Beach for $70 for my Jackaroo school, a cheaper substitute for cowgirl boots.

Tonight they had LOTR on in the lounge room and a lot of us were watching. I had a 2-seater to myself, so did a few others, and Saul actually had the nerve to come up to me and asked if he could share the couch with me because he didn't wanna sit beside a weird old man or share with anyone else? I looked around, didn't say anything and wasn't really moving so he left. I saw across the room the Canadian who probably saw everything, had a smirk on his face. It was quite obvious that I didn't want nothing to do with the dude....