We have spent the last 2 weeks in a rural area just outside of the town of Wauchope where we have been helping a family with various tasks around their property in exchange for food and accommodation.
Our objective was to find somewhere that we would be able to stay for 2 weeks and at the same time to try and learn a bit more about environmentally friendly living, and Peter (our host) and his family were able to offer us just that. Living with Peter were his son's Lewis and Billy, as well as a lovable cat and dog; a black Labrador named Banjo and a ginger moggy called Monty.
All of the water in their house comes from a rainwater collection system with 3 tanks around the house that can hold around 20,000 litres each. The water is heated for showers and washing up by a couple of solar panels that are installed on the garage roof. They have a compostable toilet that over time is able to create a fertiliser for the soil and is of course water free.
The family were all really easy to get along with and we would often sit and discuss our favourite films and music, as well as comparing different stories from our respective parts of the world.
While the work was relatively simple, it has given us inspiration for ideas that we can put into practice back home along with many of the other things that we have seen over the last 8 months.
The only nasty experience that I encountered during the 2 weeks was being bitten by a couple of bull ants while we were trying to clear their nest that we had found while scrub clearing. While raking the vegetation away from the giant mound that was their home (so that we were able to burn them out with petrol without the fire catching and taking the whole forest with it!) I failed to notice 2 bull ants that had scaled my legs and were then stinging me on my neck and chest. For those that are not aware a bull ant is around an inch long and has 2 very large mandibles on it's head. At it's rear end it has a stinger like a bee or a wasp, and it holds on to you tight with it's mandibles while delivering it's sting. They are very aggressive, and will come towards you to attack from up to 2 metres away.
Banjo is a crazy dog and was full of excitement 24 hours a day. Every times we would set foot out of our room in the morning he would be waiting and would come running with an enthusiasm that made it look like you had been gone for a week. He adores chasing a stick or a ball, and having a tennis racquet and a downhill slope made the game lighter work for us!
On the few days that we were not helping out on the property we would tend to go into Port Maquarie where we were able to visit a Koala hospital and enjoy a couple of hours walk on the coastal path from the lighthouse point at the end of Miner's Beach. The Koala hospital was very interesting to visit and it was amazing to see how well a number of the koalas have recovered from very distressing circumstances. They are often hurt in collisions with traffic, and are also frequently caught up in the forest fires that decimate the landscape on a regular basis.
During our walk along the coastal path we fortunate enough to see a whale and a pod of dolphins that were all visible from the shore. The path is well used by walkers in the area, and it finishes up in the town centre bay front area where a resident pelican likes to use his large beak as a way of making people surrender some of their fish and chips in his direction!
We were very sad when our two weeks with the guys came to an end as we felt that we had settled in quite well with them, and we can only hope that our work was good enough to reward them for the very kind hospitality that they showed us. So back on the road (or rails in this case) again we would be as we made our way to Brisbane.
We arrived only yesterday in Brisbane, but we are already again on our way out again. A bus to Casino and a train to Sydney followed by a flight to Auckland in New Zealand is bringing our time in Oz to an end. Yesterday in Brisbane we took a river cruise to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where you are able to visit and learn about Koalas as well as many other animals. There were so many different animals to see we struggled to fit them all in during our time there, but it was a really worthwhile experience on a gloriously sunny day.
This morning, before departing for our 25 hour journey to New Zealand, we took a walk through the Roma Street Parkland which is home to many different types of Australian wildlife and plant life. It is strange to hear people mentioning Christmas while we are out and about as the days here are still getting longer and hotter!
So Australia down and just New Zealand to go. Bring it on! :)
Our objective was to find somewhere that we would be able to stay for 2 weeks and at the same time to try and learn a bit more about environmentally friendly living, and Peter (our host) and his family were able to offer us just that. Living with Peter were his son's Lewis and Billy, as well as a lovable cat and dog; a black Labrador named Banjo and a ginger moggy called Monty.
Billy and Banjo on the floor in front of myself, Vicky, Peter and Lewis (holding Monty)
All of the water in their house comes from a rainwater collection system with 3 tanks around the house that can hold around 20,000 litres each. The water is heated for showers and washing up by a couple of solar panels that are installed on the garage roof. They have a compostable toilet that over time is able to create a fertiliser for the soil and is of course water free.
The family were all really easy to get along with and we would often sit and discuss our favourite films and music, as well as comparing different stories from our respective parts of the world.
While the work was relatively simple, it has given us inspiration for ideas that we can put into practice back home along with many of the other things that we have seen over the last 8 months.
The only nasty experience that I encountered during the 2 weeks was being bitten by a couple of bull ants while we were trying to clear their nest that we had found while scrub clearing. While raking the vegetation away from the giant mound that was their home (so that we were able to burn them out with petrol without the fire catching and taking the whole forest with it!) I failed to notice 2 bull ants that had scaled my legs and were then stinging me on my neck and chest. For those that are not aware a bull ant is around an inch long and has 2 very large mandibles on it's head. At it's rear end it has a stinger like a bee or a wasp, and it holds on to you tight with it's mandibles while delivering it's sting. They are very aggressive, and will come towards you to attack from up to 2 metres away.
Bull ant
Banjo is a crazy dog and was full of excitement 24 hours a day. Every times we would set foot out of our room in the morning he would be waiting and would come running with an enthusiasm that made it look like you had been gone for a week. He adores chasing a stick or a ball, and having a tennis racquet and a downhill slope made the game lighter work for us!
On the few days that we were not helping out on the property we would tend to go into Port Maquarie where we were able to visit a Koala hospital and enjoy a couple of hours walk on the coastal path from the lighthouse point at the end of Miner's Beach. The Koala hospital was very interesting to visit and it was amazing to see how well a number of the koalas have recovered from very distressing circumstances. They are often hurt in collisions with traffic, and are also frequently caught up in the forest fires that decimate the landscape on a regular basis.
Sleepy Koala at the hospital
During our walk along the coastal path we fortunate enough to see a whale and a pod of dolphins that were all visible from the shore. The path is well used by walkers in the area, and it finishes up in the town centre bay front area where a resident pelican likes to use his large beak as a way of making people surrender some of their fish and chips in his direction!
The bay's resident Pelican
We were very sad when our two weeks with the guys came to an end as we felt that we had settled in quite well with them, and we can only hope that our work was good enough to reward them for the very kind hospitality that they showed us. So back on the road (or rails in this case) again we would be as we made our way to Brisbane.
We arrived only yesterday in Brisbane, but we are already again on our way out again. A bus to Casino and a train to Sydney followed by a flight to Auckland in New Zealand is bringing our time in Oz to an end. Yesterday in Brisbane we took a river cruise to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where you are able to visit and learn about Koalas as well as many other animals. There were so many different animals to see we struggled to fit them all in during our time there, but it was a really worthwhile experience on a gloriously sunny day.
Vicky feeding a small Roo at the Lone Pine Sanctuary
This morning, before departing for our 25 hour journey to New Zealand, we took a walk through the Roma Street Parkland which is home to many different types of Australian wildlife and plant life. It is strange to hear people mentioning Christmas while we are out and about as the days here are still getting longer and hotter!
So Australia down and just New Zealand to go. Bring it on! :)
Hi Dan/Vicky
ReplyDeleteNice to see that you are still 'on the road'
I knew you would enjoy Lone Pine, I know I did
Now I have found your blog, I can keep up to date with your travels
Have fun in NZ
Be careful out there, but most of all, enjoy it
Derrick