Country Livin'
Trip Start
Aug 26, 2009
1
9
19
Trip End
Jun 09, 2010
Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia
Thursday, November 5, 2009
My life currently consists of work, sitting in the sun, reading books and visiting the local library for my daily dose of free internet.
It all sounds very tranquil, however the largest chunk of my week is taken up working - last week I did 67 hours over eight days. Tuesday, which was day eight of my marathon work session, was Melbourne Cup day. To the local gambling community Melbourne Cup is like Christmas, New Year and every other special occasion all rolled into one. It's a major horse racing event with the day being a public holiday in the state of Victoria.
So there I was on hour 66, in the sweltering bar packed with nervy gamblers high on caffeinated soft drinks, when suddenly the room started to go blurred and dark and the next thing I knew I was on the ground. Yes I passed out in front of the whole pub. It was fairly embarrassing, but at least it made my boss realise that working that many hours over that many days really is not on. Back home I was used to feeling mentally drained by work, but I had forgotten how physically draining bar and waitressing can be.
Yesterday I had a much needed day off, and went to visit a peach farm run by a friend of a regular at the pub. We also drove past local vineyards and fields with onion seed growing. It was nice to get out of the town and see some of the countryside. It was also nice to partake in a recreational activity that did not include killing things. I don't know what it is about Australians and their need to kill animals, but it seems to be a big part of what they do out here. My fishing trip has thankfully been put on hold for now as I have mainly been working split shifts, but the owner of the bar suggested taking me and the other girls kangaroo shooting. I actually thought he was pulling my leg. Surely no one would want to shoot a kangaroo? But no, he wasn't joking. Apparently out here kangaroos ruin crops and are considered pests, so farmers have the right to cull them as needed. Needless to say the other girls and I kindly turned down his offer.
As well as offering to show us around the owner of the pub has also been very generous to us travellers, letting us not only use his and his wife's bikes to get around but also giving us his old car to get to and from work. It's more of a golf buggy than a car, with no power steering and only four gears. Not only has no roof but also has no doors. Not exactly practical for back home but it's much appreciated in the stifling Swan Hill heat.
