Oops, I forgot

I forgot about something kinda interesting I did the other day.

I interviewed former Australian Idol star Bobby Flynn. If you're anything like me you won't recognise him without the afro (it was pretty embarrassing, I walked straight past him).

He was in Mount Isa the day before Australia Day, as he was an Australia Day Ambassador at Cloncurry. Anyway, not huge news, but kinda exciting.

I don't know if it's unprofessional, but I got a bit of a fan shot.

And finally, a day off

I haven't posted a blog for a while now for a few reasons. Number one is I'm still waiting for an internet connection at my house, and I've been too tired from work to go and scab free internet, or had stuff to do. And number two is because not an awful lot has been going on.

Well, that's not true. But I've been working a lot, and trying to find my line and length at The North West Star.

The job is going really well. Tahnée seems mostly happy with my writing. There's been a few stories where she's asked me to rethink my angle to make it a bit more localised, which is fair enough. But I haven't heard anything too bad, and I'm making my deadlines when possible, and giving her a heads up when I'm just waiting for someone to get back to me.

So yes, work is going well. I'm starting to generate some stories off my own back as I slowly meet more people in town. I will have a big story on page one on Monday which is exciting.

I'm also finding it interesting trying to take good photos for the paper. It's very easy for me to slip into just getting posed, smilely shots, which personally I find a bit boring when done all the time (but I do it when I can't think of anything else!). But again, occasionally I get told that a particular photo was pretty good, so it's good to get that feedback.

Since I've started work I've only had one day off, last Saturday. I have to work one Sunday in three, and when I do I get a three day weekend next time. I'm not too sure what I'm going to do with my long weekend. Unfortunately I have to go and do those boring, grown-up things: pay rent, buy groceries, clean the toilet. But I've also got some stuff lined up for tonight and tomorrow night, so that's good.

I'm starting to meet people and make friends which is awesome! I've been training with a footy team (I'm very, very, unbelievably sore today) and it's been good to get some exercise and have something to do.

The people I'm working with are very nice too (I have to say that, as I know they're aware I keep a blog). It's really good to be working with people around my age or a little bit older, rather than, as Grandma put it "some old fogies." And most people's arms can usually be twisted into having a beer and a game of pool after work.

Oh and the weather is a bit cooler today - a very pleasant 31 degrees, which is a very welcome relief. We're getting a bit of rain from the outskirts of ex-tropical cyclone Olga, so it's nice to just cool down.

So yes, not an awful lot going on, but it's all going pretty well.

We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto

Well I’ve been a working-class man for a week now. I’m pretty tired, but it’s been good so far.

I covered my first fatality on Thursday. But it was a probably a pretty easy one because it was all done from the office. By the time the police got back to me the search for the person had finished, so I didn’t have to go get a photo. It’s weird because it’s obviously pretty sad but it is a milestone in my career I guess.

Anyway, yesterday was a pretty good day but I did have a bit of “excitement.” I went out to take a few photos of a lookout that had been vandalised near Lake Moondarra. Except it was in this really isolated are where no one goes. But I found the place alright and took a few photos and it was nice to see the area. I headed back to the ute to drive back to the office and turned around, but as I put my foot down the wheels started spinning. And spinning, and spinning…

Bugger.

I was bogged. And I had flat tire. In the middle of nowhere. With no one around.

By some miracle I had phone service, so after a quick call to Tahnee the editor, I rang the RACQ (the Queensland version of the NRMA) and tried to explain where I was. But apparently it’s private land and they wouldn’t come to get me, and besides, they don’t think they could get their tow truck in there.

At this point, I’ll admit it, there was a bit of panic. But luckily Tahnee was able to call someone, pretty much a complete stranger, who had a four-wheel drive to come and pull me out in exchange for a case of beer. After that I changed the tire (thanks for teaching me how to do that when I got my L plates Dad – it’s the first time I’ve ever had to) and drove back to the office.

I had to go home to shower and change in my lunch break because I got so dirty crawling around under the ute!

So yes, a happy ending (apart from sunburn), but not a bad story.

Here’s a photo of the ute where it was stuck. If you didn’t know I was bogged I reckon it’s a promo shot for a Hilux if ever there was one.
And here are some photos of the view from the hill I had to clime to take the photos of the burnt platform. It was a pretty interesting landscape. Although you can see town in one of them, so I wasn’t too far away. You can click on the photos if you want a bigger version.
So yes, work is going pretty well and it’s helping me feel a bit better about being here. In fact, I’m mostly feeling pretty good about being here at the moment. Yes, there are still some anxieties about it, but I reckon that’s pretty normal.

The job is also a great way to meet people. I ran into person I interviewed during the week when I was getting some groceries and I got an invite out for drinks with some other people last night. So that was pretty nice.

We ended up watching a couple of episodes of Scrubs (that’s a TV show) at her place, which is just around the corner. Anyone who has lived with me in the last few years will know that is one of my favourite things to do, so it was a great night, and great to meet a few different people.

Today I hit the garage sales again and got a couch and TV! I wouldn’t say either of them are great or pristine but they will do the job and I can sell them again at a later date without too much emotional attachment. So, as you can see my flat is starting to look a little more furnished and lived in.
I’ve got something lined up for tonight to with Nicola from work. She’s doing something with her friends and invited me along, so it’s pretty good that I’m able to keep busy so far.

I finally got my landline hooked up, which is great. I dunno if it’s a good idea to put a phone number up on this blog, but if you email me at steven@peopleskills.net.au I can send you my phone number if that’s your thing.

First article on the website

Here's my first article that's been put on the website. I've had a bit of stuff in print, but I'm not sure if there are copywrite issues putting them up here! So here it is.

Hard news, as you can see.

Oh, I just found another one.

New mattress

Just quick post to say that I bought a mattress in my lunch break today. Managed to deliever it in the back of a work ute without getting a fine too (it was roped on, though I don't know if my knot tying skills would please the Queensland Department of Transport).

So I'm pretty much as excited as one can be about going to bed tonight without the possiblity of someone else being there.

Also, Brad and I are gonna go for a training run with one of the local AFL teams tonight. I think AFL is marginally more accepted in Mount Isa than the rest of Queensland. It will be good to meet more people and get a bit of exercise.

Nothing of mine is up on the website today, but I do have my first byline (see Scotty, I can learn). Will take a photo of it at some point.

My first day

Firstly, a BIG thank you to the people who have called and emailed. I have really, really appreciated it. As you've probably picked up in my last couple of posts, the weekend was a time of high freakoutitude. And I was moving and cleaning and yeh, it just hit me pretty hard. So thank you again. It's nice to remember that there are people out there who I can lean on when it's rough.

Okay, too soppy.

Today was my first day at The North West Star! It was pretty good fun, and tomorrow I will get my first by line! To give you an early tip, it's about a conference that's happening in Mount Isa for teachers who are being posted to remote areas. And I mean remote, up in the Gulf and around Mount Isa. I dunno if it's gonna go on the web, put I will put a link up if it does.

So yes, that was a good story to do. I also did a couple of other bits and pieces and got out of the office. I'm brimming with story ideas at the moment (well, I've got two) and
I'm feeling pretty good about it.

I had been expecting to feel a bit better about everything once I started work. I know it's only been one day, but I definitely am feeling better this evening. I'm going out for tea tonight with Brad and Nicola from work, and yeh, I guess it was just good to get into work and to have people who are interested in hanging out. Rah and Iain, I definitely took you guys fore-granted. But as Joni Mitchell says, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Oooh, ba ba ba ba...

Here's my profile that was in the paper today. Every day they have a "Meet a Local" section, and today I was it. I also wrote the one for Tuesday and Wednesday, which involved going and hassling strangers. It's not what I'd call a great photo, but when I walked in to one of the cafes to get a coffee today, the woman said "Hey, weren't you in the paper today? You like vegie gardening, don't you." I've made the image a bit bigger, so if you want to read it you can click on the photo and hopefully you'll be able to read it if you're interested.
I'm now down to 2-4 working days to get my landline connected. Not that I'm counting... But it will be great. Y'all better watch out, there'll be a phone ringing near you.

Oh, and the temperature finally fell a degree today to 40. Tomorrow is predicted to be 37, almost jumper weather!

Finally, it looks like Brad from work will be moving in with me temporarily. His girlfriend is planning to come up in about a month and a bit, and so Brad will move in for a while. I think it'll be good to share with someone who's also new to town, and he seems pretty nice. So yeh, that'll be good.

Another day another, well, not dollar...

I've noticed that every day I've been in Mount Isa so far, the predicted temperature has risen by one degree.

I got here one Tuesday and the top was a warm but manageable 36 degrees. Today it is a hot 41! I'm not sure what the forecast is for tomorrow, but let's hope the trend doesn't continue indefinitely.

I'm feeling a fair bit better today, it's amazing what a good nights sleep will do! I had an early night, and woke up and checked out Mount Isa Uniting Church this morning. It's a small and elderly congregation, but it was good to have something to do and someone to talk to, even if it was just over a weak cup of tea. Still it's a shame there wasn't anyone close to my age there.

And this afternoon I'm having a beer with someone from work, so that will be good too.

I spent most of yesterday cleaning and unpacking, and this morning have done a huge washing up of all my kitchen stuff. I do want a couch pretty badly, but it will have to wait until I have a bit more money.

Anyway, just wanted to put up a quick post to let people know that I am okay. Still overwhelmed, but I'm excited to be starting work tomorrow!

My flat and ramblings

The last few days have been pretty tough, both physically draining with moving but the reality of how far away I am has been starting to hit home, and to be honest, I'm finding it pretty bloody terrifying.

Plus I got a $200 fine! I borrowed a ute from work to move some stuff and I had my bike in the back, and I got busted because it wasn't tied on. Then when I got to my flat there was no running water, which was kinda just the straw that broke the camel's back. It turns out that the flat is plumbed in a really weird way, everything comes after the dunny in terms of pipage. So the toilet tap was turned off, and therefore there was no running water anywhere else.

So yeh, I've been finding things pretty hard. I'm hoping that once I start work on Monday I will find my line and length a bit more. For now though, if anyone feels like calling or sending me an email that would be great! The best email address for me at the moment is steven@peopleskills.net.au. I would love to hear from people!

I can also give you my new address if letters are your thing. I'm hoping to get the phone and internet hooked up this week so I can stop coming to Maccas to use their net! If you're on Skype you can search for my name or I think my username is stevendschubert.

Anyway, I thought I'd put a few photos of my new flat up for you all.

This is the outside, looking down towards the street. There are two flats towards the street, and one behind me from where I took this photo.
You walk in to this big laundry, verandah kinda thing. The bathroom is around to the right from here.This what you see as you walk through the sliding door fromt the laundry. The fridge is to the right and the sink and stove is to the left.This is from the other side of that centre bench. The door you can see on the left is to an empty bedroom. It's a two bedroom place, and I will be looking for a flatmate ASAP. My bedroom dooer is just out of shot to the left.
This is my room, with my new bed that I bought for ten bucks at a garage sale today! The mattress is still the swag I've borrowed for now, I need to go get a proper one for considerably more than ten bucks! As you can see I still have a bit of unpacking to do.
And this is another angle of my room. You can see it has some built in wardrobes (as does the other room) which is handy.
So yeh, sorry about the whiny blog (it's pretty emo of me I guess). And if you don't have anything to do and feel like a chat that'd be great! I'm sure things will feel a bit more manageable once I start work and get into a bit more of a routine. It's just a very, very big change, and it's hit me all of a sudden.

From my new flat

Just a quick update from my phone to say that I've found a flat. I'm currently lying on a swag Tahnee has leant me in an otherwise pretty empty flat. It's a smallish two bedroom place that is basic but liveable. I'm planning to get up early tomorrow and hit the garage sales for a bed and any other basic furniture i can afford. Today has been a hard day, I'll do a longer post later, but hopefully things are starting to come together!

Filling in time

Still now news on a place to live yet. I've got a heap of applications in on little flats, and the guy from the shared house is going to get back to me on the weekend hopefully, so today I'm pretty much just hanging around.

I'm again using the free wifi at that nameless, soulless, multi-national fast food restaurant - the net is free and the air conditioning is cold! I kinda feel like I should be doing something, but I've applied for all the places I want to live, I guess it's now just a matter of waiting for my phone to ring.

I'm really shocked at the property market up here. I guess I was expecting it to be more like Broken Hill, which has some nice old houses and nice civic buildings and that sort of thing. Mount Isa doesn't. Some of the places I've inspected have been pretty rough. The ones I've applied for are pretty basic, but liveable. And it's pretty expensive for what you get, too. Quite an eye opener!

I met the rest of the newsroom last night for drinks at a local pub, except for one person who has gone on leave. They all seem very nice, and it's quite a young newsroom, everyone is in their twenties. I guess that makes it seem a bit less daunting.

I went for a drive around town yesterday afternoon and went as far as I could go one the public road to the mine. This photo is taken about five minutes drive from the CBD. The sunset photo I posted the other day shows one side of the mines, the side that is visible from town, and this one shows the mines from the other side.


There's also this massive pit that I drove past as well, I guess it's an abandoned open cut pit. It is huge, and from this photo you can't really see the bottom. The fence kinda gets in the way, but you get the idea.

A Mount Isa Sunset

House hunting

No photos today, as I've spent most of the day house hunting or sleeping!

I'm really, really tired, I guess the driving is catching up on me. I've seen a few places today, and am waiting to see a shared house this evening that I'm feeling good about. So fingers crossed!

I have also discovered that I can come sit in McDonalds and use their free wireless internet! It's much better than paying to use to internet in my motel room. Now, I know that some of you will disown me for visiting McDonalds, but I'm not buying anything and I'm using their internet, so really I'm just ripping off the corporation. Power to me!

I had intended to do a few touristy things, but by the time I saw a few units and got some groceries for lunch, I was absolutely exhausted and had to have a nap! Maybe the heat it zapping me too. It's not too hot, but I've been driving around in my car and as it turns out there is pretty much no shade in Mount Isa. This makes for a sweaty and dehydrated Stevo.

Most of the real estate agents have this policy that I have to drive past the place I want to rent before I can inspect it. So that's what I've been doing today, and I've got a jam packed morning full of inspections-proper. The weird thing is that there doesn't seem to be any apartment blocks here, in the way one would see in Newcastle, Sydney or even Parkes. There are a lot of big houses that have been divided, or a block of maybe four little apartments constructed out of cinder blocks on a very narrow block.

If anyone wants to lend me a few hundred thousand, we can go into the property developing business. The market seems pretty tight up here, more expensive than I thought it would be.

But hopefully I'll have a place soon!

I'm here!

20º 43’ 31.0”S 139º 29’ 48.3” E

Hello from The Isa (as us locals call it)!

Yes, I’m finally here, sitting under the air conditioner in my motel room. The drive was very long and tiring today, but I’m here safe and sound.

The Editor of the paper, Tahnee, is going to come meet me and show me around tonight, so for now it’s a chance to rest a bit, which is much appreciated and needed.

Again, I was pretty surprised at how green it was today, not the Outback experience I had expected.
And this is why. There has been big water puddle on the side of the road since Moree or so, but this was the road past Longreach that was closed recently. The road was on a levy bank and the water was particularly close, but there were a few cross roads that I could see were cut off.

As I was coming into Longreach I could see this big red thing that I thought looked like the tail of a Qantas jet. But that would be silly, I said to myself, it would have to be a 747 to be that big, and what would a 747 be doing in the middle of the desert?

Well, it was at that point I remembered that Longreach is the birthplace of Qantas! This jet was there, and you can see an old jet behind. I would have liked to have stopped and had a look, but it was only eight thirty in the morning and I didn’t really want to stop for long. I guess it will still be there for another day.
I have stopped to look at a few interesting things along the way, but I’ve tried to balance seeing what I wanted to see with not wanting to make a long trip longer. I would have liked to stop and learn more about the dinosaur fossils at Winton, and have had a look at the Workers Heritage Centre in Barcaldine. But again, I guess they’ll still be there another day.

I also went through Cloncurry, which is famous for two reasons. One, it was the birthplace of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (I remembered that from my days working there!) and two, it has the record for the hottest recorded temperature in Australia. Something like 53.3 (from memory). Not quite that hot today, but hot enough.

A lot of very straight, boring road again today. Except for a while it looked like I was in a roadrunner cartoon! There were a few ranges around every now and then, and occasionally there was this weird formation.

The road from Cloncurry to Mt Isa was very different from most of the trip. It was mainly over hills, with a turns and ups and downs. It was much more interesting!

Okay, that’s it for today. I guess I’ll put up some more about Mount Isa when I explore a bit more! I’m going well though, am very happy to be here safely and to not have to drive anymore.

On a last note, all those naysayers who were bagging my car can now go get stuffed! Russel (my car’s name) passed with flying colours!

CORRECTION: Qantas was actually founded in Winton, but for some reason the museum is in Longreach.

The Tree of Knowledge

Comrades,

A bit over 150 years ago, a couple of shearers decided to strike over pay and conditions. They met under this tree in Barcaldine for its shade, and from that a union movement was created, which lead to the creation of the Australian Labor Party.
This is the Tree of Knowledge.
A few years ago the Tree was poisoned (Joh Bjelke-Peterson’s ghost lives on in Queensland – it’s not a reflection on the decline in union membership) and so the local council has constructed a huge monument.
I remember seeing a news story about how the locals were outraged because it was so big and out of character. It is a bit weird and it doesn't really fit the rest of the town, but I like it.

Barcaldine

23º 33’ 13.2” S 145º 17’ 03.8” E

Another long day and I’m now resting at Barcaldine (pronounced bar-col-don) for the night. It is the home of the famous Tree of Knowledge, where unionism in Australia began.

The road from St George to Mitchell this morning was very, very quiet. My GPS told me to continue for 205kms, and in that time I passed three cars and a tractor. Yep, pretty lonely. Then from Mitchell I was travelling along the major highway through the Central West. I guess I passed a car every five minutes or so.

I’m getting pretty good at over taking road trains! It turns out that the back few trailers can wobble around a fair bit, which is a bit scary. You’ve just gotta make sure you’ve got a big, long, straight stretch of road. But that’s not a problem, as this photo shows.
It’s still very green up here, and very different to what I was expecting. I’m not sure if I’ll get the red Outback experience, as I think it’s rained all over.
The good news is that I’m now past halfway there! This sign was the first time I saw Mt Isa on the board, from Barcaldine I think it’s around 740kms. I managed to get on the road by 7am, and got here around 3.30pm, so I’ll try to do that again. I was considering going a bit further, but I was feeling a bit tired and I can drive the same distance again tomorrow.
I also went through the dingo fence (not sure if I’m now in or out!), which was interesting. In case you can’t make it out, the sign says it is 6,500kms long!

And Blackall, where I stopped for lunch, is the home of the famed Black Stump. This is not the Black Stump, but some petrified wood that’s a memorial. The original Black Stump was used to help first survey Queensland as a reference point.
Speaking of lunch, I discovered that asking for a garden salad in the fish and chips shop is yet another way to show that one is not from these here parts.

So I guess at this point I’m officially beyond the Black Stump…

More of St George

I went for a very nice walk along the Balonne River this afternoon at St George. It's a really nice, wide, very brown river. Very peaceful, apart from the occasional water skier.
Of course, all that water means that cotton is a big industry out here. Apparently so much that they felt the need to remind people by etching it into the footpath. I know it's clichéd, but the people I've talked to have been really friendly. I've also discovered that the best way to make your self known as a New South Welshman is to order a schooner of New in a pub. I know now it's all about pots of XXXX. It's those little things one needs to learn...
On a final note, St George seems to be in a weird media market, as the TV has ads for the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales. Weird.

St George

I got a GPS thingy before I left, and so I can tell you that my GPS coordinates are 28º 02' 01.9" S 148º 35' 13.3" E. If you copy and past into Google you can see where I am.

I had planned a blog entry around a photo I was going to take of the "Welcome to Queensland" sign that I envisaged. One small problem... there was no sign or any acknowledgment whatsoever where I crossed at Mungindi.

No dramas on the road today, just hot and boring! The road was very quiet once I turned off the Newell Highway at Moree. I guess I might have passed a car every 50kms or so.

I left Newcastle at 7am, after packing a few final things. I think I forgot my thongs though! They would be very handy because I think I may be developing an ingrown toe nail, as it's very sore and a bit swollen. It's a pretty damn inconvenient time to be developing one if that's what it is! I realise that's probably a pretty weird thing to post on a blog, but hey, role with it.

Pretty tired, but okay, and the car is thus far going fine!

UPDATE: I found my thongs in the car so my toe is now living a life of luxury!

The road less travelled

I'm going to take three days to drive to Mount Isa, around 700-750kms a day.

This is the way I'm gonna go:


View Larger Map

I'm leaving Newcastle on the 10th of January, and aiming to make it to St George, hometown of Barnaby Joyce, on the first night. That'll be 750kms.

The second night I'm going to aim for Barcaldine (I'm not sure how to pronounce this town, can anyone help?), which will be 723kms.

The last day will be 742 kms, and take me all the way to Mount Isa.

That's a total of 2215kms over three days! A long, long way...

Email feed

I've worked out (I think) how to get an email feed for this blog. There's a box on the right, if you type in your email address and hit subscribe, you'll get an email every time I post a blog entry!

I mean, I know it's unlikely many people care enough about my blog, but Rah (and maybe Mum and Dad) I hope you'll find it useful!

And Blogger also offers a RSS feed for those of you who use that.

Getting the band back together

I've decided to fire up the ole' blog because I'm moving to Mount Isa in Outback Queensland!

I've accepted a cadetship at the North West Star which is a Monday to Friday daily paper. There are three other journalists in the newsroom, so I'll definitely be thrown in the deep end. This is a good thing, though! It means I will have to cover a wide range of stuff, and I will get opportunities that I wouldn't get in a well resourced metro newsroom.

So, where is Mount Isa, I here you ask? In the middle of no where, as this map will show you!


View Larger Map

It's roughly the same latitude as Townsville, but something like a 10 hour drive inland. To put it another way, it take two hours to fly to Brisbane in a 737.

So right now I'm packing up my stuff in Carrington. I'm only taking one car load of stuff, so everything that doesn't fit is being sold, given away, thrown out or stored in Mum and Dad's shed in Moss Vale.

It's a pretty big change, and I'm both excited and nervous.

I'll try to update this once a week or so. I've worked out how to post from my mobile phone, so I might even try to post something from the road (if there's service!).