Dirt and Dust Festival

The weekend after Easter, my colleague Nicola, her boyfriend and I packed up my car and headed to the Dirt and Dust Festival at Julia Creek.

It's this annual festival that apparently started as an idea in the local pub as a way to rejuvenate the town. It's won a couple of tourism awards because... it was so much fun!!!

Gagey and Lukey had to work on Friday, so we didn't get away until the afternoon. I drove to Cloncurry, which was about half way, and than Gagey drove the rest of the way. That's when Luke and I hit the beers in the esky...

But we got there in time to see the headline act, the one and only Troy Cassar-Daley.
We were so close I could see up his nose...

Now, I'm not really too big a fan of country music, and I have never really gotten into Troy much before. But he was awesome! He had an amazing presence on stage and really worked the crowd. I think he was also the perfect person to play at a festival like the Dirt and Dust.
So channeling my inner Queenslander, we drank a few rums and danced had a great night. It did involve getting a security guard to drive my car to the camp site at the racecourse because of said rum, but he was very friendly (I think he had his eye on Gagey - Luke was too drunk to defend her honour) and his mates followed him out there to give him a lift back. Great night.

The next morning we woke up with, it's fair to say, pretty bad hangovers and headed out to get some bacon and eggs. Now, one of the main attractions of the festival is the triathlon. They do the swim in the creek that apparently has stagnant, gross water more often than not, then cycle into town, and then run laps of the main street. I'd say it was about 36 degrees while they did this.

We, in contrast, sat in the cafe eating bacon and eggs, recovering from our hangovers and feeling very unhealthy.

I kept taking photos of this old dude because I thought he was cool. I hope he didn't think I was stalking him! I was just impressed he could run a triathlon while wearing a straw hat.
That night was the bull ride! I had actually seen a bull ride the Thursday because I got a free ticket to an event in Mount Isa from work. But the Julia Creek event was way better.

Not quite sure why, but I really like this photo of the cowboys singing the national anthem.
Watching a bull ride is so exciting, even if there are few animal ethics issues...
The bull riders are crazy, but I reckon the crazier guys are the clowns, who put themselves between the bull and the rider when they come off. They're usually experienced older bull riders, but they're the people the bull will usually charge. Of course, the rider can also get trodden on when they come off...
I was sitting right near the fence taking photos, when I got charged by a bull! He'd thrown the rider, and stood on the other side of the ring, glaring at me. He did the full-on snort and hoof scrape across the dirt, and charged me. He hit the fence, which hit me pretty damn hard! Luckily I'd gotten a bit further away, but it was a bit of a shock! They way over 500kgs, so you don't really wanna get trodden on by one.
So all in all, a great weekend. Country music, bull ride, triathlons, rum, friends. Who could ask for anything more...

Big fish!

Mum and Dad in Mount Isa at the moment, which has been great (they bought me a trolley load of groceries!).

Tonight we went fishing out at Lake Moondarra. The secretary of the Mount Isa Fish Stocking Association had leant me some lures and given me some advice on spots, times and technique and out we went.
As you can see it was an absolutely beautiful spot. The sun just poked out from behind a cloud when I took this photo. Dad here is quite hopeful that he might actually catch something!
And he did! He was very excited to catch a fairly sizable barramundi! As was I, trying to get it into our bucket!
Look at the size of that fish!

Combined with a bit of a picnic at the lake and a few beers, life was very good.

I've got some other photos of Mum and Dad's visit to put up, but will do it later.

Australia's best butt

I had an unusual experience on the weekend. I was a judge at the Mount Isa heat of Australia's Best Butt Competition.

Yep, you heard me. Australia's Best Butt Competition. It's part of the program for the Dirt 'n' Dust Festival, which is heard in a little town called Julia Creek.

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As you can read in The North West Star, it's not the size of the butt that counts, it's how you use it. Basically, people are encouraged to get up and wiggle their butt as best they can to encourage an audience reaction.

There were pole dancing moves, hand stands and everywhere in between. Naturally, some require a few beers before they think it's a good idea.

So yes, it was an interesting night, to say the least. I became a judge because I was doing a story on it mid week, and was asked by the organiser.

Um, yeh. Butts.

Birthday celebrations

It was my birthday yesterday!

It was a pretty good day. The people in Mount Isa remembered, and I got a lot of phone calls and text messages from people back home who remembered too. A good balance!

I must make special mention of Brad Thompson, who walked out still very much asleep, unable to open his eyes, and mumbled "happy birthday Steve." What a great effort to remember, he really dug deep.

I also got page one on my birthday. Okay, so the story isn't going to win me a Walkley Award, but a page one is a page one.

It was also really nice that the people at work remembered. We shared a cup cake and I even got a present!
So, Nicola and I have been having the occasional Disney movie night, much to the amusement of people in the office. So that was my present... And I loved it!

Last night was all about beer and pizza at the Isa Hotel. Work people and a few other friends came out and bought me drinks! It was a pretty good night.

Thanks to everyone who called and messaged. It was much appreciated.

And as promised, here's a picture credit for Brad Thompson. Thanks for taking the photos Brad.

Back in Mount Isa

Well, I'm back in Mount Isa where it's 34º with a UV rating of about four million. But at least it's a dry heat, which has the added bonus of drying my washing in ten minutes (that's not actually exaggerating).

Being back home was awesome, as was the training that I went to. The best part was getting a tour of The Sydney Morning Herald office, and getting to sit down with the editor for half an hour and ask questions. There was also a really good session on photography, and a lot of stuff on writing. Also, I learned the beginnings of shorthand and now have to practice a lot so I can try to get it up to speed.

The week after the training I went to Mum and Dad's at Moss Vale, and borrowed a car to go to Newcastle to see some people. I also went down to Kiama for a day, which was absolutely lovely. Then back to Sydney for a night, and I've flown back to Mount Isa via Brisbane today.

So here I am, absolutely exhausted, waiting for my washing to finish. There are a lot of mixed feelings about coming back. Part of me really didn't want to, but part of me was excited to come back and see my friends up here again.

But back I am, so I will just have to make the most of it. Actually, one of the things that I realised when I was back is that I actually have grown fond of the place, or at least some of the people. If I contrast that with how I was feeling in the first few weeks, it is a big, big change. I wouldn't say I love it or want to spend the rest of my life here, but I'm two months into a twelve month cadetship already, and I want to make the most of my time in the north west.

So it's back to The North West Star tomorrow, back to getting up early and ironing shirts. But there's also a lot to look forward to.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to catch up with me, I really appreciate it.

Back in NSW

Well I'm back in New South Wales for two weeks.

I've got a training week next week, but have also managed to get the week afterward off, so it's a chance see everyone and not have to pay for flights! Win-win.

I'm sitting in my friends Nic and Eve's place, and just finished a few stories I hadn't quite done and emailed them back to Mount Isa. It's raining gently here, and the funny thing is I think it's the same weather system that was making Mount Isa wet for a few days before I left that has moved down here. I'm just following the bad weather.

I'm really looking forward to seeing people. I'm going to be in Newcastle for a few days and then in Moss Vale for a few days which will be nice. It's weird to be back in Sydney after only a few hours on planes, as opposed to three days driving.

I stayed overnight in Brisbane last night because you can't get a connection if you catch the last flight out of Mount Isa. I stayed at the YHA in the city, and shared a room with this old Irish guy name Tom, who was a bit of a character. I don't know Brisbane at all, but it was so late by the time I got there I went and had a beer at the pub down the road and just wanted to go to bed.

But anyway, I'm here now.

Profile: Brad 'Thommo,' 'Aggi' Thompson

BRAD Thompson is a down to earth bloke, but don't be fooled into thinking that what you see is what you get.

There are nuances to the man, certain idiosyncrasies that one discovers only over time.
The self-described "laid back communist" came to Mount Isa for one specific reason.

"The prospect of a launching pad for a successful sports journalism career brought me to Mount Isa," he said.

Of course, the wide eyed, naive boy from Adelaide wasn't quite sure what to expect from the North West.

"It's been an eye-opening experience.

"I've really embraced the indigenous element of the town and met some super people such as Steven Schubert, Elodie Oxenham and Peter Baldwin."

Of course, there was one element about moving to Mount Isa that Brad could not possibly prepare himself for.

That element was the biggest, baddest journalist ever to grace the town, Steven Schubert.

"My favourite thing about Steven is his beliefs in the union. Steve is an ambassador for the union and he really relays their strengths and benefits with great effect," he said.

And of course, being the stud that he is, Mount Isa has well and truly embraced the AFL superstar and former Adelaide Crows forward flanker.

But Brad was coy when Steven's Mount Isa Adventure asked him about his romantic interests.

"A gentlemen never tells. But I'm always on the lookout. I'd be lying if I said there weren't a few nibbles from the desperate ladies of Mount Isa who would sink their teeth into any old codger."

Brad was upfront about missing his home town, and of course his beloved, if hopeless, Adelaide Crows.

"Of course I miss Adelaide. I miss the beach and the salt water mainly.

"The Adelaide Crows are a professionally run unit, well drilled, well coached, a lot of local players, and of course players like Tony Modra and Darren Jarman are super stars of the comp back in the day, and just get you excited to play or watch footy. And of coruse the back to back premierships of '97 and '98 were two of the best years of my life," Brad said with an impassioned look in his eye that most ladies wish was reserved for them.

Brad has been quick to adjust to his new life and new career.

"Peter Baldwin and his management skills are my favourite things about The North West Star so far, and the hard hitting journalism from the news journos."

Brad didn't hesitate when asked if he likes his role as a sports journalist.

"I sure do. I get to meet people from different walks of life. Players, club stalwarts. Everyone's got a story to tell."

Brad says he in also immensely enjoying his new accommodation, but he is enjoying getting to know his charming new flatmate even more.

"I really enjoy the bizarre smells that come from your room and your cooking, so I could be here for a long time."

Who can blame you Brad, who can blame you.