The Real Australia

First of all, HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!!

Sorry again for such a late post, but here is my story from my Christmas adventure:

My fabulous friend Phil: an Englishman I met when I was in Newcastle, has spent this past 7 weeks working on a farm doing program called WWOOFing (willing workers on organic farms) where he works for a few hours a day for his accommodation and food. The family he is wwoofing with graciously invited me to come spend Christmas with them and their friends! So Friday afternoon, after my first full work week, I made my way to their friend’s home right outside Nimbin. When I finally arrived, after a 5 hour bus ride to Lismore and a 40 minute drive to their home, I knew this weekend was going to be a cool experience; The family lived in a cute, cottage-like home right in the middle of the rainforest. The family was not the only creatures inhabiting their land, they where sharing it with two diamond pythons who live on the roof, some wallabies (kind of like mini kangaroos) who hang around, and, in true Australian style, some of the worlds most poisonous spiders.

Phil, Josh (one of the kids of the family Phil works for who is really cool!) and I stayed in a cabin that was not attached to house, but was a muddy up hill walk to get too. Because of the torrential rain that was happening all weekend, the walk was pretty much a slip and slide. I was lucky to have borrowed a pair of gumboots (New Zealand word for rain boots!). The weekend was filled with delicious food, great company and some fun adventures.

On my second day there, we drove into the town of Nimbin; known as the Amsterdam of Australia (if you catch my drift…). The town is only a couple blocks long, smack in the middle of nowhere. It is surrounded by mountains and fields, and filled with dread locks and hippies. Our drive there was quite an journey. The car’s battery was perma-dead, and had been that way for quite a while…Issue? Not for these practical people! Solution: We had to push the car down a hill, work some magic to spark the ignition and VOILA! Battery. Ya…I was pretty impressed.

Anyways, we got back from Nimbin right on time for a glorious Christmas dinner spread: Roast lamb, many different salads, potatoes, bread, tons of beer and wine…YUM!! We spend the night with the family: the adults where friendly, warm and hospitable and their kids where so outgoing and adorable. I really felt like part of the family and it was great to be in a home again for a bit.

That Sunday night, I headed back to Brisbane, to my real world (if you can really call this the real world…). So far, work has been going really well and starting on Saturday my training will be over and I will be a travel agent! Woohoo!! So, if YOU are looking to book anything throughout Australia, you know who to call…