The way to Cairns

I finally left Home Hill yesterday after another few weeks. Picking pumpkins in 32 degree heat was pretty hard work and the last few days was very cool and windy, and they say the wet season has started early so I'm glad I left when I did. I started to help train Spot as well. He was running through the paddocks and chewing the plants so he started to come on the packing trailer with me and he's taken a liking to eating the peppers to keep him happy.

The journey to Cairns was very long. The bus was over an hour late and we drove much of the day through rain and low cloud so I couldn't see much. I checked into a hostel last night just outside the main centre of Cairns, so its nice and quiet and I've a single bed! I've 2 weeks in the Cairns area and there are a few things I want to do, but I'm not booking anything until the weather gets better. For today though it's time to browse the shops for the first time in 6 months!

Home Hill

I headed to Home Hill, about 1 and half hours South of Townsville and very close to the town of Ayr where I was in March. Home Hill is very small with 2 small supermarkets, a pharmacy and a few pubs. I've currently been here for over 12 weeks and have been working full time on a farm for 10 weeks. It was really boring for the first 2 weeks as I only had 14 hours of work but now I'm working about 51 hours a week so all's good. I'm picking pumpkins which is hard work and also packing peppers which is much easier but I have to pack pretty quickly as they are packed on the back of a tractor straight after picking. Thankfully since I'm not picking the peppers so I've avoid all the sore backs. We have also done weeding which is back breaking, pushing seeds into trays, making boxes and also washing trays.

It's definitely the good wage that's keeping me here. The weather's hot and we've also had some cold mornings, days long and the hostel is pretty basic and full of French who only really socialise in French. I am on a small family run farm with only 6 workers so it's been nice to work directly with the farmer. There's a 5 month old puppy who I absolutely love and he's taken a liking to me and spends most of my lunch hour jumping up on my lap. He does bite and chew wrists and ankles though!

We've had lots of run ins with other wild life too. I've seem some huge kangaroos and emus, pigs and lots of snakes. The Burdekin area is full of sugar cane fields which they burn every evening. It's pretty cool seeing all the smoke billowing into the sky and the ash which is locally known as “Burdekin Snow” falling down. We even passed a cane fire right the way up to the highway.

I've the weekend off this week as none of the crops are ready for picking yet. I've headed to Ayr to pick up some bits and pieces. I haven't left Home Hill since I arrived so it's nice to get out even if it is only to Ayr and everything's shut on a Saturday afternoon. I'm staying another 2 weeks in Home Hill before heading to Cairns for another 2 weeks before heading home on the 3rd November.