Adelaide

This is what I have to show for Adelaide. A really disturbing piece of art, a pig statue and some hopping kangaroos!

Apparently there is lots of work in Alice Springs and that businesses are desperate for backpackers but I not sure that's the case. I gave my CV into a few shops and tour agencies but I'd not heard back from them after a week so I guess they aren't that desperate. I managed to get 4 hours of work clearing and cleaning the hostel owners house that he rents out. I didn't have anything else to do and it was actually quite enjoyable, partly due to not seeing any bite and they kill you spiders! $50 later and I was happy to have filled my afternoon.

I left Alice the next morning on a last minute decision. I was promised more hours work but the cost of a weeks rent out meant that I wouldn't be left with much change if I worked a 4 hour day. The 20 hour bus journey to Adelaide wasn't too bad and I arrived in a positively freezing 14 degrees in my shorts and vest. I'm staying in quite a nice hostel here with free apple pie in the evenings but unfortunately my dorm is full of Germans and Chinese neither of who can talk quietly at night!

Adelaide is nice but it is just a city. Its cold and rainy so I'm not impressed at the moment. You can do overnight tours to Kangaroo Island which would be nice if you were guaranteed good weather but South Australia has had record breaking amounts of rain recently so I've decided to stick with the city. I've spent a day mooching around the shops for warm clothing but all I can find is summer gear. I've also discovered the free WIFI in the library, the museum and art gallery. Other attractions of Adelaide include the Barossa Valley where you can go on wine tasting day trips and also multiple zoos and animal visiting centres. When I bought my bus ticket it included a free ticket to Australia Zoo. This is the Steve Irwin zoo somewhere up the east coast so I'm saving my zoo visit for then. I may venture to site on the beach tomorrow where apparently you can get proper chip shop chips!

The main reason for coming to Adelaide was to get some harvest work as there are tons of fruit and veg being grown in the nearby farms. Unfortunately I'm about 3 weeks too late for hiring and they aren't hiring more people as lots of the crop has been destroyed by rain. I was going to head to Melbourne on a Great Ocean Road trip but they are all booked up for the next few days and I don't want to arrive in Melbourne next week as its too close to Christmas. I'm hoping to get the train on Wednesday and find some hospitality work in Melbourne over Christmas and there are lots of day trips I can do from there. Again harvest work in Victoria is nil at the moment but there is all year round banana picking and bar work up the east coast so I guess I'll be there looking for work sooner rather than later!