So before we knew it we were back in Adelaide again. Slightly colder than England which is bizarre, but hey we are in the peak of ‘winter’ after all!
It didn’t take us too long to get straight back into Aussie life again. Jet lag was a killer mind. We arrived in Adelaide at 7am 6/07/17, Andrew and Lana had work and Rita was over looking after Halle. As much as we intended to power through the day and stay awake, a little lay down midmorning, quickly turned into an epic 5 hour nap and we were basically screwed from there on.
By the Monday we were luckily just about back on the right time zones ready for full time work again. It felt a little strange as it was the first time we had arrived in Adelaide knowing we had a routine and work to go to. I can’t say I was overly excited about returning knowing we had a big event to deliver in just a few weeks’ time so it was going to be pretty manic and the pre-event nerves were starting to kick in already. Tom wasn’t too fussed either, but we are super grateful for the guaranteed work we are getting. With even more exciting plans for next year (more on that later), we knew now was the prime time to save the $’s as much as we could for the time being.
It was so lovely to be back with the gang again, Halle was shy when she saw us back for all of 5 minutes before she grabbed our hands and offered us a coffee from her makeshift kitchen. 5 weeks isn’t long is the grand scheme of things, especially when we are used to months and even years apart, but after living with them and seeing them everyday, I still couldn’t help miss them all lots! Including Rita, Paul, Georgia & baby Finn who has since turned into a gorgeous little man, chilled as ever and growing so quickly!
To catch up properly we decided on a spontaneous trip to the hills that following weekend and to stay the night in Mylor. We spent the day exploring the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens before heading to Maximillians Winery for lots of yummy cheese and wine. An evening dinner date at the Crafer’s Hotel sat beside some awesome log fires finished off the day nicely before me, Tom Andrew, Lana & Halle headed back to our Log Cabin which we booked for the night not too far away. It was cute and quaint, Tigger the cat was a huge hit with Halle and Tom and I experienced a night on the sofa bed in the living room, needing 50+ blankets to keep warm and where we just about saw our own breathe. It really was the perfect night away, with a random game of ‘ring of fire’ which got the drinks flowing even more and saw Lana falling asleep mid way through. I’ve missed these guys a lot.
It was then the 22nd July before we knew it and we were celebrating Tom’s 26th Birthday. A day full of Aussie Rules Footy, presents, Karaoke, beers and dancing – we made sure he had a great one!
Then on 30/07/17 at 5.45am we headed to the airport to pick up our wonderful friends Matt and Sophie who were over for a 3 week adventure holiday! We had the pleasure of introducing them to Australian life first so we made sure their short but sweet 4 days with us were jam packed to see as much as they could of Adelaide. I was so impressed how they absolutely powered through jet lag and managed to make the most their time the second they arrived. After a couple of coffees and a bite to eat, we headed straight off to Hahndorf. Not the most Australian place to visit, but a beautiful German town which we thought they would love. We then took them to the Winter Reds Festival which was taking place in the Adelaide hills for an afternoon of wines and catch ups. The next few days saw us touring the Barossa Valley – yup more wine, driving out to Victor Harbour where we spotted a whale and a quick stop at Port Noarlunga where Matt’s dad used to live when he was younger. It was so nice to be the tour guides for a change and show them our favourite spots in Adelaide. On the Wednesday unfortunately it was back to work for me so Tom took them into the city for some more sightseeing and shopping.
I then later met them for an early dinner at the beautiful Windy Point for a delicious farewell dinner. It was really sad to see them go again but we couldn’t help be so excited for their adventures ahead. Safe to say they had the most amazing time on the rest of their trip around Queensland where Matt got down on one knee and popped the question to ask Sophie to marry him!! We couldn’t be happier for them both and have already requested the wedding not to be until we are home!!
Then it was Andrew & Lana’s turn to go and enjoy some sunshine as they soon headed off on their honeymoon with Halle. We made them a pre honeymoon hamper to see them off which you can see in photo below. They were very surprised and loved them! With a couple of days stop over in Darwin they then headed off to beautiful Bali for just over 2 weeks. It looked incredible and will certainly be on our list to visit next year!
Back in Adelaide, Tom and I felt pretty weird on our own and we certainly missed them. But it was soon event time, the longest week ever working a very busy 7 days straight. I was incredibly nervous but excited to deliver my first event here in Australia. The Writers Festival 2017. Pleased to say it was a resounding success – Opening night was crazy with Mark Holden (70s pop star and author), the Mayor of Salisbury, Chief Exec, all pretty happy. No major hiccups throughout the whole weekend and on the 8th day I was able to sleep! Tom enjoyed his weekend on his own and a curry was waiting for me when I got home with a glass of wine, or two which helped me recover nicely.
We then took the time on our own to start thinking properly about our plans for our regional work. If you don’t know already, in order for us to stay in Australia for another year (current visa expires Feb 2017) we have to complete 88 days of regional work. This essentially means farm work or fruit picking. The most frustrating part is the lack of guidelines from the government explaining the exact hours per day required and minimum pay we must earn to class as an actual days work. Annoyingly most contractors out there pay backpackers only on what they pick, so essentially if it takes us a whole day to pick just 2 bins of fruit we will get a maximum of $50. Utter bull***t really. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least, one day I feel excited about the adventure ahead of us, meeting new people, living remotely, and then the next day worrying profusely about how long we could actually be doing this for, the lack of pay, the extremely hard work and basic living conditions and most of all, moving away from Andrew, Lana and Halle and not knowing when we will have a day off to see them again!
We called a farm in Waikerie who I found details from online advertising for orange picking. A lady called Natalya called me straight back to ask when Tom and I were able to start!! As much as I tried to get a few more details from her, all I really got was that they would take us onboard straight away, we could stay in her house with 12 other backpackers, pay was $25 per bin of oranges picked, and only the days we actually work will count towards our visa, (apparently oranges bruise easily so we wouldn’t be able to pick in the wet weather and therefore wouldn’t count as part of our 88 days). With a slight panic at the thought of orange picking for the next 3-4 months with very little details on living conditions, hours per day etc. we soon realised this wasn’t going to be any easy ride.
We waited until Andrew and Lana were back from their honeymoon which felt like a pretty long time and spoke to them about our options. We decided we needed to bite the bullet and start ASAP incase we had any problems along the way which could potentially stop us getting our full 88 days in. We couldn’t risk not getting our second visa and we thought the earlier we start, the more chance we had to be back in Adelaide with our families who are coming to visit at Christmas!
Then on 28/08/17 we got the call from another job, Grainflow were recruiting workers for the harvesting season Oct-Jan in Mallala and invited both Tom and I to an interview. Just 50 minutes from home, paid per hour, this certainly seemed a better option! Don’t get me wrong the job still sounds horrendous. Its a 24 hour process and we could expect shifts to start in the middle of the night! Sweating from head to toe in our hard hats, overalls and steel cap boots, grain in our pants, we started to question ‘why put ourselves through this!?’
We went for the interview which was a rare experience interviewing together. Whilst Tom got looked up and down and interrogated about his ‘upper body strength,’ I was trying to convince them how much we ‘wanted’ (and needed) the job whilst hiding my petrified feelings inside. We were however really glad that we went for the interview and just a few days later, we were both offered a job!
With our notices now handed in at work, it started to feel more real that our next chapter was about to begin. It felt weird, and sad for me, like I was leaving unfinished business. Working hard on another event for the City Of Salisbury called ‘The Legends Awards’ which will be taking place next month, it’s annoying I won’t even be able to see it through. The friends I’ve made there in the last 3 and a half months are those who have truly made the experience such a great one. I feel incredibly lucky to have been welcomed into the team as much as I was, but there is absolutely no doubt we will be organising more sporting ventures and nights out with them again soon.
So current situation: Last day at our jobs now complete, orange picking job confirmed with JNS Contractors in Renmark to start Monday, oh and WE BOUGHT A VAN!
Meet Barker, soon to be our first home together. Tom found it on Gumtree just last weekend and we knew we had to go and see it. Before we knew it we were putting a deposit down and buying cleaning products and spotlights for it. In the space of 1 week we now have a freakin’ awesome Ikea sofa bed inside, curtains fitted (kindly donated by one of my lovely colleagues), mouldy carpet removed and new floor and insulation installed, and a whole new set of tyres on. If you are interested in our progress, follow our Instagram page @HiaceVentura where we will be documenting our entire van conversion.
It’s been a crazy couple of months since we’ve been back, and no doubt our coming months ahead will be even crazier. Goodbye comforts and hello basic farm life. Here’s to our next adventure…Wish us luck! (think we might need it!)
Gemma