This Adventurous Age

WEDNESDAY 28 MAY     ADELS GROVE

I was on tents. Did the baby’s washing. So many nappies!

The rapids by the laundry – great outlook while doing the washing

John was on canoes. A camper asked John where all the staff had gone to, in the bus, last night. Apparently, one group of guests had decided there was a mass staff walkout and we had all gone to Mt Isa!

The mail came in. I was finding that, recently, I was not even getting time to read my paper properly, but it was still comforting to have some idea of what was going on in the world outside.

We heard from L. She’d been offered a job in the tavern at Karumba, but there was no work on offer for daughter, so they both decided to keep going and go pick tomatoes at Bowen.

Company tour group came in. The guide this time was the company owner, and part owner of Adels. He always stayed in “his” room – partitioned off at one end of the old coolroom donga (which was now a general storage area). So I had to make sure, in the morning, that his room was clean and ready for occupancy.

MONDAY 26 MAY     ADELS GROVE

I was on shop, John on cleaning amenities, campground, and the rubbish run.

Cook and daughter left. I think that, in the end, they were a bit sad to go.

Little Lulu, the orphaned joey, had been doing well. She went with them and would go on to an animal rescue place.

Today was H’s first day of cooking. She was very serious about it, too.

Before starting work this morning, I wrote a note to friend M, about her visit, to go out on this week’s mail plane.

The people from Hire Tent 1 came over to the shop, just on dusk. There was a “snake” by their camp fire! Boss went over to the rescue. It was a baby olive python – a cute little critter. Boss relocated it well away from the tent areas. I wondered if our friend in the workshop had been active in more ways than one!

Tent Hire 1

I had an exciting phone call, from an former work colleague, who has done some outback travel. He  was interested in our adventures, and planned to drop in for a couple of nights in July. Another friend to share the place with.

SUNDAY 25 MAY     ADELS GROVE

We were on the same jobs as yesterday.

B and M arrived back from NSW, via Cloncurry.  Most importantly, they brought with them the six casks of wine and slab of beer that we had asked them to get for us. That sounded a lot, but we didn’t know when the next alcohol run would be! They brought similar supplies for the other staff.

Until now, they had been staying in a room in the staff donga, but now brought their 4WD and camper trailer back. Having the vehicle will allow them to explore the area more in their times off.

They set up the camper in the staff area down in the Grove, across towards where D and H were.

We had now secured agreement from boss that, once cook leaves, we can move the van down into the staff area in the Grove – away from that bloody generator! It would seem that the power being drawn by her bus was such that two lots of us could take her place.

At tea time, we farewelled cook and daughter. That brought back memories of our farewell, last August, as we left for the ill-fated sojourn at Doomadgee.

FRIDAY 23 MAY     ADELS GROVE

I was on shop today. John on campground/amenities.

A camper came up to the counter and said: “This might sound like a silly question, considering the thing is so huge, but do you know there is a white bull down by Site 17?”

The bull was back!

Boss chased him out – yet again – and some way down the road, hoping he would keep going in that direction. I thought he was probably so old that his role in the herd had been superseded by a stronger youngster, so he had become a loner. Maybe he liked the company in the campground? He seemed to be a gentle old giant, but with the potential to frighten the campers – just by being there.

THURSDAY 22 MAY     ADELS GROVE

I was on tents, John on campground and amenities.

There had been such a spate of broken-down vehicles. Every set of wheels belonging to the place, including the boss’ 4WD, had something go wrong – most in the past week or so. Little Suzi, canoe rattler, water truck, rubbish truck,  Coaster, even the bobcat. It was like they were all just waiting for mechanic D to arrive! There had been considerable hilarity at his expense.

Even the old bike the men used around the campground needed repairs……

WEDNESDAY 21 MAY     ADELS GROVE

Our day off. Just lazed about the place. That bloody generator was still a major annoyance. We have made a case to the boss to move down to the Grove, when cook leaves. He was considering the request. There would be more staff coming in later, but we reckon it is our turn!

Mail plane day. I received my newspaper and a parcel of extra wool that I’d asked daughter to send, so I could finish the cot blanket.

There was a letter from my friend M, who planned to come and visit us in July – a really exciting prospect, to show this place off to a friend. My letter to her about this had crossed in the mail, so at night I phoned her to clarify some points.

Lawn Hill Creek offered ever-changing outlooks

The truck came in mid-afternoon. Nup – not going to go help unload. It was our time off!

SATURDAY 17 – TUESDAY 20 MAY     ADELS GROVE

Four days of work as usual, alternating jobs: twice on tents/amenities, twice on shop/reception.

Cook and daughter decided that they would leave, next weekend. They said they were finding it too “lonely” here, as single women. Contrary to the impression that some people seem to have, the outback is not full of single, eligible men! I suspected that it had also become clear that the cooking job was becoming more demanding, as the numbers slowly built.

H would become the cook. It would be interesting to see how that worked out – she seemed to be a person of quite firm opinions about how things should be done.

John’s daughter phoned him, one night. Staff were allowed to make – and receive – calls, after about 7.30pm at night, within reason, on the fax-phone in the office.