Pilbara | This Adventurous Age

August 12, 2020
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2007 Travels January 9

TUESDAY 9 JANUARY RV2

John arrived back early with our worker. The latter only managed to work for a couple of hours before knocking off with an upset stomach. Too much booze last night before he left Alice Springs?

Brickie arrived in with a forklift on his semi.

The guy from Newman got four of the compressors working. The other would need replacing. I was soooo sick of compressors!

K reckoned that two drums of paint for the wet mess deck had gone missing from here over the Xmas break.

Two people from BHP – environment and safety types – arrived, to find out about yesterday’s fire. Not sure what business it was of theirs, but I gave them detail – minimal! Word travels fast, it seemed – maybe a train driver saw the smoke?

John was back to Hedland for more purchasing – again with the Acco – and to meet the late plane again. Another over night at RV1 for him.

Kitchen/mess

The numbers moving into RV2 really began to increase, now the kitchen was approved and serving the proper range of meals.

I was really starting to feel a much greater sense of remoteness than I had at RV1. It may have had something to do with the outlook from much of the place being limited by the low hills that surrounded much of the camp. At RV1, one looked to distant ranges and it felt much more open and less confined

August 10, 2020
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2007 Travels January 6

SATURDAY 6 JANUARY RV2

John and his passengers got in from RV 1 at 7.30am, by which time I’d been at work for over an hour and a half.

This time round, the works that were being done about the place were familiar to me, as were the tasks I had to complete.

John set about cleaning and tidying the stuff in the gear container, which was located close by my office. It had come from RV1, where he’d kept it in order there – so he could find the stuff he needed for his safety work, mainly. In the couple of weeks it had been in use here, chaos had largely taken over. Clearly, a lot of gear had been dumped in there just before the pre-Xmas departure. In the course of tidying, he unearthed a resident death adder. Both he and the reptile were shocked. Snake departed at speed through the open container door and off into the nearby scrub. John departed at speed in the opposite direction, and had to spend a little time in my office, recovering. From then on, John was much more cautious when doing anything in the container.

Why would a death adder find this container an attractive home in the heat of summer?

Word came from the head man in Hedland – the roof of the ambulance bay at RV1 was definitely too low – and would have to be raised. K was not happy!

John took the company workhorse vehicle here ( a Nissan) to RV1, loaded with a 200 litre tank, some 44 gallon drums and jerry cans – to be filled with diesel. There was, as yet, no supply at RV2, and the tank at South Point Fly camp was no longer being replenished, now that it was no longer occupied. So fuel was needed to run our machinery. This was yet another example of not thinking ahead and problems arising from divided supervision and overall planning.

August 8, 2020
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2007 Travels January 4

THURSDAY 4 JANUARY HOME TO RV2

It was a very early start for us. After yet more possibly final goodbyes to old cat, M drove us to son’s place – at 4.30am.

Son drove us to Tullamarine Airport. Not too onerous for him as he worked nearby – just an earlier start than normal. At that time, it was still dark, of course, and there was not all that much traffic on the roads.

By the time we got our bags checked in, there was not much time to spare. We travelled on a 767 – seemed huge. The four hour flight to Perth was a bit rough over the Bight, as we flew over the low pressure system that had formed from the cyclone and storm. It was inundating Esperance now.

There was some hanging around at Perth Airport. The time between flights was too short to go away and do anything, but long enough to be boring. We encountered one of the workers – T – who lived in Melbourne and like us was on his way back to the Pilbara. Also M and H, coming back from their Xmas break. Then it was a two hour flight to Hedland – in a one-class jet.

As soon as we landed at Hedland, could see that it had been quite wet. But the day felt really balmy – and we kidded ourselves that maybe the worst of the hot weather was now over. Ha!

The bongo bus had been left at the airport, by the last lot that flew out before Xmas, with the keys hidden on top of the wheel. John drove the five of us – first to South Hedland, where we stocked up on cask water, beer and scotch. Then it was down the familiar road to RV1, where we called in to have a look at what it was like, finished. There were quite a few puddles about the place, after the cyclone rain.

We admired the new “landscaping” around the pool. Called in to the Spotless office to say “We’re back!” . Chatted with the two managers – almost old friends now. They said they had been a little concerned about the incoming cyclone, but that it had not been as bad as they feared – just some heavy rain.

Resize of 01-16-2007 Landscaping adjacent to the pool

Landscaping around the pool at RV1. Amazing the difference a few plants made.

John arranged to be able to transit overnight at RV1, on occasions when he was coming back late from Hedland, or having to have someone in there for the early morning plane. They basically said they would allocate him a permanent room there. All very pleasant – but the main manager did have a little complain that the swimming pool could still not be used, because it had not been inspected by the Shire. I was surprised that no one had managed to arrange this, back in December, after I’d left. Workers coming back into the Village would certainly be complaining at not being able to swim. I promised to expedite this.

Then it was on south. There was still some water over the Rail Access road, in a couple of places.

It was well into the afternoon by the time we reached RV2. The manager – who I’d not met before – allocated us two adjoining rooms, one of them an end room, in what he said would be a quiet part of Pod 2, the only one yet commissioned. He said that they had not yet received a fresh food shipment, so the evening meal would be a bit limited, for the few people who were in the camp. This camp was only occupied just before Xmas so they were really just starting to ramp up for operation, and it was all quite casual. In the event, tea was ample.

The rooms were quite comfortable. The air cons were working – most important. No TV’s in our rooms as yet, though. Our rooms would be cleaned by Spotless staff every few days, the sheets and towels changed too. All we had to do was go to work……

Home for a while…..

K had driven himself in from the NT and arrived a bit after us.

After unpacking, showers and tea, we sat and chatted for a while – in John’s room, then headed off to our respective beds for an early night. It had been a long day.

Today, we had travelled, in six hours of flight, what it had taken us a week to drive, back in December.

August 8, 2020
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2007 Travels January 3

WEDNESDAY 3 JANUARY HOME

After my morning walk around the lake – some 4kms with side tracks – thought I had better just phone Alice Springs and check that they did not now need us.

The new girl said that we were booked to fly to Port Hedland tomorrow! She “thought” she’d left a message for us – somewhere – before Xmas. Good thing I’d checked. She emailed the necessary documentation. That, at least, came through.

It was to be a very early morning flight out of Melbourne!

So began a flurry of packing and getting organized. We took the new table to son’s place. They were really pleased with it. John makes great tables!

Discovered that a hose on the washing machine was leaking. We’d been blaming the old cat for having a bad aim at his litter tray!

Old Spook cat had developed some eccentric habits….

Category 1 Cyclone Isobel made landfall at Eighty Mile Beach this morning, with winds around 120kmh. By the afternoon, it had turned into a tropical low, deluging the Port Hedland area and parts to the south east – just where our Villages were! It was threatening to join forces with a big storm system lurking around, so flying up to Hedland could be interesting!

When I got up this morning, did not envisage the way the day would end, for sure.

August 6, 2020
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2006 Travels December 13

WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER BENDIGO TO HOME 225kms

Another early morning visit from the grandson – it was a real game for him to come out and knock on the van door and call out to us. Another cuddle in bed. He was a wonderfully affectionate little kid.

I had been really dreading the task of hitching the van and Truck together, on the sloping driveway. John would be backing the truck downhill, in tiny increments – the idea was to get the poly plastic block on the van part of the hitch, exactly into the metal receiving arms on Truck. But not just that – to get the retaining bolt in place, the hole on the block had to line up precisely with the holes on the metal arms – and when they did, I would quickly shove the bolt in and down. I had to direct John, not just in distance to back, but also about the precise central alignment – and at the same time, wind the height adjusting handle on the van to bring the block to the exact height where it could slide into the arms. When we were on flat ground, it was easier, because I could wiggle the van sideways a bit if needed. Here, with the van chocked at the back of the wheels, there was no wiggle room, literally, and John had to stop Truck at the precise moment – no rolling backwards!

We waited till the family had left, rather than put on a display for them! But it went better than I had dared hope. John did a pinpoint accurate job of inching Truck back down onto the Treg coupling, whilst I frantically adjusted the height of the van so the bits would fit. It was a great relief when I could push the locking pin down through its holes, and they actually aligned. Whew!

Refuelled on the way out of Bendigo – $1.21cpl.

It was the usual, standard run home, via Heathcote, Seymour and Yea.

We reached home before lunch time.

Resize of 12-13-2006 to home

It was great to see M again. She had our garden looking immaculate – much better than we do!

It was also great to see the old cat, battling on but thin and rather frail. Getting on for 17 years old now. He seemed happy to see us, too.

It was good to be home again. Now to unpack van, clean it thoroughly, and prepare for Xmas.

Virtually the first thing John did was to get on the phone to arrange for his African mahogany timber to be shipped south.

So, this year’s trip had turned out exceedingly different to what we had envisaged, back at the start of the year. We spent time in all mainland states and territories, except for the ACT. Sort of “around Australia”, but on a mostly inland circuit……..

Resize of 12-13-2006 overall

POSTSCRIPTS

On 14 December, the men at the South Point Fly Camp were able to move to occupy rooms at RV2, although there was still a considerable way to go to complete that camp.

On 15 December, we received an email from boss lady, asking us to go to RV2 in the new year – exact date to be determined. I replied that we would be available from about 3rd January.

On 20 December, a further email said that a new employee at HO would co-ordinate our travel arrangements, out of Melbourne, probably on January 4, if flights were available. She would liase with us. Head Office would be closed until January 2. They were hoping the project would be finished by the end of January.

So – more work! And a FIFO experience…..

Resize of 12-09-2006 BHPcarrying ore to Pt Hedland

This was what it was all about – iron ore trains near RV2

In the last few weeks at RV1, I had been dreaming of green, cold, wet……..Be careful what you wish for………On Xmas Day, it snowed in our part of Melbourne! Real, genuine, cold and wet snow. Huey, you overdid it, a tad!

STATISTICS FOR 2006 TRIP:

* Kms travelled: 18,468

* Kms van towed: 12,991

* Cost of diesel: $3602.92

* Average fuel consumption: 7.95kms per litre used

* Dearest diesel: $1.81cpl – Barkly Roadhouse NT

* Cheapest diesel: $1.21cpl – Bendigo, Vic

* Accommodation cost: $2412.20

* Accommodation discounts gained: $54.10

* Dearest accommodation per night: Hidden Valley Caravan Park Darwin – $109 (cabin)

* Dearest caravan site accommodation: Eighty Mile Beach Caravan Park – $34.45

* Cheapest accommodation per night: $16 – Hiway Inn Daly Waters

* Number of different places stayed at: 30

* Longest stay in one place: Monsoon Cafe, Litchfield NT (employed)

***************

July 31, 2020
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2006 Travels December 5

TUESDAY 5 DECEMBER RV1 TO NEWMAN 345kms

This felt like a momentous day – we were leaving to start to make our way to our very distant home. Our last breakfast in the mess. I packed us up a lunch crib each, for the road.

We had to finish the pack up of Truck, our rooms and the van before we could leave. John filled Truck from the diesel supply.

I had to spend a little final time in the office, bringing up to date the last entries for currently ongoing contingencies, and forwarding the spreadsheets to HO – just in case no one got round to doing them later, when work was finalized.

So, it was late morning before we got away.

We had to manoeuvre the rig really carefully, to move it away from the building, without collecting one of the verandah uprights. John directed – I inched it in the way he indicated. And I mean inched! I couldn’t remember how we’d gotten it in there, in the first place – effectively with the side of the van in between two veranda posts……

Bit of back and forth had been needed here……

We had a brief stop at the highway corner, to put on the weight distribution bars – not something we’d wanted to have on for the now rather corrugated access track and the even rougher section through the Turner River channels.

And we are away……

I felt both sad to be leaving this area, but happy to be heading home.

It was very hot.

The drive was really enjoyable, despite the temperature. South of the Marble Bar Hillside turnoff, the country gradually became more varied, often with low ranges in the distance. There had been enough rain to turn sections of it quite lush.

The upper reaches of the Fortescue River, in the area where the highway crosses it, is not really a defined river channel, but an area of more vegetation. Just upstream from there, it seagues into the area known as the Fortescue Marshes. Over in that direction would be the Cloudbreak iron ore mine – the reason for the railway project.

South of the Auski Roadhouse we were into the at times stunning range and hill country, all the way to Newman.

South of Auski Roadhouse

We decided that Newman was as far as we would go today. We were both tired after the very busy last few days, and the recent weeks of work without a day off.

Got ourselves a powered site at the Newman Caravan Park. $25.

Set up, then drove to the central shopping area, where I did a Woolworths shop, for fresh foods and the like to get us closer to home. No more having all our meals provided!

Refuelled. $1.43cpl.

Now we needed to get back into travel mode – and looking after ourselves mode…..It was such a novelty for John to have TV again that he wasn’t even too bothered by the distinct lack of any appealing offering, apart from the news. Yes, the world was still out there.

It was pleasant to have a shower where turning on the cold tap actually produced cool water.

The campground was rather noisy into the evening, with people – mainly workers – coming and going, and imbibing in refreshments after their day’s work. But we were tired, went to bed early and slept soundly.

12-05-2006 to n

July 27, 2020
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2006 Travels November 30

THURSDAY 30 NOVEMBER RV1

Low 40’s. I was dreaming now about cool things – green grass, rain, even cold. Was starting to look forward to being home – green grass, a shower of comfortable temperature, an absence of red dust.

The men from the SPQ building company agreed – very reluctantly – to stay and fix the showers properly this time. It was a very messy job and they got fibreglass gunk all over them, so I could understand their attitude. The ones at RV2 were checked again too, and 24 there were found to still be defective. Guess those guys were going to be around for a while yet!

John went to Hedland in the morning – to the plane and to buy oddments needed for work on the punch list.

I was notified that the roller door for the wet mess was ready and would be sent here from SA via one of the transport firms that had been bringing buildings.

John put up safety mesh around the sports court and around holes that had been dug for light poles in the car park. When he was walking across the car park area, his eye was caught by a glint on the ground, and he picked up a large piece of clear stone. He brought it in to show me, convinced that it was a chunk of topaz – it certainly looked like it to me. We put it aside to keep. (A couple of years later, a jeweller confirmed it was indeed topaz – good quality – and I had it made into a ring. My permanent piece of RV1)

Resize of 11-29-2006 RV1 aerial 24

There were still faults happening with the smoke alarms. I was not sure that problem was going to be fixable! Just too hot.

I was working now on a stock take of everything that was in the office – divided into what would stay with the leased office (not much) and what would be sent to RV2 or on down to Leonora. I was also trying to track down all the bed linen that John had purchased, weeks ago, for the company rooms at Fly Camp. Although I had kept it in a separate store area at Fly Camp, it had got disorganized because we had people in both places for a while, then some of that bedding was used here when we first moved in – before Spotless took over upkeeping the rooms. So I had to go right through the linen store at Fly Camp, and here. Spotless reckoned our stuff was all separated and stored, here, but I could only find some of it. Some could have gone to RV2, of course. I was not going to be able to tidily account for it all and that annoyed me.

At night there was a very bad smell coming our way from the poo plant!

The sewage treatment plant

July 25, 2020
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2006 Travels November 27

MONDAY 27 NOVEMBER RV1

Mid 40’s. Humid in the morning.

It was getting a bit quiet here on the work front – today only two company men, us and two electricians who did turn up.

It was discovered that the instant hot water service in the main office – which was not working and was the subject of regular complaints to me by Spotless manager, (who had tried to fix it himself) – was in fact, not wired up! That had been overlooked by the electrician at the time.

Because of the change of mind about that damned office shutter. I had to phone the shutter company and explain we no longer wanted it. But apparently there had been some change of mind about who was building it and I faxed the design diagram that A had done, to the Perth company that built our SPQ’s, to get them to make the wall up – on BB’s instructions. It might still take two or three weeks, but I ordered it to be delivered to RV1 then.

I had to phone the company that installed the air cons to see if they would agree to a local firm fixing some that had been found to be faulty, as rooms were occupied.

I chased up a copy of the letter that BB had written to FMG about the electrical spikes stuffing up some of the gear in the place – needed it for the Document Register!

I spent much of the day putting together the Building Registers. Without R here to guide me, I was rather flying blind on that. It seemed a hell of a lot of material, but I had decided to put in everything that could possibly be relevant. Times four!

Almost finished…..

Two men came in from the Perth building company to fix the weak shower bases. They did not seem real happy…..

The missing kitchen/mess curtains – which we had hunted for previously – and for which V had ordered replacements made in Alice Springs – were found in one of the containers, after all – at RV2! Who the hell put them there – and when? I had never even set eyes on them before. Had to have been K or S…..

So there would be a double lot of curtains, as the new ones were already in transit. Guess a use would be found for them somewhere……

John had to do an airport run in the morning to get the shower fixers. He had a tip run in the afternoon. He also had to buy portable gas BBQ’s for each village, gas bottles for those, fire hydrant hooks and fire signs for RV2, from the fire service company in Hedland.

The main camp generators failed twice today, so the camp water supply ran out.

At RV2, where K was back but BB still there too, one of the men went off sick and would not be fit again till next year – heat stress related, apparently. Someone on the ditch digger broke the pool pipes and that took all day to fix! That figured – K was back! There were bushfires within 2kms of the site, so the fire break was made much bigger. They were laying pipes from their bore field to the camp – still no water on there.

Distant burnt hills at RV2

I had an email from boss lady. After conversation with BB at RV2, she instructed that Milestone 4 was to be signed off on today. Milestone 5 – full completion of RV1 – was to be signed when the sports court was complete, after the surfacing company was here on December 11 – N would co-ordinate that from RV2. Two extra men would come up from RV2 to work on the final punch list of defect fixing.

Her great news was that R was fit again. He was to fly to SA tomorrow, to relieve the Project Manager at the camp construction site there and get a handle on that project. Then, in about ten days, he would fly here for the final total sign off of RV1 and to get an overview of RV2 progress, before flying back to Darwin in time for Xmas. I was so pleased to hear he was OK.

She instructed that we were to work through this week and wind up the office in an orderly fashion by December 4, after which we would leave. She asked that we be on standby to fly back to RV2, in January, if needed. That needed to be decided by K and R before Xmas, depending on how far along RV2 was. Seemed like S had definitely had enough of mixing it with the workers!

December 20 was to be the travel day for all the remaining company workers, to go home for their Xmas break.

So – we were actually finishing up a bit earlier than I’d expected – the next few days could be quite a rush. But it was great that we would have time to drive home comfortably before Xmas. But we might become real FIFO workers, for a little while, next year! More money!

There had been a really nasty cloud build up through the humid day, then about 5pm a massive storm broke, with strong wind gusts, thunder, lightning and rain. A deluge, in fact. The lay down area/carpark turned into a sea of red water and mud.

Resize of 11-27-2006 storm 1

Resize of 11-27-2006 storm 11

Resize of 11-27-2006 storm 12

Raindrops keep falling……on my lens

That lasted until about 9pm. Quite spectacular. This really was raw and elemental country……

11-27-2006 Aftermath

July 23, 2020
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2006 Travels November 26

SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER RV1

Mid 40’s today.

We had been asked to work, instead of having a day off, such was the pressure to get everything finished. That would make for a bigger pay packet next time round.

Once again, the electrician had disappeared off home to Hedland – I wondered how much it had to do with Saturday night – so there was no one here from the electrical company. The Pod 3 power points were still unfinished.

The comms company gave Spotless a demonstration of how the comms were to work. TV came in via satellite, of course, as did internet and phones. TV was cabled from the central control point to all the SPQ rooms and the wet mess.

12-01-2006 Television Dish

John and the comms man did the final check of the signal strength of the comms system and John prepared a spreadsheet to be given to Spotless – and a copy for my files too.

Resize of 12-05-2006 leaving RV1 last view

TV system receivers on the end of each SPQ donga

We handed over all the Pod 3 keys to Spotless. John and the second manager did a final Pod 3 punch list. There were still not enough bloody door locks though!

The pool company finished up here and went on to RV2.

12-01-2006 Pool Fenced

A company worker came from RV2 to do some repair work to some verandas here. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the two sites now.

The bulk of the company’s workers at RV 2 had been taken out for the day, by BB, on a boat fishing trip, from Hedland. N went, but not S! Boys only….Word was that they’d had an enjoyable day. I suspected it would have been a rather boozy one! With conditions as tough as they were down there, morale boosting exercises were a good idea. That was why BB had wanted the bongo bus…..

Resize of Wait till I tell Matt

July 21, 2020
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2006 Travels November 23

THURSDAY 23 NOVEMBER RV1

There were storms this morning, but it was still about 40 degrees, just more humid. We were getting some really interesting skies, that had me reaching for the camera.

11-23-2006 Storm Clouds 2

BB and FMG had agreed that we were to source and fit a roller/security shutter across the counter in the site office. There was nothing like that in the original plan, but the Spotless manager had been jumping up and down about it. I would not have thought his paperwork was really so high security! So I spent a lot of the day on the phone, trying to arrange for quotes for that.

11-23-2006 Spotless Office where security mess is required amended

Office area where mesh security roller screen required

The rest of the Pod 2 rooms, and all of the Pod 3 ones, were handed over to Spotless – apart from 16 unsecured rooms where we were waiting on missing locksets. Big progress!

The Acco tip truck had a cracked windscreen ,after John did a tip trip with it today. I doubted it was now roadworthy.

HO had come up with the figures that we were charging FMG $250 per tip trip, plus tip charges, as contingency. Boy, that was going to add up!

There was a really interesting cloud roll formation today. I knew such phenomena happened up in the Gulf country – the famed Morning Glory cloud – but did not know they happened elsewhere. I really should try to read up on meteorology a bit more – as well as on identifying little reptiles!

Resize of 11-23-2006 cloud roll 4

Cloud roll over the parking area and John’s Acco tip truck

The Hedland FMG boss phoned to say that they now had approval for us to dig a temporary tip hole at RV1. Fine – BUT – we no longer had any digging gear on site. It had all gone south.

N and S returned from their break.

R had not returned from his break yet, having been away ten days. It was rumoured that he would not be returning because he was having some kind of breakdown. That would not have surprised me – he was under so much pressure here. Pity, because I thought he was a really great guy.

Resize of 11-23-2006 cloud roll 3

This Adventurous Age

Adventures travelling and working around Australia.

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