Outback Poms
Jan 26th 2004, 7:44 am
#16
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2002
Location: Dream life UK....
Posts: 2,912
Originally posted by grubelice
Outback NSW/Victoria and Queensland can be very beautiful and I can appreciate the sentiments addressed in the Banjo poem and totally agree. However up here in Nw Western Australia it ain't so pretty. The pluses are that the sun shines all the time (apart from when you get cyclones) and the beauty of the landscape is very stark, no traffic on the roads and nothing to stress you out except the heat and the long hours. I have met lots of people working up here and it is not for the faint hearted. Opinion is that you either love it or hate it (or love to hate it)It is too hot to go on the beach during the day and people will all avoid the sun at all costs - unless you have to work out in it all day and that really is the pits. Most days at this time of year are over 40 degrees and that may sound good when you are in freezing UK but many of us working and living up here long for a cool frosty morning. Know heaps of people with skin cancer - I make sure and cover up and wear a hat at all times. People seem to get by on a couple of hours sleep a night - sun up and its another long hot day.The sun rots your clothes and your car. When you get in the car you can't hold the wheel or fasten your seatbelt as it is so hot. The beach is ant infested as is everywhere else, or there are sand flies to bite you and cockroaches are 2 inches long and get everwhere. It is a tough battle to keep insect life at bay. It is much more expensive up here as well - I am renting a small house with a metal roof and unless you have air con going most of the time it's as hot as sin. Electric bill works out at 300 bucks a month (small house not at home all day as I work a 65 to 70 week). Rent for aforementioned house is 500 bucks a week and there are many that are up to 1000 bucks a week - and these are not luxury pads but very basic - question of supply and demand, unleaded is 110 to 135 cents a litre, fresh fruit and veggies all pricey, even add an extra dollar or two on the cover price of a newspaper or magazine. Talking to people who have KFCs flown up here (Port HEdland). Happiness is getting in the car with the sound system and driving into those endless landscapes (preferably with Radiohead) I am having to pay 1900 bucks for a return flight to Adelaide as flights from here to Perth are really expensive and it takes forever to get anywhere. I am looking forward to that - it means I can take my boots off and get into some sexy sandals and skirts.Lots of people fly in and fly out and there seems to be plenty of work around. I think that perhaps if the government wants to populate the remote areas they need to make sure that people know what to expect. It won't suit everyone. However I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It is incredibly remote and unless you are very resilient or have good family/partner support you might go a bit doolally - I suspect that's a given. I'm no expert and I know that I will never forget this place but I also know that I couldn't stay too long.
E
Outback NSW/Victoria and Queensland can be very beautiful and I can appreciate the sentiments addressed in the Banjo poem and totally agree. However up here in Nw Western Australia it ain't so pretty. The pluses are that the sun shines all the time (apart from when you get cyclones) and the beauty of the landscape is very stark, no traffic on the roads and nothing to stress you out except the heat and the long hours. I have met lots of people working up here and it is not for the faint hearted. Opinion is that you either love it or hate it (or love to hate it)It is too hot to go on the beach during the day and people will all avoid the sun at all costs - unless you have to work out in it all day and that really is the pits. Most days at this time of year are over 40 degrees and that may sound good when you are in freezing UK but many of us working and living up here long for a cool frosty morning. Know heaps of people with skin cancer - I make sure and cover up and wear a hat at all times. People seem to get by on a couple of hours sleep a night - sun up and its another long hot day.The sun rots your clothes and your car. When you get in the car you can't hold the wheel or fasten your seatbelt as it is so hot. The beach is ant infested as is everywhere else, or there are sand flies to bite you and cockroaches are 2 inches long and get everwhere. It is a tough battle to keep insect life at bay. It is much more expensive up here as well - I am renting a small house with a metal roof and unless you have air con going most of the time it's as hot as sin. Electric bill works out at 300 bucks a month (small house not at home all day as I work a 65 to 70 week). Rent for aforementioned house is 500 bucks a week and there are many that are up to 1000 bucks a week - and these are not luxury pads but very basic - question of supply and demand, unleaded is 110 to 135 cents a litre, fresh fruit and veggies all pricey, even add an extra dollar or two on the cover price of a newspaper or magazine. Talking to people who have KFCs flown up here (Port HEdland). Happiness is getting in the car with the sound system and driving into those endless landscapes (preferably with Radiohead) I am having to pay 1900 bucks for a return flight to Adelaide as flights from here to Perth are really expensive and it takes forever to get anywhere. I am looking forward to that - it means I can take my boots off and get into some sexy sandals and skirts.Lots of people fly in and fly out and there seems to be plenty of work around. I think that perhaps if the government wants to populate the remote areas they need to make sure that people know what to expect. It won't suit everyone. However I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It is incredibly remote and unless you are very resilient or have good family/partner support you might go a bit doolally - I suspect that's a given. I'm no expert and I know that I will never forget this place but I also know that I couldn't stay too long.
E
Yeah, yeah, but think of all that space
Jan 26th 2004, 7:53 am
#17
Banned
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,432
Its a tough time of year to be in the tropics alright.
Extreme perspiration plays havoc with your blood salts and makes you go wobbly at the knees etc. The old remedy was to ensure you had adequate common salt - sodium chloride. A mixture of sodium and potassium salts ('lite salt') are better.
Gone Troppo
Extreme perspiration plays havoc with your blood salts and makes you go wobbly at the knees etc. The old remedy was to ensure you had adequate common salt - sodium chloride. A mixture of sodium and potassium salts ('lite salt') are better.
Gone Troppo
Jan 26th 2004, 7:59 am
#18
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2003
Location: Formally Outback SA. Now Brighton SA
Posts: 138
Originally posted by Megalania
Its a tough time of year to be in the tropics alright.
Extreme perspiration plays havoc with your blood salts and makes you go wobbly at the knees etc. The old remedy was to ensure you had adequate common salt - sodium chloride. A mixture of sodium and potassium salts ('lite salt') are better.
Gone Troppo
Its a tough time of year to be in the tropics alright.
Extreme perspiration plays havoc with your blood salts and makes you go wobbly at the knees etc. The old remedy was to ensure you had adequate common salt - sodium chloride. A mixture of sodium and potassium salts ('lite salt') are better.
Gone Troppo
E
Jan 26th 2004, 8:03 am
#19
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2003
Location: Formally Outback SA. Now Brighton SA
Posts: 138
Originally posted by Megalania
Its a tough time of year to be in the tropics alright.
Extreme perspiration plays havoc with your blood salts and makes you go wobbly at the knees etc. The old remedy was to ensure you had adequate common salt - sodium chloride. A mixture of sodium and potassium salts ('lite salt') are better.
Gone Troppo
Its a tough time of year to be in the tropics alright.
Extreme perspiration plays havoc with your blood salts and makes you go wobbly at the knees etc. The old remedy was to ensure you had adequate common salt - sodium chloride. A mixture of sodium and potassium salts ('lite salt') are better.
Gone Troppo
E
Jan 26th 2004, 8:20 am
#20
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Epping NSW
Posts: 606
Originally posted by grubelice
Outback NSW/Victoria and Queensland can be very beautiful and I can appreciate the sentiments addressed in the Banjo poem and totally agree. However up here in Nw Western Australia it ain't so pretty.
Outback NSW/Victoria and Queensland can be very beautiful and I can appreciate the sentiments addressed in the Banjo poem and totally agree. However up here in Nw Western Australia it ain't so pretty.
In fact, I suspect the whole policy is whistling in the dark. To try to encourage migrants to go to places the locals are losing interest in for sound reasons is merely to pander to those who want the government to "do something".
Jan 26th 2004, 8:27 am
#21
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2002
Location: Dream life UK....
Posts: 2,912
Oz already has imposed a Country service rule on many of its own people. Varies from state to state but Teacher, Police, heatlh professionals, social workers are some who have to do their bit outback.
Why then would they not impose the same rules upon immigrants.
Why then would they not impose the same rules upon immigrants.
Jan 26th 2004, 8:31 am
#22
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 11,149
Originally posted by dotty
Oz already has imposed a Country service rule on many of its own people. Varies from state to state but Teacher, Police, heatlh professionals, social workers are some who have to do their bit outback.
Why then would they not impose the same rules upon immigrants.
Oz already has imposed a Country service rule on many of its own people. Varies from state to state but Teacher, Police, heatlh professionals, social workers are some who have to do their bit outback.
Why then would they not impose the same rules upon immigrants.
The recent announcements are electioneering. Last election it was the people smugglers grabbing the attention.
Jan 26th 2004, 8:34 am
#23
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2003
Location: Formally Outback SA. Now Brighton SA
Posts: 138
Originally posted by dotty
Oz already has imposed a Country service rule on many of its own people. Varies from state to state but Teacher, Police, heatlh professionals, social workers are some who have to do their bit outback.
Why then would they not impose the same rules upon immigrants.
Oz already has imposed a Country service rule on many of its own people. Varies from state to state but Teacher, Police, heatlh professionals, social workers are some who have to do their bit outback.
Why then would they not impose the same rules upon immigrants.
E
Jan 26th 2004, 8:56 am
#24
Banned
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,432
Originally posted by grubelice
There are a fair number of immigrants up here as it has been hard for them to get jobs elsewhere. There are a lot of New Zealanders working really hard up here, fair numbers of Poms and Irish. Truth being that a lot of people don't want to come up here and those aforementioned professionals have to serve their time in order to get work elsewhere at some future date. You do get a tax break though but you need it as it is expensive to live here - all those salt tabs and deoderant for a start.
E
There are a fair number of immigrants up here as it has been hard for them to get jobs elsewhere. There are a lot of New Zealanders working really hard up here, fair numbers of Poms and Irish. Truth being that a lot of people don't want to come up here and those aforementioned professionals have to serve their time in order to get work elsewhere at some future date. You do get a tax break though but you need it as it is expensive to live here - all those salt tabs and deoderant for a start.
E
Jan 26th 2004, 6:23 pm
#25
Dutch expat/Aus citizen
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: South East, Perth (was Holland)
Posts: 5,789
Originally posted by Megalania
If you're still there in June, sling your swag and wander down the Oakover River towards Woody Woody - comfortable camping and pretty at that time of year.
If you're still there in June, sling your swag and wander down the Oakover River towards Woody Woody - comfortable camping and pretty at that time of year.
Don't know how often it flows though....and I guess that'll be in in the wet!
I remember the Nullagine River flowing for the first time in about 4 years when we were there! Lots of fun! And some people couldn't get to school! We could though
Oh, and Grubelice: I'm afraid I've assumed you were a male before, but now realise you are probably female! Oops, sorry!
And I agree about the Pilbara, it might be a good, exciting experience for a short while, but not for long!
I think I'm glad that I've already experienced it in my youth, so don't have to bother now!!
I'd definetly prefer the southwest: green, trees, cooler, cheaper, closer to civilization!Here's a pic of I think the oakover river in 1992. Well, it's somewhere near there anyway.... I think that's me, my mum and brother.
