Hello again!
Wow, my time in Port Hedland has come to an end! I'm on my last shift at work and fly out tomorrow night back to Perth, to the bright lights of a big city, which I'm sure will be very bright compared to what I've had for the last two months! I am amazed that I'll actually say this, but I'm feeling a little sad to leave, I have had such a blast, have met so many cool people and have really thrown myself into the adventure I'd say! At the moment though, work is becoming a little scarce in the Outback so I'm gonna keep the income rolling in by picking up some shifts at Princess Margaret (the Children's hospital in Perth) until another rural contract comes my way :) I'm also going to use it as an excuse to catch up with fabulous Mary (thanks for the accommodation babe!) and also see some of my friends from Hedland that have already left, can't go wrong!
I haven't had too many more crazy spontaneous trips since the last email, and there haven't been any more cyclones through the area either! But I did survive one crazy, liver-thrashing 3-day birthday celebration (apparently compulsory in Hedland) and a fabulous (planned!) camping trip to Karijini National Park.
Easter was a bit of a de-tox weekend as all the pubs were closed and there's no such thing as a restaurant in Hedland, so we were left with only casual BBQ's at the nurses quarters which ended up being crashed by all the bouncers from the pubs (lovely Samoan blokes they are!) on the Friday night. We were lucky enough to get beautiful clear skies on Saturday night for the phenomenon Staircase to the Moon which is (quote from a postcard!) "a spectacular sight created when a full moon rises over the shoreline at low tide. The rising moon reflects in pools of water left by the receeding tide creating the illusion of a golden staircase to the moon." It really was beautiful, the photos that we tried to get just didn't do it justice, it was amazing, and a sight that is only seen in Western Australia so I was pretty stoked to see it. And then come Easter monday night the birthday celebrations began...
My birthday was a serious event, starting at 0001 on the 18th and finishing at 2400 on the 20th! I did manage to continue working through it, but there wasn't a lot of sleep had in between shifts, mostly spent socialising with one event after another! I also think it was just a good excuse for everyone else to have another party as well! There was much silliness involved, much champagne, chocolate and some bizaare presents but I can guarantee a good time was had by all. :)
We survived the farewell for the Irish girls with much laughter, drinking and general craziness, and headed off the next day (after a few hours recovery time) to Karijini National Park (about 4 hrs drive) to go camping for 3 days. There was an interesting mix, 2 girls and 4 blokes, 4 aussies, 1 scotsman and a kiwi, and between us there was a pharmacist, a doctor, speech pathologist, teacher, engineer and of course a nurse! It ended up being a fab group to go camping with, everyone blended really well and we had the most fantastic time. One of the more entertaining things on the trip was the two internationals teaching the local aussies how to camp - including how to put up their own tents and connect a gas bottle to the bbq! We were wrong when we thought that they'd teach us a thing or two, we ended up being given awards at the end of the trip for being the best and most organised at camping! Karijini is known as one of the most beautiful places in Western Australia with its amazing gorges that you climb through, swimming holes and waterfalls. We spent our time there climbing along crazy tracks into the gorges where you climb down the cliff to get into the gorge and then have to scramble over, under or around giant red rocks to find the swimming holes and waterfalls, but all of it was so much fun. The weather was perfect, beautiful blue skies, really warm but not so hot that it was uncomfortable and the water temperature was so nice and cold compared to the sea here, that it was refreshing when you got in! The only bummer was at the end of the second day of tramping when I rolled my ankle when a great red rock just jumped out and bit me! Now if anyone remembers when I hurt my left ankle last year, I did a great job of it, 10 months of physio, cortisone injections, accupuncture, you name it, I had it. Well, I've done my right ankle now! Its a real bugger, black up to my knee, really swollen and hurts like hell, but such is life! Didn't stop me enjoying Karijini, probably added more to the experience, really getting up close and spiritual with Karijini, and it just meant that instead of doing the vertical climbs on day 3, Neil (the scottish pharmacist) and I went and did the easier gorges that no one goes to and it turned out to be more beautiful than some of the harder ones! Plus the fact that there wasn't anyone else there for a lot of the time! The best thing about the gorges and pools in Karijini is that at this time of year there is a lot of water, and if you ignore the fact that you're at a higher risk of flash floods wiping you out, you get to enjoy the amazing waterfalls that cascade down on top of you at every pool. There really is nothing nicer than sitting under a waterfall after a long hard climb! So we thoroughly enjoyed Karijini, found the gorges gorge-gous! Saw lots of beautiful things, encountered lots of bugs and even more lizards too! Still no snakes though except a dead one, so keep your fingers crossed!
Back in Hedland, I have worked steadily for the last week, and have had 2 farewells already this weekend, the last being tonight once I finish work! Then a girls breakfast tomorrow morning, after which I will hopefully pack my things and I fly out of the Pilbara tomorrow night. I have had a fab time here, and will miss the friends I've made, but no doubt, it'll just mean more adventures to catch up with everyone! Who knows where I'll be when you get the next Lesson from the Outback!?!
Take care everyone, love to all!
Red Ron of the Pilbara xxx
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