After three weeks in Sydney it was about time for me to move on. I was hoping to find some fruit packing/picking somewhere outside of Melbourne. I had hooked up with an English girl, Sema, in Homebase Backpacker Accommodation and we had pretty much agreed on where we wanted to go and what kind of work we wanted to do. So Sunday night we set out for Shepparton which is about 178 km north of Melbourne and about 20 hrs later we arrived at something I would associate with the end of the world. It felt like we where in the middle of nowhere and it was scorching hot.
Via email we had established contact with a guy called Howie who runs a hostel in a town nearby and organizes work for backpackers. After spending the night in a hostel just outside of Shepparton Howie picked us up by car and drove us to Mooroopna. Here we were fortunate enough to get lodging at his guest house about three km from the town centre. It is a very nice fully furnished and equipped two bedroom house which we share with three Japanese girls. We even have a nice garden with a barbeque. The only drawback is that it is so far from town so we have bought a couple of bicycles which are in a shocking state but at least we are mobile for the time being.

Now all we had to do was to sit back, relax and wait for some work to turn up. We did not have to wait long, though, because on the day of our arrival one of our Japanese flat mates asked us if one of us wanted to work instead of her the next day as she needed a day off. We were both keen and after a session of rock, paper, scissors I ended up getting my farm work debut.

Next morning the farm work bus picked me up at 05.50 am and about an hour and a half later I and ten other farm workers arrived at a vineyard even further out in the middle of nowhere. Here we had to plant vines and afterwards cover them up with some plastic protection. It was hard working in the scorching heat (36°C) and with strong winds whirling dust in your face but at the same time I enjoyed doing physical work for a change. I have spent enough time parked on my arse in front of a computer over the last couple of years. At 5.00 pm I was dropped off back at the house as dirty as a chimney sweeper (sweat + dust = black skin) and physically exhausted. Altogether a very satisfying experience.

Tomorrow both Sema and I are hoping to get work at this vineyard as a lot of people have a day off and on Saturday we will spend the day handing out vote cards for some cash in hand.

So long for now. Will try to keep you posted. 

 

XXX
Stine