Looooongreach

Ohhhh the outback. Where to begin? I guess I'll start with how I ended up here...

Last you read I was in a town called Maroochydore with a few of my guy friends I had been traveling with. We had spent about a week and half there then the boys finally got some farm work! Since I had a lot of down time on my hands I kept saying I was going to apply for jobs, but each day I kept putting it off and became quite unproductive in that field. I came to the realization that the reason I wasn't trying was because I knew deep down that I didn't really want to stay there for that long so I decided I was going to leave. The only reason I was sticking around was because I wasn't ready to leave the boys yet, and I wasn't quite sure where to go. When you spend enough time with a group of people while traveling, you start to forget that this is your trip and not a group trip. And if you aren't happy somewhere, then you should go somewhere that does make you happy. It's not that I wasn't happy in Maroochydore, it's just that I knew I didn't want to stay there much longer.

I got in contact with a few girl friends who I had traveled with when I first got to Australia. Turns out they were just a few hours away in a town called 1770 and said they'd be more than happy to have me join them. They warned me that they were looking for jobs and that if they got offered one in the next few days they were going to have to go. That was fine with me and I told them that if they did get a job then to tell the boss that they had one more coming and if they had room for me I'd be willing to go. Sure enough just a few hours later "Lethal," the owner of an outback hotel, called them saying he needed 3 girls to come bartend at the pub in the hotel. They mentioned they had one more and he said I could go work there too. Sweet!



Last night, tres amigos!



That day I booked a 22-hour train ride to Longreach, Queensland. While I was really excited to finally have some girls around and to finally have an income again, it was really hard knowing that I was going to have to leave the boys. After I told them the new plan they were sad but at the same time happy that I was doing what was best for me. The next day was my last night along with a few other boys who were leaving for Melbourne. The hostel ended up having a big BBQ/party that night and we all went off to the beach and had a great time. What a perfect last night! In the morning I packed up my bags and held back tears while I said goodbye to everyone. Don't worry, once I got to the bus station I started bawling. I was really excited to meet up with the girls, but at the same time it's hard to leave people that you've had such amazing experiences with and have grown quite attached to.



A toast!

I rode the train for about 8 hours until the girls hopped on in Rockhampton. After that it was all good because I finally had people to talk to! In the morning we arrived in Longreach and got a tour of the 4-block long town. I felt like I had gone back in time to the 50's or something. There are no stop lights, 2 restaurants, several hotels, a bakery and a few shops. That's abbouuuuuut it. Hmm, interesting. I think I might have culture shock when I actually go back to the coast. 

Did you know there was such a thing as Target Country? I didn't...



Longreach's newest crew!



Now I've never bartended before, but it's pretty simple here. Everyone drinks the exact same thing. Either beer or rum and coke. Every now and then they'll feel a little adventurous and order shots! We work 5 shifts a week, get free accommodation and food as well as $300 each week. Not too shabby. And there is nothing to spend money on here so it's a good way to save up. Most of the locals are really nice, but nearly everyone is a "regular," and most of the older men are very pervy. You really learn to grow some thick skin here. Ontop of fending off pervs left and right, my first week here was a little rough. I decided to go on a run and ended up getting blisters from my shoes, which turned into a terrible infection. I couldn't hardly walk for a few days and had to go to the doctor and get tons of antibiotics. Greaaat. In a new town, starting a new job and now I can't even walk. I had to be bed ridden for a couple days but luckily the antibiotics kicked in and my foot began to start looking much more human again. Thank God for that!

While I have never spent an extended period of time in a small country town, we have had some really good times here already and the time is flying by. I can't believe I've already been here nearly 3 weeks. I think I will stick around another 3 weeks then head back to the east coast and finish that up. After the east coast I am thinking of going to Bali and New Zealand, then back to Australia to perhaps settle in Melbourne. Hopefully everything goes as planned and I meet more amazing people along the way.

I'll continue to keep everyone posted on how the outback is treating me. Until then...

Cheers!