Cherries, Cherries, and More Cherries!
Well it's been awhile, but here's the update: we're currently just outside of New Norfolk, Tasmania on a cherry orchard and things are going great! We came out to the worksite knowing that we had a job, but no accomodation. We spent the first night camped out by the orchard, which is right next to a gorgeous river, and we were quite content with that. We figured we could just use the river to bathe and do laundry, and the ochard had outhouses so we'd be just fine. However, the next morning (our first day of work) we're approached by a fellow named Bob. Bob, who is the son of the people who own the land the orchard is on, offered us to stay in his house for free! He lives about 3km from the orchard, and he was going to be moving to New South Wales a week from that day. So since the 5th of January we've been working on the orchard and living in Bob's house.
Bob was great, and we actually ended up living with him for a little over a week. We started work on a Friday, and it ended up raining the whole weekend so we got the Saturday and Sunday off. Bob took us into Hobart and we had a great time! There's a bar in Hobart that plays 80s music, and 80s music only, on Saturday night. We hit that up and plan on going back again soon! We think Bob was a little overwhelmed having two girls in his house, but we also think he enjoyed out company, as he told us to be sure to come visit him in NSW.
Bob's parents - Vanessa and Tony- live between Bob's house and the orchard, and they are possibly the nicest people on earth! We came over to meet them shortly after moving into Bob's house, and they overwhemled us with their kindness. Bob's dad gave us a '94 Ford Talon (I think that's what it's called anyway) to drive while we're here. All we have to do is put gas in, and it's ours to do as we please. They also have a tennis court in their backyard that they've insisted that we get some use out of. So we come over ever other night to swing the racket. Niether of us have really played before, but we're both loving it! Vanessa used to play competitively, and she came out with us last night to show us a thing or two. They also had us over for supper one night - roast pork and fixings - and it was delicious! They've also been great at giving us ideas of places to go on our days off. This past Sunday we went to Mount Field National Park, which was amazing. We did about a 2 hour hike through some beautiful fauna and saw 3 waterfalls.
The cherry picking is great, and although it's a bit repetative, we're enjoying it nonetheless. We're set to work Monday-Saturday, 7:00-3:30, but it tends to vary depending on the weather and whether or not the cherries are ready to be picked. All cherries must have stems on them, and also must be single stemmed. The first couple days we had so many come off the stems, and it felt like such a waste to toss them on the ground, that we ended up getting stomache aches from eating so many. Needless to say, there were numerous trips to the outhouse! We get paid $16.75 an hour, but with our tax deductions it ends up being around $12. There's also a $1/kg bonus for picking over 125kg. Some people pick over that everyday!
Oh and the people here! We feel like we're in Hickville! The accent out here with the locals is so thick that we can barely understand it! It's kinda like a thick southern accent crossed with an Australian accent. Also quite a few asians and africans. It certainly makes for an interesting mix!
A girl from the States moved into Bob's house with us a couple of days after we'd been there. Her name is Coco (Corrina), and she's fantastic! She's 30 years old, but you'd never know it. She has studied yoga in India, and she's done quite a bit of mountain climbing. Needless to say, she's quite fit! We're having a great time getting to know her, and she fits into our duo quite well. The three of us bike to work every morning, work the whole day together, and then bike home and make supper together and do yoga and stuff. It's really great having her here!
Bernerd, the manger of the orchard, figures we'll have work until the end of January or the beginning of February. We booked tickets to Sydney for the 6th of Feb, so regardless of if there's still work to do here we'll be taking off on the 6th.
That's all for now, and I believe that's the longest post yet! Hope you enjoyed the update, and we'll post again soon!
posted by Brin & Megan - An adventure of a lifetime! @ 9:48 PM
3 comments
