Hey mates
New photos are online, we try to show you the feeling about the outback and its nature. Have a look at our photos on facebook and you will see, how exciting it is.....!
Photos about the outback and its nature
Sep 20, 2010
Sep 19, 2010
The countdown is running
The festival offers a lot of activites and you will see that it is unlike the festivals in the major cities. It is one of a kind! You will get to know a very different culture and lifestyle. The people who live here are very friendly and make you be a part of their community.
The festival will offer you great program! Including an open air country music concert for free, a bush iron man competition, a bush cunning and survival skills competition and a lot of other things. So come and see for yourself!
The Professional Bull Riders will be the highlight on this festival for sure! There will be a competition and the winner will get prize of $8000!
Out the Back Australia offers a 6 Day Get Down and Dusty Tour including the Cunnamulla Fella Festival. It combines the highlights of the scenery and nature in and around Cunnamulla with a guarantee of fun at the festival. Don't miss it and be part of it!
• Festival activities including Bull ride, live music & bush tough man contest
• Farm Stay
• Working Sheep and cattle property
• Natural Artesian Spa
• Sunset boat cruise on the Warrego
• Campfire dinner under the stars
• World’s only Date Winery
• Opal fossicking
• View Aboriginal artworks and galleries
• Meet the locals
• Bare foot bowls
• Bird and wildlife
• Aussie “pub crawl”
for more details visit our webside:
http://www.outthebackaustralia.com.au/ToursPackages/AccommodatedTours/6DayGetDownandDusty.aspx
Sep 15, 2010
Sunset River Cruise
Sunset River Cruise on the Warrego River
Peieta took us and two other guys (Jeff and Nate) to a lovely house out of town close to the river. Leesa, who was our captain, was already waiting for us. The sunset river cruise started at 4.30pm. We discovered the great Warrego River in a small motorboat.
Leesa passed on drinks to everyone, she probably tried to get us a little tipsy. I guess it worked.
The weather was absolutely amazing and so we had the chance to take a lot of fantastic photographs. The colourful sky was very impressive.
The huge variety of birds and wildlife made the biggest impression on us. Leesa was the perfect guide for this tour. She is very passionate about the River and its wildlife. She told us lots of stories about the birds, trees and the river itself. In the summertime you should have a closer look to the banks, because you don´t want to miss out on the kangaroos lying in the shadow underneath the trees. It was a great trip and we are definitely looking forward to our next outback adventure!
After the cruise and lots of drinks we were starving. But thanks to Peieta dinner was already served. It was delicious as usual. As you can imagine we slept like babies after a long day.
Peieta took us and two other guys (Jeff and Nate) to a lovely house out of town close to the river. Leesa, who was our captain, was already waiting for us. The sunset river cruise started at 4.30pm. We discovered the great Warrego River in a small motorboat.
Leesa passed on drinks to everyone, she probably tried to get us a little tipsy. I guess it worked.
The huge variety of birds and wildlife made the biggest impression on us. Leesa was the perfect guide for this tour. She is very passionate about the River and its wildlife. She told us lots of stories about the birds, trees and the river itself. In the summertime you should have a closer look to the banks, because you don´t want to miss out on the kangaroos lying in the shadow underneath the trees. It was a great trip and we are definitely looking forward to our next outback adventure!
After the cruise and lots of drinks we were starving. But thanks to Peieta dinner was already served. It was delicious as usual. As you can imagine we slept like babies after a long day.
Sep 12, 2010
The new german interns
Hey Mates
We, Niklas and Nilo, are the new german interns from Out the back Australia tours. We are replacing Linda and Kathrin and we will try our best to fill in the gap they left.
We are the new staff members of Out the back Australia Tours, which is a tour operator offering tours to experience rural Australia. Nilo will stay in Cunnamulla for 6 months and Niklas for 4 months.
Our first impression about Cunnamulla and the Outback is very positiv, the people who live here are very friendly. The nature and the scenery of the Outback is incredible and gives you only a hint of how big this country is.
One adventure I already experienced with Linda. We visited Charlotte Plains, it´s a farm appr. 90 km away from Cunnamulla. The farm owners, Robyn and Reid Russel are very nice and generous people and made us feel like home.On the first day, Reid showed us the artesian bore.
The Artesian bore is a place over the artesian basin, which is one of the largest underground water reservoirs on the earth. The water consists of different layers: bearing water, porous sandstones and impervious siltstones and mudstones. In general underground water is quite hot, only some rare bores are filled with cold water. The water was very hot but relaxing at the same time! It is kind of like a huge natural hot tub.
Back at the farm a delicious dinner was waiting for us.
The second and last day in Charlotte Pla
ins Linda had planned a special trip just for me. We went crazy on a Quad Tour through the Outback and got all dusty and dirty. For me it was the best part of the whole trip.
It was a great experience to learn how to drive a Quad Bike and feel the spirits of the Outback.
We are the new staff members of Out the back Australia Tours, which is a tour operator offering tours to experience rural Australia. Nilo will stay in Cunnamulla for 6 months and Niklas for 4 months.
One adventure I already experienced with Linda. We visited Charlotte Plains, it´s a farm appr. 90 km away from Cunnamulla. The farm owners, Robyn and Reid Russel are very nice and generous people and made us feel like home.On the first day, Reid showed us the artesian bore.
The Artesian bore is a place over the artesian basin, which is one of the largest underground water reservoirs on the earth. The water consists of different layers: bearing water, porous sandstones and impervious siltstones and mudstones. In general underground water is quite hot, only some rare bores are filled with cold water. The water was very hot but relaxing at the same time! It is kind of like a huge natural hot tub.
Back at the farm a delicious dinner was waiting for us.
The second and last day in Charlotte Pla
ins Linda had planned a special trip just for me. We went crazy on a Quad Tour through the Outback and got all dusty and dirty. For me it was the best part of the whole trip.
It was a great experience to learn how to drive a Quad Bike and feel the spirits of the Outback.
Sep 8, 2010
3 new shops
3 new shops are opening in CunnamullaA lot of people were visit the shoppingstreet from Cunnamulla on this Sunday. Reason was the opening from three new stores in the city. Therfore Linda an I (the new german) got up early in the morning, at ten o´clock! On Sunday..... :) very hard.
Arrived in the shoppingstreet, I was eating my first australian sausage, it tasted ok, but I think I will miss the german special sausages!
Now to the stores, the new stores include a hairdressstore, which help the denizen and particular the girls of Cunnamulla, because it is the only hairdressstore in this city.
Furthermore there is a store with traditional products from Australia. I hope to learn how to play didgeridoo, if not.... I must buy me a cowboy-hat :).Finally a new store for ladies fashion with beautiful clothes is opening.
The offer in Cunnamulla will get larger in the future.
That is a great oppotunity for everybody to visit this incredible city and have their very own adventure.
So come and visit Cunnamulla!
Sep 2, 2010
Sunday trip to Glencoe
We started our Sunday morning with a delicious breakfast at the gallery, cooked by Peieta. Everyone was smiling an giggling as soon as they saw each other, but I really have no idea why O: - )
So our group started the trip to Glencoe Station in good mood and curious about how a real sheep station and real outback sheep shearer work.
The farm owners Helen and Huge Miller welcomed us hearty (have you noticed that I write something like that everytime we going to someones place out here?) and after the first informative talks we made our way into the shearing sheds. There were about 6 shearers and at least 12 shed hands who do an amazing job!
Huge was passionate in telling everything that he knows about wool, sheep and the work which comes with. To admit, it was very impressive how he evaluate the strength of the wool and its quality. That attests a lot of experience and knowledge!
All what you see in this shed is about hard hands-on work and highest sciences. The sheep have to get shorn by hand and the wool gets classed by hand.
After the wool is sorted, it get pressed and they put a print with the quality and the stations name on it. You have to send probations into a classing office, to get a certificate how good your wool is.
It was very interesting to follow Huge’s and Helen’s explanations. You simply can’t imagine that something like this is what people live from. For a European it’s hard to understand that this is real. It’s more like a little extract of an old movie. But it is quite honestly fascinating.
Afterwards we enjoyed the fresh air and had billy tea and damper with the station owners. Really yummy and old-fashioned. Sid tried his best to copy the way Helen poured the tea in the cups, but to be honest - it didn’t work, although it doesn’t look that bad when a man takes over some ‘housework’ ;).
All of us had a lot of fun, especially Kai as he found a friend for a lifetime: another black sheep! Have a look at the picture and you’ll see why.
We even had the chance to sit on a motorbike with a dog in front and in the back. They are trained to jump on the bike and stay there while riding! Cool!
Of course we took some “I am sitting on a bike with two dogs at a sheep station in the outback” pictures.
Kai was also allowed to have a little drive with the quad – of course with a dog on the back!
We learned a lot and got an insight of real station work. Unfortunately we had to leave Glencoe Station to pack up our stuff and get prepared for the coming painful goodbye.
The first tears nearly dropped as we had to leave our new four-legged, tail wagging friends from Glencoe station..
Our ways split up at the Cunnamulla Airport, where the Skytrans flight service took our group except Leesa and Kathrin to Brisbane.
Thanks all of you again for these great three days!
Thanks for coming to Cunnamulla, spending time with us and being like you were!
I think I speak for everybody by saying special thanks to everybody who was involved and made the time as it was:
Wonderful!
So our group started the trip to Glencoe Station in good mood and curious about how a real sheep station and real outback sheep shearer work.
The farm owners Helen and Huge Miller welcomed us hearty (have you noticed that I write something like that everytime we going to someones place out here?) and after the first informative talks we made our way into the shearing sheds. There were about 6 shearers and at least 12 shed hands who do an amazing job!
Huge was passionate in telling everything that he knows about wool, sheep and the work which comes with. To admit, it was very impressive how he evaluate the strength of the wool and its quality. That attests a lot of experience and knowledge!
All what you see in this shed is about hard hands-on work and highest sciences. The sheep have to get shorn by hand and the wool gets classed by hand.
After the wool is sorted, it get pressed and they put a print with the quality and the stations name on it. You have to send probations into a classing office, to get a certificate how good your wool is.
It was very interesting to follow Huge’s and Helen’s explanations. You simply can’t imagine that something like this is what people live from. For a European it’s hard to understand that this is real. It’s more like a little extract of an old movie. But it is quite honestly fascinating.
Afterwards we enjoyed the fresh air and had billy tea and damper with the station owners. Really yummy and old-fashioned. Sid tried his best to copy the way Helen poured the tea in the cups, but to be honest - it didn’t work, although it doesn’t look that bad when a man takes over some ‘housework’ ;).
All of us had a lot of fun, especially Kai as he found a friend for a lifetime: another black sheep! Have a look at the picture and you’ll see why.
We even had the chance to sit on a motorbike with a dog in front and in the back. They are trained to jump on the bike and stay there while riding! Cool!
Of course we took some “I am sitting on a bike with two dogs at a sheep station in the outback” pictures.
Kai was also allowed to have a little drive with the quad – of course with a dog on the back!
We learned a lot and got an insight of real station work. Unfortunately we had to leave Glencoe Station to pack up our stuff and get prepared for the coming painful goodbye.
The first tears nearly dropped as we had to leave our new four-legged, tail wagging friends from Glencoe station..
Our ways split up at the Cunnamulla Airport, where the Skytrans flight service took our group except Leesa and Kathrin to Brisbane.
Thanks all of you again for these great three days!
Thanks for coming to Cunnamulla, spending time with us and being like you were!
I think I speak for everybody by saying special thanks to everybody who was involved and made the time as it was:
Wonderful!
Dirty and wet...!
Because our reps came in eager to experience an artesian mud bath. The same one, Linda and I had a short while ago (look here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=218888&id=223043289611&ref=mf).
All of them were a little excited, probably ‘cause they didn’t know what they had to expect. But after Ian (farm owner) explained how it has to go and set up the tubs, they were simply happy and curious.
They got served a plate of snacks, like dry dates, fresh dates, crackers, biscuits, cheese and olives. And of course they had at least one glass of wine. Each wine had an individual taste which added to the enjoyment.
Adam, Kai and Peter shared a “tub room” everyone in his own tub. Sid had his tub for his own in the bathroom and Clare and Alyssa enjoyed their bath in a stretched double tub.
We didn’t have had a bath on our own, so we spent our time with being jealous and having a beer at the pub in the Eulo Queen. After around one hour we came back to see our tour group out of recognition: Adam, who was 52 before ;) , was 28 again suddenly and Alyssa youthfully 20!! Clare turned 30 again and even Peter looked more like 32 than however his real age is.
(All given information aren’t linked to actual facts and free chosen by the author).
All joking apart - they looked absolutely relaxed, refreshed and happy.
And that was exactly what they should have been!
Everyone told us how great it was and after I saw the pictures from their cameras, it seemed to be a lot of fun, too!
Alyssa and even Adam – so it’s not only a girl thing! – were interested in the lotion they put on their skin last. You remember? This one, that makes your skin soft and smooth – however the three guys put it on their backs.. Anyway.
After we got some take aways from the Eulo Queen for our bus trip back to Cunnamulla, we had a funny entertaining drive and good chats.
The best thing was, that after we got changed and sorted again, a yummy Camp Fire dinner was waiting for us!
Some locals came around to have dinner with us. The temperature was enjoyably fresh; nearly windless and the few stars which were brave enough to not hide beneath the clouds decorated the dark blue sky.
The scenery was lovely. People in every age were hanging around with each other, chatting, eating and drinking. A little highlight were the marshmallows, which not only fancied the younger once in our group, did they Alyssa?
Pears, veges in white sauce, potatoes, chicken, lamb, soup and gravy were well done cooked by Peieta and Natalie.
We enjoyed the familiar atmosphere and it’s a good feeling to even be happy and in good mood about little things (like marshmallows). Linda and I took the part of “local entertainment” and tried us in couple dances. We even got a compliment!
Later on our ways lead us into a pub in town, where a few tequila fancier find to each other. So it was a pretty good night by playing pool, talking and having fun together.
Best preconditions to start into the Sunday!
All of them were a little excited, probably ‘cause they didn’t know what they had to expect. But after Ian (farm owner) explained how it has to go and set up the tubs, they were simply happy and curious.
They got served a plate of snacks, like dry dates, fresh dates, crackers, biscuits, cheese and olives. And of course they had at least one glass of wine. Each wine had an individual taste which added to the enjoyment.
Adam, Kai and Peter shared a “tub room” everyone in his own tub. Sid had his tub for his own in the bathroom and Clare and Alyssa enjoyed their bath in a stretched double tub.
We didn’t have had a bath on our own, so we spent our time with being jealous and having a beer at the pub in the Eulo Queen. After around one hour we came back to see our tour group out of recognition: Adam, who was 52 before ;) , was 28 again suddenly and Alyssa youthfully 20!! Clare turned 30 again and even Peter looked more like 32 than however his real age is.
(All given information aren’t linked to actual facts and free chosen by the author).
All joking apart - they looked absolutely relaxed, refreshed and happy.
And that was exactly what they should have been!
Everyone told us how great it was and after I saw the pictures from their cameras, it seemed to be a lot of fun, too!
Alyssa and even Adam – so it’s not only a girl thing! – were interested in the lotion they put on their skin last. You remember? This one, that makes your skin soft and smooth – however the three guys put it on their backs.. Anyway.
After we got some take aways from the Eulo Queen for our bus trip back to Cunnamulla, we had a funny entertaining drive and good chats.
The best thing was, that after we got changed and sorted again, a yummy Camp Fire dinner was waiting for us!
Some locals came around to have dinner with us. The temperature was enjoyably fresh; nearly windless and the few stars which were brave enough to not hide beneath the clouds decorated the dark blue sky.
The scenery was lovely. People in every age were hanging around with each other, chatting, eating and drinking. A little highlight were the marshmallows, which not only fancied the younger once in our group, did they Alyssa?
Pears, veges in white sauce, potatoes, chicken, lamb, soup and gravy were well done cooked by Peieta and Natalie.
We enjoyed the familiar atmosphere and it’s a good feeling to even be happy and in good mood about little things (like marshmallows). Linda and I took the part of “local entertainment” and tried us in couple dances. We even got a compliment!
Later on our ways lead us into a pub in town, where a few tequila fancier find to each other. So it was a pretty good night by playing pool, talking and having fun together.
Best preconditions to start into the Sunday!
Opal action in Yowah!
Our Saturday started with awesome breakfast cooked by Natalie, a team member of Out the Back Australia. Typical Australian food, with eggs and bacon, toast and sausages.
After all of us were starched we went by bus to Yowah. This way took a little while, so the majority of our group decided to make an early nananap.
Exceptions were our bus driver Leesa of course and Sid, who demonstrated this day how energetic he can be.
As we arrived Scotty welcomed us hearty and offered us beautiful healthy lunch. Unfortunately nobody of us was hungry already, so we decided spontaneously to delay our meal a bit. Instead we travelled to the bluff and watched some “Alien stones”. The shapes of these stones stacks are just unbelievable. One of them, in my opinion, couldn’t even stand that way, it does. Maybe I should have been more attentive in my math and physic lessons at school.
From the bluffs we enjoyed the most beautiful scenery you can imagine! Mulga trees and switch grass like in Africa, only hippos and rhinos are missing (okay and lions, leopards, giraffe…). A sheer endless wide in front of us, adorned by ochre and dark green spots, and – who’d a thunk it? – hills! Maybe I could be tempted to say mountains.. But what can I tell, I am spoilt by the alps.
To be sure we had to climb the small path down the bluff and found different ways up again. Some of us took the easier one, while some of simple hadn’t had a look for the next opportunity and took that dangerous fluttery way direct in front of them. And earned laugh from that ones who stood on top.
Now we made our way to the opal mines. All of us, especially Kai, were looking forward to this part of the trip: Having our own look for opals!
Alyssa, Adam and Sid slowly got into the hang of it, while Kai got it started instantly. Linda, Peter and I needed some more time, to suss how to see the little shiny colored stones on the ground.
We even were allowed to grab some nuts and Scotty cut them for us in the backyard of the opal shop. We spent some time there and everyone was excited, if somebody or even himself has a opal hidden in his or her stone nut. It was really like Kinder Surprise!
Noticeable was the difference in size and number of the nuts our group member have taken. As some of us just took three middle sized ones, other ones didn’t care about “small things” ;) .
Of course we were excited about every stone, even it was not your own one. Pure team feeling and no jealousy! (Well, we got a little bag with some more opals as a present before we left).
Even no envious looks when we had healthy lunch together. After our landscape viewing, climbing and opal experiences we ate our lunch at Scotty’s shop and headed straight back to Eulo. And there our reps got very dirty…
After all of us were starched we went by bus to Yowah. This way took a little while, so the majority of our group decided to make an early nananap.
Exceptions were our bus driver Leesa of course and Sid, who demonstrated this day how energetic he can be.
As we arrived Scotty welcomed us hearty and offered us beautiful healthy lunch. Unfortunately nobody of us was hungry already, so we decided spontaneously to delay our meal a bit. Instead we travelled to the bluff and watched some “Alien stones”. The shapes of these stones stacks are just unbelievable. One of them, in my opinion, couldn’t even stand that way, it does. Maybe I should have been more attentive in my math and physic lessons at school.
From the bluffs we enjoyed the most beautiful scenery you can imagine! Mulga trees and switch grass like in Africa, only hippos and rhinos are missing (okay and lions, leopards, giraffe…). A sheer endless wide in front of us, adorned by ochre and dark green spots, and – who’d a thunk it? – hills! Maybe I could be tempted to say mountains.. But what can I tell, I am spoilt by the alps.
To be sure we had to climb the small path down the bluff and found different ways up again. Some of us took the easier one, while some of simple hadn’t had a look for the next opportunity and took that dangerous fluttery way direct in front of them. And earned laugh from that ones who stood on top.
Now we made our way to the opal mines. All of us, especially Kai, were looking forward to this part of the trip: Having our own look for opals!
Alyssa, Adam and Sid slowly got into the hang of it, while Kai got it started instantly. Linda, Peter and I needed some more time, to suss how to see the little shiny colored stones on the ground.
We even were allowed to grab some nuts and Scotty cut them for us in the backyard of the opal shop. We spent some time there and everyone was excited, if somebody or even himself has a opal hidden in his or her stone nut. It was really like Kinder Surprise!
Noticeable was the difference in size and number of the nuts our group member have taken. As some of us just took three middle sized ones, other ones didn’t care about “small things” ;) .
Of course we were excited about every stone, even it was not your own one. Pure team feeling and no jealousy! (Well, we got a little bag with some more opals as a present before we left).
Even no envious looks when we had healthy lunch together. After our landscape viewing, climbing and opal experiences we ate our lunch at Scotty’s shop and headed straight back to Eulo. And there our reps got very dirty…
VIP`s in Cunnamulla
This weekend we had a lot of VIP’s in Cunnamulla!
Peter Hagan and Adam Pulitano from Bus Queensland, Alyssa de Laurence and Sid Konnur from Queensland Rail, Clare Nash and Steve Jones from Skytrans and Kai Ostermann, Regional Director Europe from Tourism Queensland were on parade with us, Out the Back Australia!
All of our guests arrived on Friday, but they were fit enough to make their first experiences with Queensland’s outback.
As we prefer small groups to guaranty for an individual and personal trip, we split them up into a kayaking group and second one, that did the river cruise.
Linda went kayaking and I had the honour to go on a boat cruise with Leesa Smith (tour guide), Chris Webster (owner Rocky Station), Steve, Clare and Kai!
It was just beautiful to see the sunset beyond the trees and to breathe the fresh cool air.
The roaming sunrays touched only half of the crowns of the trees so they created a really special scenery. It seemed they would have been illuminated by single lights direct in front of them.
We saw a lot of birds, which was especially for Kai, as a passionate bird watcher, a must have. Our group was chatting and laughing all the time, discovering and joking about the Australian slang and wildlife. At this point I won’t repeat what was said … !
The selection of drinks and snacks found good response as we had a plate with crackers, salami, cheese and tomatoes, and red or white wine, different kinds of beer and soft drinks. Sounds nearly like tea, hm? It does especially when I think about the other group, paddling at the other side of the great Warrego River.
After they got changed and we got sorted we went to the bowls club, to have a game with the locals. The teams were mixed of locals and visitors, so there were a lot of opportunities to get to know each other. For that ones, who were focused on winning or even focused in how to bowl the ball, there was another chance at dinner to hang around and chat with the lovely citizens of Cunnamulla.
The food was just awesome and we experienced a great hospitality. Thanks to everyone who was involved.
It was fun for all of us, especially for those ones, who haven’t played bowl before. Like Alyssa, who got personal training by father Rod, THE ex-champ per se.
She thanked him for that in front of the completely audience while her presentation at the evening.
Also Kai, Peter and Steve had a presentation about what their company is doing, recent reports and what their plans for future are.
Kai gave an insight of what it means for a company to make international marketing and to work international.
All presentations were really interesting and not only for our locals rich of information (also for German tourism students).
After being fed, learning a lot and getting thirsty, we decided together with the majority of our representatives to have a few drinks at a pub in town.
We didn’t stay that long, because it was a really long day and the pub closes at twelve anyway.
This was pretty good start into a weekend full of action and new experiences!
Peter Hagan and Adam Pulitano from Bus Queensland, Alyssa de Laurence and Sid Konnur from Queensland Rail, Clare Nash and Steve Jones from Skytrans and Kai Ostermann, Regional Director Europe from Tourism Queensland were on parade with us, Out the Back Australia!
All of our guests arrived on Friday, but they were fit enough to make their first experiences with Queensland’s outback.
As we prefer small groups to guaranty for an individual and personal trip, we split them up into a kayaking group and second one, that did the river cruise.
Linda went kayaking and I had the honour to go on a boat cruise with Leesa Smith (tour guide), Chris Webster (owner Rocky Station), Steve, Clare and Kai!
It was just beautiful to see the sunset beyond the trees and to breathe the fresh cool air.
The roaming sunrays touched only half of the crowns of the trees so they created a really special scenery. It seemed they would have been illuminated by single lights direct in front of them.
We saw a lot of birds, which was especially for Kai, as a passionate bird watcher, a must have. Our group was chatting and laughing all the time, discovering and joking about the Australian slang and wildlife. At this point I won’t repeat what was said … !
The selection of drinks and snacks found good response as we had a plate with crackers, salami, cheese and tomatoes, and red or white wine, different kinds of beer and soft drinks. Sounds nearly like tea, hm? It does especially when I think about the other group, paddling at the other side of the great Warrego River.
After they got changed and we got sorted we went to the bowls club, to have a game with the locals. The teams were mixed of locals and visitors, so there were a lot of opportunities to get to know each other. For that ones, who were focused on winning or even focused in how to bowl the ball, there was another chance at dinner to hang around and chat with the lovely citizens of Cunnamulla.
The food was just awesome and we experienced a great hospitality. Thanks to everyone who was involved.
It was fun for all of us, especially for those ones, who haven’t played bowl before. Like Alyssa, who got personal training by father Rod, THE ex-champ per se.
She thanked him for that in front of the completely audience while her presentation at the evening.
Also Kai, Peter and Steve had a presentation about what their company is doing, recent reports and what their plans for future are.
Kai gave an insight of what it means for a company to make international marketing and to work international.
All presentations were really interesting and not only for our locals rich of information (also for German tourism students).
After being fed, learning a lot and getting thirsty, we decided together with the majority of our representatives to have a few drinks at a pub in town.
We didn’t stay that long, because it was a really long day and the pub closes at twelve anyway.
This was pretty good start into a weekend full of action and new experiences!
The show in Cunnamulla
This weekend was an event in town, to which everybody was looking forward!
So what could it be, what the whole town was so excited about? Na?
It’s easy: The Show!
- Maybe nothing where you would think it’s overwhelming, but it’s definitely a social event and something different to the normal life out here - of light traffic, snakes and hard working interns.
There is a lot to do and to see at the show. You can find many different exhibitions there: who has the biggest pumpkin, the prettiest rose, the best looking cake, a lot of photos where priced in different categories. Five different schools presented their results how to design a green garden to crop and grow plants in an organic way.
Very Impressive!
Pretty famous are so named “show bags”. We’ve never heard that before and were very curious what’s going on with these things.
And because we couldn’t stand it, we had a look at the show ground before the show has started! A direct view backstage!
You have to be made for the “show”-life if you are working at one. Travelling and living in a little caravan with all the things you might need, never staying long at one place, but making friends everywhere you go. Working at the show is also possible for backpacker. The boss of the show told us, he had a German girl working for him a few weeks. The idea is not too bad at all, is it?
One of our first stations while having a look around was the lady who sells the show bags, Annett Abbott. She has been in that business for over 35 years now and never wants and wanted to do something else. She loves running her “Showbag Time” and to see different places of Australia.
,,Every show has its own atmosphere and character. It’s different wherever you go to. I love making places alive and love to see the smiles of the children, when their parents buy them a bag.”
Probably she loved our smiles as well, when Linda and I bought a Socceroo Bag the next day. We had a little bit more money left, because our boss from Out the Back Australia paid our entries (Thank you!). We met a lot of other staff members at the show and had a great time together by riding the “Twister” many times. After our first ride we thought about doing a second one, after we would had a milkshake each and bet on who spews first… But we haven’t done it. – What a pity!
Instead we snuggled with fledglings! Light yellow ones, black ones, even striped ones! They are sooo cute!
We also saw lots of motorbikes, horses, sheep, cattle and, surprise, people. There even was a sheep shearing and wool classer contest. Of course we had a look at and were quite impressed how hard and fast this work is! On the other hand, this is what a lot of people out here live from – farming and shearing.
If you are more an active type and want to do more than “just” watching you get the chance to play mini golf, have a ride at the dodgems, buy a bull, sliding down a big air skid (I thought about it!) and go for a motorbike or horse ride.
And there were a lot of food stands selling sweets, Chinese food or “bratwurst”. How German is that?
There are things to do, see and eat for everybody of every age.
A wonderful family day!
We had a great time at the show and somehow it felt familiar.
Everybody was there… at least on the party in the evening! The organizer had prepared some surprises and funny games. At lot of guests participated in those games, of course Linda and I did as well! Well, we didn’t win, but we tried our best!
The only thing we were really blamed for, was missing the goat races! And we were very sad about it ourselves. It sounded like a lot of fun, seeing people sitting behind a goat, being excited in which direction the creature in front of them would move to, IF it moves!
But I am sure, we won’t miss something like that again. Sounds like a “must see” to me!
And we will get our chance… at latest at the next show!
So what could it be, what the whole town was so excited about? Na?
It’s easy: The Show!
- Maybe nothing where you would think it’s overwhelming, but it’s definitely a social event and something different to the normal life out here - of light traffic, snakes and hard working interns.
There is a lot to do and to see at the show. You can find many different exhibitions there: who has the biggest pumpkin, the prettiest rose, the best looking cake, a lot of photos where priced in different categories. Five different schools presented their results how to design a green garden to crop and grow plants in an organic way.
Pretty famous are so named “show bags”. We’ve never heard that before and were very curious what’s going on with these things.
And because we couldn’t stand it, we had a look at the show ground before the show has started! A direct view backstage!
You have to be made for the “show”-life if you are working at one. Travelling and living in a little caravan with all the things you might need, never staying long at one place, but making friends everywhere you go. Working at the show is also possible for backpacker. The boss of the show told us, he had a German girl working for him a few weeks. The idea is not too bad at all, is it?
One of our first stations while having a look around was the lady who sells the show bags, Annett Abbott. She has been in that business for over 35 years now and never wants and wanted to do something else. She loves running her “Showbag Time” and to see different places of Australia.
,,Every show has its own atmosphere and character. It’s different wherever you go to. I love making places alive and love to see the smiles of the children, when their parents buy them a bag.”
Probably she loved our smiles as well, when Linda and I bought a Socceroo Bag the next day. We had a little bit more money left, because our boss from Out the Back Australia paid our entries (Thank you!). We met a lot of other staff members at the show and had a great time together by riding the “Twister” many times. After our first ride we thought about doing a second one, after we would had a milkshake each and bet on who spews first… But we haven’t done it. – What a pity!
Instead we snuggled with fledglings! Light yellow ones, black ones, even striped ones! They are sooo cute!
We also saw lots of motorbikes, horses, sheep, cattle and, surprise, people. There even was a sheep shearing and wool classer contest. Of course we had a look at and were quite impressed how hard and fast this work is! On the other hand, this is what a lot of people out here live from – farming and shearing.
If you are more an active type and want to do more than “just” watching you get the chance to play mini golf, have a ride at the dodgems, buy a bull, sliding down a big air skid (I thought about it!) and go for a motorbike or horse ride.
And there were a lot of food stands selling sweets, Chinese food or “bratwurst”. How German is that?
There are things to do, see and eat for everybody of every age.
A wonderful family day!
We had a great time at the show and somehow it felt familiar.
The only thing we were really blamed for, was missing the goat races! And we were very sad about it ourselves. It sounded like a lot of fun, seeing people sitting behind a goat, being excited in which direction the creature in front of them would move to, IF it moves!
But I am sure, we won’t miss something like that again. Sounds like a “must see” to me!
And we will get our chance… at latest at the next show!
Mud bath in Eulo
Today we will report about another attraction in the surrounding of Cunnamulla:
Eulo!
Eulo is a small town belonging to our shire area and is one of the places, Out the Back Australia operates in.
Here you can visit the Eulo Date Farm & Winery and enjoy your personal mud bath or try and buy some dates, date wine and cosmetic products.
We were there to experience all these things. The farm owners Nan and Ian welcomed us hearty and showed us what their land has to offer.
We looked forward to our mud bath, because it was a little cool this morning and only the thought of hot water on our skin made us smiling happily.
The bath tubs are very special! Not only the colors, also the stands look notably. They remind me of different animal feet, like bird crawls and hooves of horses or cows.
But it is not that crushing as it might sound now. It creates more a friendly and comfortable atmosphere, with the palm crowns over your head and bamboo fences around you.
You can choose where you want to have your bath and there also is the opportunity to do it in a double tub!
After we decided who takes which tub, Ian- one of the owners, explained us what to do in which order.
At first you enjoy your mud bath. That means you are laying in a hot mixture of water and mud. Then you put another layer of mud on your skin and have to wait til its dry. That feels a little bit strange, because your skin gets strained a bit. After that you go back into your mud bath and then you take a shower. You will be surprised how soft your skin feels like after doing it that! .. Especially when you are finished, cause in the last step you put a special date lotion on your skin. Now you feel at least twenty years younger! It is really very nice!
It is awesome to lay in the hot water, feeling your muscles relax, drinking a hot chocolate and listening the birds how they welcome the first sunrays in the morning.
Now it was time for us to celebrate that wonderful day: with a dram of date wine, which is very sweet and yummy. Same as the dried and fresh dates are, you can try and buy in the shop on the farm.
We bought the cream we put on our skin after the bath. It’s a really good one, giving your skin minerals and moisture.
Last we had a little chat with some tourists visiting the farm and discovering all the small and big things in the shop and the surrounding.
That was a fantastic start into the day and we probably will do it again someday, but then maybe at night time... !
Eulo!
Eulo is a small town belonging to our shire area and is one of the places, Out the Back Australia operates in.
Here you can visit the Eulo Date Farm & Winery and enjoy your personal mud bath or try and buy some dates, date wine and cosmetic products.
We were there to experience all these things. The farm owners Nan and Ian welcomed us hearty and showed us what their land has to offer.
We looked forward to our mud bath, because it was a little cool this morning and only the thought of hot water on our skin made us smiling happily.
The bath tubs are very special! Not only the colors, also the stands look notably. They remind me of different animal feet, like bird crawls and hooves of horses or cows.
But it is not that crushing as it might sound now. It creates more a friendly and comfortable atmosphere, with the palm crowns over your head and bamboo fences around you.
You can choose where you want to have your bath and there also is the opportunity to do it in a double tub!
After we decided who takes which tub, Ian- one of the owners, explained us what to do in which order.
At first you enjoy your mud bath. That means you are laying in a hot mixture of water and mud. Then you put another layer of mud on your skin and have to wait til its dry. That feels a little bit strange, because your skin gets strained a bit. After that you go back into your mud bath and then you take a shower. You will be surprised how soft your skin feels like after doing it that! .. Especially when you are finished, cause in the last step you put a special date lotion on your skin. Now you feel at least twenty years younger! It is really very nice!
Towels, cream and mud are provided.
So just bring your bikini or nothing and enjoy it!
You even can be hungry as you get some snacks like cheese, crackers and dates during your bath.
If it hadn’t been morning, we would have got some date wine while bathing and relaxing, but instead we got a beverage of our choice, which was a hot chocolate in this case. Thank you!
It is awesome to lay in the hot water, feeling your muscles relax, drinking a hot chocolate and listening the birds how they welcome the first sunrays in the morning.
Now it was time for us to celebrate that wonderful day: with a dram of date wine, which is very sweet and yummy. Same as the dried and fresh dates are, you can try and buy in the shop on the farm.
We bought the cream we put on our skin after the bath. It’s a really good one, giving your skin minerals and moisture.
Last we had a little chat with some tourists visiting the farm and discovering all the small and big things in the shop and the surrounding.
That was a fantastic start into the day and we probably will do it again someday, but then maybe at night time... !
Rodeo action
Hello again from adventurous DownUnder!
A few days passed in which we had the chance to experience something for us completely new! Have one of you guys ever seen horse AND bull rodeo before?
That picture of the snake burned in my head. My heart was fluttering.
It took a while after I got over that shock by breathing and do a lot of “Wuuuuusaaaaaa” with Linda.
Another thing is that the street gets very small at some places, so it was a real challenge for an unpracticed driver to keep the car in lead. Fortunately I am not an unpracticed driver!
So all the emus and kangaroos couldn’t make me nervous at all (which is a lie, but that’s a thing nobody has to know ;) ).
Half of the way we stopped to have a little break and get some more fuel and continued our trip. After circa two hours drive at all (‘cause we followed the speed limits all the time!) we arrived at Charleville and made our way to the show and the rodeo.
Linda and I were a little bit excited and Josephine, a friend out of town, explained us some rules concerning the rodeo. Good to know!
They have to stay at least 8 seconds on the bull to come to the next round. And winner is that one, who stays on the quadruped longest.
There was also a rider from Cunnamulla so that we knew instantly whom we had to cheer for! And he was pretty good!!
Nevertheless the horse riding was more interesting for us, because it looks quite more impressive. Isn’t that a strange thing in human nature to be entertained by watching other people in danger? .. Anyway.
Have a look at our video and get an impression of what we have seen.
Next to the rodeo was a hype with flashing colorful lights, a lot of carrousels and – what else – a lot of food stands.
We felt like little kids when we saw fairy flosses! Of course we had to buy some and enjoyed it! We sat down at the grandstand and watched the rodeo, eating candy floss, drinking hot chocolate and getting sugar flashed later on.
There were some air slides, which really fancied me, some very high moving technical carrousels, which fancied Linda .. and a bar in the middle of the whole place, which, you can imagine, fancied us both ;).
All in all it was a great experience to see a rodeo and how the people around being engrossed in the rides!
If you haven’t experienced one before, you should catch it up!
PS: Be curious in what we can report from the Cunnamulla Show after this weekend!
A few days passed in which we had the chance to experience something for us completely new! Have one of you guys ever seen horse AND bull rodeo before?
No?
We neither.
So we were very excited when we started spontaneously to Charleville last Saturday. We packed our stuff up and after pumping the wheels, we were prepared for our trip.
That was what we had thought!
The drive to Charleville turned out as a real adventure.
At first there was a big big brown snake laying on our site of the road. She was really really big. I mean very big! I was very afraid of her, although she was outside. But it was just .. Did I say she was big?
That picture of the snake burned in my head. My heart was fluttering.
It took a while after I got over that shock by breathing and do a lot of “Wuuuuusaaaaaa” with Linda.
Another thing is that the street gets very small at some places, so it was a real challenge for an unpracticed driver to keep the car in lead. Fortunately I am not an unpracticed driver!
So all the emus and kangaroos couldn’t make me nervous at all (which is a lie, but that’s a thing nobody has to know ;) ).
Half of the way we stopped to have a little break and get some more fuel and continued our trip. After circa two hours drive at all (‘cause we followed the speed limits all the time!) we arrived at Charleville and made our way to the show and the rodeo.
Linda and I were a little bit excited and Josephine, a friend out of town, explained us some rules concerning the rodeo. Good to know!
They have to stay at least 8 seconds on the bull to come to the next round. And winner is that one, who stays on the quadruped longest.
There was also a rider from Cunnamulla so that we knew instantly whom we had to cheer for! And he was pretty good!!
Nevertheless the horse riding was more interesting for us, because it looks quite more impressive. Isn’t that a strange thing in human nature to be entertained by watching other people in danger? .. Anyway.
Have a look at our video and get an impression of what we have seen.
Next to the rodeo was a hype with flashing colorful lights, a lot of carrousels and – what else – a lot of food stands.
We felt like little kids when we saw fairy flosses! Of course we had to buy some and enjoyed it! We sat down at the grandstand and watched the rodeo, eating candy floss, drinking hot chocolate and getting sugar flashed later on. There were some air slides, which really fancied me, some very high moving technical carrousels, which fancied Linda .. and a bar in the middle of the whole place, which, you can imagine, fancied us both ;).
All in all it was a great experience to see a rodeo and how the people around being engrossed in the rides!
If you haven’t experienced one before, you should catch it up!
PS: Be curious in what we can report from the Cunnamulla Show after this weekend!
Sep 1, 2010
On tour with Johannes
On Friday, 16th of April, Johannes – a 25aged German- arrived at Charleville. He won the trip in an online contest and was curious in the real Australian outback. Leesa, Linda and I picked him up and welcomed him hearty. We gave him a short insight what he has to expect the following days as the 6 Day Get Down and Dusty Tour was waiting for him!
We had a snack at the bakery and then made our way to Cunnamulla with good music and a lot of entertainment. Johannes (Australian way = John) was really excited about seeing his first kangaroos. Unfortunately all that ones he saw were laying at the roadside and hadn’t moved anymore. A big sorry for that!
After we got back to beautiful Cunnamulla John moved into his motel room and we got changed quickly ‘cause we had an appointment at half past five at the bowls court. John learned really quickly how to play bowl! Bad for Linda and me .. We lost against Leesa and John – but pretty sure that was beginner’s luck!
We had a few beer while playing bowl and our dinner at the club house was simple delicious. So it was an easy decision whether we should go to the pub or not!A few minutes later we found ourselves in a good humoured crowd at the pub, dancing, chatting and playing pool. Almost everybody seemed to be outgoing that evening and so we had a really great time with a lot of fun and funny pictures!
(Saturday)
The next day started at nine at the gallery where we had a delicate breakfast and where up to a town tour. We discovered a lot of interesting places around Cunnamulla and were deeply impressed, especially by the wonderful landscape. You could feel like you would have been in Africa, only the elephants and rhinos were missing.
In favour we saw emus, running beside our tour bus and healthy looking sheep, seemed to be chilling on the road. The colours of ground, the skies and water around are absolutely breathtaking! So deep contrasts of brown, blue and green – every painter would find his inspiration in such an impressive landscape.
For lunch we got back to the lovely scenery of Cunnamulla.
Afterwards we were heading straight through the golf course.
That day was a golfing fun day and a lot of people out of the town where there as well, also a few known faces from the pub the evening before.
At all there were 15 holes and at least two teams of three people each starting at one hole. I think our one was the only team with 4 members. But we are excused! Anyone of us had played golf before and our first tries, without any practical or either theoretical knowledge, might have looked quite helpless.
We wouldn’t be real Germans if we would have given up after such a bad beginning. So we gave our best as we always do and improved across the day! To be honest we got some help from (so called) Monk, who has been playing golf for more than one decade. What a luck! Maybe that is also the right moment to thank Ruby (a female golf pro!) and Collin (our first fan!) for their support and patience. John was doing pretty well and Linda was really good, too. We keep silent about my golf skills at this point. I think we were amusing for everyone around us, especially the other teams. We also had a lot of fun with the golf buggy. I don’t want to tell you in detail how I felt out of that speedy limousine two times, but you can bet it was greatly fun for all who saw it.
Furthermore I have to tell you, that they have Pick-Ups, driving around and sell some beverages.(I don’t have to mention, that the most sold thing was beer?)
So we spent our whole afternoon with friendly fantastic people and learned as much as we could about golf. It was awesome.
The sunset we had seen that evening was not less amazing as the whole day was. This time it was a purple orange one! You can’t imagine how many different colours a sunset in the outback can take! That’s something you have to see. We rounded out the day with a campfire dinner at the gallery. I know I probably repeat myself, but the food was absolutely dainty.
While sitting around the fire and enjoying our dinner we were discussing where to go that night. We decided to have a look at the party at the golf club house. We were invited by Monk and were promised a big party with good live music.
Unfortunately we were a little bit tired and didn’t stay long, because we already had known that the next day would become exhausting.
(Sunday)
On Sunday a kayaking trip was planned and all of us were in good spirits. Leesa took us to the river blank next to the bridge. We set up the kayaks and made groups of two people per kayak, Linda and Johannes in one and Leesa and I in the other one.
I think we looked pretty sportive and professional in our shorts and lifejackets!
Now our adventure could begin!
The first meters were only for synchronizing and getting wet with every stroke. But then we knew how the wind blows!
And that is not only meant as a phrase, ‘cause we had headwinds and I was looking forward to have tailwind when we would come back, but that hope was for nothing. We were really happy as we were complimented by Leesa for our paddling arts! Linda and Johannes got to know the whole river with every single tree and bush in it. Funny for Leesa and me!
Our lunch break we made on a silent place on the bank of the river. Sheep steak again, grilled on open fire and bread. Yummy, but it was too much again.
Johannes and I have had the great idea to jump into the water from the kayak. Said, done! Good picture and good fun!
The second thought was to jump into the water from the tree growing across the river. Unfortunately the water wasn’t deep enough to jump into. We didn’t want to take a risk. After we were sitting in the kayak again, we saw a little snake making her way through the water straight through our second kayak. Probably she was a toxic one, but all of us, including the snake, stood calm and nobody got hurt while sunbathing.
In the meanwhile it was midday and we had to go back to Cunnamulla, because our day hit more surprises for us! After taking a shower and got changed we headed towards Charlotte Plains.
That is a farm in the surrounding of Cunnamulla, approximately 90ks of distance. The farm owners are Robyn and Reed Russell. Everyone who has read our blog constantly shall already know them ;)
This time we didn’t stay in swags and tents under the stars at the artesian bore, but slept in the rooms of the sheep shearers. Pretty nice! Lovely double rooms with common bathroom and kitchen. We enjoyed our dinner at Robyn’s house with some other guests and had a good talk about historical and political topics concerning Australia.
Okay, caught me red-handed. The other ones had interesting talks, while we tried to follow, but honestly they lost us quite early.
The night was restorative and calm. Awesome night sky like every night. No words for that.
(Monday)
Our breakfast included toast, egg, sausages and steak grilled on open fire. We also had the chance to get some yoghurt and cereals.
Restored we made a walkabout through the shearing station, that was already built in the 19th century. Impressive!
Robyn told us a lot about the history of that building and her property, which has been in ownership of her family since she can remember!
In connection with that we visited more interesting, historical significant places on her property.
And then, the next highlight should follow!
No elephants,No rhinos,
BUT
Camels!
Oh my god! Camels in Australia!
We were so lucky as one of them was brave enough to come up to us.
The whole time, that means also the driving time!, we felt free like the wind, because we were allowed to stand on the loading area of Robyn’s Pick-Up.
So we had a lot of space to move and to take pictures of the fleecy friendly camels (and us). That brave one was really cute. He looked at us with that innocent “I don’t know what you want” look, which also cows have when the look at you while they eat their grass again and again. I really like them!
You should have a look at our pictures to get a real impression of how good camels can model!
After that great experience we drove to the artesian bore again. The hot water spring we had a bath in the day before.
And, the biggest thing: During our drive, kangaroos were jumping beside the car and along the road like you know it from all the Australian movies! Awesome! Absolutely awesome!
At the bore we met the tourists from the evening before and also Reed, chatting and relaxing in one of their folding camp chairs. We joined and also got a tea of coffee and some biscuits. Thanks!
To prepare for our return to Cunnamulla we had to pack our clothes from our accommodation. John and I decided to walk as far as we would come. We were very surprised as a Pick-Up passed us and Linda was driving! Her first driver lesson ever and that in Australia, off road with a big Pick-Up! Congrats! ;)
We walked further on and Robyn appeared with her car to pick us up.
Lunch consisted of tasty sandwiches this time. We were happy about that, ‘cause we were still full from breakfast.
Then we drove back to Cunnamulla, where we were already expected by Leesa, to take us out for a river cruise towards the sunset.
The river is quite impressive at daytimes, but I think it is more and more at nighttimes!
When the sun goes down and all that different colours are reflecting in the dark water and new shapes were drawn by the branches of the black shadowed blank trees.
A romantic scenery, good snacks on board and smiling people around is all what you need to round out that fantastic day.
Maybe not all as one big piece is missing in that puzzle. Dinner!
We had dinner at the river with elegant candle lights and self-cooked mixed food!
This time the topics were easier to follow.
And then Tuesday came and we made a trip to Eulo to discover the opal fields. On our way out we made a stop at the mud springs. Cool hill of warm slimy mud. Good for you skin!
In Eulo we met Scotty, a local who is very active in the community. He showed us the surrounding and the opal mines! Also he showed us how to find opals, how to wash and clean them and how to process with them. We were very taken with the opal jewellery, but that’s not a surprise, we are girls. BUT John liked them also!
Finally we all got a little nice opal as a present from Scotty! Thank you so much!
As we were back in Cunnamulla which was in the late afternoon, we took a shower and prepared for the evening. We had a fantastic dinner at the Cunnamulla Hotel and afterwards we were heading to a pub crawl.
We had a few bets with some locals we know at the Warrego Motel and some games pool til the pub was up to close. Ooooohhhh…!
It was not that kind of night as it was on Friday before, but nevertheless a successful one and Johannes’ last evening with us.
(Wednesday)
On Wednesday we started the day at the gallery with yummy pancake. Then we made a Cunnamulla town tour by feet! Johannes was interested in the history and all what Leesa knew to tell about this little town. He also was glad to see a post office, to buy some stamps and send postcards.
Now we went sand boarding. A cool sportive activity and something different to our green grassed hills in Germany. John is an exalted snowboarder so it was no problem for him to use the sand boards.
As much fun as he had he was happy to take a shower afterwards, ‘cause like we already told you in our first sand boarding report on our website: it is really sandy!
Unfortunately our time with Johannes ended at Wednesday afternoon as the bus left Cunnamulla.
It was a really great experience we will never forget. Hopefully he enjoyed it as much as we did and will come back one day to visit us, Cunnamulla or to open his self-employed IT Service!
Thank you and
SeeYa soon!
Noorma Picnic Races
10./11.04.2010
Hey Mates!
I am very glad to inform you that we started our new working week energetic and enthusiastic (and that we got not eaten by the mosquitoes at the weekend).
‘Cause we spent our weekend together with Ann and the English girls at Noorama, where some horse races took place, which was connected with camping and a lot of fun!
But let us start from the beginning:
The last weeks a lot of people were talking about something like “The races”.
We didn’t care that much, because .. well .. who knows what the Aussies have in mind by chatting about stuff like that. But then, day by day, we realized that this must be something socially important. So we checked out what it is and here we are.
A horse race with full catering, bar, entertainment for kids, music and a lot of fun!
- That was what we were promised.
For such an important event you have to look really good and Linda and I thought about for felted weeks what we should wear. We were told that the female majority would be highly dressed up, with swept-back hair, glamorous dresses and high sandals.
Now imagine you are a young girl, it is your first time in Australia, you had have to fly with at least 3 different airlines and so you have to mind a lot of the international package rules. I am nearly sure you can’t imagine what it means for such a girl to decide, what she will take with her for the trip of her lifetime and what not. And, that’s a law, whatever you take with you, you will wish you took one of that things you dismissed!
But who could know that we would have to wear pretty dresses?
To present me as the hero in that story, I shared my beach dresses with Linda and Ann, so that we could wear something like a (pretty) dress.
Then the big day came.Saturday, 10th of April 2010.
The hairdo lasts.
Sorry, just kidding….
So, after we dressed up and put all useful things we would need in the car, we made our way through Cunnamulla and went to the farm where Ann works. We met with some locals and the English girls and drove together in three cars to the racing place.
We paid our entrance and looked for a good place to park the car.
Then we had a look around … We saw a lot of muscular horses with healthy gleamy coat and athletics bodies. After we lowered our heads we also could see some thin, friendly looking jockeys ;) .
The weather was great: sunny, something around 30 degrees, with a small breeze from time to time. There were high tents to find some shadow and to sit and enjoy a cool drink you just got from the bar. We started with cool champagne mixed with orange juice (for free!) and delicate fingerfood, served by charming middle-aged women.
After having a short lunch the races started.
The distance the horses had to pass increases from one race to the next. I don’t have that much knowledge about horses and stuff, but I think they were pretty fast! But also here I felt sorry for the animals. Poor horses!
Everyone was in good spirits, especially when his or her favorite won!
Linda and I hadn’t had a bet, but some of our friends had. The English girls even won some dollars, which they used for their next refreshing beverage.
So we spent this afternoon with chatting and taking pictures and of course having some drinks. I mentioned it that often, I think I don’t have to write that we kept on going with that the whole evening?!
We also watched the “Fashion in the Field” show, where the best male and female outfits were chosen and the first three got an award.
People of every age danced and were laughing together. You should have seen that.
Germans would say it was a big great village fete! Probably they would say so in England too.
Anyway, we had a lot of fun that evening!
We were dancing to real country music and to famous modern stuff, a good mix for everybody I would say.
But everything has come to an end and so we took our swags (or cars ^^) and camped directly under the stars. It was nearly morning till all of us went to sleep.
As we all regain the way to daylight we had a hefty breakfast from the grill, cooked by charming middle-aged women again ;).
Then we packed up our seven things and everyone followed is heart home.
Linda and I slept the whole left Sunday and started, like I said, energetic into our new working week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)