EZ N UP: June 2011

Monday, June 13, 2011

OH AND BY THE WAY......

Just a little add on from today,

We have added more pics for you to view....
During last week we had the "Bush Bash Cars" come through and stay in town on their way north. They were on their annual trip raising money for the royal flying doctors.

We also met some characters when visiting Kerry and Clair. They were on their way to Darwin with super v8 cars and handing out Green Monster drinks. They were so funny and it was a little interlude in our afternoon.

We have had a slow day today and we had just added more pics. It is a place you should all visit.

Love and miss you all

enjoy the pics

Typical landscape of the town centre

Spaceship used in Move Pitch Black with Vin Diesel

An opal shop in town

Sunset over the Breakaways

Bush Bash cars in car park... Chokas that night

The lads travelling to Darwin with super v8 cars

Kerry with the Lads

Coober Pedy Airport

Carotone

FAWLTY TOWERS................

Well we have just completed our second week here at Radeka Downunder and we are settling into the ways of motelling.

We are getting our head around the housekeeping maintenance and reception jobs, as we go and each day brings new challenges and new "rules" LOL LOL.....

We did 8 days straight and have just had Sunday and Today off and well needed that is for sure. There is Martin the Manager, with Melda (from singapore) who is permanent in housekeeping and a very lovely lady, and then there is Roger (ex policeman) and Bev who are sharing the shifts with us. It is funny, because when we first arrived we went OMG we have landed on another planet but we are both loving the whole strangeness and mystery of the place. There is a lot to see and we will take our time in doing the site seeing thing as we want to take in all of the area.

It has turned cold now and we have 2 or 3C degrees overnight and sunny days at about 15C degrees.

We have made friends with the people who have just left, Kerry and Clair from NZ....

We went up there last night to the van park they are in now (Opal Inn- Top Tourist) and had a bbq and a few drinks.....
Lucky we only had to walk down the hill back to our van!!

We are lucky to have our van to live in - and powered up but just have to fill tanks occasionally for loo breaks and cuppas at night. We have all our food supplied and just go into the main kitchen to prepare it and we have use of the laundry as well.

We have not even had to put petrol in the car since being here as we walk every where, its good for saving thats for sure.

Hope you are all well and enjoy keeping up to date with us on our trip.....

Love and miss you all

Van Parked at back of Motel

Verandah in front of underground motels

34 Steps to underground 6.5 metres underground

Hallway

Looking back to stairwell

The Dungeon Dorm - sleeps 21 people

Original stairs from when mine opened

Vent hole in ceiling of underground to outside

Front of Motel

How dirty is the car.........

From sundeck verandah - Bev doing a flash

The top showing the vent holes for underground rooms

Enjoy the pics

Friday, June 3, 2011

A WHITE MANS HOLE

Hiya from Coober Pedy. - Population 3900 people (270 school children)
One roundabout! Heaps of tourists passing through!

We have just finished our first week of work and we have been really enjoying it. I have been learning about the housekeeping side and Tone has been in his element doing maintenance jobs and we are both learning about the reception area in the afternoon.
We have worked in the morning and then Martin has put us on a Breakaways Tour and an Sunset Tour so we can see what they are like to sell to guests and walk-ins.....

I have mastered the reception but have to get my head around the housekeeping routine etc - its not hard to do but there is a system and with having back packers - budget rooms and motel rooms there is different linen for ALL THREE so don't muck that up!!!

We have a laugh tho and the morning does fly that is for sure.

Clair and Kerry leave tomorrow so we are going out for tea tonight with them. We have today off so am enjoying catching up on bits and pieces, then we have 8 days straight and have next sunday off. We are packed next week so OMG I hope I can keep up?!

Tone and I seem to attract the "locals" - we had not even got out of the car and a "local" was asking for money. He is known as the PEST, and the others here have not had any of them come up to them. The "locals" are or seem so far harmless, they come out in the morning and hang in groups and then later in the arvo and into the night. They have their own community that white is not allowed in but they can come out!

It is early days but so far we are really enjoying being here and it was a bit of a shock the first couple of days, it really is another world here.

Different rules here for some things and then others they are not so worried. We are living in our van at the back of the motel and can be plugged into power, so that is good we just have to pay for water for the tanks.

Both water and power is expensive (probably not a surprise) so its OFF with any lights or switches.....
Both Tone and I are trying to adjust to the DUST, I think we will inhale quite a bit in the time we are here.

The van is not so bad, but the car and even tho its a dark colour is absolutely covered in a nice Red Hue....

WE STILL HAVE NOT SEEN ONE KANGAROO OR SNAKE.................

Welcome to Coober Pedy

Panoramic view of town...

Catacomb Church

Truck at work sucking up gravel from mine

Crocodile Harry - famous local

Part of Crocodile Harrys home - AMAZING PLACE

The front of his "Shitaronian

Breakawys panoramic view

Mine shaft - Don't walk backwards!!!!

The Sleeping Camel

Dingo fence 5335 kms - longest fence in the world

Sunset over "Jimmys Little Arizona"

Crocodile Harrys Van.......

Oh and mail takes a week!!!!!
Enjoy the pics

Love and miss you all

Carotone

PORT AUGUSTA TO COOBER PEDY

We left Port August Thursday 26th May and onto the Stuart Highway. Every few kilometers there are "GRID" signs and we then drive over cattle grids on the highway. Not much fencing to keep in the livestock and we see a lot that did not make it to the other side!!
It is a very loooong and straight highway and we have still not seen any wildlife - only field mice attacking rubbish!
We free camped at Lake Hart which was devine- had an open fire - Tone played a bit of guitar and we enjoyed the view. We did think Lake Hart was filled with water and looked forward to a paddle in the canoes, but did give our neighbours a good laugh as its is salt and I swear that to look at it - it was water. Boy we would have looked a bit stupid taking down the canoes.....

Our next stop for the night was BON BON which had about 20 vans that night. We got there around lunch time so got a good spot and made meatloaf for tea Mmmm...We lazed and watched a dvd, played cards - very relaxing. A magna station with a couple of young guys came in for a pit stop and their car bonnet HAD A BIG DENT IN IT - from a kangaroo, and still we do not see any!!!

WE ARE HERE AT - A White Mans' Hole!

We will be job sharing with Roger and Bev from Melbourne. Clair and Kerry leave in a weeks time. Should be interesting......

BREAD AND MEAT DELIVERED ONCE A WEEK!!!!