Whilst house sitting for a month in Ravenshoe i applied for any jobs that i spotted available so i could earn some extra cash whilst travelling. The first job i did was the catalogue run, yep i was the junk mail chick delivering my goods in a childs pram. 500 houses and the same rate no matter how fast or slow i was. I walked up and down hills treating it like i was in training for a marathon in the heat. I enjoyed being outside, working whilst exercising. The pile never seemed to end but worth the pay. I definitely have a new gained appreciation for the work of the junk mail people.
One morning after the catalogue run eating breakfast with Rob i could hear the cows mooing. I asked Rob if it seemed unusual, they seemed to be mooing a lot.He said ‘no, they are fine, cows moo.’ I asked again, and asked for him to listen, it really seemed like a lot of mooing, i said ‘maybe one is having a calf?’He said ‘dont worry it sounds normal, eat your breaky.’ As he got up and put the dishes in the sink and looked out the window he screams ‘Shit the cows got out!’
We ran outside in our pyjamas and ran around trying to get them back into their paddocks. One big white cow was trying to get past me. Staring me in the eyes she jumped on her right side, so did i. Then to her left side, so did i. She continued right to left to right to left and ran straight past me!! What the!!!
Ive just been out smarted by a cow the cheeky thing.
I ran down to the bottom of the next paddock where the cows were starting to walk back up to the fence knowing they have been naughty and eating every last inch of grass they quickly can as if they are starving (which they are not, apparently just fussy).
I get to the bottom of the paddock and there is a huge male bull with massive balls. He stares at me as i tell him to move yet he doesnt move a muscle. Its another stand off, except this time it was against the bull!
I clap my hands loud and shout ‘Move! Move!Move!’ It looks like he just sighs at me, and slowly turns to start walking up. Haha if cows could talk this one would have grunted like a teenage boy!
They get back into there paddocks and Rob investigates how they got out. Apparently one had used its tongue to slide the latch on the gate open, clever things.
They managed to get out through a hole in the gate one more time as well whilst there.
Another morning we woke up and the sheep were out of the paddock, all in the front area of the house. It had been raining the night before when we fed them so as Rob quickly shut the gate but hadnt latched it properly.
These were definitly things that woke us up pretty quickly in the mornings.
Rob told me that one day whilst he was rounding up the chickens into the coupe he got Joshy to help, the old dog. Apparently Joshy enjoyed rounding them up so much that he didnt understand why Rob was calling him out of the coup whilst he slowly chased them around there food trough 2 more times. We also learnt very quickly that Joshy cant control his bladder and surprised us with a big wee inside.
After i had done the catalogue run i got a call from Bruno, a farmer i had spoken to about working on his sweet potato farm. I said i was happy to work and would be there at 9 as he requested. I got up early and rode my bike an hour to Atherton through the misty Tablelands with dense pockets of forrestry to the morning sun. It was the nicest journey to work i have ever done.
Arriving at the job i sat in the staff tea room which was attached to the shed and covered in red dirt.I had a feeling i was going to get dirty but i was excited to be working on the farm.
The first job we were told to do was unfold and stack plastic Coles boxes. Next we went out on a huge piece of machinery. 4 people on the top level and a driver in the tractor pulling the machinery. The machine dug up the row of sweet potatoes as he drove along. They then made there way up a conveyor belt to where we were standing. The instructions i received were to pick out any dirt, poo, and rotten potatoes, ekkk!
As i didnt know what i would be doing i didnt bring gloves. The manager who gave me the instructions handed me one of his gloves just after we started. I often show all my emotions on my face without realising so he must have seen my apprehension about potentially picking up poo. About 10 minutes after that he thankfully gave me his other glove to use for the rest of the day. Lucky me!! The full time staff member Craig also let me know that often rats end up on the conveyer belt with the potatoes as well as snakes. He advised me to throw those over my shoulder. To which i responded ‘Haha your joking’ He replied ‘No’. He wasnt joking, and yes i saw a rat!
I got so dirty that day! Covered in red dirt and possibly poo.
On my way home that night i stopped into the local super market and bought some disposable gloves for the next day, at least my hands will be clean.
Not long after i was riding behind a truck, up a hill, in the dark and before i knew it there was an echidna curled up into a ball in the middle of the road. I stood up and held on hoping not to fall off the bike as i rode over it. I was lucky, the echidna was not.
Further up the road at an intersection Rob had previously declared was very dangerous a car pulled out in front on me with just enough time for me to swerve and miss it. I kept riding in shock. I dont think its a good idea to ride at night in this area, so with out even realising, i didnt ride to work again. Conveniently Rob was always working on the bike anyway. By the time i got home and showered Rob had managed to make me a delicious dinner which i was so thankful for. I ate it and went straight to bed. I was knackered.
After walking around catalogues the whole day, to then working on the farm for 2 big days, by day 4 i was exhausted. It was the most amount of physical activity i had done for a whole day for a while. I woke up with a head ache and diarrhea. As i sat at the table eating my breakfast before my forth days work wondering if i was going to make the hour drive without needing to go to the bathroom i let out a sneaky pop in my own company in the silent house.
To my horror it was a shart and i needed a shower before i hit the road. Ohhh geeze, i could only laugh, I just shit myself.
By the time i had a shower and got back into another one of Barbs 1980s thick tracksuits i was running a little later than i wanted to be so off i went in Rob and Barbs car.(which they said we could use along with the tracksuit)
I drove around the windy bends of the Tablelands on the wet misty road on the edge of the steep hill to the sweet potato farm. One corner was quick and sharp with another very close behind and as soon as i realised the car had turned too much i over corrected and the car span out in a perfect circle on the road. Very very lucky. To the left of the road was a very steep hill and on the right a big ditch before the hill side. I was a little shaken and continued on driving like a Grandma, not just for the morning but for the rest of our stay on the farm.
Over the next few days i was required to pack sweet potatos into boxes like a constant game of tetris. Easy work but uncomfortable standing all day, a stool would have been like Christmas came early. On the other days i picked the stems and replanted them. Very physical but great being in the misty air all day as the rain drizzled.
I feel sorry for farmers because its now known that this work is backpacker work, but there are few backpackers that actually care about what they are doing. I worked with one German guy Marco who was one of the best workers ive ever seen. Always willing to give every task 100% plus. A lot of the other workers just want money and their visa extension but not prepaired to actually work for it and always complaining. I think a lot of them are just young and probably hung over. Regardless of the work ethics i did meet some pretty nice people on the job and i took a lot away from the farming experience. It was very humbling. I will be looking at sweet potatoes differently for the rest of my life.
2souls2wheels 