We arrived back in Waikerie, and after purchasing ourselves some picking bags, we went to Kathys' (our new boss) house. We signed a few forms and were told to be there the next morning at 7am to start work. Off we went, excited about starting our new job, and checked into the local caravan park for a week.

that night whilst cooking in the camp kitchen we met 3 young Aussy lads and a couple of Italian guys who had also got the job and were starting the following day. As it turned out there was no work the next morning and were told to come back in 2 days time. Apparantly it was all to do with when the oranges were ripe and the farmers were ready and lots of other reasons. This seemed to be the theme for the next four days or so, being told to come back the following day because there 'maybe work tomorrow'. Although this was quite annoying, we did get the chance to make friends with the aussys and Italians and also another guy camping with us, John, from Holland.

Eventually we did get some work, getting a couple of hours picking, me and Kirsty working together managing to fill two bins. We knew the work was going to be hard, but it was still a shock to the system having not done much physical labour in the past 5 months or so. Sadly, that was all the work we were to get for the rest of the week.

So after a big party with everyone from the camp on the Friday, (involving me getting my head shaved by a dutchman) we decided to move to a free campsite, which although had no facilities except a toilet 800 meteres away, it was a really nice spot right on the Murray River and had plenty of shelter from the gum trees. This was Ramco Point and to be the Tribe of Many Nations' home for the next 5 or so weeks.

For the rest of our time at Ramco point we only really worked for about 6 days spread out randmly over the weeks. The orange picking was not reliable at all and our boss, who gave us plenty of promises about work ("definitely tomorrow"), rarely delivered.

We were all in the same boat. Skint, needing the work and unable to leave because of the lack of money! so we all got together and cooked our dinner together everynight, cutting the costs quite a bit. Usually taking it in turns doing the cooking, but it was really the Italians who dominated the meals, making plenty of 'bueno' pasta, mainly cooked over our nightly fire.

For showers we would drive every time we needed one up to the truck drivers stop on the main road for a free shower. But we rarely left the site... We spent much our days swimming in the Murray river, playing football or frisbee, diggin holes and lots and lots of sitting around the fire. Our tribe was extended a few more times by more backpackers wanting to pick oranges and in the in end getting sucked into our 'tribal' life and not leaving. the first of these were Jeremy and Anais, a French couple, who became good friends with everyone and diversified our tribe a little bit more.

Next along to join the tribe were Xan and Claire, and English-aussy couple, who not only made the group bigger but brought along the classic 'Squatter' game! We had created sucha good little group and cemented our place at Ramco Point, that was welcoming, we would even get visitors on most nights. Whether it an old guy, Phil, bringing wood for our fire, or Kate, our superviser, who was a nice girl but the minute she had a drink was a nightmare and that night would become the 'KateShow'! We even got a few nightly visits fronma dog that had got out of its house. Our main visitor though, who would come daily, eat dinner with us sometimes, get quite drunk and talk....a lot, was Dutch/Kiwi Jet. Chatty, annoying, helpful, friendly, controversial but a really great guy. He stayed in his van literally 200 or so meteres away from us, and why he never camped with us I'll never know, but the majority of the dayswe were there he would be sat round the fire telling us about picking oranges (he'd done it the previous year), money (in the pocket), New Zealand and many other very random things.

Most nights at ramco tended to be good fun and memorable, but one night that stands out was when we'd all, typically, had a bit to drink. John, after falling asleep in the chair next to the fire, woke up, stood up, stumbled around for a second then fell arse first into the fire! Kirsty and Paco took him to hospital and luckily he was too drunk to feel the pain of his second degree burns. There were so many memorable days at Ramco to write them all down would be impossible and probably boring, but something else that stands out as something I think we'll not see again, was the time when Ben (true outback Aussy), caught a kangaroo. Half way through a game of Squatter (Aussy version of Monopoly, where instead of houses you buy sheep) a kangaroo was just by our camp. Ben circled it and slowly everytime the roo put its head down to graze he would creep closer and closer. Before we knew what exactly he was gong to do, he'd grabbed its tail. Being a kangaroo, where their tail is essential for jumping, it could go nowhere. We all came over, gave it a little stroke and he let it go. Not something you see everyday. Kirsty obejcted to pinning a kangaroo down so stayed abck at the camp.

Ramco Point was not the most picturesque of places in Australia, but there were certain time when it looked beautiful. Most evenings we would have an incredible sunset, turning the sky orange and dark red and making the dead trees look like eerie silhouettes. Some nights when it was perfectly still the river looked amazing, with the moonlight shining on it and the stars all perfectly reflected. The stars were also incredible, with no light pollution around, you could make out loads of constellations. So, for a little while, me and Xan became geeky star gazers.

Our time at Ramco was probably one of the best experiences we've had on our travels so far. Meeting the best group of people we could have possibly met, and genuinely hope to stay in contact with, the time we had there was unforgettable. The tribe slowy started to seperate as some of us managed to get jobs elsewhere. Paco, Marco and Matt were the first to leave, followed by Xan and Claire and then us, as we'd got a job packing oranges in Renmark. To their credit, the rest of the tribe stuck it out eventually leaving to continue their travels. It wouldnt be the last time we met though, as we had a party night out in adelaide planned for the 5th June.