So the longer I am in this the country the lazier I get about writing my blogs and I'm sorry to those who have been longing for the next update, well here it is!! So I last wrote about my 5th week in Innisfail at the banana farm; wow that seems like a lifetime ago now. So I completed my farm work; I left the farm and Innisfail on 12th November. I did 10 weeks at the farm and got 3 weeks extra signed off so in total I had 13 weeks. By this time I only had a week before I planned to fly back to the cold miserable United Kingdom. However, surprise surprise, I changed my mind yet again!! I decided to stay and apply for my 2nd year visa straight away. I applied and it was granted to me 10 days later :D

It was sad to leave my Innisfail family and say goodbye to them all but I knew I'd see them again in Sydney where we all plan to meet for Christmas and New Year's Eve. When I left Innisfail on 12th November I went straight to Brisbane as I already had a flight booked, plus I had a load of stuff to collect which I left there before I started my farm work. Anyway it soon became apparent that I had nowhere to put all the clothes I had been reunited with from before my farming days, so I had no choice but to buy a new travelling bag. I have gotten rid of my backpack, as it was falling to pieces and now have a bag on wheels!!! It's so exciting, although I found it difficult parting from the backpack so I have left it at a friend's place in Brisbane if I ever decide I want it back to travel to other countries such as Asia where it will probably get wrecked anyway.

I met my friend Abby in March last year and we kept in touch; I was pleased to know she was also heading to Brisbane the day after me. We were going to be reunited. It was really good to see her again and we were both looking for jobs in the same city. I had several interviews for many jobs that I applied for, but they all turned out to be sales jobs, whether it were call centre positions or face to face sales, I DID NOT WANT A COMMISSION BASED JOB AGAIN!!! I had had so many problems with those jobs in Brisbane previously, I was not about to go down the same route. Also, my dollar was very low and I needed a wage, not a commission based salary. Abby was also finding it difficult to get a job in the city, so we, plus a friend of hers, came across the idea of hospitality work in the outback. I had heard of it before but never took up on it because it doesn't all count towards 2nd year visa work; but since that wasn't a worry anymore it was a perfect idea. We found a place that provided free accommodation - your own room with TV and own bathroom, free food, and work which paid about $20. It was perfect; we wouldn't have to spend a penny.

We applied through a job shop, had a phone interview and all 3 of us were given the job over the phone. We booked our flights to Mackay, the bus from Mackay to Nebo and then we arrived, after the expenditure of travelling costs I was down to $3. I was pretty glad everything from then on was free!

The positions we work in are the kitchen and housekeeping. Yes, I know, who would have thought, but it's not soo bad. The people are nice, just the heat is the hardest part to deal with as it is ridiculously hot and difficult to work in it constantly. Also the 4am starting shifts I am not a fan of, in fact I hate. Housekeeping is early enough at 6am, I do not appreciate starting at 4am in the kitchen L

I have been here a week and a half so far, and I am here another 2 weeks. I should have saved a nice amount of money by the time I leave. I am heading to Sydney on 18th December. I have told the job here I may return in January, but if I find a better job elsewhere and closer to a city, possibly Sydney or maybe Melbourne, or if I'm feeling really adventurous, then Perth, I will not go back to Nebo, because let's face it, it's in the middle of nowhere, and I've already had my fair share of working in the middle of nowhere. It would be nice to have a city job and afford to live and work there and be around civilisation.