Adios Mackay

This will be my last day working in Mackay, at least until next year. Right now I’m sitting at a motel with my fellow Marine Fauna Observers on standby; watching a flock of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos and waiting for the bar to open so we can order some flat whites (coffee with milk). The blast was postponed this morning due to mechanical failures that require a welder to fix. It would have been delayed anyways, we were tracking at least 2 groups of humpback whales before the call came through, one group of which was getting friendly with one of the small vessels working on the trestle. I don’t mind waiting on standby, it beats sitting atop the trestle tower while the conveyors scream in my ears (don’t worry mom I use ear protection).

I fly out tomorrow to Brisbane in the morning, to meet up with Zeus from Straddie. From there we will take the train down to a place called Coolangata in the Gold Coast, where we will then meet up with a few of his mates from the UK. I plan to buy a surfboard right away and find myself a good break. The surf up and down the Gold Coast is supposed to be some of the best in the world, so I should have no trouble finding some waves. I will surf my way back up the coast over the next 10 days, until I arrive up at Noosa Heads near Pereigian for HARC. I’ll be living in Peregian from the 13th of September to the 25th of October during the humpback whale study. After HARC is over, I’ll go back to working as an MMO until December, when I plan to visit for the holidays. That is the schedule as of now, we will see of much it changes over the coming months.

I’ll post my new address here shortly so you people can send me interesting letters and gifts from home (thanks Kelly for the CD). If anyone could somehow figure out a way to ship good Mexican food to me that would be great, it just doesn’t exist in the land down under. (Image): in the background behind the ungly wife beater is the coal terminal and holding site, the trestle is the far strip offshore on the right hand side. You can almost make out the blast rig to the right of the trestle.