I booked my flight to the Gold Coast! Time really is starting to fly…
Christmas and New Years are right around the corner! I’m in Fremantle, staying at the Old Firestation Backpackers
Hostel, in a 14 person dorm, loving it!
Like I said, I never thought sharing a room with that many people would
be my thing, but now I don’t even think about it.
Some of the hostels around here do something
fantastic for backpackers: they take calls from locals that need work
done. This could be anything from
babysitting or dog sitting, to construction, painting or shingling roofs. Most of the jobs are just quick cash
jobs for a few days here and there, while others are paid and taxed jobs. You’ll occasionally hear an
announcement over the intercom about a job, and then you can just go to the
front desk and get more information about it and get the number to call the
person who needs the work done. I
landed one for four hours on Saturday and six hours on Sunday at a carnival
here in Fremantle. We met up with
Johan last night at our hostel and filled out the paperwork for the job this
weekend. It’s called
MONSTERBALL. It’s a great way to
make some quick money while you’re traveling. Great way to fund your travels!
I met up with Molly (the girl from Taiwan that I
met on the farm) for an afternoon, and we walked around the harbour behind the
hostel and then around to a beach where we just relaxed and talked. While venturing around the
harbour, we came across a huge submarine! I’m talking HUUUGE! There were tours available, but it was
closed that day. Go figure. So we
ended up having a rea;;y nice night, as Julie (Lisa’s boyfriend Matt’s mom)
invited Molly and I over for dinner!
Julie picked the two of us up and took us to their house. Home made Italian raviolis and
beef/tomato sauce, with side Caesar salads. Dessert was homemade tiramisu! What a treat! I
even got to bring some home for later. Win! The Sticca’s are such a beautiful family, and are so
pleasant to be around. I haven’t
met the two youngest boys yet, as they are on vacation, returning to Fremantle
tonight. I hope to see then all
again before I head east on Monday!
On Tuesday night, the large group of Italians
that are staying at the Old Firestation hosted a huge pig roast behind the
hostel. Lots of music, drinks, and laughs.
I went on a really interesting tour of the Fremantle Prison
the other night! I went with Marie from France, and Roxanna from Holland. It
was a 9:45pm tour, done all in the dark, with little souvenir “torches”
(flashlights…) for everyone. The
prison is within walking distance from the hostel, as most other things are in
Fremantle. There were nearly 30 of
us there for the tour, the two youngest being 11 and 12 year old boys. Some of the comments they made
throughout the night were pretty funny, including calling a tall thick Irish
lad a pussy! The prison tour took
us through the history of the making of the prison, the main cell block and
hallways, the area of solitary confinement (which was a little unnerving!), the
whipping post, the gallows and the morgue. The guide shared stories about some
of the convicts, and there were even times he’d really make us jump by kicking
a steel door behind him for emphasis during a story, or by yelling
mid-sentence! There was even a
dummy that fell from above, landing in mesh above our hears with a loud scream,
that made us all duck our heads pretty quickly! Alex (mister handsome from England) warned me prior to the
tour to look out above – which I would have had no idea what he was talking
about until that very moment. At
another point during the tour, the guide let us into one of the solitary
confinement chambers in small groups – and with one group of us, he slammed the
door shut and turned the lights off!
Of course I was in this group, and I personally found it rather
exciting! The claustrophobic woman
in there with us didn’t, and screamed at the top of her lungs for him to let us
out! There was one hall of open
cells, each showing a transition of how the rooms changed over the years at the
prison. You could walk down the
hall and peek into the rooms. A
few of us joked that the bunk beds resembled those we’ve been sleeping on at
the hostels we’ve been in! Feel
free to check out the website for the prison! http://www.fremantleprison.com.au/Pages/default.aspx
I went on a really interesting tour of the Fremantle Prison
the other night! I went with Marie from France, and Roxanna from Holland. It
was a 9:45pm tour, done all in the dark, with little souvenir “torches”
(flashlights…) for everyone. The
prison is within walking distance from the hostel, as most other things are in
Fremantle. There were nearly 30 of
us there for the tour, the two youngest being 11 and 12 year old boys. Some of the comments they made
throughout the night were pretty funny, including calling a tall thick Irish
lad a pussy! The prison tour took
us through the history of the making of the prison, the main cell block and
hallways, the area of solitary confinement (which was a little unnerving!), the
whipping post, the gallows and the morgue. The guide shared stories about some
of the convicts, and there were even times he’d really make us jump by kicking
a steel door behind him for emphasis during a story, or by yelling
mid-sentence! There was even a
dummy that fell from above, landing in mesh above our hears with a loud scream,
that made us all duck our heads pretty quickly! Alex (mister handsome from England) warned me prior to the
tour to look out above – which I would have had no idea what he was talking
about until that very moment. At
another point during the tour, the guide let us into one of the solitary
confinement chambers in small groups – and with one group of us, he slammed the
door shut and turned the lights off!
Of course I was in this group, and I personally found it rather
exciting! The claustrophobic woman
in there with us didn’t, and screamed at the top of her lungs for him to let us
out! There was one hall of open
cells, each showing a transition of how the rooms changed over the years at the
prison. You could walk down the
hall and peek into the rooms. A
few of us joked that the bunk beds resembled those we’ve been sleeping on at
the hostels we’ve been in! Feel
free to check out the website for the prison! http://www.fremantleprison.com.au/Pages/default.aspx
The weather went for a pretty wicked heat wave over the last two days - around 37 degrees, but extremely humid, making it uncomfortable and literally unavoidable. There was one place you could escape it… a nice swim in the ocean! I just love the sea. A bunch of us went for a later swim last night, so we could all watch the sunset. Quick dip and another Indian Ocean sunset? Yes please! One fella that was with us was unfortunately stung by a jelly fish! I am so happy it wasn’t me… I hate to say that an incident like that would likely taint my love for the ocean – or at least for that oh-so-convenient little beach! We all came back and spent the evening in the outdoor cinema before crashing around midnight. Some obviously stayed up much later than that, singing and dancing and partying and having a blast! I was out quickly…! I was hoping for another beach day today, it turned out to be overcast with lots of rain, which is cooling us all down! – It was much needed.
Today I met up with Lisa in town, and the two of
us met her boyfriend’s sister Angela for her lunch break. Angela is an absolute gem. Lisa and I are currently sitting in a
café called “Break” having just that! – A Break! She’s knitting something
beautiful, and I’m writing to all of my favourites!
Not much else to report at this point, but I am
getting rather excited about my travels to the Gold Coast! I fly out of Perth on Monday night,
just before midnight, arriving in the Gold Coast airport around 6am. I will be sure to keep you all updated
with those adventures!
Until next time…
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!
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