Oct 2006

Its been a long time since we have had the opportunity to update the site through one reason or another, we were waiting to finish work and actually take some photos for it and something interesting to say, so here it is.

We have spent the past just under two months working at Long Island Beach Resort. We visited long island on a day trip and asked for work as there was nothing at the time we called back when in Cairns and they told us to come down within the next two days and start immediately. No interview when we got there, all the requirements were that you could speak English, no visible tattoos, no funny hairdo, and basically if you’re alive you’re hired.

Restaurant

In more ways than one it was like student life there, although student accommodation probably would’ve been tidier than the staff quarters on the island. We all lived, worked and socialised together, which was good at times but not others. Most of the people that worked there were Aussies, most of them just finished college or whatever, looking to spend a bit of time away from home. We met some good people there not only the locals, there were a lot of Japanese on three month visas, the same as the Koreans. Friday nights on the island was staff night at what they called the MHC (Mental Health Club, which was probably as bad as it sounds) or in other words the staff bar. Some of the crazy parties we’ve had there included a pyjama and beach party. It may sound terrible but after a few cheap beers wasn’t actually that bad.

We worked in the restaurant most of the time and James worked in the bar on a few occasions, having to learn how to make the cocktails and mixing one or two on the first night’s happy hour wasn’t the easiest thing. It was a buffet restaurant so most of the time it was just clearing tables, taking drink orders, hosting, or serving at the bar that sort of thing, pretty boring most of the time which is why we had to make the most of our time when not working. Every night after work we made sure we would spend all the money we had earned during the day and every day off we managed to spend all the rest of it at Airlie.

Having postponed our flight once already it was then time to move on and leave Australia. The only thing left to do was to sell the damn campervan. I ended up staying an extra day in Airlie to sell the van while Servane went down to Brisbane. I finally managed to sort it all out and sell it literally an hour before my flight.