HelpX Sally juures – I osa // HelpX at Sally's – Part I

Viimased n2dalad oleme me veetnud Sally kaunis talus, kahe tunni kaugusel Brisbane'ist. Sally on elav ja nooruslik 59-aastane naine, kes kolis siia tallu kolm aastat tagasi, et oma 90-aastase ema eest hoolt kanda (kes on muuseas Loch Lomondi l2hedalt p2rit shotlanna). Krunt on suur ja imekaunis – nende elamine, kaunis klassikalises Queenslandi stiilis ehitatud valge puumaja, on ymbritsetud laia muruv2ljaga kus leidub hiigelsuuri viigipuid, mis pakuvad imelisi varjulisi puhkekohtasid, palju teisi ilusaid 6itsevaid puusid ja p66said, lisaks ka juurviljaaed ja v2ikesed bambusesalud. Krunt oli aga paraku enne Sally tulekut t2iesti k2est 2ra l2inud, kuna ta ema oli liiga vana, et selle eest j6uda hoolt kanda. Et kohale j2lle elu sisse puhuda, on Sallyl olnud palju HelpX abilisi ning suur hulk t88d on juba 2ra tehtud, ent palju on veel ikka teha j22nud.

Peale Sally ja ta ema elab siin ka koer Brandy (kes, vaatamata oma 14-le eluaastale on uskumatult energiline), kaks kaunist ent enamasti peidus olevat kassi, lambad Buoy ja Baby (Baby on h2sti tubli tydruk ent Buoy kipub 2hmi t2is minema ja igasuguseid asju, eriti k2rusid, rammima), ning kolm paabulindu – kaks isast ja yks emane (k6ik kes hirmsasti armastavad meie aknast oma peegeldust imetleda).

Kui me siia saabusime, oli Sally juba yhte HelpX abilist v66rustamas – Justin, ameeriklane Baltimore'ist, Marylandist. Ning p2ev p2rast meie saabumist tulid siia veel kaks ameerika poissi – Kyle San Diegost, Californiast, ja Brett Denverist, Coloradost. K6ik kolm on Austraalias ringi reisinud ja nagu meiegi, kasutavad HelpXi et natuke maakanti uuristada. Seega on meil sel korral hoopis teistsugune kogemus kuna me ei ole ainukesed abilised. Ylimalt tore on olnud teistega aega veeta ja yhtlasi saame me ka tunduvalt rohkem t88d tehtud. Yhtlasi, kuna Sally on juba kogenud v66rustaja, on ta abilistele yles seadnud igasuguseid mugavusi. Meil on suure maja all korrusel oma eraldi vannituba, k88k ja elutuba/veranda, kus me enamus oma 6htuid veedame – syya tehes v6i grillides ning juttu ajades v6i niisama l66gastudes. Loomulikult on siin ka kyllaga ruumi kus abilised magada saavad – Justin magas suure maja vabas magamistoas ning Kyle ja Brett on end yles seadnud vanas lehmalaudas, kus nad oma minibussis magavad. Mina ja Paolo 88bime aga eraldi v2ikeses vanamoodsas majakeses, mis on yleni meie p2ralt. Siin on ilus, 6hurikas ja ylimalt mugav ning me oleme siin absurdselt h2sti maganud.

T88d teeme me viiel p2eval n2dalas, esmasp2evast reedeni, ning tavaliselt 2rkame me varakult yles, teeme 4-5 tundi t88d kuni l6unani, misj2rel on meil p2rastl6unad vabad. T88 on olnud peamiselt v2ikese majakese ja lehmalauda vaheliselt alalt lantana 2ra puhastamine – lantana on teatud tyypi okkaline p66sas, mis on hiigelsuure ala t2ielikult 2ra vallutanud. Paolo on yhtlasi ka k6iksuguseid asju parandanud, sh m88blit, t88riistasid, v2ravaid jms. Ma ise olen p2ris palju aiat88d ja rehimist teinud. Krunt on suur ja siin on alati midagi teha, seega hommikuti on meil k2ed-jalad t88d-tegemist t2is.

Seevastu on aga meie vabad p2rastl6unad uskumatult l66gastavad. Ma olen siin tundideviisi m6nusa tuuleiili k2es lugenud. Tihti oleme me l2hedalasuva j6e ja tammiga j2rve 22rde s6itnud et ujuda ja/v6i kalastada (seni pole aga midagi n2kanud :( ). P2rastl6unad on siin t2ielik paradiis!

N2dalavahetuseti me ei t88ta ja m88dunud puhkep2evad olid aktiivsed. Laup2eval l2ksime me ameerika poistega Noosa Headsi, mis on kaunis mere22rne linnake k6rvuti looduskaitsealaga, siit vaid tunni kaugusel. Linn ja sealne rand olid populaarsed ning puhkep2eva nautivat rahvast t2is. Me l2ksime looduskaitsealale, kaunist ranniku/kaljuteed m88da jalutama. Tagasiteel l2ksime me Paologa ka ookeani ujuma – vesi oli kristallpuhas, v2rskendav ja parajate lainetega kuhu oli tore sisse hypata – t2iuslik ujumiskoht. Ent retke absoluutne tipphetk oli t2itsa p2ris koaala looduses n2gemine! Ta oli pargi sissep22su l2hedal, suure eukalyptipuu otsas tukkumas. Tuli v2lja, et see koaala ongi alati enamus ajast selle puu otsas, ent sellegipoolest oli v2ga p6nev teda n2ha!

Pyhap2eval viis Sally minu, Paolo ja Justini Kondalilla Rahvusparki kylastama (teised poisid l2ksid hoopis kalale). Tegemist oli imekauni vihmametsapargiga ja me tegime pika jalutusk2igu, mille l6pus saime k6rge Kondalilla kose otsas olevas j2rvekeses ujuda. Tagasiteel peatusime me Sally poolt soovitatud pubis, kus saime 6lle juues imetleda imekaunist vaadet kaugele rannikule.

Esmasp2eval lahkus Justin, et oma reisi j2tkata ja praegu oleme me neljakesi. N2dala jooksul oleme me j2tkanud eelnevalt kirjeldatud t88dega. Yks p6nev seik juhtus aga kaks p2eva tagasi, kui siin oli t88mees ekskavaatoriga, kes aitas meil lantanat aida katuse otsast eemaldada. Seda tehes tuli v2lja, et katuse otsas lantana all oli peidus suur pyyton, kelle saime koheselt ka kinni pyytud ja kasti pandud. Me v6tsime kasti ja s6itsime koos ameeriklastega krundist kaugele j6e 22rde, kus me mao j2lle vabadusse lasime (aga mitte enne kui Kyle oli saanud temaga m2ngimisest isu t2is). Seekordne pyyton oli 'ainult' 1,5 meetrit pikk, seega mitte nagu too hiiglane keda me viimase HelpXi ajal Cooktowni l2histel n2gime, ent sellegipoolest oli ta muljetavaldav – eriti ta keskpaigas olev suur muhk, mille sees oli ilmselt pooleldi seeditud hiljuti kadumal2inud paabulinnupoeg. Me poleks Paologa osanud arvata, et saaksime veelkord pyytoni pyydmist ja lahtilaskmist kogeda – ilmselgelt pole tegu siinkandis just haruldase n2htusega! (Toim: Samal 6htul kui ma selle kirjutisega valmis sain, leidis Kyle tualetiust kinni panema minnes ukse pealt j2rjekordse pyytoni! Seekord j2tsime me ta rahule kuna tegelikult on tegemist rahumeelse loomaga ja pole vaja neid mujale viia, kui nad just liiga suured ei ole ja koduloomadele ohuks).

Hetkeseisuga oleme me Sally juures ylimalt rahul ja oleme otsustanud siin veeta ka kolmanda n2dala. J2rgmisel n2dalal yhinevad meiega veel paar abilist – yks poola paar, kes on varem juba siin olnud. Mida rohkem, seda uhkem – siin on see t6esti t6si!

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We have spent the last weeks at Sally's beautiful homestead two hours north of Brisbane. Sally is a lively and energetic 59-year-old lady who moved to this farm three years ago to look after her 90-year-old mother (who, by the way, is a Scotswoman from near Loch Lomond). The homestead is large and absolutely gorgeous – the main house, a beautiful white wooden construction in the classic Queenslander style, is surrounded by a rolling hillside covered with grass, absolutely massive fig trees providing beautiful shady spots, lots of other gorgeous flowering trees, plus a vegetable garden and small groves of bamboo. However, it had gotten a bit out of hand up until Sally moved in, since her mother could no longer take care of the huge property due to her age. To help her get the place back up and running, Sally has had lots of HelpXers come here, and a huge amount of work has already been done, with lots more still to go.

Apart from Sally and her mum, the place is also home to Brandy the dog (who, despite her 14 years, is unbelievably energetic), two beautiful but elusive cats, Buoy and Baby the two sheep (Baby is a very good girl, but Buoy tends to want to headbutt stuff, especially wheelbarrows, when he gets too excited), and three peacocks – two boys and a girl (all of who just LOVE looking at their reflection in the window of our cabin).

When we arrived, there was already another HelpXer staying with Sally – Justin, an American guy from Baltimore, Maryland. And the day after we arrived, two more American guys showed up – Kyle, from San Diego, California, and Brett, from Denver, Colorado. All three have been travelling in Australia, like us, and are using HelpX to see a bit of the countryside. So this time we have had a very different experience since we are not the only ones here. It has been great having others around and we also get a lot more work done. Also, since Sally has had many volunteers before, she has built up brilliant facilities for the helpers. We have our own separate bathroom, kitchen and chillout area on the ground floor of the house, which is where we spend most of our evenings – cooking or barbecuing, chatting and chillaxing. There is also, obviously, lots of space for helpers to sleep in. Justin stayed in the spare bedroom in the main house, while Kyle and Brett have claimed the old dairy where they parked their van which they sleep in. Paolo and I stay in a rustic cabin separate from the main house, which we have all to ourselves. It is beautiful, breezy and extremely comfortable, we have been sleeping ridiculously well.

We work five days a week, Monday to Friday, and we usually get up early and work for 4-5 hours until lunchtime, after which we have our afternoons off. For work, the main job so far has been clearing lantana, a bushy, thorny plant that had taken over a huge area between the cabin and the dairy. Paolo has also been fixing all sorts of things, including furniture, gates and machinery. I have been doing some painting of various objects as well as quite a bit of gardening and raking. It's a big place and there is always stuff to do, so we are busy in the mornings.

Our free afternoons, on the contrary, have been exceedingly relaxing. I have spent hours just reading, and enjoying the lovely afternoon breeze. We have also done frequent trips to the nearby river and dammed lake for swimming and/or fishing (although we have yet to catch something :( ). The afternoons here are absolute paradise basically!

The weekends we have off, and the last one we had was very active. On Saturday we went with the American boys to Noosa Heads – a beautiful seaside town and wildlife reserve just an hour away from the homestead. It's a popular place with the town and beach full of people enjoying their day off. We went for a beach/cliff-side walk in the reserve, which was beautiful. Paolo and I also went for a swim in the ocean on our way back – the water was crystal clear, refreshing and with fun waves to jump into – a perfect swim. But the definite highlight was seeing an actual, real koala in the wild! It was just at the entrance to the reserve, in a tall Eucalyptus tree. Apparently the koala is a resident there and is found in that tree more often than not, but it was still very exciting!

On Sunday, Sally took Justin, Paolo and me to Kondalilla National Park (the two other guys stayed and went fishing instead). It was a beautiful rainforest park and we went for a long walk, followed by a swim in the rock pools on top of the Kondalilla waterfall. On the way back, we stopped for a pint at a pub which had an amazing view toward the coast far away.

On Monday, Justin left to continue his travels, and for now it's just us four remaining here. We have carried on working during the week doing the stuff that I described above. However, on one day there was a contractor here with an excavator who helped to get rid of the lantana growing on top of the dairy roof. While he was at it, it turned out that there was a python under the lantana and it was promptly caught and put inside a box. The Americans and we took the box and drove some way away to a creek where we released it back to the wild (but not before Kyle had his fill of playing around with it). This one was 'only' about 1.5 meters long, so not like the huge one we saw at our last HelpX near Cooktown, but it was still impressive – especially the big bump in the middle of its body in which he (or she) was probably digesting the late peacock chick. We wouldn't have guessed that we would get another chance to see and release a python – clearly it isn't that rare in this part of the world! (Edit: As I wrote this, Kyle found another python perched on the bathroom door, as he was going to close the door. This time we left it alone and let it go back to the garden because truthfully these are peaceful animals and needn't be moved unless they are big enough to be a threat to the animals of the house).

For now we are very happy at Sally's place, and we have decided to stay a third week. Next week we will be joined by some more helpers, a Polish couple that have already stayed here before. The more the merrier, it really rings true here!

Meie majake // Our wee cabin

Imelised vaated otse omast aiast // Gorgeous views straight from the garden

Mu lemmik lugemispaik, viigipuude all // My favourite reading spot, under the fig trees

Baby & Buoy

Sally kaunis maja - abiliste ala on alumisel korrusel // Sally's beautiful house - the helper area is downstairs

Kalal Borumba j2rve 22res // Fishing at lake Borumba

Tommy, hetked enne hypet mis lillepotid ymber ajas // Tommy, briefly before his jump that knocked over tons of flowerpots

Brandy :)

Koaala! Puu oli k6rge ja koaala v2ike, seega ei ole teda lihtne n2ha paraku // Koala! The tree was tall and the koala small, so unfortunately he is not that well visible

Noosa Heads

Kondalilla Rahvuspargis jalutamas // Trail at Kondalilla National Park

Meie ja (vasakult) Kyle, Brett ja Justin // Us and (from left) Kyle, Brett and Justin

Siin on hiigelsuured k2rnkonnad - tegemist on v66rliigiga kes on Austraaliasse toodud ja kes on kohalikule loodusele palju-palju paha teinud // Huge cane toads here! This is an invasive species that has taken over the continent and caused lots of havoc on the local ecosystems

Kaunid 6htupoolikud j2rve 22res // Beautiful sunsets on the lake

Pyytonit (peaaegu) vabastamas // (Almost) releasing the python

Leidsime veest tillukese kilpkonnapooja :) // Found a wee tiny baby turtle in the water :)

Meie ujumiskoht, hyppekaga ja puha // Our swimming hole, with a jumping rope and everything

Eesti tool! Sally oli alles hiljuti omale taaskasutusest uue antiiktooli muretsenud, ja tooli all on tootja m2rk - LUTERMA - MADE IN ESTONIA :) // Estonian chair! Sally had recently got a new antique chair, and under the chair is the maker's mark - LUTERMA, MADE IN ESTONIA :)

Cairns Vol 2 + Brisbane

Oma teiselt HelpX projektilt naasnuna oli meil plaanis enne l6unasse suundumist paar p2eva Cairnsis veeta. Seda kahel p6hjusel – esmalt, et saada natukene rahulikult omaette olla ja puhata, kuna olime yle kolme n2dala j2rjest iga p2ev HelpX v66rustajate juures olnud ja t88tanud; ja teiseks, et saaksime viimaks Suurt Vallrahu vaatamas k2ia.

Puhata ja omaette saime me olla kyll ja enam – nautisime taaskord Cairnsi Esplanaadi ja sealset basseini, ja muidu v6tsime viimast sellest, et paar p2eva ei tulnud koidu ajal yles 2rgata – kuigi teisel p2eval pidime me siiski 2ratuskellaga 2rkama ja kell pool seitse uksest v2lja minema, ent see meid ei heidutanud, kuna olime teel sadamasse, et laevaga Vallrahule s6ita. Olime ylirahul, et vaid kaks p2eva varem olime l6puks leidnud tuuri, mida me endale lubada saime. 99 Austraalia dollari (ca 63 eur) eest saime terve p2eva merel olla – sh peaaegu 4 tundi snorgeldamist, taustainfo Vallrahu kohta, rikkalik l6unas66k, ja klaas veini (tagasiteel – korraldajad ei olnud napsitanud turistide vette laskmisest huvitatud).

Nagu ma Gili saartest kirjutades mainisin, meeldib mulle hirmsasti snorgeldada. Ma naudiks ilmselt ka L22nemeres snorgeldamist, isegi kui seal suurt midagi n2ha pole. Aga maailma suurima ja rikkalikuma korallrahu kohal snorgeldamine oli midagi t2iesti erakordset. Suur Vallrahu on 2300 kilomeetrit pikk ning p6him6tteliselt on tegu maailma suurima elusa asjaga. Vallrahu koosneb tuhandetest v2iksematest korallriffidest ja saartest ning seal leidub yle 600 eri korallisordi, sh nii k6vad kui pehmed korallid. Suur Vallrahu on yhtlasi ka ylioluline 8kosysteem, olles elupaigaks tuhandetele loomaliikidele, mis omakorda toidavad paljusid teisi liike. Nagu k6ik muu eriline loodus maailmas, on ka Vallrahu vaikselt h2vinemas. J22me lootma, et ehk h2ving siiski peatub ning et ka tulevased p6lved saavad riffe imetleda. Meie aga saame olla rahul, et saime Vallrahu n2ha seni kuni teda veel on.

Riff on rannikust yldiselt p2ris kaugel, ja kuigi Cairns on hea koht tuuride jaoks kuna seal on riff v6rdlemisi l2hedal, v6ttis s6it aega siiski kuskil poolteist tundi. Kohale j6udes peatus meie laev kahes eri punktis – eri riffide juures (Hastings ja Norman riffid) misj2rel meid k6iki vette lasti. V6isime snorgeldada palju hing ihaldas, 80 meetri raadiuses laevast. Esimeses kohas oli vee n2htavus veidi kehv, ent snorgeldamine oli ikka meeldiv. Teine koht kus me peatusime oli aga ylimalt v2gev. N2htavus oli laitmatu, ja me saime nautida nii riffipealseid, meist meetri kaugusel ning t2is k6iksugu kirevat ja v2rvilist elu; ning ka sygavamaid kohtasid kus riff veep6hjast yles t6usis. Seal ujusid suuremad kalad ning v2ikeste kalade suured parved, veep6hjas olid meripurad, ringi hulpisid meduusid ja kalmaarid. Ja k6ikjal olid korallid – absoluutselt igas m66dus, igas kujus, igat v2rvi korallid. Justkui oleksime j2rsku kuhugi muule planeedile sattunud, k6ik oli nii kaunis ja kummaline. Meie tripi tipphetk oli aga siis, kui m2rkasime korallide ja kivide vahel ujuvat haikala! Tegemist oli kuskil meetrise noore valgeuimhaiga, teatud tyypi riffhai. Ta ujus niisama omi asju ajades ringi, ja lasi meid teda p2ris mitu minutit j2litada. Haid on muidu v2ga arad ja lasevad kiiresti jalga kui inimesi n2evad, seega oli meil 6nne, et saime teda n2ha. Minu kaameral ei ole veekindlat ymbrist, seega snorgeldamisest mul paraku pilte ei ole, kyll aga oli Paolol kaasas ta v2ike veekindel kaamera ning ta on haist juba video ka yles pannud. Tegelikult on ta meie reisi jooksul p2ris mitmeid videosid teinud ja sinna ylimalt h2id laule taustaks pannud – siin on link tema Vimeo kontole kus on ka muid videosid meie reisist.

Suur Vallrahu n2htud, oli meie missioon p6hja-Queenslandis t2idetud ning v6isime rahumeeli l6unasse s6ita. Cairnsist lendasime me Brisbane'i, mis on Queenslandi pealinn ning asub regiooni l6unaosas, Austraalia idaranniku keskpunktis. Brisbane on umbes 2 miljoni elanikuga modernne linn, mis asub rannikust veidike sisemaal, Brisbane'i j6e kallastel. Tegemist on Austraalia yhe vanima linnaga, synniaastaks on tal eelajalooline 1825.

Meie saabusime Brisbane'i hilis6htul ning plaanisime seal olla vaid yhe t2isp2eva, millele j2rgneval hommikul pidime juba sealt jalga laskma. Paraku aga olin mina endale mingi pisiku saanud, mist6ttu veetsin ma meie planeeritud ainsa p2eva Brisbane'is hostelis, palavikuga voodis olles. L6puks otsustasime siiski yhe p2eva rohkem linnas veeta, et j2rgmise HelpX v66rustaja juurde mitte haigena saabuda. 6nneks l2ks t6bi 2ra sama kiiresti kui tuli ning p2ev hiljem olin juba jalul ning saime l6puks minna linna uudistama. Brisbane on t6epoolest modernne linn – terve keskus on pilvel6hkujaid t2is. Ent samas on seal ka piisavalt rohelust – n2gime mitmeid meeldivaid parke ja rohelisi alasid. K6ige yllatavam oli aga see, et linn tundus pooltyhi olevat. Vaatamata sellele, et tegemist oli laup2evaga, oli linnas ringi jalutamine meeldiv, kuna rahvast oli imev2he. Kui aus olla, saime tunnise jalutusk2iguga kesklinna 2ra n2htud ning kuna seal ei tundunud suurt midagi teha olevat, otsustasime me kinno Deadpooli vaatama minna – film oli 2ge, ja otsus oli 6ige!

Brisbane'ist l2ksime me j2rgmisel hommikul rongi peale ja s6itsime kaks tundi p6hja suunas sellisesse v2iksesse kohta nagu Cooroy. Sealt v6ttis meid peale Sally, meie j2rgmine HelpX v66rustaja. Oleme tema juures nyyd juba kolmandat p2eva ja siin on t2ielik paradiis. Pikemalt kirjutan siinsest elust millalgi j2rgmise kahe n2dala jooksul. Meil oli plaanis siin kaks n2dalat olla, aga hetkel tundub siin niiv6rd m6nus, et v6ibolla j22me pikemakski. Eks n2is!

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Having returned from our second HelpX project, we planned to spend a few days in Cairns before heading south. That for two reasons – firstly, we needed some time off to relax and just be by ourselves after having been with HelpX hosts and working nonstop every day for over three weeks. But more importantly, we wanted to finally go and see the Great Barrier Reef while we were still in the right area.

We got to rest and relax more than enough – once again we enjoyed the Esplanade and its pool, and we took the chance to enjoy not having to get up at the crack of dawn for a few days – even though on the second day we did have to wake up to an alarm and get up by 6.00am. But that didn't bother us at all, because we were heading to the harbour to catch a boat that would take us to the Great Barrier Reef. We were over the moon to have finally found a tour (just two days before) that we could afford. For 99 Australian dollars (ca 63 euros) we got to be out at sea the whole day – including nearly 4 hours of snorkelling time, background information on the Reef, a nice buffet lunch and a glass of wine (on the way back though – the crew were thoroughly uninterested in fishing out drunken snorkellers).

As I mentioned when I wrote about the Gilis, I absolutely love snorkelling. I would probably enjoy snorkelling even in the Baltic Sea. But to be able to snorkel above the world's largest and richest coral reef is something extraordinary. The Great Barrier Reef is 2,300 km long and is basically the largest living thing on the planet. The Reef is made up of thousands of smaller coral reef formations and islands and there are over 600 types of corals there, both hard and soft. The Great Barrier Reef is also a very important ecosystem, being home to thousands of species of animals, who in turn feed lots of other species in the ocean. Like everything unique and beautiful in nature today, the Reef is slowly disintegrating. We can hope that the destruction will stop and that future generations will be able to enjoy the spectacle that is the Reef. However, for the moment we were happy to have been able to see the Great Barrier Reef while it is still there.

The Reef is actually quite far away from the coast, and while Cairns is one of the best places for tours because of the relative closeness of the Reef, it still took us over an hour and a half on the speedboat to get there. Once there, our ship stopped at two locations, near two different reefs (Hastings and Norman reefs), and there we were all let out to sea to play. We could snorkel as much as we wanted, as long as we stayed within 80 meters of the ship. The first location, while still awesome, didn't have that great visibility. The second place however was absolutely stunning. The visibility was perfect and we could enjoy both the reef tops, just a meter away from our faces and teeming with all sorts of colourful life; at the same time we could also enjoy views of the deeper bits where the reef rose up from the seafloor. There we saw larger fish swimming around, and large schools of tiny fish hiding in the rocks. Sea cucumbers on the bottom and jellyfish floating around... And coral everywhere – in all sizes, shapes, forms and colours, magnificent! It felt as if we were suddenly on a different planet, it was all so beautiful and bizarre. However, the highlight of the trip was when we saw a shark swimming among the coral formations! It was a young white tipped reef shark, about a meter in length. It was just swimming around minding its own business and it let us follow it for a good few minutes. Sharks are generally shy creatures and will swim away when near to people, so we were really lucky to have seen one. My camera does not have a waterproof casing, so unfortunately I don't have any photos of what we saw underwater, however Paolo had his underwater camera with him and he has already uploaded the video with the shark. In fact, he has been making and uploading quite a number of little videos during our trip (and choosing excellent background songs for them) – here is his Vimeo channel.

Having seen the Great Barrier Reef, our mission in North Queensland was complete and we were free to go south. From Cairns we flew to Brisbane, which is the capital of Queensland and is located in the far south of the region, in the center of the Australian east coast. Brisbane is a modern city of 2 million people, and it is situated a wee bit inland from the coast, on the banks of river Brisbane (very inventive). It's also one of Australia's oldest cities, having been established in the prehistoric year of 1825.

We arrived to Brisbane late at night and were planning on spending one full day there, and leaving on the following morning. Unfortunately though, I had caught something and was not feeling that well, so I ended up spending what was meant to have been our only day in Brisbane in our hostel, in bed with a fever. In the end we decided to stay an extra day, to avoid arriving at our next HelpX host feeling ill. Luckily my illness went as quickly as it came and the next day I was up and exploring the city with Paolo. Brisbane is indeed a modern city – the whole center is packed with high-rise buildings. But at the same time there was quite a lot of greenery as well – we saw lots of lovely parks and green spaces. The most surprising thing was however that the city seemed nearly empty of people. Despite it being Saturday, we saw very few people and it was strangely pleasant to walk around town with no crowds. To be honest though, we felt like we saw most of the city center within an hour and since there didn't seem that there was a lot to do, we decided to go to the cinema to see Deadpool – great decision, the film was awesome!

The next morning we took a train to go two hours north to a tiny place called Cooroy. From there we were picked up by our next HelpX host Sally. By now we have spent three days at her place already and it's complete paradise here. I will write about what it's like here sometime in the next two weeks. We had planned to stay here for two weeks but at the moment it looks like we may stay longer. We'll see!

Teel Vallrahule // On the way to the Great Barrier Reef

Cairnsis Esplanaadi basseini nautimas // Enjoying the pool on the Esplanade in Cairns

P2ikeseloojang Austraalia kohal // Sunset above Australia

Lahe kuju Brisbane'is // Cool statue in Brisbane

Anzac park ja pilvel6hkujad // Anzac park and high-rises

Arhitektuuripopurii // Architectural potpourri

Sellised elukad igal pool parkides :) // These creatures all over the parks in Brisbane

 

Teine HelpX kogemus, keset metsikut loodust // Second HelpX experience, in the middle of the wilderness

Meie esimene HelpX v66rustajapere oli niiv6rd tore, et nad pakkusid meid meie j2rjekordsesse sihtpunkti, Cooktowni l2hedale j2rgmiste v66rustajate juurde 2ra viia. Nad ytlesid, et see on neile hea ettek22ne siinse kandi uudistamiseks. Selliselt me siia tulimegi, nende lahedas Land Roveris, s6ites kilomeetreid ja kilomeetreid l2bi Austraalia kuiva savanni. Natuke rohkem kui nelja tunni p2rast olimegi kohal. Ytlesime hyvasti oma esimestele v66rustajatele (keda me kindlasti igatsema j22me, nii toredad inimesed!) ja hyppasime kohe uue pere autosse.

Nende kodu oli metsik ja tsivilisatsioonist kaugel - pidime s6itma kolmveerand tundi m66da mudateed ja l2bi mitme v2ikese j6e enne kui j6udsime nende 24-hektari suurusele metsakrundile, mis asub keset aborigeenimaad (mis alles viimastel aastatel kohalikule aborigeenih6imule tagasi anti). L2him v2ike pood on 1,5-tunnise autos6idu kaugusel, telefonilevi seal ei ole, ning k6ikjal ymber on vaid kas vihmamets v6i savann. Koht on lahe!

Pereliikmed ise olid p6him6tteliselt hipid - pereisa r22kis vahetpidamata vanden6uteooriatest ja kuidas valitsus haub aina kurjasid plaane, ema oli rastapatsidega memm kellele meeldib syya teha, lapsed olid neli poissi vanuses 3 kuni 11 kes on t2iesti metsikud. Perele lisaks elas krundil ka yks noor tyyp, kes neid t88ga aitab. Neil oli ka kolm toredat mastiffi, kaks imekaunist kassi ning yks yksildane kukk (kelle endised naised olid kas r88vlindude v6i madude poolt nahka pandud).

Pere on seal elanud yle kolme aasta ning nad on oma ajutise elamise siin h2sti 2ra korraldanud. Kui nad krundi esmakordselt endale said, ei olnud siin midagi peale metsa, seega on nad ehitanud sinna kruusateed ja metsarajad, ning maja ja onnid, kasutades metallist katuseplaate. Nende plaan on endale l6puks ehitada korralik maja, kasutades kohalikke looduslikke materjale (muda, savi, puit) ning saada energia, toidu ja kytuse suhtes t2ielikult isemajandavaks. Hetkel kyll tuleb enamus toitu siiski supermarketist ning energiaks kasutavad nad bensiinil jooksvaid generaatoreid.

Meie oma elamispaigaks oli yks sealsetest onnidest - samuti metallplaatidest ehitatud, v2ga algeline, ent siiski mugav ja meeldiv. Meie onn asus j2rve 22res ning meil oli oma aed, l6kkekoht ning vihmaveetynn vee jaoks. K6ik, mida vajasime oli meil olemas ning 6htuti l6kke 22res istumine oli tihti meie p2evade parim osa.

T88 suhtes tegime v2heseid asju, ent need olid pikad ja rasked ylesanded. Peamiselt puhastasime ja laiendasime me maja ymbritsevat tulekahjurada - mille ylesandeks on metsatulekahju korral barj22riks olla (siinne pere on juba yhel korral metsatulekahjut kogenud, oma esimesel siinviibitud aastal, ent 6nneks midagi hullu ei juhtunud). Peale selle tegelesime me ka aianduse ja istutamisega, heinal6ikamisega, kyttepuude korjamisega ning Paolo aitas ka parandada paari katkist jalgratast.

Kui aus olla, siis ei tekkinud meil sealse perega eriliselt head kontakti ning seet6ttu polnud ka meie jaoks sealoldud aeg pooltki nii meeldiv olnud kui viimases kohas. 6ieti polnudki me perega palju aega koos veeta saanud - viimased neli p2eva olime me seal ainult koos selle noore tyybiga, kuna pere ise s6itis Cairnsi s6pradele kylla. Tegelikult oli p2ris m6nus seal suures metsikus kohas omaette olla. Ja seal oli ikka t6esti metsik - 88siti kuulsime me k6iksuguseid kummalisi ja huvitavaid loomah22li ning saime n2ha uskumatult suuri putukaid. Ent k6ige v6imsam kogemus juhtus kohe p2rast meie saabumist - esimesel 6htul kysisime me pereisalt ja -emalt siinsete ohtlike madude kohta, et osata neid v2ltida. Nad ytlesid, et nad pole seal myrgiseid madusid n2inud, kyll aga satub siia aeg-ajalt pyytoneid - mis juhul nad mao kinni pyyavad ja ta kodust kaugele viivad. J2rgmisel hommikul ilmnes, et kohe p2rast seda kui meie olime magama l2inud, olid nad maja juurest leidnud ja kinni pyydnud 4-meetrise pyytoni! Me saime madu l2hedalt n2ha ja ka nendega kaasa s6ita kui nad ta 10 kilomeetri kaugusel tagasi loodusesse lasksid. V2gev!

Igal juhul oli meil esialgu plaanis seal kaks n2dalat olla, aga me otsustasime veidi varem jalga lasta kuna meil sai seal olemisest kyllalt. T2na j6udsime tagasi Cairnsi, kuhu me j22me paariks p2evaks, misj2rel me p2rast tervet kuud p6hja-Queenslandis l6puks l6unapoole Brisbane'i s6idame.

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Our first HelpX host family were so nice that they offered to drive us up north to near Cooktown to our rendezvous with our next host family. They said that it was a great excuse for them to go see that area of Queensland. So that is how we arrived at our next destination - in the cool Land Rover, driving across miles and miles of arid Australian savannah. Four and a bit hours later, we had arrived. We said our goodbyes to our first hosts (who we will definitely miss lots - such great people!) and hopped straight to the car of our next host family.

Their property was wilder and remote, and it took us over 45 minutes of driving on a dirt road through multiple creeks, before we finally reached their place - 60 acres of wild bush, in the middle of aboriginal land (given back to the local tribes not long ago). The nearest small supermarket was over 1,5h drive away, there was no phone reception, and everywhere around was just rainforest or savannah. The place was great!

The family themselves are best described as hippies - the dad talked constantly about conspiracy theories and how the government is out to get us, the mom was a dreadlocked lady who enjoyed her cooking, the children were four boys between 3 and 11 years and can only be described as feral. In addition to the family, a young guy also lived on the property and helps with the work. They also had three lovely mastiffs, two gorgeous cats and a lonely rooster (his wives having been eaten by raptors and snakes).

They had lived there for over three years and had a well established temporary living space. When they got the land, it was just forest, so they have built roads and tracks, and houses and cottages of corrugated iron sheets. Their plan is to build their proper house using local resources (mud, clay, timber) and to be completely self-sustainable for energy, fuel and food. For the time being though, most of the food still comes from the supermarket and energy is produced by generators.

Our living space there was one of the cottages  - also made from corrugated tin, very basic, but nonetheless comfortable and charming. Our little cottage was by one of the lakes, had its own little garden, a fireplace and a rainwater tank for water. It had all we needed and sitting by the fire during the evenings was usually the best part of our days there.

For work, we had but few things that we did, but these were hard and long. We mainly cleared up the firebreak track around the house - which is meant to act as a barrier against bush fires (which they had experienced once during their first year here, but managed to escape the worst). We also did some gardening and planting, brushcutting, firewood collecting, and Paolo helped fix some of the many broken bikes here.

To be honest, while we love the place, we did not manage to make a real connection with the family, and therefore did not enjoy our time there as much as we did with our last hosts. In fact, we didn't even spent that much time with them - the last four days it was just us and the young guy, since the family drove off to visit friends in Cairns. It was actually quite pleasant, being just us in this huge wild place. And it really was wild - during the night we could hear so many strange animal noises, and we saw some of the biggest insects that we have ever seen before. But the definite wildlife highlight happened just after we arrived. The first evening we were chatting with our hosts and asking about any dangerous snakes that we should look out for. They said that there haven't really been any venomous snakes there but that they do get pythons, and when they do, they usually catch them and release them far away from the house (since while not dangerous to adults, they could easily kill animals and children if they wanted to). Sure enough, the next morning it turned out that just after we had gone to bed, they had found and caught a 4-meter long Amethystine python! They took it out for us to see and we also went along when they released the animal back into the wild some 10 kilometres away. Amazing!

Anyway, we had originally intended to stay there for two weeks, but decided to leave earlier since we had enough. Today we arrived back to Cairns for a few nights before finally leaving North Queensland after a month here to go further south, to Brisbane.

Krundiga tutvumas // Getting a tour of the property

Pyyton esmakordselt vabaduses peale kahte p2eva tekikotis // Python liberated after two days inside a duvet cover

Ja minek! // And there it goes!

Herculese 88liblikas, maailma suurim // Hercules moth, the world's biggest moth species

Paolo oma v2rskelt istutatud banaanidega // Paolo with his freshly planted banana trees

Siin me oma 6htud veetsimegi // This is where we spent our evenings

Meie onn // Our cottage

L6putud metsarajad // Endless forest tracks

V66rustajate elamine // Hosts' own living space

Nunnu tilluke 2mblik // Itty bitty cute jumping spider

Kummaliselt kasvanud hundinuia-taoline taim // Strangely grown plant

Koki :)

K6ikjal ainult dzungel! // Jungle everywhere around!

Metsarada enne... // Firebreak track before...

...ja p2rast meie t88d // ...and after our work on it

Meie onn, ymbritsetud veeroosidest // Our cottage with the lilypads

Tagahoov :) // Backyard :)

Meie valvur, St Andrew risti2mblik, oli peaaegu kogu meie sealviibitud aja meie peegli kyljes // Our guardian, a St Andrew's Cross Spider, was on our mirror for nearly our whole stay

Aga siis tuli selline, umbes k2elabasuurune hall jahi2mblik kes meie s6bra 88 jooksul ilmselt nahka pistis :( // But then this roughly hand-sized Grey Huntsman Spider came and ate our friend :(

Kaunis kiisu // Pretty kitty

Eile oli mul synnip2ev, ja 6htu m88dus m6nusalt, l6kke 22res pudeli veiniga, ei saa kurta! // Yesterday was my birthday. and we spent the evening next to a fire with a bottle of wine, can't complain!