Outback Town Life

I'm in the middle of godforsaken ass nowhere in a place with virtually no shops, culture or tourist activities, but I can't remember the last time I felt bored or had time for an afternoon snooze (wouldn't mind one now though after all these mad shifts at the hostel - they're down 3 staff and it's nuts). There are always blokes & animals to feed, things to be taken out to work sites, dogs escaping, insects & frogs to evict, people who need a hand, things to fix, tools to borrow, lend or return, infernal red dust to sweep up, mud to scrape off, freight deliveries to collect or drop off - the small tasks of being self-sufficient and keeping home & town functioning.

It's tiring at times, but rewarding, and there are many moments during the day where you just lean against the back of a ute having a "yarn" with whoever you run into, or sitting down at Paddy's or the pub for a couple of cold beers & talking about the weather, local gossip or working out who can help with what. A daily pastime is checking out who's passing when you drive down the street - "There's old Barry, didn't know he was back in town, why is he driving Greg's old ute?"

Gary is a goldmine of information and points out locals to me when we're out and about. "That's Fossil's old missus, she's Luke's mum, he used to work at Barry's before Greg accidentally set fire to the truck, that was back when Splinter punched out Spud for stealing the cash box and old Mrs Wagoo, who used to own Bonza, told him to leave town before her husband Reg came looking for him over that business with the crane tyres" (there's no way I can keep up with any of it).

I think my favourite example of town gossip in action is the time I went up to the shops just as Kev and Ray were starting on my fence; by the time I reached the hardware store at the other end of the street twenty minutes later, one of the blokes in the hardware said, "Your new fence is looking good."

I am known now as "Gary's missus", "Gary's lady", "the lady with the red bus" and "that new Canadian sheila" (one day people may start referring to me by my actual name...)  I have noticed that since word got out that I'm working at the hostel and Paddy's, there has been a subtle change in people's attitude - I'm not local yet, but there's a sense of approval or something (Bob now hands me a cold Corona at the bar without me having to ask). Word is out via Gary that I make "the best sandwiches" and I get compliments on them from his work mates (!). Hopefully soon I will be "the lady who doesn't have giant cockroaches swarming through her house" (I wish).