One of the first things people said to me when I got to Heron Island was that if I could get through the first two weeks, I'd be absolutely fine and would be all set for the three months I plan to stay there. They were dead right and over the last week I've settled in fully and it now feels more like home from home.
I started the week with two days off (the 30th and 31st). On Monday I got on the ferry to Gladstone, which arrived at about 3.30pm. After checking into a backpackers' hostel, I went for a wander around town, finding first the local library and then an ice cream shop with Internet access to update this blog. On the Tuesday I had the full day in the town, spending it shopping and then again at the library on the Internet. Free broadband access is something not to be missed when you've got no Internet access whatsoever on the island!
On Wednesday I got the ferry back to Heron, arriving an hour or so before work. The next day I had another day off, spending it at the beach reading my book and taking a few photos. It was one of the first days I've had when I've not been working in the evening, so I got a chance to see the sunset and go turtle watching at night. Green and Loggerhead turtles nest on Heron Island from November through to April, and you can watch them every night around high tide. I went on a guided turtle-watch, which gave the whole thing a bit of background as well. It was really interesting and the size of they can grow up to is incredible; the one we saw was over a metre and some reach over 2m.
Friday was a typical day for me; I had a 3.30pm shift and so spent the late morning at the beach, reading my book and listening to music. It's great that you can get away from the resort and all that it entails in a matter of minutes by walking to the beach, and to an extent you need to. I love to sit under a tree with the beach in front and the forest behind me, just taking it all in and having a break from everything and everyone. When you're in such a small place for such a long time with no real escape, I find that getting away to relax at the beach does a world of good.
As for work, throughout the week (except for Sunday), I did the same shift and in that I did almost the same job every time. I'm getting used to the different things we have to do, it's just a case of picking up the fastest way of working. Only tow of us are there to 'close' the kitchen every night, but that still involves a ton of work. It's pretty intense, but like I've said before, you get an awesome place to live and at a low cost of living to go with it.
On Saturday I took advantage of my late starting shift and got up early to go fishing. The first time I went, I didn't catch a thing, so I wasn't really very hopeful. In fact, apart from a few fish I caught in France a few years back in a man-made lake, I hadn't really caught a fish before, so I had nothing to lose in a sense. The luck was with me though and as soon as my line hit the bottom I started getting bites and continued to throughout the three hour trip. By the end of it, I had caught eight to ten fish!
The first one I pulled up was a huge Red Throat Emperor and I continued to catch similar smaller ones through the trip. I also caught a large Barramundi cod, probably about 50cm long, but couldn't keep it because it's now an endangered species. When they were available to catch, they were some of the most expensive fish in the world.
So I was really very pleased with myself by the time I got back. Working in the kitchen, I know all the chefs, so I got one of them to cook my fish for lunch. I expected him to fillet it up and just cook it simply, but he did it whole in much the same way that the guests get it. It looked awesome and tasted just as good.
That afternoon I worked my usual 3.30 shift and then on Sunday I ended the week with the easiest shift you can get; 10 to 6.30. Being one of the few times I got to have the evening off, I went down to the main bar with some colleagues and met some of the ten new staff that arrived that day. When there are people around that are newer than you, it certainly gives you the feeling that you've settled in and that you've become one of the rest. It certainly feels like home from home now.
