October 2024

3 more sleeps to go...! I've said most of my goodbyes to people and places and am either getting rid of or packing my worldly possessions.  I'm taking back more than I came with, but not much more.  It was a good decision to travel light.

                 

Work took me Inland again for a couple of weeks.  First, I drove to Newman in our own car, dropped it off with a colleague who's going to flip it, and then took a work car over to Tom Price.  Total distance over 700kms in one day, around 8 hours driving all up.  I wasn't in any hurry, and despite several road trains (stuck behind 6 at one stage) it was an enjoyable drive along classically beautiful Australian bush and red dirt.  I had a few days in Tom Price (pics show the moody morning view) and Paraburdoo and got to enjoy the lovely company of Sonja who was staying in the same share-house.

                         

At the weekend I headed back to Newman via the awesome Karijini National Park.  I took one last delicious opportunity to swim in Fern Pool in Dales Gorge, stopping off at Fortescue Falls and greeting the fruit bats again.   Karijini National Park is on the traditional lands of the Banyjima, Kurrama and Innawonga people of the Pilbara region, and Karijini is the Banyjima name for the Hamersley Range (it means 'hilly place').  It covers 627,444 hectares, the 2nd largest national park in WA.  It's totally magical, easy to see why it's of such significant spiritual importance to the people who have occupied it for at least 20,000 years. 

 

                         

From Newman, I headed over to Nullagine to do some neonatal resuscitation training, and of course, catch up with the delightful Vangie.  It was a 2.5-hour drive, much of it along a corrugated dirt road, but really happy that I could get there at all.  Helen, her friend who is staying for a while, offered a massage that sorted out the last twinges of shoulder and neck pain that had been bothering me for a while.  I'd had a couple of chiropractor sessions, and this was the perfect rounding off.  Much appreciated!

Back to Newman the next day, spending more time with Sonja and Wendy (endorsed midwife and one of the original creators of the Midwifery and Obstetric Emergency Telehealth Service - MOETS) and the fab Newman Hospital staff.  Finally, a flight back to Hedland with Aviair Nexus on a 13-seater plane.  I had the luxury of being the only passenger and well looked after by the 2 pilots.  These small planes don't fly high, so could really enjoy the views too.

I've continued with Pretty Pool beach walks whenever I can and will absolutely miss these constitutionals when I get home.  Amazing birdlife always, often a turtle or two and occasionally a random kangaroo; lots of animal tracks in the endlessly changing sand - crabs, birds, lizards, kangaroo; tides hiding or revealing reef and oyster-clad rocks; Indian Ocean calm or with white horses.  The total lack of shelter, sand burning the soles of feet and annoying flies the only irritations.  A small price to pay for nature's spectacular show. 

                                          

I've spent more time around Pretty Pool Creek since Peter left because it feels safer where there are families. Crocodile Alley and the Clothing Optional beach area have more crocodile concealment places, are more isolated and with 'exposure' potential!  It's very pretty where the creek meets the sea and holds happy memories of our ocean breakfasts.  When tides are very high, there's the entertainment of watching someone trying to un-beach their vehicle from the Pretty Pool car park.

        

Some trees are still blossoming - not many of them but absolutely spectacular when you do spot them.  The delicate peachy flowers are Sea Hibiscus, and the burst of bright yellow is a Golden Shower Tree (Cassia fistula).  There are a few fabulous Silver Palm Trees around the Indian Ocean Apartments too.

 

       

After being mesmerised by the gorgeous Boab trees in Broome, it was amazing to see an awesome specimen right at the entrance to Hedland Airport.  Can't accuse it of hiding - it's right there as you go in, along with the Farewell from Country plaque.  No idea how I could have possibly missed it all the times I've been there, but I'll definitely be waving it goodbye when I head to the airport for the last time on Friday. 

Farewell Pilbara and thanks for the joy and privilege of spending time in this authentically magnificent region 💜😁  

 

September 2024

Good morning Pretty Pool!  Beautiful orange sunrises most days, as long as you're up early enough to see them - that's getting earlier and earlier as summer beckons.  Blink and you'll miss the moment.  Peter's been back home for a few weeks now, and the prospect of another stinking hot and humid summer here on my own isn't too appealing.  A call from an old colleague about a new Wairau job provided the impetus to plot my return.  Decreasing numbers of midwives at Wairau Maternity has led to a re-think of the service provision model.  A Community Midwife role is one of the solutions, and for me, that was my midwifery dream in the UK many moons ago.  The position will include continuity of care with no shifts or on call, all very attractive.  I'll be sad to say goodbye to my lovely colleagues and boss Katrina here, and will miss the fabulous Indian Ocean views, and easy beach access and walks.  But home is home, and that's definitely where my heart is.  I'll head back to NZ at the end of October and start work mid-November.  Just in the nick of time to plant a vege crop too! 

   

 

Staircase to the Moon is back again for the season.  Though we've gone to viewing platforms to witness this before, it turns out that we get a pretty good view from our balcony.  It's tricky to get a decent pic because of limited light, and a little breeze can stuff up the focus with a lengthy shutter time.  Clouds can totally or partially obscure the whole moon disc too.  In any case, it's an impressive spectacle.  There should be one more staircase before I leave the Pilbara, so here's hoping I can get a better shot.   

 

The last full moon was a super moon, and that brought with it very high and low tides.  The photos were taken at a high 7m tide, showing the view out to the Indian Ocean from the viewing platform just outside our apartment and along Crocodile Alley looking both ways.  The 'lake' at the far left of the first pic is a car park, and Crocodile Alley is usually a track not a creek.  It was amazing to watch the tide coming in at speed, easy to see how stranding can happen in an instant.  The lowest tide was just 9cms and revealed those stunning corals at Cemetery Beach.

I'm trying to capture what makes my heart sing here, and each beach walk provides plenty of opportunities to be awed by coastal nature.  I love the pock-holed light brown rocks and darker oyster clad rocks that line the reef in some places, and the soul-nourishing curvy ridges of sand that are left by the tide.  Watching ever-changing little rivulets of sea water returning to the ocean is always a very soothing timewaster.  

                                

Today has been very windy and rainy - both quite a pleasant change from the relentless burning sun and blue sky.  The weather has dropped the predicted temperature too, currently 'feeling like' about 23 degrees according to the Bureau of Meteorology.  The sand didn't blister my feet during this morning's walk, and I'm almost cracking the woolly socks out!  The flies came out in force to enjoy the damper air too.  Luckily these are just the annoying variety, and not the bitey ones.  The rain lasted about an hour, and another hour later there was no sign that it had fallen.  I can count the number of times it's rained here in the last year on one hand.  Meanwhile, Marlborough has had a very wet winter that is spilling over into spring.  Better brace myself I guess; it won't be long before I'm complaining about the cold and wet. 

Work took me to Karratha for a couple of weeks, and a lovely opportunity to witness some of the wildflower displays en route, particularly around Whim's Creek.  The bright red Sturt Desert Peas were especially spectacular, and the feathery pink Mulla Mulla were abundant.  I stayed in a Pelago apartment, and this one had a sea view.  A day trip to Point Samson was very lovely too.

The Karratha trip also took me to Onslow - a town with a WACHS hospital that I'd tried to visit twice before but was thwarted by bush fires and a cyclone.  This time the plan all fell into place, and my lovely pal Sonja (Regional Nurse Educator) and I travelled together from Karratha.  Just spitting distance (400kms) from Exmouth, it's a beautifully located little mining town with a well-equipped hospital.  We stayed in the Onslow Beach Resort and ate at the Beadon Bay Hotel.  Great for me that work provides the opportunity to enjoy these classic out-of-the-way places.     

I'm keeping everything crossed that I'll get the chance to swim in the fantastic Gratwick Aquatic Centre in Port Hedland before I leave.  It closes over winter and was supposed to re-open yesterday for the summer season but failed to reach water quality requirements.  My togs are packed, and I'm good-to-go as soon as this is sorted.  I'll be heading Inland in a couple of weeks, so sincerely hoping it'll open before I leave.  There's a great pool in Newman that I'll get to, but no pool has ever out-ranked Gratwick for me.  

                                                       

We decided to get each other an Ancestry.com analysis for our birthdays this year.  For some reason, mine came back weeks earlier than Peter's.  Turns out I'm very much Northern European as you'd predict.  My British roots are part Somerset/Devon and part Cornwall.  We'd recently learned from Auntie Sally that my grandma's roots were Cornish, and her family were Cornish Tin Miners who moved to South Wales when the tin industry collapsed.   So, the testing seems accurate as far as we know.  Peter didn't have any exotic origins either.  Unlikely any southern hemisphere rogue sailors in our gene mix, but interesting anyway. 

These aerial view drone photographs show the reef at Cemetery Beach, the salt works nearby and the port - the largest bulk port in the world.  Not my pics, but a good memory of the raw beauty of the Pilbara's natural environment and its ancient indigenous culture alongside the large-scale industry that currently forms the fabric of Hedland.  I'll be taking fond memories back with me from a place that's been well out of my comfort zone on many levels.  It has undeniably been the adventure I was looking for and I'm deeply grateful that this life opportunity presented itself.  

I'm slowly getting on with packing up our Pilbara life and am adjusting to being on my own.  It's a bit unsettling to be in a country far away from any of my loved ones, but it's not all bad.  Solitude makes for an easy life - just me to please.  And there are so few daily living tasks that I don't have to be hard on myself for not getting on with them.  I'll enjoy this little relaxing life chapter as much as I can, whilst looking forward to the heavenly day that I return to my tribe and my place.