School's out for Summer!!

Who can believe how quickly the year is drawing to an end!  We have completed our first 6 months at Kowanyama.  Pats passed his ranking interview with flying colours, next year he is the year 7 teacher, which he is pretty stoked about.

Most of you know that we are staying in Kowie over the school holidays, basically so we can stay on top of our finances.  The first two weeks have flown by in a blur of moving, fishing and swimming.

The last couple of weeks of school were busy, getting reports finalised, me getting ready to take over the BSM role, the school Christmas concert and a group of the kids and a couple of elders put on a Corroboree one Friday afternoon.  This was a lot of fun, we headed down to help get the kids ready and then wondered down to the Rec Centre to watch the show.  It's funny the kids all want to join in and get ready, but then they aren't to keen to take centre stage!

Sir Pat painting one of the kids

Hanging out while the kids get ready

Strike a pose!!

One of Kowanyama's Elders



Only a week to Christmas - it will definitely be a different sort of Christmas for us, but one we are looking forward to.  We are organising an afternoon cricket match which should be a lot of fun.

Cairns - A much needed mini break!

So our planned trip to Cairns went ahead without to many dramas, the drive out was quite good, especially as we had a half day at work and left at lunch time.  There were still a couple of wet spots on the road but nothing to really worry about.

On our way out we were lucky enough to spot an emu - which is quite a rare site up here. 

Bizarrely on our back into Kowie we came across another 7 in total!  A very rare experience.

It was great to get out to Cairns, especially since we had a couple of extra days as we took Pats RAIS (Remote Area Incentive Scheme) days.  All the teachers are entitled to 5 RAIS days a year.  So we had a full 3 days in Cairns, a little mini break which was just what we needed!  Again our time was spent mostly shopping, but at least it wasn't packed into only one day.

The trailer filled to the brim with everything that we will need to hopefully get us through most of the wet season.  The back of the Jimny was also full up with meat.

Our drive home was good, we hit the road early to get most of the drive over before the heat set in.

The long road home

Once again there was cows everywhere and as this sign suggests they can be very dangerous........

Beware - Car eating Cows!!

But how cute is this little fella - surely he's not a car eater!

We stopped at one point on the trip home to check out the view, with the bit of rain that had been around the landscape is starting to come alive with a beautiful bright green.

I saw this tree and just loved its zwiggly bare branches.

Setting Sun Montage

Watching the sun set out here brings back memories of being at home; we would be upstairs engrossed in some silly afterschool TV show, then there would be a yell from dad 'quick come downstairs and look at this beautiful sunset!'  Being your average moody, tempramental teenagers, we would come down the stairs with scowling faces, take a quick look out the door, make an appropiate comment and race back up the stairs hoping we hadn't missed the end of our show.  And do you know what they were absolutely beautiful and stunning sun sets.  The colours were amazing, oranges, pinks, purples, reds setting over the ocean.  Dad had this uncanny knack of being on the balcony at the exact right time to catch the moment.

Being on the western side of Queensland, watching the sun set is different to that on the eastern side.  As it sets the sun becomes bigger and bigger and lately because of the all the burns offs happening it can become this amazing bright pink that looks spectacular as it sets amoungst the gum trees.

Out along the Cairns Rds

Then as I turned to head back to the car,
the moon was rising on the other side



A 'Bush Fire' Sun at Shelfo

Along the road back from Shelfo



Along the road back from Shelfo

Random cloud I saw in the sky that I thought looked pretty cool

Along the road from Shelfo

Rain, river and sky watch

This last week everyone has been watching the sky - you see last Tuesday we experienced our first 'Mango Rain'.

At first we were quite mesmerized by the storm - this is the first rain we have seen in nearly 4 months!  However when we woke the next morning it was still drizzling.  Mango Rain is supposedly meant to be only an afternoon storm. 

Arriving to school under an umbrella, the question everyone was asking the locals was 'is this Mango Rain or the Wet Season?'  As it continued to drizzle throughout the day the group of us driving out to Cairns the next weekend became increasingly worried.

The rain thankfully stopped that afternoon, although this did not completely settle our minds as it continued to rain around the nth of the state and the rives started to rise.  Locals on their way back from Cairns got stuck between Chillagoe and Kowie.  The reports trickling through regarding the state of the road and rivers were as varied as the colours in a rainbow, as is often they case in Kowie. 

On Friday morning one of our teachers tried to drive out with one of the local contractors.  We heard nothing all day until they returned that afternoon after having sat about 40ks out of town waiting and hoping the first river would drop enough to get through.  That afternoon we drove out to have a look.

The road was not in the best condition, there were parts that were quite ripped up from the heavy trucks coming through and there were a couple of small water crossings that we got across easy enough.  Then we came to this......

Not the crossing that made them turn back!!  We had to get around/through this.



We decided to go round not through and made it without any drama.  We continued along for another couple of km's then came to a halt at this usual trickle of a crossing that had risen to 2m's within a couple of days.

We headed back fairly confident that as long as the rain stayed away our trip to Cairns would still be on the cards.  At the end of a lazy Sunday we decided to drive out and check out the road situation...


 

This looked promising

Although with parts of the road looking like this it will definitely
be a slower trip then usual.

 
So far so good - there has been no more rain and hopefully it stays away for at least another week so that we can drive to and from Cairns without any issues.  The trip is our last chance to stock up for the impending wet season with pretty much everything we need until June next year.  So the next few days we will be busy writing all sorts of lists so that we hopefully don't forget anything to important!!

No School - Due to a not so unusual circumstance

So today the school had to be closed to the students due to the fact that the main water system at the school had to be turned off.  Why did this happen?  Let me take you back to last Friday ........

One of our year 7 boys wasn't having the best day at school - he didn't want to go to class even though he had been asked repeatedly by our Deputy Principal, Sir Tal.  To make his point very clear to Sir Tal he decided to find a broken broom stick and threaten him - now while this might sound quite shocking and full on, this is a fairly regular occurrence and most of the time the kid doesn't intend to actually hit (it is usually Sir Tal that gets the brunt of it), they are only 'gammin' and just want to see you flinch and get a reaction out of you.  However as Sir Tal is quite used to this he did not, much to the boys annoyance, flinch at all.  So he decided to take his annoyance out on a main water pipe (thankfully), the pipe burst and the water was shut off.  The police were called to the school to help out with the situation, while they were talking to the Principal and Deputy, the boy was sitting quietly in the office with us, as if nothing had happened.  The kids tempers dissipate as quickly as they flare around here.  They hate you one second, call you every name under the sun, then the next minute they are over it and apologise like nothing happened. 

In usual Kowie fashion, as we are starting to grasp, the part needed to fix the pipe was not available - and you can't just duck down to the local Bunnings and pick it up!  So a temporary fix was done - very temporary it turned out, 15 mins later the pipe burst again. 

Monday wasn't an issue as it was our Student Free Day anyway, however the pipe could only be repaired today so it was decided that the kids would have to stay at home for another day. 

Only in Kowie!!!

September Holidays & Back to Kowie

As our first term at Kowie was coming to an end we were preparing for our first school holidays!  We were heading to Yeppoon to spend the holidays with my family and an extra bonus was that my sister Sarah would be over from London with her new baby little Grace - so as you can imagine I was pretty excited.

The Thursday night before leaving we took the dogs out for a run, as we were pulling back into our driveway the Jimny just stopped - the rear wheel bearing had completely seized up!  There was no way we would be driving out of Kowie the next afternoon.  Pats pulled apart the back wheel to see what our options would be - there wasn't many.  Either stay in Kowie for the holidays (not an option), order the part on line and try and fix it then drive out (wasn't keen on that option) or beg a ride from a couple of the other teachers who were driving out.  Thankfully the four of us were able to make it out to Cairns (not without some dramas) safely on the Friday night.  We then hired a car to get us to Yeppoon.

The 2 weeks in Yeppoon were great, even with all the appointments; doctors, dentist (2 fillings grrrrr), hairdresser you get the idea!  I was so grateful that the holidays timed so well with Sarah and Grace being home.  It was wonderful to be able to spend time with my sister, new niece and also some of my Aunties and Nana.


Gorgeous little Gracie



My beautiful Nana and Grace

Sarah and Grace ready for a stroll on the beach

We were lucky enough that dad was able to drive us and our new quad (more on that later) home.  Unfortunately he was only able to stay a day in Kowie, but this was enough to take him to our favourite place Shelfo - which he quite enjoyed himself, even if he was a bit hesitant about the crocs!

As much as I enjoyed the holidays and spending time with my family - I must admit both Pats and I were happy to get back to our quiet Kowie life. 

Kowie weather - Dry Season

One of the questions people usually ask is 'how is the weather?'  As Kowanyama is located in Far North Qld, on the western side of Cape York, we experience only 2 seasons - Wet and Dry.  At the moment we are coming to the tale end of dry season.  I will describe the weather I have experienced since landing in Kowie.

Picture this - you wake in the morning to sunrise around 6.30am, the weather is mildly cool or 'fresh', you look outside to endless blue sky's, with just a sprinkling of clouds across the horizon.  Coming from Brisbane, to begin with you sometimes wonder if with the clouds there might be a spot of rain, however after a couple of weeks you start to realise there is a reason it is called the dry season, dah - no rain!!  The days warm up and by lunch time the tempreture ranges from the late twenties to early thirties.  There is no humidity - or very little.  At 3pm when we head home it is the hottest part of the day, thankfully it is only a quick walk across the street to home.  It finally starts to cool down at 5/5.30, this is when we take Cooper and Bronx out for a run.  The sun doesn't start to set until about 6.45, so there is more then enough time to enjoy the cool of the evening.

Watching the evening news we feel sorry for the poor Brisbanites experiencing more rain and another cold snap - unlucky!!

The landscape is very dusty and brown - but not dead, it only takes a sprinkling of water for the lawn to come back to life.  The locals also do a lot of burning off to prepare for the wet season and if the council doesnt' get to a patch in time, one of the helpful local kids will happily take a match and do it for them!  Thankfully that hasn't happened this year. 

Burning off at the end of our street

A burnt section of land on the way to Shelfo

In the last couple of weeks it has started to warm up and the humidity is starting to kick in.  The storms should start rolling in around October, so our beautiful weather will soon be replaced with daily storms and close to 100% humidity.

Crabs, Cod and Barra

When Pats spoke to the last acting Principle, we were led to believe that there were crabs and barra galore - you know almost to the point that they would be jumping into the boat, well the barra anyway! This wasn't quite the case, but if you know where to fish and drop the pots in you can definitely get a good fresh seafood feed.

Here are the catches we have made since landing in Kowie.  Oh, and when I say we, I actually mean Pats!!

Our first fishing expedition was the second weekend I was here.  We headed down to the South Mitchell River with a couple of the other teachers.  Launching the boat was not the funnest of activities - especially when you are as paranoid as I am about crocs - I was not taking any chances!

First came the Barra. 

Then the Travalley.

We didn't have anymore success that day.  Although we did see three crocs sunning themselves on the bank, unfortunately I couldn't get a photo of them, as soon as they hear the boat coming they slip back into the water, one was about 4m and the other two were about 3m.  It was good to see my paranoia was not unfounded! 

We haven't been out on the boat since, that fishing trip also proved what Patrick had been thinking since he got here - our boat is to big for up here.  As there are no boat ramps, you just have to launch from the bank and the boat is to heavy and just sinks into the muddy bank and it turns into a mission to pull it out.

A couple of times at Shelfo Patrick has thrown a line in from the bank, but with no luck.  There is a great fishing spot a couple of km's down from where we swim, called The Junction.  To get to the best spot for fishing you have to walk through thigh deep water a couple of times.  The catch 22 is that unfortunately there is also a big salty that calls that part of the water home!  A couple of the teachers have fished there a few times and caught up to 8 Barra - so if you are willing to play Russian Roullete with the croc, it is 'the spot' to fish.  I don't think I will ever be game and Pats hasn't quite worked up the guts just yet.

On Friday arvo Pats decided to drop the crab pots into a spot he found on the way to Topsy.  After putting all the pots in, he checked the first couple and was pleasantly surprised.......

He had these 2 in one pot.....



And this badboy in another!  Not to bad for an arvo's work.

He put these pots back in and left them all in over night.  The next morning after an early breakie we went and checked the pots.  Unfortunately, all the bait was gone and no crabs.  But we did have a nice surprise in one of the pots.....

A good sized Cod.

So this morning after taking the dogs out to Shelfo for a walk and a swim, we made fresh home made fish and chips.  What a great way to end the weekend!!



Shelfo - My favourite place

Yesterday was a big a day.  It started with an early morning bike ride with a couple of the other teachers - originally we were going to ride down the Cairns Rd to the Doggit but then decided on a more scenic route, Poison Track (this is what the locals call it - not 100% why, but something to do with it being haunted or something along those lines).

This track during the wet season is pretty much a swamp plain.  Parts of it off the track are still slightly swampy.  This is where a lot of the wild brumbies like to hang out and graze.  There was a few that morning, but unfortunately they are quite camera shy and our little camera can't zoom in enough to get a good shot.  We definitely have to invest in a better camera soon.

Further along the track we came to Gooseberry Creek, although to me it looks more like a river and this is pretty much the end of the dry season.  Imagine what it will be like in the wet season!

Trying to be a little arty with the scenery!! 

After the morning bike ride, we headed over to the school to move the old library to Kowanyama State Schools brand new library.  This was quite a big job - bigger then any of us was expecting, so we were there for quite a few hours. 

After a well deserved BBQ lunch a few of us decided to head out to Shelfo.

Shelfo is my favourite place in Kowie.  It is the only place to safely swim - or so we are told and I am willing to believe it because it is just so beautiful and refreshing and it is only a half hour drive from town.

Pats relaxing in 'The Spa'

Our croc spotters!

Lifeguard Bronx



Our shady 'Coolabah' tree



Kowanyama Rodeo

Last weekend we were lucky enough to have a long weekend for the annual Kowanyama Rodeo.  We went down on the Saturday to watch the locals battle it out in the Rodeo arena.  Unfortunately for us all (bulls included) Kowanyama recorded the hottest temperature for the state that day, over 35 degrees.  So we pulled up the Jimny and Pats set up a couple of tarps and chairs to get out of the sun and enjoy the show. 

Our little set up looked very attractive to a group of the local kids, so they decided to come and join us.

It takes a bit to get used to, the way the kids just come up and sit all over you and think nothing of it - even if they don't know you that well!  But they are definitely amusing and always make the day interesting.

The rodeo continued the next day as well, we didn't go but there were quite a few casualties.  Over 6 people had to get flown to Cairns for treatment.  And Pats was thinking about entering next year - he may have to rethink this!

Cairns, cows and shopping

As you could see from our first post, Kowanyama does not have a whole lot of facilities.  So Pats and I decided to do a trip to Cairns to stock up on food and a few things that we forgot to get before making the move.  Now this is not a trip to take lightly, especially over a weekend.  Cairns is a 7 hour drive, while this is not exactly a massive drive, what makes it that much harder is that over 5 hours of this drive is on dirt roads that have quite a few hazards including kangaroos, dust, wild pigs, wallabies, brolgas and huge pot holes that have the ability to completely swallow the poor little Jimny!  However the biggest hazard on this trip are the cows, cows, cows and more cow.  You see Kowanyama is surrounded by cattle stations and these cows can appear out of what seems like no where or they could be safely standing by the side of the road and then decide to completely freak out and stupidly run across the right in front of your car.  Thankfully we made it to Cairns by 10pm Friday night without incident.  One of our colleagues was not so lucky a week later, his car was a total write off after hitting a cow, thankfully he was completely uninjured.  A very lucky man.

Saturday in Cairns started with breakfast on the esplanade then it was all about the shopping - but not the fun kind!  However it was all necessary and life back in Kowie is a lot better for making the trip.  We left Cairns mid morning Sunday with the poor little Jimny packed to the hilt.

We arrived safely back in Kowie early Sunday evening, completely exhausted but very happy we had made the trip. But in no hurry to do it again anytime soon!!

Kowanyama

Kowanyama is located about 600kms North West of Cairns, on the Western side of Cape York.  It is a remote Aboriginal Community with a population of approximately 1000.  Kowanyama means 'The place of many waters' and in the Wet Season this is true.  Kowie is one of the few places that in the Wet Season is completely cut off by road.  The only way in and out is by plane, luckily there is an all weather airstrip that is serviced by the regional airline Skytrans.

There isn't a whole lot in Kowanyama, a small convenience store, a couple of take away shops and the Coffee Shoppe (that doesn't actually sell coffee!)  The selection is not overly extensive and what is there is very expensive.

This is just a quick run down of our new home town.  There is lots more to tell, but this will do for now :)