Kuh-nah-vin

We left Emerald for Carnarvon Station just over a week ago, but already I feel like I've been here for ages. The name of the station is one in a series of words that can only be properly pronounced with an Australian accent, so instead of saying Car-nar-von it is rather like Kuh-nah-vin. Enjoy that one, they sure got a laugh from my American pronunciation.

The trip was a long one in the car, though not so far as the crow flies. The last three hours of the four hour journey were on dirt roads through neighboring properties and national parks accompanied by sightings of kangaroos, bush fires, and at least 100 woo-boys (essentially gigantic speed bumps that help drainage should there be flooding). As the bank man on the phone said when he was taking my new address, “Woah, you really are in the thick of it.” And he was Australian.

We were lucky enough to arrive during daylight, and I found myself surprised by the environment we have here at the station. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but it definitely was a surprise. Big rocky hills and mountains, broad grassy plains, and very dry dark soil. It really looks the way South Africa is portrayed in films...dry, plains, scrubby trees. The area is going through a drought (this should be their 'wet' season and its hardly rained at all!) so I suppose its a bit less lush than usual.

As far as accommodation, there is a sort of base camp about the size of a city block. The site includes houses for the manager and his family, the property ranger, a sort of barracks for visitors and the cottage for myself as well as an office, a big garage, and a few various sheds all within an easy walking distance.

My cottage, which I've already taken to calling my house (as in “We've been in the schoolroom together all day, you are not allowed in my house for at least three hours”), is next to the visitor barracks and is, in the nicest way possible, a very nice rustic dwelling. My bedroom, a spare room, and an open kitchen/living room make up the main of the house. Still connected though having to access by going out the front door and into separate doors will bring me too the pantry/laundry room, showers, and an outdoor toilet. Sure its not 5 star and there are some things that will take getting used to...being one with the bugs that are sort of unavoidable, the drinkable water coming out of a spigot outside, ordering groceries on the phone and having them delivered twice a week by mail (and having to say 'to-mah-toes' because they asked how many pounds of potatoes I wanted when I said 'to-may-toes').  

But I'll manage.  A few nights ago I was sitting here reading about Dana's next adventure, though, and looked around thinking, this is really a pretty grand set-up...it could be a lot more challenging. The one thing I am a bit worried about though is this sucker:

That's a big fire place. That's like a 'I make a mattress out of blankets in front of this so I don't freeze while I sleep' fireplace. While the Watson's did mention before I came about how it gets cold here, I just sort of mentally went, “Right, sure I bet its freezing. I've spent the last 7 winters between Germany and Scotland...I'm sure it'll be so much worse than that. I might have to wear a hoodie...the horror” Well. I guess there is a reason Uggs come from Australia. I have two pairs of jeans, one pair of sweatpants, a hoodie and a rain-jacket...might need to do some unexpected winter shopping sometime soon.

Besides teaching and settling into my little cottage, life on the station has been a blast so far. We've been here about 10 days and have had three 'barbies', movie night, pizza night, and entertained a family who came out to camp for the weekend. The Watson's have two dogs, Peggy the playful poddy calf, three 'chooks' (who lay eggs randomly all over the place) and a rooster. The girls also briefly found a pet baby python, which they named Kaitlyn, though they decided to let her go.

Snags on the barbie with a few XXXXs.  Australian classic!

Peggy and The Cottage in the distance!

Evenings and free time usually includes putting on some bush clothes, hopping in the back of the truck, and heading off with the family for some little adventure somewhere on the station.

My trauma-nurse mother's worst nightmare.  

Climbing 'Fig Tree' an absolutely gigantic tree (there were 10 of us climbing in it at once) and the oldest fig on the station.

Cave paintings of the Bidjara people, anywhere from 300-40,000 years old.

For now, I couldn't be happier with the family or the location. When I was looking for governess jobs most were on cattle stations or farming properties, which would probably be great...but just different. This family though...they're my kind of people. We just enjoy going out, having a little adventure, not really minding if we get dirty, and just enjoying the nature around us. I'm really happy they're keen to include me, hard to imagine asking for more!