I am going to approach this blog after this entry, more on a regular basis, just showing little bits more often, than a lot of everything. It all becomes too hard, so I will tidy up the last two months in this entry.
We arrived in Cairns end September, and promptly parked ourselves on (Micheal & Haley’s’) front yard. That is our Cairns based son, and his bride. A two week time frame went into six. Already getting a bit itchy, to do something, after having all of September off; two days after we arrived in Cairns, I took on a job driving a shuttle bus. This entailed driving holiday makers from Cairns airport to Port Douglas and return, couple of times a day. Worked for the same mob last time we were freeloading in Cairns in 2005, so I knew all the workings.
During the time in Cairns, we managed to take in the Christening of our grand daughter, and celebrate the engagement of Micheal & Haley. The Leader of the Opposition, better known as the bride, just played “granny” during our time in Cairns………but I guess that’s her job, being a granny.
As it is happens in this high flying world of business, the company I was working for was Cairns based, however was taken over by a Mossman based bus and coach company, four weeks after I started. Now the town of Mossman is an interesting bit of geography, to be kind, but not going to talk about that one! So an executive decision was made. Move to Port Douglas, and commute the 14kms to Mossman was the most logical thing to do. Had the option to base ourselves in Mossman….but that was quickly quashed for lots of reasons.
We shacked up in a great park at Craiglee, known as Glengarry Holiday Park, which is just to the west of Port Douglas. So we were not really in Port, only five minutes away, so we had the best of PD, and only a 14k drive to the coach depot in Mossman. We were in an area in the park, where there were a few other drivers and various contractors, which was quite social….although a bit boring for the bride, as all these drivers, contractors etc, were single males. No girlie talk for the bride and nothing for me to check out…..bugger.
Anyway into the new position, but it emerged very quickly, the 14kms to work in Mossman…….prepare a bus, then drive to PD for your first pick ups, was adding about an hour onto the start. At the end of the day a reverse procedure applied……Mmmmmmmmmm, have to think about that one.
A week or so into the new arrangement, I was allocated the 3am starts out of Mossman. That meant out of the cot by 1.55am, fumble around an 18’ caravan, trying not to disturb the bride, get dressed in a fashion, then start the mighty Mopar Muscle Car. Ever tried to start a 32 year old throaty 265 Hemi motor at 2.15am without waking the dead!!!!!!!!! Any way drive to Mossman in the dead of night, park the Mopar Muscle car in an unsecured car park, and prepare a bus….scary stuff!!!!!!!!. But won’t go there, about this northern Queensland town.
Just as Wendy found a casual job, the next adventure was starting to unfolded before our eyes. We were offered another 4 star motel on a permanent relief basis in Kingaroy, in the South Burnett area of Queensland. A four star jobbie with all the benefits attached, and a remuneration not parallel to that of a busie. We took into consideration the heat and humidity, that was just starting to hit with vengeance in the tropical north, the onset of the wet season, the possibility of being laid off anyway as the tourist season was dying a fast death. So crunching some numbers, the decision was made to run away from the tropical north and go back into management………….even if only in the short term to build up the bank.
We headed back down the coast, via Rollingstone, Midge Point, Yepoon, and Hervey Bay. That took us two weeks and we started at Kingaroy on December 1st
In the mean time stay toooooooooooned for the next adventure of the “Retro Roamers.
