Chronically Single - But Why?

Have you ever wondered why some girls are single and others seem to find relationships easy?


Here's the thing I'm that girl the one that has always found getting a man quite easy. Just a note here before my family roll their eyes, I am by no means an expert on keeping men and have had so many failed relationships you couldn't count them. So keeping a man and healthy relationships is another topic altogether (I'm getting better with age just in case you have started to really worry about me now) This is only about why some woman can find men and why others can't.

I have a handful of close friends and a bigger handful of facebook friends (mostly talking about girls because I am one) that for years now I have watched from the sidelines and asked why is she single? If I was a man I would so want her! They are all very attractive some extremely so, have stable and in some cases amazing careers earning fantastic money. They seem really emotionally stable, come from good families a couple of them even own their own homes. They have really active social lives, travel have hobbies and just seem like all round great catches. Is this sounding like you or a chronically single girl you know?

Let me clarify what I feel chronically single is - you haven't classified anyone as your "boyfriend or girlfriend or partner" just to cover all the bases in 2 years or more.
I think if you have come out of something long term and maybe having a bit of a sabbatical then you are not chronically single. If you are single and loving it well then this isn't you either.

So this is where my pondering has led and some of my more conclusive conclusions, I don't want to come across as preachy or arrogant here its a tongue in cheek look at dating not me belittling anyones efforts. Between you and me I really have put all this to the test in my life dating an above average number of people.  

So here they are my short list of tips;

Confidence
Sounds like an obvious one but have you ever wondered why you seem to get noticed more when you have just meet someone? This purple patch is no accident, you look more attractive during this time. You are happier and it will show even if you can't see it. Remember nobody wants the desperate lonely one, people can smell it on you even when you don't think you are acting desperate.
The good news is I think that this confidence can be faked & re-programmed with some training.  
Think Outside the Square
If what you are doing now and I mean the way you live is not attracting the dates you want then you need to change it to do so. This will be hard and uncomfortable as is any change. This is also a hard one to give advice on because it will be case by case.
If for example you never go out - start going out more.... simple
You might need new hobbies and interests.
Hit up your friends let them know that you want them to set you up.
Go on blind dates - this one is obvious if you aren't going on blind dates then you should be.
Try online dating or modify the way you already online date. Let a friend do your profile.
Don't go out and surround yourself with a gaggle of friends its very unapproachable.
Try to look more approachable when out , at work, basically everywhere.
Look at people you wouldn't normally look at that way, the place you buy lunch at the gym etc. which leads to my next point. 
Too Fussy
It might be time to re-visit your expectations. The best way for me to show you this point is to have you think about an ex....is one of your reactions ewww what was I thinking? You see attraction is a fickle thing, it can grow from mutual respect and enjoying someone. Attraction doesn't need to be your number one driver in choosing a date. What I mean is you might not be instantly attracted to someone and this has stopped you from countless chances.
So just for one moment lets take your potential dates 'looks & attraction' off the table,,, Yes I can hear the shocked exclamations from here.
Let me put it another way have you ever known someone that you never really thought was attractive and then they started dating and suddenly became hot? It's because they have a happy loved up glow - sex makes them more confident more attractive. They also are possibly getting groomed or just trying harder to look good for their partner all in all this proves my point. If you are not overly into them give them a chance anyway get to know them a little before writing them off completely. More important qualities to me are are you comfortable together, do they get your humor, are they honest and caring etc.
Its a Numbers Game
If you are looking for someone that you want to settle down with, I suggest that you take things less seriously for a while and basically hold "auditions" for the part. Go out with many different people be more casual- you might not know what qualities you are really looking for yet. There is no need to settle for the first person you date. What I'm saying is don't over commit too soon.  This period of playing the numbers is a great way to have fun, boost your confidence and make new friends.
Be careful what you wish for
I think that a portion of my single friends are still single because they didn't recognise what they were looking for and let it slip away. I think that in a similar way that you set career goals you should dedicate a moment to be very clear in your relationship goals and be very exact in the qualities you are looking for in a man. My sister and I have done this practise for years now, we make a girls night of it have some wine and write out our 'man lists' it is freakishly uncanny that every time within a short period of time the man from our lists will come along or show himself. I have learned to be very exact with my list as I have had some strange experience with wording of the list in the past. Put it this way if you are still an unbeliever. How will you find a man if you have no clue as to what you are looking for or want from them. Don't be vague or settle for less than you really want. 

How to make a date turn into more??
The million dollar question! To keep it simple the thing to remember is that people are all looking for similar things out of life and at the early stage of dating they are looking for someone fun and interesting without too many issues or too high expectations (so you might hold off on "relationship talks" for a bit). So keep it light at first - I don't want to say play hard to get I mean is a game player who you want? Well you might have forgotten to write "not a game player" on your list. I make it a rule for me when I first date to not change my own plans for the new date I mean he was first attracted to the fun side of me, I let them try to join my plans and make effort to see me instead -this shows me they are interested. I don't want to start in on the debate 'he's just not that into you' But recognise that signs and move on with a flick of the hair. 
At this early stage there is generally more communication but make sure its pretty even - otherwise do the hair flick thing I said and move on.

40 bits and pieces about me

Turning 40 I thought I'd do something a bit different and share some of my weird and wonderful life experiences with you all. I mean my blog is called the random adventures of my life right!

1) My three earliest memories are sitting on the potty which was on my nans kitchen table eating breakfast, sitting in old fashioned filing bins at my nans work (which incidentally was at Carlton and United Breweries so that's pretty cool) and sitting in the back boot section of my nans car (possibly a VW Buggie type car) playing while she drove down the freeway saying can you see the sheep? I'd always say yes although I don't ever remember seeing a sheep and now wonder if nan made them up.

2)  In high school I studied Greek and still remember how to say apple, thank you and i love you - so I'd pretty much be able to live there.

3) I went to 4 different high schools, Upfield High, Broadmeadows High both in Melbourne, Then Tempe High and Enmore High both in Sydney.

4) I didn't finish high school I dropped out 2 weeks into year 11 due to being homeless.

5) My first job was a check out chic at the local Super K-mart in Enmore in Sydney around 1988.

6) The first time I went to Japan in 1992 I only had $50 in my pocket.

7) I stayed in New Zealand a place in Auckland called Papakura and worked with my friend in the deli of a super markets & for a caterer.

8) I lived in The Philippines for a year in Quezon City Metro Manila and had 6 cats all that I rescued from drowning in the sewers, named Pedro, Fernando, Luigi, Stephano, Hose and Pinky

9) I've owned and managed 7 of my own businesses including, English Tutor, Beautician, Cafe and currently Perfectly Dunn Events party planning/supplies and catering follow me on facebook here.

10) I love sorting and organizing especially wardrobes - in fact its borderline obsessive compulsive.

11) I love tattoos and have many in fact my entire back is covered.

12) Although I worked in bars & clubs in Sydney when I was 18/19 I didn't drink alcohol until I went to Japan - the first sentence that I could say in Japanese was "I want to drink beer"

13) I owned a home that was custom built by Panasonic in Japan (well had an epic mortgage with my partner if you want to call that owned) 
It had many modern conveniences such as a remote control toilet seat warmer located near the bed to warm the seat before use - it also have the full electronic push button bidet system and air dryer, sensor heating under foot in the kitchen, remote control for the bath located in the kitchen that would fill it and keep it warm to my preferred temperature.

14) In The Philippines I had a 24 hour cantina that served alcohol and food-best thing was a big bottle of beer cost just under 6 cents Australian. I also introduced what I feel was the first ever toasted sandwich to the region.

15) When I was living in Japan at aged 22, I was hospitalized for 8 days for drinking too hard my bill was over $10,000 for the stay!

16) Before heading to Japan at 17-18 I worked as an office junior for a big insurance company in North Sydney my wage was so low and after paying rent and bills I'd usually have less than $20 a week left for food and entertainment. I was always so poor I couldn't always afford to eat. I'd often just buy a loaf of bread and I'd have a Vegemite sandwich for every meal for the week. I would always go out though dancing with my friends 4-5 nights a week with zero dollars in my pocket get in for free dance all night drink water (free back then) I had some of the best times!

17) Once in Korea on holiday I wanted to go to a Korean bath house and have a scrub (if you don't know about them read my piece on them here) and I asked a guy on the street for directions and he pointed one out to me... only when i went inside it was not a bath house but a brothel instead how very awkward.

18) During The Philippines presidents impeachment in 2000 Joseph_Estrada I accidentally walked straight into a student riot on my way to McDonald's there were over 10,000 riot police there and many protesters were injured and some died...but some how people got the impression I was with the world press and they cleared a path for me like I was a hero. I managed to walk away unharmed just shaken. 

19) When I was little my first dog was named Paddlefoot and he was a lovely sausage dog that actually smiled when he saw you -he broke his back jumping over a small fence in the yard protecting the veggie garden :( In that veggie garden one year my dad had a bumper crop of pumpkins ....we ate a LOT of pumpkins that season too many! To this day I still cannot stomach pumpkin soup or pumpkin pie.

20) I didn't get my drivers license until I was 30 years old and I never really drove very much - less than 5000km in an entire year- I'm a pretty nervous driver & worst as a passenger. Then all by myself I drove us 3000km across country because my partner had lost his license & needed to start his new job it took me 4 days of 12 hours a day.

21) I was raised for my first 14 years by my dad and thank goodness for that grounding and for good dads. Back then in the 70's I was the only one in my primary school that had a "step mother" I still remember kids asking me if she was evil like in fairytales.

22) My youngest sister when she was 5 and I was 15 caught me in front of the mirror rapping...yes rapping as in singing a gangsta song,,, to cover my embarrassment I told her I was black on the inside and little by little as I get older it would start to show...she believed this true for a good while.

23) In my twenties while living an extremely wealthy lifestyle I had an addiction to brand labels. At the Louis Vuitton store they knew me by name same with many other high end label stores. Once when my dad came over we were shopping and the manager at a store ran out bowing Stacey San and gave us free gifts.

24) I was married in a traditional Shinto style Japanese wedding when I was 25, I wore a kimono valued at $350,000 (no I didn't get the figure wrong you could buy a house for the price of most kimonos - for westerners to understand its like wearing a priceless piece of art like a Picasso)

25) I used to have 2 pet coin turtles called Peggy and Henry they hated each others guts!

26) In my life although I have had some really wonderful friends I've had 5 "bff's" Effie in high school, Danielle in the years after high school before Japan, Karen in Japan & NZ, Wendii in my early 30's and now Dion.... I miss those that I am not so close to anymore I know its a part of life to grow apart but I know I could have done better as a friend the loss is all mine and its huge.

27) I used to find witch craft fascinating I have dabbled in some spells and found they have always ALWAYS worked. I've done card readings for my own self guidance for years now. Once an acquaintance asked me to do a reading for her and to my surprise showed up at my house with a bunch of her friends all thinking I was a psychic or spiritual reader. I remember one of them was a prison guard they all left happy with the readings though.

28) I've always been interested in history especially with King Henry the 8th.

29) A drag queen once kicked me out of Taxi Club a famous gay bar in Sydney in the wee hours of the morning because I was wearing the same outfit...Lesson Leaned!

30) On NYE 1989 or 1990 I witnessed someone jump out of a second story window above the club Tunnel in Kings Cross Sydney (underbelly golden mile was based around this club during this time). He nearly landed on 2 police officers that had just walked outside they took us inside and the owner gave us a stiff drink. I never heard what happened to the person that jumped the sound of their head cracking when it hit the concrete is something I will never forget.

31) I've never been one to shy away from trying food,,, I've eaten some really weird and wonderful things, such as turtle soup with a chaser of turtle blood wine, fish eyes, a shot of alcohol that had a tigers penis marinading in it and bugs many many bugs!

32) I've fought off muggers twice in my life (once at gun point) by basically freaking out and making a lot of noise and each time they have run away. I think that the more unexpected you act the better off you'll be.

33) When I lived with my sister we had pink walkie talkies to stop us texting each other too much from the next room my call name was Mella (as in Malibu Stacey)and hers was Bella (Ballerina Barbie).

34) Once on a trip to Bangkok I got really bad food poisoning on the way home I filled out the customs card that asked if I had been sick in the past 5 days so I checked the YES box and was promptly quarantined and men in full body hazard suits tested me for hours. I just wanted to go home and curl up in bed it was a long long night.

35) All my life I've had a condition called Hyperhidrosis which is excessive sweating centralised in my hands they literally drip with sweat. It was tough in primary school and has meant that I cant do some activities, I panic when I have to shake someones hand its always a real sinking feeling watching them wipe their hand on their pants after it. I steer clear of dancing with partners, no pole dancing classes for me, holding hands, drawings and things like knitting, origami and sewing.

36) I once became a pash parties sex toy consultant so that I could get the consultant discount on their lingerie range. To become a consultant you have to buy a full party kit and give at least 4 parties which I did,, then when I was moving house with my current partner the box containing this kit including some really inappropriate stuff many many vibrators, bondage tape, whips, lubes, anal beads and so on -broke when my father in law picked it up. I wasn't there but he told his son maybe you better pick all that up. I'm still mortified to this day and imagine he must think that we have a crazy kinky sex life!

37) When I worked for Australia Post Complaints Department in the call centre and I can't even begin to tell you the silly things people put through the postage system not just money and precious items. I once had a caller that was looking for the ashes of their dead father they were posting to their sister. A caller that accused the postie of stealing their porn and another that was certain the postie was having an affair with their wife. The general caller was Australian and always very angry which has been the case in all the Australian call centers I've worked for- I don't know what it is but when we call customer service areas the majority of people here turn into CHUMPS. Please remember that humans are at the end of the phone and they haven't personally done anything wrong to you AND they are going to be the person that can most likely help FIX it - quick tip don't burn that bridge!

38) Once in New Caledonia I was bitten by a jelly fish - we flew to this little secluded island lagoon in one of these planes that land on the water....those planes are so scary they jump around in the sky like a roller coaster.

39) I've had some interesting, humorous and sometimes disastrous online dating experiences, including going on a date with a guy with torrets, a man that asked me to have a 3some with him and his sister (don't even get me started on how wrong he was) lots of boring & awkward dates and lots more trial and error relationships of varying depth and length and some just for fun times. But happily I met the man of my dreams online and we have had such a great few years together and are even planning our wedding. So persistence and patience can pay off! 

40) My last entry is to say I have lived a great life so far full of many highs & lows. I've had extremely rich & extremely poor moments, sad times, embarrassing times, but mostly many many happy times. I feel so lucky & grateful to have had the experiences that I have, they have led me to the here and now. My advice is don't let the bad times define you get rid of the negative. See the humor in situations as much as possible laugh at yourself and mostly, money isn't what makes you happy You control your happiness.

Love Stacey xx

Renting in Kalgoorlie

I thought I'd write a little piece on renting a place in Kalgoorlie because we found the experience confusing with many differences from the eastern states of Australia.


First thing to be aware of if you are thinking of making the move is that you are not allowed to put through an application for a rental over the internet. This we found unfortunate as we would have like to line up a place to move into before moving over. You are not allowed because there is a rule that you must have pysically sighted the property. We found that real estates would not deal with us via email either.


A thing to note is that motels, hotels and caravan parks need to be booked in advanced they are mostly full year round and expensive the caravan park only took weekly bookings not by the day and cost $600 per week. The renatal vacancy rate is very low here less than 1% (most cities fluxuate between 20%~16%) which essentially means there are not enough renal properties to accomodate the population. As this is a mining town a vast majority of the people here are not from here and are only here tempararily for a few years. This makes the rental market one of the most competetive in the nation.
Being such a highly competitive market seems to make a big difference in the way the real estate agents work. The whole vibe is different- its hard to discribe I'll start by saying that the level of cusotmer service is poor. I guess it really is true when they dont need your business!

Be aware that you need to have a weeks rent to put as a down payment with every application you submit. All the real estates that we encountered wont let you put through mulitple applications at a time. The applicaton form however will let you put 1st and 2nd preferences. This first weeks rent is not a bond you will have to pay the usual bond of one months rent when you are successful. You need to pay in cash and if you are unsuccessful they will move it to the next application that you submit. You may need to pay the difference in balance. If you are successful this is taken as your first week rent paid. If you want your money back they will write you a cheque, which is very annoying because you need to wait for it clear back into your account. We had the added step of needing to post a cheque on to our own banks in another state as they dont have a branch in Kalgoorlie.

When you attend an inspection (they will never give you keys to look at a place yourself or show you a place outside these inspection times) there will be many people that come through- so its a good idea to set yourself above the pack and present yourself well look neat and tidy. Chat to the real estate agent make a lasting impression. Remember she might only submit her top three (or less) candidates to the land lord for approval. They will look more kindly on you if you dont smoke and dont have pets (I'm not saying to lie....but we did).

Rent here can be paid weekly which was a surprise to me as I have never known a real estate or land lord to accept less than a month at a time. Unfortunatly you have to pay in cash they do not have eftpos or bpay facilities.

Also they have many more inspections than in my past renting experience, I have even lived in places for years and not had one. We have had 2 in 5 months so far and they are very very thorough and tough.

Tips on Getting a JOB in the Mining Industry

As I have previously mentioned it can take a long time to get a foot in the door in the mining industry much longer than the perception. Before embarking on this adventure I had always heard of people heading to the mines to make their fortune. So I just asumed it was easy.

There are a few things that you can do to help your chances.

Tradies (Tradesmen) will have a better chance than anyone else as the majority of the work is in labour. Not many mining companies hire someone with no mining experience. They also don't take on domestic or household tradesmen you need at least some experience with industrial level machinery.
 The easiest way in is if you are a diesel mechanic that works for one of the top companies such as Caterpillar, Komastu or Hitachi etc even though you may not work on the size machinery they have in the mines you will still have all the formal training and all the mines use big rigs from those companies. If you are a fully qualified diesel mechanic and currently work for one of these companies then your chances are quite good. You can either look on job search websites or send your resume directly. Another option that worked very well for my brother -in law is he put his own resume on seek and companies approached him. He was courted hard by the biggest with no prior experience and worked out a fantastic Fly in Fly out (FIFO) deal. My sister writes a lovely blog about the FIFO lifestyle here.

Caterpillar Dump Truck- you need a ladder to climb on board

If you don't happen to be a geologist, mining engineer or diesel mechanic (like us) there is still hope!
Licence up;
I do recommend organising your trade licence in the state you are applying to work. You can organise it when you get here but takes a couple of months and will severely restrict your ability to work and in turn your hireabliity. So if you already have that organised before applying it will make you stand out from the crowds. This is a logical step you are showing you are serious and qualified to do the job you are applying for.
Tweak your Resume;
Having been on the opposite side of hiring I can honestly say that your resume will make or break your chances. I used to have a quick glance and sort them into duds and people that I wanted to read more about. I'd then give the dud pile to an off- sider to give a second chance to whoever they felt deserved it. But honestly hardly ever did anyone that was initially classed a dud based soley on a quick glance at their resume make it through to interview. First impressions count!
Remember that even though you are applying for a mining job the person that will receive your resume is in head office in HR they are a professional with little exposure to the job you are applying for. So make it as professional looking as possible - have someone else check it- ALWAYS do this.
Spell check (um...if you don't do this you don't deserve a job anywhere), don't use personal/ inappropriate email addresses hornyboi88@ will NOT make it through to interview!
Also its likely they will use your email to find you on social media like facebook and could form an opinion that your are unprofessional. When searching for a new job you should always have all social media settings to private and if a profile picture will show in search results tone it down! Believe me we do look and have a good laugh but we don't interview the people we find on social media if they come across as party people that are always drunk.
List all your extra qualifications such as first aid, fire warden, fork lift driver any other courses that your work might have up-skilled you with.
Try to keep it mining applicable if you work on heavy machinery this needs to be prominent.


Kalgoorlie Super Pit- the largest open cut gold mine in Australia

Leverage off someone you know; If you know someone working in the mining industry ask them to pass on your resume, chances are they get a finders fee once you pass probation so there is incentive to introduce quality workers.
Research and apply to companies directly -it might be a good idea to send your resume directly to the company you 'd like to work for. Call first and find out the email address for the HR department.
Job Agency;
Job agencies that are mining specific. Again research on the net all the major mining towns have dozens of job agencies that get people into the mines. Send them your resume and maybe set up a phone interview or just ring them and ask advice. My feeling on these agencies is that they will require you to live local.
Contracting Companies;
Some of the big mining companies wont look at you so it might be an idea to apply for a position at one of the thousands of contracting companies that service the mines instead. This is an excellent foot in the door and will get you the experience you need to use as a stepping stone. This is a good option also if you have only worked on domestic machinery as they will provide training. Believe me you will need training my partner (even though he worked on industrial and heavy machinery and was seasoned in his trade as an electrician) says that it was like learning his trade all over again!
Be prepared to MOVE!
Not many mines actually do FIFO in some cases you even have to cover a portion or all of your flying cost yourself! Many mines nowadays require their work force to live in the local area this is why they spend the money building up the communities instead. Some companies in their job offer will include a re-location package to help with the costs in return for you committing to a minumum of 2 to 3 years on a binding contract.
If you are looking for work in the non skilled sector or administration areas you are more than likely going to need to live locally. Many people do this come over without a job lined up. In fact I did this very thing -my partner had a job offer from an electrical contractor and I came to the unknown. I just looked in the local paper and found a job within a week. Office administration, non skilled labor and service jobs in the greater mining industry are quite easy to come by once you are here.

Little holiday back to Melbourne

I came back to Melbourne for my nieces first birthday to help out and catch up with my family.

As it turned out I had to come back alone because my boy had to work. It was nice to spend quality time with my family though, especially my niece I’m bias but she is the cutest most adorable baby in the world. 

Typically I got really sick as soon as I arrived with an epic ear infection that was the most painful agony I have ever endured. I spent the first four of my eight days here in a medicated haze in my pajamas not even able to leave my parents house. This meant I wasn’t able to do some of the things that I had been planning to do. I missed out on catching up with all of my friends and I simply didn’t have the energy to try on wedding dresses when I felt so crap.

My adorable niece

Showing off the shoes i got her

On the positive side of this I got to really bond with my niece again it had been 3 months since I had seen her and in baby time that’s a long time!

The first birthday party that my sister threw for her was amazing. We love throwing parties in my family and love love love a good theme!! The theme for this one was hot air balloons. She made decorations and a cake . I made chocolate ice-cream that was divine and I got so excited by it I ended up getting an ice-cream maker –so stay tuned for lots more ice-cream recipes.

The cake my sister made was amazing!

The other exciting thing I got to do whilst on holiday was go to Costco, I cant tell you how excited i was to go and when i got there i was in heaven! American warehouse style shopping sigh ahhhhh what more could anyone want, The only down side was I had to show restraint as I cant get giant jars of pickles and kitchenware to Kalgoorlie. So i just got a giant mud cake, giant bucket of peanut m&m's, cookies, tim tams, reece peanut butter cups and some books (that's me being restrained). 

My sister at Costco

 

 

 

 

 

I had an amazing dinner with my other sister and her husband and one of my best girl friends. We went to a place in an alley way off exibition - I love Melbourne alleys best resturant and bars can be found. This place is right near one of my favourite bars Trunk. The place is called Gami Chicken and Beer its Korean and its Fabulous i highly recommend it. Its basically a cool little place that only serve different styles of fried chicken and beer in kegs or jugs. Was so delicious if you are in the area check it out its also really reasonable.

Gami Chicken and Beer Korean Restaurant

First impressions of Kalgoorlie

As we approached the GPS told us we were 5km from Kalgoorlie town centre and after a 4 day -3000 kilometre drive we were really hanging out to see it. But even this close to town as far as the eye could see its completely deserted bush.

The desert in Australia is not as you might imagine – well in my mind I picture endless pristine white sand like they have in the Sahara. Australia is nothing like that the earth is a rich red literally baked and contrary to popular desert images it’s full of trees and shrubs and wildlife. Even in October the heat was hot and dry, the kind of heat that makes your skin prickle. Coming from Melbourne which is still very cold at that time of year, it instantly brightened our mood. It’s always exciting being in a warmer climate to your friends.

 

We hit the industrial end of town first which we couldn’t have been prepared for. We watched every single You Tube clip and anything we could get our hands on the net. Which is only a handful of dull clips that are all unfortunately really old. We had also watched every episode of Kalgoorlie cops a dozen times, but they only focus on the crime and nightlife not the day to day life style. My first thought were oH Nooooooo there are no shops what am I going to do? Have we made a HUGE mistake?

It was 9am with the time zone difference being 3 hours our bodies were screaming for lunch already. So we headed to a café called Dome which reminded me a bit of Starbucks. Apparently Dome is all over Western Australia but we had not heard of it. The food was fine nothing exciting but obviously trustworthy. 

 (Unmarked graves at Kalgoorlie cemetery)

The main part of town consists of a long large street Hannan Street which has all the shops and most famous bars along it. The street itself on first impression reminded me of Bridge Road in Melbourne old fashioned architecture and a bit cosmopolitan.  There are defiantly all walks of life living in this town.  This is a melting pot of people and there is a lot of both extreme poverty and ridiculous wealth all living close together in peace. 

It’s the 5 largest city in Western Australia with a population of around 30’000 people.  There are a lot of immigrants from all over the world that have come to make their fortunes mining in the goldfields.  The 3 main countries at the moment are South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand.  There is also a big Thai and Filipino community as well. It’s impossible to go a day without hearing one of these accents from the people you encounter.

 (On the road into Kalgoorlie a loan toilet sits on a hill of quartz rock)

Let me put the money side into perspective a little. Wages for miners with even the most menial of jobs would start at $100’000 and quickly rise based on skill, complexity of task, danger of task and length of time in the mining industry. Even maids and cooks start of $80’000 or $90’000. They struggle to find Australian workers that are willing to stick around or even do the work to begin with so most are from overseas. In my experience the overseas workers get paid less per hour. This is mostly because they are stuck on contracts (usually 3 years) that they cannot get out of. The companies will pay for them to re-locate from overseas and sponsor any Australian licenses they need (which take ages to arrange) in return they are stuck on a flat rate for years earning at least $10 ~$20 per hour less.

Miners work really long days and nights as mines never shut. So it’s a 12 hour day of hard labour in extreme conditions. They also usually work in very harsh remote locations either being flown in for their swing (shift usually 12 days in a row) or drive in. They stay in dongas (portable basic rooms). Some mine sites are much nicer than others as is life. There is a mess hall for meals and when you go in for breakfast you pack your own lunch to take down to site or underground with you. The miners all have their own esky’s and 5 litre water cooler bottles. There are ice machines down there, but if you miss breakfast then you won’t have a chance to make lunch.  Miners need to pass drug and alcohol test daily and there are always rumours about how to fake them or beat the test. Mine sites also restrict the amount of alcohol you can have, I’ve heard of different methods, they only open the wet mess (bar) for a couple of ours, other mine sites only sell you a limited amount daily or they only have light beer. In this industry alcoholism is rife!

 (KCGM Super pit mine site)

So the city of Kalgoorlie was built by the mining companies and for mining families with a LOT of disposable income and in their shift off they want to spend it. That’s why just next door to the post office and near the supermarket is a brothel  and it’s such a part of the town culture it’s somehow not offencive or strange at all. In fact they do a tour through the day and serve home baked cookies, they even have a gift shop. That’s also why there are about 20 pubs all within walking distance. Some of them serve excellent food; there are places for fine dining that you would need to have a reservation for any night of the week and it’s going to cost $100 per head. There are all the major fast food places including, maccas, KFC, red rooster, subway, jesters, nandos etc. Food wise what I feel is lacking compared to the amazing fare in big cities is Asian food, the Chinese food is very poor they don’t have yum cha sessions either.  The Japanese is also disappointing –and before you moan I am allowed to judge I lived there long enough!!

 (In front of the legendary Exchange Hotel in Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie)

There are also all the main shopping chains that most shopping centres have which was a massive relief. It was very hard prior to coming to research what shops Kalgoorlie has if you just ask google a whole lot of random results came when what I really wanted was a list. They have K-mart, Target, Dusk, Sanity, Just Jeans, Jeans, West, Supre, Diva, Jay Jays, Rivers, Katies, Susans, Betts, Collins, Priceline and many more. But more than anything else there are so many jewellery shops and pharmacies.

All in all Kalgoorlie seems to be quite family orientated and peaceful. We live on a street very near the main part of town and do hear (especially on Friday and Saturday nights) the odd yelling and someone publicly drunk.  

Our Move over to Kalgoorlie (the desert mining town in the middle of nowhere)

We arrived in late October so have been here just on 3 months now and I can honestly say I am so pleasantly surprised and happy here!

We packed up our whole life in a month and drove over from Melbourne. We had a big farewell / engagement party at our old place 2 days before we made the epic drive over here.  This was mistake number one. What were we thinking? It was one of those ideas that seem like a great idea at the planning stage and then hind sight is a beautiful thing.  Turned into too much to do with not enough time and cleaning the house up and moving out the day after your engagement party means you don’t enjoy the party the night before.  My recommendation is don’t hold big life events so close to each other give them each the time they deserve.

Thank god my best friend came over from Adelaide for the week to help us.  He just makes me laugh the whole time when he is around. So instead of the stress spiralling out of control and being exhausted he kept us happy and distracted. Not to mention all the man power he supplied with the actual lifting of furniture. That's a true friend one that will help you move house. My best friend drove 12 hours and took a week off work to come help me out.

We had made the choice to keep our belongings in a storage unit in Melbourne until we decided if we had made the right decision.  As mentioned we had so many people telling us we were making a mistake that kind of negativity can get very draining and cause doubt and fear. So we thought it was a rather mature decision at the time. Another mistake let’s call it number 50. I recommend trusting your instincts don’t listen to others especially those that have never actually done it. Do your own research and follow your own dreams that way even if you make mistakes there won’t be regret or resentment.

So on the Wednesday before the party we moved most of our belongings to a storage unit. I did have a massive clean out and had to make cut throat choices whether to bring things or not. I tried to sell some on eBay and to friends but strangely was not very successful which baffles me to this day. Our furniture was all very nice so we couldn’t work out why people didn’t want it. Especially since we would have taken any token amount of money because taking it to the tip is very expensive in Melbourne we did so many tip runs I lost count and spent over $150 a pop for each tray load. So we just needed people to take it off our hands to be honest. I think that we lived so far from most people in Melbourne no one wanted to make the effort to come so far.  

 (Me with my best friend Dion)

I did pack 2 of my friends cars Dion had driven over from Adelaide for that very reason. I donated over 17 bags to charity bins and the op shop my mum works at. We gave a huge amount to Geoff’s family as well. It’s about here in the story you will realise I have a shopping problem.  So we stored just the most important things to us and in hind sight should have got rid of most of that too as the removalist cost over $6000 to truck over to us. Add to that the petrol costs of over $2500 for us to drive our cars here it’s a lot of money that we could have used to just purchase it all new again. So much of it arrived after being trucked here, just looking worst for wear.  With nicks and scratches and dints and a couple of items completely broken, the insurance excess isn’t worth paying for those items alone. See it’s all a massive catch 22.  My recommendation to anyone making a cross country move is if your moving costs are higher than $2000 then don’t move it buy it again from there.

(Our dog Bam Bam packed snug in the car amongst all our clothes and bedding)

As my partner Geoff had lost his licence I had to do the entire drive alone, which I was quite nervous about to say the least. Mistake number 3 was not taking his car which is a big Hilux instead because I don’t know how to drive manual and felt more comfortable in my car we packed up some clothes, dog , our bedding  and a few items to help get us through the first few months. All this was put into my tiny Holden Astra and driven 3000 kilometres across Australia. Lesson learned I should have just learned to drive manual. I do recommend driving as you can bring more with you than the limited luggage restrictions airlines have. Also shipping cars is very expensive and you can’t have anything inside the car that means NOTHING only floor mats are permitted. Another great thing about driving is it’s an amazing experience that you have together. We saw the most amazing sunrises and saw sights that are once in a life time. We took quite a leisurely pace and gave ourselves plenty of time had lots of little pit stops to let our dog stretch as well.

So we left on the Monday morning stopping off in Adelaide first for a night with my best friend Dion who cooked us a lovely meal after 12 hours of driving even gave up his own bed for us. Then we drove for 10 hours the second day and stopped for the night in Ceduna where we snuck our dog into the cabin in one of our bags and left early in the morning so he couldn’t be detected.

 (Stunning view of sunrise on morning 3 of road trip)

The 3^rd and 4^th day the driving was truly breathtaking along the Great Australian Bight and then heading inland to our final destination Kalgoorlie. Other than my arms giving me a little trouble (I suffer from RSI in my arms) and the roadhouse we stayed in on the last night being horrible (like out of a horror movie kind of horrible). It was a truck stop in the middle of nowhere I had driven for 12 hours that day and the next nearest pit stop was another 5 hour drive so there wasn’t much choice in the matter. I basically didn’t let any part of my bare skin on my body touch anything in the room. At about 3am I couldn’t take it anymore and sleep wasn’t likely so I woke Geoff up and we headed off again. I drove really slowly as we didn’t want to hit any wild life in most cases the damage to our car and us would be worse than the psychological damage of killing an animal. We did however kill millions of bugs and had a near miss with a giant eagle that gave us a fright. 

 (My car front full of bugs)

Having made us leave at 3am we reach Kalgoorlie on Thursday morning at 9am. We went and checked into a caravan park and had to put Bam Bam our dog into a kennel. The lady at the kennels told us it took her 8 weeks to find a place to rent and that rentals we at less than 1% vacancy and competition was really high for places to live. Our hearts sank to say the least. We found we were unable to apply for places before we arrived online as Western Australia has a rule that we must have inspected the place before we apply. Also a strange Western Australian rule is you can only apply for one place at a time per real estate agency and to regulate this they charge you one week’s rent to submit the application. We couldn’t afford to not rent a home for very long the caravan park, were charging $550 per week! We later found out that Geoff’s work would pay for our first 2 weeks accommodation. We also didn’t want Bam Bam to be in a kennel for that long. 

 (Geoff my partner posing on the open road in Western Australia)

So we were in a slightly panicked state of mind when we approached the real estate’s looking for a home to rent.  We were accepted for the first one we applied for though and it ended up being a complete non- issue.  We moved in exactly one week after arriving in town. We only had a car load worth of possessions so I just did this myself and it gave me a chance to clean the house like a maniac while Geoff was at work. We slept on an air mattress for 3 nights until we bought a bed. So then we had a bed so I bought us a couple of bean bags so we could sit and watch telly, play on our laptops and eat etc. I learned that bean bags are not as fun as I remembered, my body ached and Geoff must have felt the same way because as soon as his first pay came in we were off to buy a lounge suite and he got one with 4 recliners so he must have really hated those bean bags!  

As you might have gathered we decided really quickly to have our things shipped over which means that we are staying here for a while at least and giving this new life a fair chance.Loving every minute of it so far!