Back to Exmouth

My travel plan was to leave Perth by noon on Monday and I have to say I did fairly well. I worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at Salsa Rossa and really did almost no packing or departure prep short of purchasing straps and a tarp to hook my newly purchased bike to the roof of Tessie. But even that was more of a social outing because Nat and I took Cooper to the dog beach and then decided to stop at Bunnings, the monopoly hardware store chain, on our way back home. Either way, it was a to do list item done in advance!

Gisela had the good sense to give herself a few days to pack and get her life together before departing for Newman, I did not. Same story, different day in Kate world. Sunday night after work I really didn’t A. feel like packing and B. want to miss out on time spent with my housemates, so I instead stayed up til 3am with them, watching Dirty Dancing and then having our own dance party in the living room. Around 1am I remembered it was Father’s Day at home, too, and got to catch up briefly with the Papa Bear. Then off to bed for an early morning hangover and wake up!

Because my body thinks I should have the privilege of enjoying every moment of a hangover, I was up by 8:30 (early for me these days) and got my butt in gear with the packing I’d been avoiding. By the time the other girls rolled out of bed I was pretty well on my way, so Weronika’s offer of French Toast for breakfast sounded perfect. We got to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, I got the car loaded and myself showered, and was ready to go by 11:50! Hit a few delays because Wiebke was on a work call and I obviously couldn’t leave without a hug, and then I was out, car gassed and properly on the road by 12:30. It started raining about 1:30 and intermittently poured the whole way to Geraldton. It was starting to get dark, I was starting to get sleepy, and it was still pissing down rain, so I pulled over, did some quick Googling, and found a former convent that has new life as budget travelers’ accommodation to stay in for the night. Not only did I get to sleep horizontally (which wasn’t gonna happen in my car with my bike tucked in the back – didn’t even need the straps and tarp after all), but also had some really hearty leek and potato soup at the hotel next door. Good plan, Kate!

"The Old Convent" in Northampton, Western Australia

I was in bed by 8:30, awake around 7:30, and on the road about 8:15 on Tuesday morning. 11 hours of sleep will really get a girl motivated for a long day’s driving! Thankfully I had the foresight to get a free Spotify trial, so I downloaded a bunch of Road Trip themed music mixes (my favorite was 70s Road Trip Classics), so I had the windows down, the music blasting, and had the early morning joy of remembering that people in the north wave at each other as they pass on the highway! Love it. With one stop for fuel in Carnarvon, I made it to Exmouth by 4pm. I texted some friends to let them know I’d arrived and was on a couch, catching up on the last three months, by 4:30. Have I mentioned before how very lucky I am?

Travel weather: Day 1

Travel weather: Day 2

On my way into town I stopped at the roadside memorial for Operation Potshot figuring it'd be good to have a basic idea of the history of the word since I'm going to be working in a bar named after it. Apparently Operation Potshot was a WWII endeavor to create a US submarine base in Northwestern Australia so that subs wouldn't have to go all the way south to Perth and Fremantle (or even further to Albany) to have surface support. Lots of US servicemen who tried to defect were sent here as punishment since they basically couldn't escape (even today it's basically the middle of nowhere, so I can only imagine how desolate it was in the '40s when the base was operating). There were some cool stories of devil-may-care Royal Air Force members who just decided they were going to relocate up here without the military's permission, did so, and ended up convincing the RAF that a full-fledged base here was a good idea. They were only partially correct because cyclone season here is a real bear, but for the few months per year when the Exmouth Gulf cooperates, it was a good idea! 

Anyway, after hanging out with Matt and Kayla, I grabbed a pizza for dinner at one of the local breweries, Whalebone, and then made my way to a coworker’s house. When she first heard that I was coming back to town she reached out and offered me a place for me to stay while getting settled into town rather than have to stay at the local hostel – so, so nice. I spent most of the evening hanging out with her, her partner, her father in law, and their three dogs (heaven), and then got a text from my friend Corinne saying she had a lead on a two-bedroom apartment for us! So at 9pm I went to check out a little two bedroom apartment right in the center of town with – get this – a view of the ocean from the kitchen sink. Corinne put in our application this morning so keep your fingers and toes crossed that I have a more permanent rental in just a few days!!

This morning I took advantage of the chance to sleep in a bit – Corinne told me she hasn’t had a day off since arriving in town two weeks ago, so I get the feeling I’m going to really hit the ground running. Chatted with M&D, then grabbed some shorts and a tee (it was already almost 70° when I woke up!) and went to a café, The Social Society (SoSo for those of you who are hip to Exmouth shorthand) for an oven-warmed almond croissant and chai. Basking in the sun over a hot baked good and tea was a really, really great reminder of why people love it so much here. After a bite to eat I stopped by the dive shop that I had been training at in March before Covid scared me back to Perth. I chatted with the owner and he put me on the roster for a training day on the Whalesharking boat this weekend! So I’m back to having a job and a half in Exmouth; it’s like I’ve stepped straight back into March with hardly a blink.

My friends Kayla and Matt said the same thing when I visited them yesterday – the last three months have been a whirlwind, but it also feels a little bit like nothing has changed. Western Australia’s Covid restrictions are easing even more as of this weekend – no caps on how many people can be in a bar or restaurant beyond a 2m² per person rule, bar-goers can drink standing up (they had been required to be seated for the last two weeks), and all the travel barriers within the state are gone. The last change will be to undo the hard border with the Eastern states, but Victoria, the state that includes Melbourne, is in the middle of a Covid outbreak so now it’s sounding like it won’t be until August at the absolute earliest.

I miss my housemates and my friends in Perth, but this is a cool adventure, too. I feel so fortunate to be in a place where Covid is under control enough that some semblance of normal life can proceed. I’m so glad I was able to get work, and the promise of enough days to complete my 88 days to stay here for a second year. I wish I could travel home (I’m supposed to be in California with my parents, brother, aunt, uncle, and cousins RIGHT NOW, but am obviously missing that), I wish I could hug my people who are stateside, but I’m also so very lucky to be where I am. I guess life is always weird, but how fortunate am I to not have to wait 3 months for letters from home like Dad did while he was in the Peace Corps in West Africa? I can just video call when I need a verbal hug.

My first shift at the Potshot is this afternoon at 4, so I’m hunkered down at the Visitor’s Center using their 1 hour of daily free WiFi to post this. I rode my bike (and wore my helmet!) to get here. I’m sitting in a warm, sunny spot, realizing I need to start carrying sunscreen around in my bag all the time again. Life is wonderful.

I may be pale as a sheet now, but I don't think that's gonna last too much longer!