Complaints, complaints, complaints...

The first complaint about me came as a bit of a shock. I’d just arrived at work and the boss comes over to me to say that they have to write a ministerial (a brief for the minister for health which then gets distributed to the local member of parliament) about me. I wondered why. What had I done that was so bad? My first complaint was due to a letter that I had written. The proprietor had seen it as me threatening him and saying that I would close down the place. Where he got this idea from I don’t know. You only have to look at the track record of our program to see that we haven’t closed a place down recently. We haven’t closed a place down in the past five years. We haven’t closed a place down… ever, as far as I’m aware. I received a couple of letters from local members of parliament whom I really would have liked to have written back to. Unfortunately I can’t tell them where they can stick their support and just had to stick the letter on the file with no reply. Just another thing I guess I’ll have to get used to.

What do you Finke?

This week I went out to the community of Aputula, otherwise known as Finke. Finke is famous in Central Australia as it is the start/finish point for the Finke Desert Race, which is a major race on the off-motorcycling calendar and follows the Old South Road for over 200kms before finishing in Finke. The next day, the riders do it all again but head north. We weren’t here for that (being four months early – the race is in June). Our drive down to Finke wasn't as quick as the race (and we went down the highway before cutting across which is about 420 kms) but it was a good run down there.

Me Driving to Finke.

After receiving a complaint regarding the store we went down to investigate. Our time in the community was spend conducting inspections at the various registered premises in the town, touring the sewerage ponds, landfill, bores, power station and airstrip as well as meeting with various community representatives and managers from the shire services. We had quite a bit to do in the town but in the end we got our inspections done and letters written.

On Wednesday morning we left the community and headed back to Alice Springs. It is 151 kms of dirt road before getting to the Stuart Highway near Kulgera. On the way we saw a sign for the Lambert Centre and had to go. After all, it was only 12 km away. After some real four-wheel driving we arrived at the Lambert Cenre. The Lambert Centre is the geographical centre of Australia. Now I can say that I really have been to the middle of Australia!

The way to the geographical centre of Australia.

The Lambert Centre.

On the way back to Alice Springs I had another first. Driving along I heard this massive bang and the steering on the car became very still. I was traveling at around 110 km/h but managed to stop the car and pull over to the side of the road. It was my first blow out! It wasn't a big thing. Being in the outback there were no cars to hit and I could slow down easily. It was exciting though. The tyre took a while to change (another first) but we were soon on our way back to Alice. This time, we arrived without any further problems.

Changing my first blown out tyre.

A rapid trip to the Barkly

At the start of February, Cyclone Yassi hit Cairns. It was a category 5 cyclone and therefore, understandably, caused quite a bit of damage. It was bad to watch the devastation on the television but we didn’t think that it would affect us much. We might get a bit of rain, maybe a bit of wind too, but nothing too bad. You can imagine my surprise when I read in the local paper it would reach Alice Springs as a category 1 cyclone and we could expect widespread flooding. That lunchtime as I walked down the mall I was even more surprised to see people building walls of sandbags in front of their shops and businesses. I’m on the Public Health Counter Disaster Committee for Region 3 and the reports that we’d been given only stated that there might be minor flooding. These businesses were quite a way from the river and would only be reached with very major flooding. That weekend we were told that we might be called upon depending on what happens. It was very unlikely, but we had to be prepared just in case.

That weekend there were a few very heavy passing showers and lots of dark clouds on the horizon. Not the major flooding that the papers said would hit Alice. Not even the minor flooding that the Government had said may happen. The river didn’t flow that weekend. It dribbled over the following week but was that light that you hardly had to slow down when driving across the causeways. The storm passed to the south of Alice Springs. The decision was made however, to start a voluntary evacuation of some of the remote communities. In the end, one community did evacuate some residents. The thing was, they didn’t have anywhere to go. It wasn’t a disaster situation and therefore no shelters were open and the government departments didn’t have any legislative power to do anything really. In the end, the show grounds at Tennant Creek, the closest major town to the community, was opened for the influx of residents who left their community.

On Monday afternoon, I was asked if I wanted to go up to Tennant Creek with another EHO, Aaron Clifford, to do an assessment of the show grounds for environmental health considerations. So after a very busy afternoon booking accommodation, making phone calls to many other government agencies and a lot of paperwork it was confirmed. I was going up to Tennant Creek and would be back on Friday. We left early the next day and were up in Tennant Creek just after lunch. We went straight around to the show grounds and started work. Our job basically involved us checking out the facilities, ensuring the food preparation areas were safe and suitable for use; the ablution facilities were sufficient, in good working order and in a sanitary condition; that the accommodation was safe and sufficient and to basically look for any other environmental health issues that could affect the health of those staying at the grounds. We then had to arrange cleaning of the facilities, use of alternative food preparation and storage facilities and ensure that the necessary precautions were taken to ensure that the health of the residents was not compromised. It involved a lot of meetings with people and seeing what people could do to help. These people were then matched up and everyone was happy. It took us two days to get everything sorted and write our reports on the trip.

A flooded road near Wycliffe Well.

Me at the Devil's Marbles.


Tennant Creek.

It was a good trip up to Tennant Creek and a good learning experience on how do conduct a rapid assessment of an evacuation centre and how to get what you need through meetings, phone calls and lots of luck. In the end we accomplished what we'd set out to do and the boss was happy with the final report. It was a good week.

Going for a Drive

Each night for the rest of the week we went for a drive. North, south, east and west, we covered each point of the compass. Heading out of Alice before sunset then driving down the road until we decided that there wasn’t much out, and we turned around. It was a shame that there wasn’t much out. The days had been hot but the nights were relatively cool. For whatever the reason, there wasn’t as much out as should have been. Even so, we did get to see quite a few cool things.

Stimpsons Python (Antaresia stimpsoni).

Me illegally interfering with a gecko (by picking it up).

Southern Spiney-tailed Gecko (Strophurus intermedius).

Marbled Velvet Gecko (Odura marmarata).

An angry Mulga Snake (Pseudechis australis) that I suprised (and suprised me) while walking down a dry river bed.

A House Mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) eating grass seed near Glen Helen.

Australian Owlet Nightjar (Aegotheles cristatus) that didn't want to get off the road.

Centralian Carpet Python (Morelia spilota bredli).

A fly on a tree.

Bynoes Gecko (Heteronotia binoei).

Rocking the Rock!

Stewart was here for two weeks and in that time we saw quite a bit. The next weekend we drove down to Ayers Rock. Even though I’d been down there twice before it was still as impressive as the first time. The massive red rock comes looming out of the desert. It starts its looming when you’re still quite a way off and gets even bigger and more loomier the closer you get. We arrived late after stopping to take a couple of photos of critters that we saw along the drive. Despite the lateness of our arrival we were up early before the sun. We drove out to the new viewing platform that was recently built at a cost of over 3 million dollars. Unfortunately they must have ran out of money for the signs. There was one in the local indigenous language but not one in English. I can only guess that more aboriginal people visit the sunrise viewing platform than those who understand English. We drove half way around the rock before I decided to turn around. I don’t know why they only decided to put the indigenous language on the signpost. Is this politically correctness gone overboard or just a stupid mistake? I’m hoping it was the latter. The sunrise was impressive but as there were about eight tour busses that were there as well as a few cars and campervans, (I can only assume they either followed someone in or can speak the local dialect), the view was more of the crowds instead of the rock. One thing that amused me was that they built the viewing platform spending all that money but didn’t bother to take out the two or three trees that were in front between the platform and the rock and blocked a portion of the view from most angles. Even the ones on the very top of the dune!

After the sunrise we went to the base of the rock and waited a while to see if they would open the climb. Unfortunately they didn’t because of apparent high winds (even though there wasn’t even a breeze on the ground), and so in the end, with much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we decided to do the base walk instead. As someone who has both climbed the rock and done the base walk I would have to say that the climb is much more impressive. Hopefully there will be a next time. The Aboriginal Land Corporation has just purchased Voyages Ayers Rock Resort and so it looks like they’ll be closing the climb pretty soon no matter what the weather. It was a hot rock on the day we walked around. Ten kilometers under the blazing sun but by the end we (or at least I), felt we’d achieved something. After that we went to the cultural centre before heading over to the Olgas. Stewart wanted to find a little dragon (a lizard not the mythical kind) in the area so we decided to do the Valley of the Winds walk. It turned out that the little dragons were quite common. We walked to the first lookout (about one kilometer return) and we saw five of the little things. I’m going to have to go back when it’s cooler and do the rest of the walk.
The weekend seemed to go very quickly and before we knew it we were back in the car and driving back to Alice Springs.

Pale Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus laevissimus)


A tourist photographing Ayers Rock.

Western Brown Snake (Pseudonja mengdeni).

Driving back to Alice Springs

I’ve been back in Alice Springs for two days now and today is my first day back at work. Stewart and I set off on the 4th of January driving south through Broken Hill and Port Augusta back to Alice Springs. The drive took around five days to complete and all up we drove over 3500 kilometers. There were a few long days and some even longer drives. Time wasn’t against us but I did have to be back by Monday. In the end we drove straight through. We could have stopped in Dubbo. We could have stopped at Ayers Rock. In the end, we drove straight through and arrived in Central Australia with two days to spare. It was only the second time that Stewart had been to Alice Springs. He drove out with me when I first brought my car out. Then he only stayed for a couple of days then so this time, he had to see a bit more of what Central Australia had to offer.

Stopping off in South Australia on the way back to Central Australia.

A sea gull flying away from Port Augusta in South Australia.

Finishing Uni

It's official! I've passed my Bachelor of Science (Environment and Health) degree.

It's such a relief for it to be over and I'm very glad to see that I'd passed everything. I was worried it might be close for Health Promotion Settings as I just scraped by with the first assignment (which was worth 20%). Now I've just got to focus on my job now. I might go back to uni next year. I'd still like to study something else, maybe do a masters if I can. I'll just have to see how it goes. For now though, I'm just going to relax.

Flat Photos

The front door of my flat. Number 27 on the first floor.

The lounge area.

The Kitchen (more of a kitchette I guess).

The bedroom.

The ensuite.

The views of the range is right outside my window.

Here today, knicked tomorrow

Last night was the second night that I spent in my new place. I spend the evening cataloguing the many changes to the inspection report that the property manager did not include. I don't think that she actually inspected the flat since the last person moved in as there were some rather big changes. It was a quiet and unevenful evening. Or at least I thought it was. This morning when I left the flat I looked up at the hills. They were sparkling a burnt orange that is so common for the range. It was quite a lovely sight. My eyes moved down the range, to the stairs and I started to walk towards them. My eyes moved down to my bike. Actually, they didn't. I should say that my eyes moved down to where I'd left my bike the previous evening. My eyes moved down to where my bike should have been this morning. It wasn't there. The previous evening I'd chained the bike up to the railings. Someone had obviously been able to bust the lock on my chain and then knicked my bike. It appeared that none of the other bikes outside any of the other units had been touched. It was just mine. I'd like to say that I was suprised, outraged and offended by the theft. The truth though was that I wasn't in the least bit surprised. It was not a shock. While I was mildly annoyed it was due more to the inconvenience of having to walk to work in the hot sun. Alice Springs is no longer a safe town. I'd been hearing people tell me this ever since I'd arrived. The guy I replaced had two push bikes and one motorbike stolen in the three or so years he was in town. It was almost expected. I don't hold much hope of ever seeing it again. Not that the person who took it will probably hold on to it. They probably just took it, rode it for a short distance and then dumped it somewhere. When I bring my car out here I'll have to make sure it has full insurance. As for another bike. I won't be getting one any time soon. Instead I'm thinking that I should just buy some rollerblades instead. That way I can lock them up in my apartment at night. Welcome to Alice Springs!

From Hong to the Hills.

Today I finally moved the last of my stuff from the departmental house in Hong Street into my new flat. One suitcase, one large backpack, two small backpacks, five boxes, two crates, six plastic bags and I left the partridge in the pear tree as I couldn't be arsed carrying it up the stairs. My flat is on the first floor. It's basically one big room that is cut in two (by a wardrobe) with a bathroom off to one side. It is semi-furnished with a sofa, dining table, bed, fridge, etc. It's big enough for me although now I've got to go shopping for more things to fill it with. First on the list is a massive wide screen digital LCD television and xbox. Of course, with only a push bike to carry things on I think I might have to leave that until after Christmas when I have my car out here. Might make things a bit easier.