Charlie Westover Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 (edited) HI GUYS, My name's Charlie and I'm currently sitting in Kuala Lumpur Airport at 3:45am waiting for my second flight. I'm just over half way through my 17 hour wait in the airport, bored, tired and out of things to do, so i've decided to keep a blog/diary type thing, not really too sure what to call it. I'm 21 and from London, i've always been interested in travelling and decided now was the perfect time to do it. I'm going to try and keep this up to date and post almost daily, although that could go completely out of the window considering I'm completely winging it and haven't got a real clue where I'm going, what I'm doing and whether i'll have access to the internet. I hope you enjoy my adventure! Also, i've started a little blog online also, what I put on here will really be more of a cut-down account of whats on there, although I will probably put things on here that aren't on there and vice-versa, all depends what you's wanna know about. Feel free to ask me anything as I go along and I'll answer to the best of my ability! Whether people read this or not I plan to continue writing it, as I just quite enjoy writing haha. Anyway, at some point before my flight i'll leave another post of what my journey's been like so far... Edited July 30, 2014 by Charlie Westover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I enjoy reading blogs, have a great trip!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Westover Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 So after days of working out what to pack, sleeping on a floor and rushing around trying to make sure things are all sorted, I'm finally on my way! I have 10 changes of clothes, my laptop, phone, gameboy with Pokemon, some sun cream and toiletries, my camera and that's pretty much it. I'm sitting on the cold floor of KLIA to use a plug and it feels like a ghost town, i've barely seen anybody walk past in the last couple of hours! My first flight was good, i'm blessed with the ability to be able to sleep anywhere and anyhow. Slept through my entire flight except the first hour, which I spent watching friends and eating surprisingly nice airplane food. Kuala Lumpur airport is much smaller than I imagined, with not a lot really here to do, so i've sat in several different spots (mostly on the floor) and taken advantage of the free wifi. The "TV and Internet lounges" here are awful (plugs don't work and TV was off..) and the Jungle Boardwalk I was ever-so-excited for is closed for refurbishment! I'm a bit scared sitting alone thousands of miles away from anywhere i'm mildly familiar with, except the 24 hour Burger King I can see across from me in the airport. I land in Brisbane at 7pm and haven't got anywhere booked for my first night. My plan is to just find a cheap room initially for a couple of nights while I work out where to go and do my regional work, so far Bundaberg is looking likely, although once I land I can look in to it all a bit further. Anybody reading this will soon realise I leave everything till the last minute. I packed the night before my flight out of Heathrow, but hopefully it's fun for you reading me wing it, that way you'll discover things the same time I do and be able to laugh/learn from the errors of my ways. I'll post from wherever I'm staying in Brisbane for my first night, hopefully 1 decent sleep is enough for me to shake any jetlag I may have. Toodles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty Teng Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Traveling is always amazing!!! Keep going, keep writing, never lose original passion !!! BTW, what's yr plan for traveling in Austrila? If y don't mind, maybe we can travel together :cute: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Westover Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) I'm currently in bed in a 8 person shared dorm in Fortitude Valley, being kept up by somebody's increasingly loud snoring. I've already decided I hate hostels. I have this booked for 5 nights, and after that I refuse to sleep in a hostel! I want the sense of living in various parts of Australia and hostels do not make me, personally, feel at home. I need to figure out my next location quickly, my original plan was to do my 3 months regional work straight away to get it done and out of the way, but I got talking to a Kiwi guy on the plane and he told me I'd be better off waiting until September. Does a month really make much of a difference? Tomorrow I'm going to go to the bank, sort my tax number out and make as many calls as possible to get the ball rolling on some farm work, hopefully then I can get out of here as soon as possible and find a house share for 3 months. If anybody is currently doing their farm work in Queensland, please get at me with contact details! Also, if anybody happens to know the rough cost of getting a room in a shared house in Brisbane it'd be much appreciated, as after farm work I would like to spend some time in the city, as a Londoner I really do want the opportunity to compare city life. Betty, I'm always more than happy to meet up and travel with anybody, if you (or anybody) is in/around Brisbane and want to meet up, just send me a private message and we'll sort it. That's all for now, tomorrow I'll post some pictures up of Brisbane, my hostel, and anything else I decide should be included. Goodnight! Edited July 31, 2014 by Charlie Westover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I'm currently in bed in a 8 person shared dorm in Fortitude Valley, being kept up by somebody's increasingly loud snoring. I've already decided I hate hostels. I have this booked for 5 nights, and after that I refuse to sleep in a hostel! I want the sense of living in various parts of Australia and hostels do not make me, personally, feel at home. I need to figure out my next location quickly, my original plan was to do my 3 months regional work straight away to get it done and out of the way, but I got talking to a Kiwi guy on the plane and he told me I'd be better off waiting until September. Does a month really make much of a difference? Tomorrow I'm going to go to the bank, sort my tax number out and make as many calls as possible to get the ball rolling on some farm work, hopefully then I can get out of here as soon as possible and find a house share for 3 months. If anybody is currently doing their farm work in Queensland, please get at me with contact details! Also, if anybody happens to know the rough cost of getting a room in a shared house in Brisbane it'd be much appreciated, as after farm work I would like to spend some time in the city, as a Londoner I really do want the opportunity to compare city life. Betty, I'm always more than happy to meet up and travel with anybody, if you (or anybody) is in/around Brisbane and want to meet up, just send me a private message and we'll sort it. That's all for now, tomorrow I'll post some pictures up of Brisbane, my hostel, and anything else I decide should be included. Goodnight! Not sure on Brissy but up in Cairns your own room in a shared house is between $100 - $150 per week. Don't forget sometimes hostels have single rooms so they aren't all dorms. Personally if you are looking for farm work I wouldn't commit to a 3 month rental as some places can be live in or will be out in the sticks and you may have to move on. Keep an eye here for farm jobs plus there is a post of contacts for farm work in Queensland http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/backpacker-job-vacancies/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Westover Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Not sure on Brissy but up in Cairns your own room in a shared house is between $100 - $150 per week. Don't forget sometimes hostels have single rooms so they aren't all dorms. Personally if you are looking for farm work I wouldn't commit to a 3 month rental as some places can be live in or will be out in the sticks and you may have to move on. Keep an eye here for farm jobs plus there is a post of contacts for farm work in Queensland http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/backpacker-job-vacancies/ Thanks! Yeah I know the 3 month thing may not be best idea, just gonna make a load of calls tomorrow and hope I find something asap. I've already bookmarked the list of contacts, and had a look on there earlier today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Westover Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 Hey! Sorry I haven't been in contact all too much, the hostels wifi was $3 a day, wasn't quite prepared to pay that. Today I got to Gatton! Arrived about 2pm and went straight to the IGA noticeboard. Got several numbers for rooms, all for $80 or $90 a week. Also got talking to a guy from the Soloman Islands called Toocs (real name Manuel, but "everybody called him toocs cause he looked like Tupac"..) who gave me a number for his contractor, who I called and got a response from saying "turn up at 5.45 tomorrow for work", exactly the response I wanted! I finally decided on a house, really nice room with a really nice family - internet included and also a cinema room and pool.. Good, I know! Downside is that it's a 15 minute drive out of Gatton and I don't drive.. But a girl that's also living here is gonna put in a good word for me, so hopefully that works out. If anybody is in/around/is planning to be Gatton and needs either somewhere to stay or is looking for farm work, let me know and i'll give you the phone number for the contractor and also the phone number for the house i'm staying at. Anyway, I'm finally somewhere with free wifi, so I will be uploading more regularly. I will also post a loaaad of pictures up soon, cause I haven't included any yet! Turns out I forgot to bring the charger for my camera, clever Charlie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisella Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Hi Charlie - just wanted to say I look forward to reading your threads and best of luck with your new travel adventures! (and just to reiterate what PQ said, some hostels do have singles rooms - I stayed in a few on my WHV and they were fine, wouldn't quite say homely though :cute:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uprawr Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) Hey Charlie, i'l be arriving in Brisbane on the 5th of September and i'd also got a tip off that Gatton would be good around that time (onion picking?) so i'l be looking to head there to get my farm work done ASAP. Any tips or contacts you could send my way would be much appreciated. Edited August 6, 2014 by Uprawr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Westover Posted August 7, 2014 Author Share Posted August 7, 2014 Hey Uprawr. Yeah September is busy for Gatton as aside from onion picking theres a big farm not too far (called Winpack - easy to find on google) that start their potatoes in September. A girl i'm living with is currently working at Bauers Organic Farm and earning $21 an hour in the packing shed, and worked 40+ hours last week. I'll still be here when you arrive, so if you send me a private message I'll give you my number, along with a number for a big contractor and, if you're looking for somewhere to stay, I recommend this house, it's in a decent location if you can find work in/around Tenthill, which is about half an hour away from Gatton. I'm currently working under a contractor but still looking for farmers directly as the pay's better. If you drive getting work will be a breeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Westover Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 I'm not working till Monday, so I thought i'd give you's a quick update. Currently sitting in the garden having a doodle and enjoying the view and sun, been pretty hot last couple of days, not a cloud in sight! I've uploaded a couple photos from Brisbane, a few from Gatton to come in the next couple of days, assuming I can get myself a camera battery charger over the weekend. The house i'm living in has some roosters and hens, so i've been getting woken up at sunrise! Nice natural alarm I guess. Also got given potatoes, lettuce and spinach for free last night from the other people working in this house, was lovely! Now to just work out a few quick, cheap and easy recipes while i'm here, with 4 meals having to be cooked each night there's a bit of time restraint on the kitchen facilities! Sweet potatoes cheap at a farms little fruit and vegetable stall round the corner, so I reckon they'll be my staple for the time being. A kilo for $1.50 - can't be bad! Need to work out which meats are best value for money and i'll be alright! Anyway, not much more for me to say today, so i'll leave it at that until I have something interesting to post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivia Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hi Charlie, Myself and my friend fly out to Sydney on the 10th of September. We are then looking to come up to Gatton to do some harvesting. We have emailed a couple of places to see if anyone can offer us any work. Have you got any tips or contacts for us please? There is two of us coming up and would ideally like to be at the same place/area. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickachu Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 I shouldn't have looked at this. I miss Brissy now. If you're still there, I know you said you hate hostels, but I stayed in one called Aussie Way Backpackers, it was really nice, only 4 people in a room and lots of long termers there and only a 10min walk to the city centre. Nice to see you've made it up to Mt Coot tha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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