Pilbara

The Pilbara is Aussie for "no cell phone coverage". It's in the Northwest corner of Australia and, if it weren't for mining, the only thing living here would be snakes, kangaroos, and whatever else lives in the bush of Australia. So, me and two other colleagues board the plane in Perth accompanied by about 100 other miners and 4 ecoresort tourists and head to Paraburdoo, Western Australia. A pretty full Boeing 717 (2 x 3 seats x 25 rows) landed on a runway just long enough for the plane. There's not even a taxiway- the plane did a U-turn at the end of the runway, motored back and pulled up to an airport that held less people than the plane.. It was definitely the smallest airport I've seen. Yes, that white shack of a building is the airport terminal. The whole thing.

We headed to the rental car office and got our 4x4 ute, fully equiped with mining safety lights, flags, radios, and the works. Yes, the only reason these people are here is for iron ore mining. You can thank them for all of the steel that goes into your cars, buildings and appliances.

Turns out you really need this truck just to get to the mine. I expected the mine roads to be dirt with rocks in them and all, but it turns out of our 3 hour drive from the airport to the mine, at least 1 hour of it was on a dirt access road from the highway to the mine. Thankfully, no flat tires.

For Joey and Ryan, I got to take a picture of a loaded ore train heading to the port. Three locomotives were pulling 230 cars loaded with ore from the Tom Price mine. It used to be Mount Tom Price, but 40 years of digging and now it's just Tom Price...

It was a long day, but interesting, nonetheless. It felt the opposite of the Christmas season - 41°C (106°F) of "dry heat" - dry, it's still bloody hot.

Cheers,

Tim

Ski Lift in Perth!

I got as close to skiing as I will get until I fly back to NY today. Perth has a small amusement park called "Adventure World". Amongst the rides, they have a chair lift to bring you from the bottom of the park to the top where the water slides start. It's really slow, but I had to ride just to stir some memories of winter and snow. It just doesn't feel like Christmas down here.

Adventure World I'm sure is fun for kids- I was there for the corporate kids' christmas party. Over 1,000 employees plus their families invaded the park after regular closing hours. It was quite an event. The park does not have huge rides, but good fun was had anyway. The "power surge" and "rampage" are like no other ride I've seen and you are thrown against the safety bar hard enough and often enough to make you wonder if their safety inspections are up to snuff.

I would not recommend the park for anyone that's looking for thrill rides. If you want to take the kids and get wet on a hot day, the water slides looked good and there was a bungee jumping tower right next door.

Water Skiing Search

Hi all,

I've been way behind on blog entries, so here are some catch ups.

Another bike ride across Perth today- today's mission was to find water skiers in Perth. I headed to Burswood- right next to the Casino, there is a water ski club. I found the slalom course (actually, two) and a Ski Nautique. Guess the demand for Mastercrafts that they can't make enough to export to Aussies...

I found out the skiers try to get on the water every Sunday morning- next weekend will be another ride to try and get a pull.

Next was a ride through the neighborhood that Bonnie & I plan to be living in next year, Como, WA. Nice place, great tennis club and park 2 blocks from our rental house. Across the river in Melville, I found Bonnie's dream house - the flowers made me think of her garden back home.

Melville is a great place with a linear park along the river (Perth has a lot of those) and a park at Deep Water Point where all of the wakeboarders go. They make a day of it, packing BBQ, tents to get a break from the sun and boats, tubes, boards.. I met a guy, Gary, that is part of a ski club that owns a boat and is a family-oriented social ski club. They do after work, weekend and trips into the bush for holidays. I got a very warm welcome to join them and I look forward to their next trip out.

Cheers !!

Bike + Tennis + Bike = Workout^2 + Tennis Mate + "Best beach in WA"

I just got back from a long bike ride (35km) and tennis with some new "mates" of mine. The courts were in City Beach which is not well serviced by public transportation, so I rode my bike. Well, City Beach looks a lot closer on the map and the map didn't show the seabreeze (10-20 mph wind) that was constantly blowing from the ocean. The ride out was long- uphill and into the wind and I kept thinking going home will be easy...

I got to City Beach around 2:30pm and went looking around. Nice beaches, lots of kite surfers, very few people. Apparently it's too cold for them, it's not over 90°F. In their defense, the water is frigid, but a beautiful blue that I hadn't seen before. Other than the ocean color, everything else looked just like southern California including the glass walled restaurants with propane warmers. City Beach is the Laguna Beach of WA- Huge houses, mega developments, Ferraris and the like. Only difference is no one is allowed to build right on the water which is nice because the beaches are isolated and natural.

I met 7 other people at the courts and played for two hours or so and found a few people that will be good hitting partners in the future weeks. After tennis, it was back on the bike to get home. I followed the signs to Perth which took me on another route, there were a lot more bike paths, but I'm not sure it was faster. I was very gracious for the last 2 miles or so of the ride are all downhill.

My next bike ride will be a bit shorter.

Shopping, shopping, shopping

The people in Perth come out every Friday night to spend their money in the shops - and there are a lot of shops. With two streets turned pedistrian malls the shops, malls, department stores basically fill 6 full city blocks. And that doesn't include the uptown stores on King and Queen streets. Friday night is the shopping night- every other night the stores are closed up at 6:30 or even earlier. Suburb shops are open late on Thursday... I don't know if this is law or what, but it's really frustrating for a new guy in Perth looking for groceries after work!

They even have themed areas, one for England another for Ireland and I'm sure there are more that I haven't found yet. While this is all well and good for the locals that might be familiar with where their favorite stores are, for a NYer, I couldn't figure out where anything was. I still don't know where I can buy a can of tennis balls. To add to the confusion, known names, like "Target" and "Woolworth" aren't the same as the states. I was ecstatic to see Target as they would have lots of what I was looking for- nope. They sell clothes and some housewares, and a very small electronics department. Couldn't even get an SD card reader from them.

The most unusual of them is "David Jones" which looks just like a Macy's with a little extra bling. A co-worker said they have great pre-packed meals for "take-away". Yeah, right. Well, turns out, on the lower floor, in the back, there's the full service gourmet kitchen where you can get meals to go, made to order. That, plus your new suit and tie all in one stop.

Aussies have done away with the penny!! It's great. All the prices listed include GST (tax) so when you check out, your total is "$40.20", not "$41.32". Much easier. Their bills, made of this industructable plastic, start at $5 and they have $2 coins. Perhaps the US will wake up and do the same.

So, I've wandered enough to know my way around town. Hope I will meet some interesting people to make the stay worth more than just a business trip.

V8s

If you miss the muscle cars of the 1960s in the US, come down to Perth. They are everywhere in one form or another. Of most interest to me are the "utes" - pickup trucks. But not a US pickup- the front half looks just like a Mustang, the back like a pickup, usually covered with a fiberglass lid.

I've seen everything out here from old Ford trucks to Ferraris, in fact a "V8" just raced past my apartement. Reminds me of past days going to the races with my Dad.

I saw two dirt tracks on my way in to Perth from the airplane. It would be cool to find them and get to a race. Not sure how wierd it will be to watch them going around the track clockwise... The cars will all be "backwards" with big left rear tires and small right fronts.

Speaking of keeping left, I am finally getting used to the whole drive on the left thing. I haven't needed to rent a car yet, but riding around on a bike, crossing streets with the traffic going the wrong way makes you look twice and three times before going into the street.

Subway Trains

I got to navigate the subway system in Perth, today. The subway portion is brand new, opened just a few months ago and is very well done. The trains are clean, smooth, on time and easy to use. You can get a pass for public transit that's good on any bus, train or ferry for about $6. And, it's good all day.

I took the train from Perth to the suburbs where I met two co-workers for drinks, snacks and good times. Their families were great and much thanks to them for their hospitality. It was good to talk to them to learn the "lay of the land" and to better understand how to get around the city, and most importantly, know more of the slang that I hear so often that is completely foreign.

Many words down under are shortened to the first syllable followed by "ie" or "o", such as postie (postal worker) or sickie (taking a sick day). And, if the group I was with today are any indication of their countrymen, Aussies are definitely "no worries" mates, sarcasm and humor getting them through life. I really like these blokes and am happy to have had the chance to spend time here. It would be a lot more enjoyable if I can get Bonnie and the kids to join me! I know Joey & Ryan would love the trains and buses.

An Interesting Tennis Court

So, the company that I'm working with in Perth secured a great apartment with everything one needs away from home: restaurant, bar, pool, tennis courts, clean rooms, close to the business district and, a bus stop right out front. When I'd checked in, I walked past one of the tennis courts and thought they were Har-Tru, surprising for a hotel/apartment complex. I was looking forward to the weekend to find someone to hit with.

Yesterday, I asked at the front desk if they knew of any tennis players. He mentioned a few, including himself, so we set 3:30 as a time to meet at the courts. On my way out from the lobby, the courts were well lit from the sunlight and I clearly saw something that was not Har-Tru. They were outdoor carpet. Hmm. Never saw that before. Turns out there is a bunch of sand in the carpet and that makes it look like Har-Tru from a distance.

Surprisingly, the court was actually cool to play on. The surface was slow, which was good considering there was only about 10' from the baseline to a foreboding concrete wall. Right up there with the carpet surface, somebody also ordered 2-1/2 foot high nets. Now most tennis players know the net is 3-1/2' high. The net posts are right, but the net really is a 2-1/2' net- says so right on the label. I never knew until today that they make 2.5' tennis nets. This conveniently leaves a 1' gap under the entire net to minimize the mishit balls coming to rest in the middle of the court. Rather they roll right on through to the back wall ready to get picked for the next rallies.

Cheers!!

Perth's answer to the StairClimber

After a week of customer meetings, my colleagues are off to the airport and I'm left here on my own to start my real assignment working mining technology development plans. On my way home, I decided to walk around the back of my apartment village for a quick explore. I ended up on Cliff Street at the end of King's Park. King's Park is perched up on a hill overlooking the Swan River and central business district.

I had seen on a map a symbol for a stairway called "Jacob's Ladder" that connected my street (at river level) to King's Park. I found it at the end of Cliff Street and I started down. Turns out, this is one of the local gyms for Perth- close enough to the business district for a jogger to warm up on the way over and then run laps up and down the stairs. Everyone from incredibly fit people doing two steps at a time to those counting on the handrail to help pull them up to the top. Somewhere around 300 steps one-way is a pretty good workout.

Further down the road, there is the Kokoda trail that is equally steep and makes a nice loop to link the Jacob's ladder through the botanical gardens of Perth in King's Park. Besides running trails and stairs, there are also lots of opportunity for mountain bike trail riding in the area as well. I'll be looking at a few local bike shops for used items that I might be able to sell back when I'm ready to get back to NY. This kind of workout sounds a lot better than hitting the gym and I hope I can make it habit and routine.

Cheers!

Perth Skyline

Perth has a few building pushing 40-50 stories. Not the Empire State Building by any means, but the central business district certainly has a real city feel. It's right on the Swan River and bike paths and walking paths are all over the place. The locals say it is very safe as well. If you get shot, you will know (and have screwed) the person pulling the trigger. More to look out for are drunken billigerants that can be triggered into an all out brawl with a poorly placed comment.

I am mostly impressed by the city's parks. The entire riverfront is a linear park. There is also a pedestrian mall right in the center of the city, just off a subway stop. Buses are free inside of the city's "FTZ", free transit zone and usually not that crowded because there are so many of them running. They just added a subway right through the heart of the city and use very simple metro card system that gets you access to the various buses and trains with a simple swipe of a card. I've yet to take a train ride - perhaps on Saturday.

Wakeboarding on the Swan River

Today I was in a meeting on the 22nd floor of one of the big mining companies in Perth. The conference room afforded a stunning view of the Swan River. Somewhere in the middle of the meeting, my eye caught site of a wakeboarded pulling flips behind a sweet wakeboarding boat. My distraction was noticed and I had to explain I was hoping to find someone to ski with while I was here.

I had noticed a top-of-the-line Malibu at a boat dealership just outside the airport during the taxi ride, so knew there would definitely be some action nearby. So, I checked out the Internet and found that the Gravity Games have been rocking Perth for the past three years with BMX, Kitesurfing, Wakeboarding, bands and everything. But, it looks like for 2008, there are some issues on getting space reserved for the event, so it might not go off this year. Bummer! Next, I'll have to go googling for some ski clubs in Perth :)

My trip to Perth, Australia

Cheers from Perth, Australia. Earlier this week I flew to Australia for the first time. I was amazed that something as large as a 747-400 could stay in the air over 14 hours from LAX to Sydney. I know the airlines do this everyday, but to experience it first hand was really something.

I left Albany, NY around 8:30AM, caught a shuttle to JFK, flight to LAX, SYD, and finally Perth - 27 hours later. Why did they stop flying the Concorde?? Thankfully the flight was only about 1/3 full, so there was room to stretch and get some sleep.

Perth was warm and sunny as promised. A quick taxi ride from the airport, the city is compact and very modern - the area reminds me of southern California. It is located right on the Swan River - great views of the river and neighboring harbor from the high rise buildings. Everything in this town has to do with mining. Rio Tinto, BHP Biliton, Woodside, Calibre, Worley Parson, etc- You can't go anywhere without feeling a customer or competitor is right behind you.

I'm staying at a great 2-bedroom apartment. It's right next to Kings Park and the central business district, so I will be able to walk (10 minutes) to work. I need to find a mountain bike for getting around town on the weekends next. I will keep up on this blog so I can share my trip with my family and friends. I hope you enjoy my writings and please comment- I will be here for a month and it will be good to hear from everyone back home.