Since returning from Spain there have been several travel stories not documented. One trip took me to the cold of Burnie, Tasmania in July. Working at the tide gauge within Burnie wharf with a senior field surveyor. Like they say in Tassie, two heads are better than one. Then, it was up to Darwin and Jabiru, NT in August for the end of the dry season and the start of the “build up”. Hot work alongside Jabiru airport was managed to permit a few sightseeing ventures within Kakadu and some time on the end to enjoy a tropical fruit juice at Parap market in Darwin and re-hash memories of my year in the territory.
Of course, there have been several weekend visits made to Melbourne to spend time with family and keep touch with friends. In two consecutive weekends, beautiful food was cooked and eaten in Melbourne with exercise and laughter included in the mix. The last journey back to Melbourne was by road and as always included a respite in Holbrook to enjoy a pie and sweet from the bakery and ponder at the endeavors of man.
On returning to Canberra from Melbourne, I was immediately off to Mallacoota in Eastern Victoria to investigate a potential new GPS site and test some equipment at the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Differential GPS site, important for improving the navigational accuracy of GPS, on ships, around selected areas of the Australian coast. The work was easy and provided plenty of time to take in the sleepy sea-side town of Mallacoota, which undoubtedly gets lots of visitors to the shore-side caravan park in summer. The Mallacoota walking trail is worth a look and the beaches are beautiful in the morning when no else is around and the sun is rising over the waves.
Shot back to Canberra in time for my second 50’s style garden party with lots of attractive girls in pretty dresses. A fun night was had with plenty of sweets, Pimms and dancing (perhaps spinning is a better descriptor). After a half-drunken, late night, bicycle ride across our nation’s capital to my unit, I was up and off to the airport for a plane to Brisbane and then Gladstone on the Queensland coast.
