Darling River Dash

So I'm finally in Wilcannia. Came down here from Broken Hill on Friday night with Jason and other assorted med students so that we could race in the Darling River Dash on Saturday. According to local folklore that I couldn't quite get to the bottom of, this was either the first time that the Dash had been raced or the first time that it'd been raced in 10 years. Anyway, the general idea was that you and your team dashed down the Darling from Gillendale to just past the bridge on some kind of vessel that you had made (various rules were included here, such as excluding motors). Turns out that our team was a bit confused - we had some misleading information that it was a 100m dash and secondly, that dash ment it was kinda quick. It actually took us about 2 hours! (and the state of my hands attests that this is most certainly NOT due to a lack of paddling!)

Jason & Danne (2 med students currently at Broken Hill) had been to the tip to source the materials for our boat: a trampoline; 18 bright

yellow water drums; a thick & long length of rope; bits of wood; a metal garbage bin lid; and 6 blue circular plastic paint tub lids. Enthusiastic building started early on Saturday morning and resulted in this:

which looked like this in the water (which is exactly how the boys envisioned that it would look - it was meant to be partly submerged!!):

Other entries included the RFDS (who also did some flyovers of the races):

Woodstock boat from White Cliffs and the bath with gas cylinders attached (built by Brian, the local mechanic and only person who tested the seaworthiness of his vessel before the race):

All up, there was probably about 9 vessels and 8 people on tubes. It started to rain midway though the race but as we were already somewhat submerged, this didn't matter too much and although we didn't place, I think a generally fabulous time was had by everyone - this is us coming into the finish line:

I completely JIed on the med students boat so thanks very much for having me guys!

Was going to write a little bit about Wilcannia but I can't really do that without including a photo from the tea room balcony so will do in the next couple of days. Suffice to say that I think I'm going to like it here a lot, I think I'm going to learn a ridiculously hugely gigantically enormous amount, and, this doesn't constitute the deep end, it's more like a bottomless pit I think! Now off to study!

(and to the people who harassed me, I will be eaten alive when I try and find somewhere that the internet will work so consider yourselves placated ok?)

Doing as I'm told

So Jammy told me that I have to write a blag whilst I'm out here... we'll see how long it lasts for! I don't mind reading other people's ones but I'm not so sure about writing one of my own...

A quick introduction (which is probably unnecessary seeing as anyone who is crazy enough to be reading this will know me) - I've just finished my nursing degree and am now a part of the Greater Western Area Health Service's (GWAHS) rural and remote transition year. I'll be spending 6 months in Wilcannia and 6 months in Bourke. Both towns are on the Darling and I like the Beatles, hence the title. Right at the minute, I'm in Broken Hill where I have a week long orientation.

I drove out here last weekend with my wonderfully delightfully amazing sister Soph. This was particularly good because it was my birthday on the Sunday and I think I may have felt a little sorry for myself if she weren't here. This is her after we did a lap of Mt Panorama

Anyway, quick list of the things that I've learnt so far:

1 - People from Broken Hill have strange ideas about humidity

2 - The caravan park in Nyngan seems to be infested by a plague of grasshoppers - there are so many that it feels rather biblical

3 - Smallish flying bugs make quite dangerous roadkill if you value being able to see out of your window. This one seemed particularly kamikaze-like

4 - People should spend more time looking at clouds. I found one that looked like a cake with a candle on in on my birthday!

5 - Telstra's monopoly on phone/internet is criminal and makes me very very cranky.

5 - As long as you don't mind flies a huge amount, it's worth moving out this way for the sunsets. And the general amazing scenery and endless skys.

7 - It ain't that hard to make the front page of the local paper (and look, my badge says Registered Nurse!!! this is amazingly exciting!!!!) We even made the channel 7 news