Floods

It doesn't look good for any vaccies trying to drive back to sites in central qld from Bris. In an attempt to have a car at site, so I can escape camp in the next 1.5months, I am planning on flying to Townsville, borrowing a car, then driving down to Moranbah. At the moment those roads aren't cut, whereas the ones heading north from Brisbane (around Rocky, Childers, etc) are. I'm just hoping that those roads stay open....

Our camp is about 30min drive (I guess about 40km) outside of Moranbah, so without a car, you are a bit trapped. Some of the boys called the cabs for a quote. It was in excess of $200.

The problems the floods are causing are pretty full on. I know suffering damage to property is never nice, but it's pretty depressing around Christmas. There has been a lot of crops lost by farmers as well, which cannot be insured like contents. I think they are the ones that suffer the most financially.

Time off

Most people are jealous when I tell them I've got a month off work, but I can't wait to get back out there. I'm getting pretty bored spending a month in Brisbane without uni or work. Most my friends are working too, so I can't even catch up with them. I get back to site on the 3rd, so really looking forward to it. At least I am guaranteed to fit back into my hi-vis after xmas. It's not quite one size fits all, but a small is still pretty big.

Next Year

I decided to take a year off uni next year to deal with some health issues. My friends at uni already tease me for being a 'mature age student' (even though I'm only a year older!!), so I'll have to see if the year below us is any different. Downer has offered me work during the year, which is awesome. I'll finish up my Vac Work on site at Goonyella in February, then start in at the Brisbane office some time after that. Although I would rather be on site, this will make it possible to see the specialists in Brisbane when I need to. I am hoping that I will get it completely sorted by the end of the year, and be ready to go and finish uni.

My recovery period at the moment consists of re-reading Harry Potter, although I'm nearly finished. I'll have to find something else for the next surgery. Maybe something that is more my age group...

Vac Work

With uni exams finally over, I headed up to Goonyella Riverside Mine, about 30min out of Moranbah, and roughly 2.5hrs from Mackay. The flight into Moranbah was pretty cool, you could see the surface mines as you flew in. I'm not sure that the flight was worth the $430 price tag, but that's what is referred to as the "miner's tax". It seems most businesses add a certain percentage when they realise that they are selling to mining companies or miners. Unfortunately, there really isn't anything that can be done about it, you have to get used to it.

I spent the first week doing inductions, and wishing the rain would stop so that I could actually get out and see the pit. There were a few familiar faces, as some people had been transferred within Downer to Goonyella from Norwich Park, where I have done previous Vac Work. It was nice to know some, but there are still a lot of names to learn. I started to sort out the work for my final year project (thesis), and working out the best way to gather the information required. Downer has provided me with the opportunity to work on a project topic that I chose, but that will also be beneficial to them. It's pretty cool working on something that is pretty much directed by me, that will then be implemented by the company when it is ready.

I then spent the next week in the workshop, where I learnt about each different job. I helped out with the serviceman, who drives around all day filling the trucks, graders, dozers, diggers, lighting plants, and generators with fuel, oil, compressed air or grease. They have to prioritise the plant based on which will be most productive. It surprised me how busy they are. I also spent some time in the light vehicle workshop, where they fix the hilux's and prado's on site like a mechanic would in town. They also have to make sure the vehicles meet site requirements, and tougher safety requirements than on the road. In the main workshop, I got to have a look at a watercart, dozer, grader and trucks being serviced. I was able to get a lot closer to the machines than I otherwise would, but there were also more safety measures in place.

After the 2wks on site, I had to travel back to Brisbane for some surgery. I was pretty disappointed when I found out I would be missing out on a month of vac work due to surgeries, but I can't wait to get back out there in January and get stuck into my project.

AusIMM Mining Ball

I was pretty lucky this year to go to the AusIMM Mining Ball at the Convention Centre for the first time. I had to race home from work to get ready, then back again, considering that the Convention Centre is just across the road from where I work at Downer.

The night was all in aid of raising money for the Royal Flying Doctors, a very appropriate cause within the mining industry. There were plenty of senior people from the industry there, great food and good entertainment. They also had raffles, silent auctions and games to keep everyone entertained. The silent auctions were mostly for some pretty amazing pictures which were displayed around the room. They were all related to the mining industry, and there were some to suit everyone's taste. They photos were of pretty rocks (for the geo's), coal preparation plants at night, working surface ore mines, miners, as well as heaps of other different things. I liked a couple, but they weren't being auctioned on the night. There was also a scale model of a drill to be auctioned. It was a really great night, and I'm really glad I went.