Arrival at Nhulunbuy, Australia

I arrived to the Gove Peninsula Sunday night 8:00 PM Australia time (14.5 hours ahead of CDT). It is a long trip from the US. I immediately hit the bed to be ready for my first day at work on Monday. Jet lag woke me up at 3:00 AM; my body was telling me that it was daylight.

Life is proceeding well, I now have a car, getting used to driving on the left side of the road, have obtained a drivers license, opened a bank account, a post office box (P.O. Box # 2077, Nhulunbuy, NT, 0881).

The refinery and the town sit on leased land. The aborigines own the land. A permit is needed to access sites other than the town and the refinery. The permit costs $ 80.00 (Australian dollars) for accessing the beach and any other recreational facilities. Nothing can be done without the permission of the aborigines.

The town is small, 4000 people, it has most of the basic needs, there is no real poverty and it is safe to live in. I have not seen a police car yet. I presently live in an apartment until our house is renovated. It is expected by October 1st but who knows if this will happen. Things move a bit slower down here. I can walk to any place in town for exercise or just to go to the grocery store, bank, church, etc. People exercise outdoors, walking, tennis, golf, fishing is big sport here. I guess I have to learn to fish since I have never been into this sport. The weather has been great, average 85 degrees and a shower or two. We are in the dry season; the wet season will start around January. It is interesting how quickly one finds out that you can do without many of the amenities that we have in the US or in big towns worldwide. I have not missed the cell phone, driving every where, tragic news. I keep up with big news, my buddy George is in Sydney and has created plenty of excitement. There are only 3 TV channels in the local television. I am planning to get Satellite TV once in the house.

I do miss my wife, family, dogs and friends, yes in that order….

Gus