Workin' in a gold mine....

My shift starts with a leisurely 4.30am ride to the airport on a Thursday morning, where my commute to work begins via Qantas jet. My office... the Australian outback!



Working hard (or hardly working) in the office

 I live and work at Mt Monger Station, previously a farm, which is about a 40 minute drive from the nearest town called Kalgoorlie. It's a bit of a one-horse town (it comes with its own high street of wild west-styled buildings) but as far as mining towns go it's pretty good. The offices we are based in are essentially portacabins- metal boxes which are much like an oven in the 40 degree summer heat and a fridge/freezer during the depths of winter. Currently it's a bit crowded and sometimes I'm allowed a desk (but rarely a working computer).

My main job is as the company geophysicist (in training), which means that I coordinate all upcoming geophysics surveys for all the different projects here. Geophysical surveys measure energy (either from a natural source like an earthquake or a man-made source like an electrical probe) that travels through the ground, and from that energy we can interpret what we think the ground looks like beneath the surface. This helps the project geologists as often they cannot tell what rock types are beneath the surface unless they drill it, which is usually more expensive than doing a geophysics survey. This also means I am looking after $100,000's worth of surveys (no biggy!).



Collecting rock samples for analysis in the field



When I am not pretending to be a geophysicist, I help out the geologists with their work. There are 4 exploration projects currently, each with 2 geologists, and each project looks after 10-15 different targets in which they are looking for an economic gold deposit. We use lots of different techniques to find gold, including doing soil samples, undertaking geophysical surveys, and completing drill programs to identify structures and rock bodies that hold gold. Quite often the gold is not visible in the rocks, but is mixed with other chemicals so we actually need to look for a large number of signals to see if there is gold!



The area in which we are searching for gold is called the goldfields, so there is gold pretty much everywhere. However there are a lot of factors that dictate whether or not we dig that gold up. For example, we might find a large pot of gold in the middle of nowhere, but if there is not a place to process the gold nearby then we would have to set up all the infrastructure and the mill to actually produce the gold. We would only do that if there was so much gold that we could still make a profit.



Summer thunderstorms



That, in a nutshell, is what I do as an exploration geologist working for a gold mining company. It is fun and exciting and terrifying all at the same time, and every day is new and different and long. But the enormous outback storms and the friendly resident lizard Frank and the fact I don't have to cook or clean for myself makes the 70 hour working week worthwhile!

Cape Town

The view from atop Table Mountain

The next day was a day of goodbyes, as most of the group flew back to their homelands or off on other adventures. I was lucky that not only were 6 or 7 of the group spending a few extra days in Cape Town like me, but 2 of them were also staying at the same hostel as me. Despite the torrential rain of the morning, the afternoon turned out to be gloriously sunny and clear, giving me and a few of the others the opportunity to go up Table Mountain. We would have climbed up, but we realised that at 3pm, with a 2 hour hike up and no cable car back down, we should probably just take the cable car up!

The views from the top were fantastic, and we were so lucky because the next few days it was too windy and rainy to even see the top of the mountain- the locals call the clouds that cover the mountain the ‘tablecloth’. We could see for miles around, down to Cape Point and all across the city. And of course, what better way to finish a nice day trip out than with a cup of tea and a slice of cake in the tearoom at the top.

Later in the evening we met up with everyone that was staying in Cape Town for an Ethiopian meal. We all sat around these little tables, and when the food came it was presented on a huge pancake for us to share and we ate with our fingers.

A Stellenbosh winery

I had pre-booked some day tours as I had no idea that anyone else would be staying in Cape Town with me, and so on the Saturday I went on a wine tour. We had a great tour guide called Ferne who took us to 4 different wineries in the Stellenboch region. The first was voted the most green in SA for its sustainable practices and use of renewable energies. The second was also on olive oil producer, so we got to taste a few of their varieties of oil. At the third we had lunch, which I imagine would be Michelin starred if the Michelin man knew about it! The last winery also did goats cheese tastings alongside their wines, which funnily enough were named ‘Goats do Roam’ after the famous Cote du Rhone wines of France.

By the end of the day, me and the two Irish lads (who were actually getting on a flight later that night, and were drunk before we even started the 9am tour!) were more than a little merry! Unfortunately due to the amount drunk, I then bought myself 3 bottles of wine which I then had 2 days to drink before leaving for Australia.

African penguins at
Boulder Beach

Sunday was an early start to go on a tour down the coast to Cape Point, the most south-westerly point of Africa. Our first stop of the day was Camps Bay where a few people took a boat trip to see some seals, but I opted to take a walk around the harbour and enjoy the sunshine. Next we headed down to Boulder Beach where a large colony of African penguins reside. These penguins didn’t actually reside on this beach until the mid-80’s when a naval base was established in nearby Simonstown and they restricted fishing activity in the area. The penguin colony has grown massively since then, and they are everywhere (even breaking into local back gardens to use the swimming pools!).

Attempting to not fall off with the cross winds on the
 peninsula!

From Boulder Beach we headed on down to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point to explore the end of the Cape Peninsula. From Cape Point, we were all set up with bikes and let loose on the roads (I had actually forgotten I had booked a bicycle tour which was interesting!) with the challenge of getting back to the information centre where we had lunch. It was actually a lot of fun, especially with my roommate who was on the tour too having not ridden a bike for about 20 years! We even chose to do a bit extra as we were having such a laugh!

By the time Monday rolled around there were only 3 of us left, and the only big thing we had left to do was Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was interred for most of his 27 years in prison. The island has been used as a prison of sorts for hundreds of years, right from when the Dutch and German invaders first landed, with a brief stint as an insane asylum and leper colony, and finally as a prison for political prisoners and black men during the apartheid era up until

View of Table Mountain from
Robben Island

I really enjoyed Cape Town, and felt very safe there- probably as a result of the FIFA World Cup being held there last year. There was a noticeable police presence, and even at weekends it didn’t look like there was too much trouble from weekend revellers! I would definiteley recommend Cape Town, but next time I would like to spend more time exploring the surrounding areas and countryside.

Goodbye Namibia, hello South Africa!

Orange River

Firstly we had to officially leave Namibia, before driving a few hundred metres through no-mans land to cross the border into South Africa. I did worry a little when our  passports were taken for inspection by the police, but we all got through in the end. We drove a short distance down the road from the border to our next stop at Orange River. This river essentially marks the border between South Africa and Namibia- you could throw a stone back into Namibia it was that close!

And even better, after the cold, damp few days we had had in Namibia we drove into glorious sunshine. The campsite was beautiful- right next to the river and a short distance from the bar (even better!). Some of us chose to go canoeing down the river in the afternoon in double inflatable canoes. I shared with my tentmate Emma, and at first we were absolutely useless! I think we probably did double the distance of everyone else zig-zagging from one side of the river to the other! But eventually we mastered the steering and were chasing the others, having splash wars along the way. It was certainly hard work, and the amount of flies around inspired us to paddle even fater!

An excellent playground

Awaiting us when we landed back at the camp site was a beautiful spit-roasted lamb and other dishes all cooked in a traditional South African style. We feasted until we could eat no more, drank until we could drink no more, and went back to our tent to find the resident dogs (who had spent the whole afternoon digging up stones on the beach) residing in it!!!

The next day was our final full day as a group, and we spent almost all of it on the bus. It was a looong drive down from Orange River to Cape Town, but it was so different to driving through Namibia. As soon as we crossed the border into South Africa it was so much greener, and at times you could be forgiven for thinking you were looking out at rolling English hills and farmland. 

Driving down to Cape Town

We could tell as soon as we were on the approach to Cape Town, as Table Mountain loomed into view in front of us. The city really is sprawled out right across the base of the mountain and all over the sand flats surrounding it. When we got into the city, we were told that we had been upgraded and were going to be staying in a much nicer hotel. We went out as a group for a final meal at Mama Africas, where I tried a delicious traditional Cape Malay South African dish called Bobotie, which consists of minced beef and ostrich meat in a sweet and spicy gravy, topped with egg custard (like an African version of sheperd’s pie!). 

Namib Desert, Sossuvlei and Fish River Canyon

Sunrise over the desert

This was by far the most beautiful part of the whole trip, and my favourite part of Namibia. We drove south from Swakopmund to the Namib Desert, through yet more fantastic and desolate scenery. We spent 2 nights in the desert, which is hyper-arid and experiences less than 10cm per year. So of course while we were there it chucked it down- in the middle of the dry season!!! And on the day that I had to cook and wash up!

On the first morning we woke up at (literally) the crack of dawn to drive down to the enormous sand dunes so that we could hike up the 300m high Dune 45 to see the sunrise over the desert. The dunes are all numbered because they don’t move- the winds are equally strong in both directions. It was strange that as we were driving we weren’t surrounded by sand like you would expect in the desert, but we drove between enormous sand dunes. 

At the top of the dune

A gruelling climb to the top

Overnight the wind had wiped away the footprints of the previous day, so we climbed a seemingly untouched dune. At first we all set off at speed, but the climb quickly became really tough. Imagine walking on a sandy beach that’s a 30cm wide ledge at a slope of 35 degrees. It was a bit hairy, but on the way back down I realised that even if I had fallen off the edge, it would have been a soft landing at least! It was pretty chilly and windy, but well worth the early start and the climb- as you can see, it was spectacular! And even better, breakfast was waiting for us when we got back down.

Deadvlei

After brekkie we headed over to Sossuvlei,  which is where the water in the desert collects creating an oasis in the middle of the sand dunes. More incredible however is Deadvlei. This was once the location of the water collecting and so a number of trees have grown there- when the waters moved to what is now Sossuvlei, the trees without a water source died and have been preserved by the hyper-arid desert conditions. I could have spent hours photographing all the trees, and learnt quite a lot about my camera while I was there.

Fish River Canyon

The next day we drove south to our next and final stop in Namibia, Fish River Canyon. The Fish River is the longest river in Namibia, and over time has formed a spectacular canyon which in parts is 550m deep. We took a short walk along the edge of the canyon, and at the end we were greeted with a cheese and wine dinner ready for sunset over the canyon. It was a lovely way to say farewell to Namibia.

From Etosha to Damaraland and Swakopmund

Traditional Himba woman

I was really hoping that in Damaraland we would get the chance to interact with some local tribesmen, as this area of the country is where many of the semi-nomadic Himba tribes are located. However the only interaction we got was when we stopped off along our drive on the roadside at some tourist souvenir shops. It is really incredible what the local people can create from things that you find on the ground! We were told that if we wanted to take photos we would have to pay as this is the main way the Himba people make their money. The Himba woman in the photograph is wearing traditional tribal clothes (which was brave considering how cold it was!). The people coat their hair and bodies in a local red clay as protection from the sun- must be very itchy putting that on your head!

We drove on, leaving civilisation (and tarmacked roads) behind. We stopped for lunch at the petrified forest, and got a guided tour of the site. The trees had been washed to the area from central Africa during some spectacular floods millions of years ago, and then buried in clay sediments. Over time the organic matter of the trees was replaced by minerals, so when the trunks were finally exposed, the trees were exactly as they were when they were buried only made of stone. 

Me and Emma at the stone carvings

That afternoon we had the option to go and see some stone carvings made by tribes thousands of years ago- I should have realised when only 5 of us wanted to go that it wasn’t exactly going to be exciting, but I went anyway. The cave drawings were ok, but I still don’t understand the point of them! It’s supposed to be something to do with spirituality and the afterlife, but at the end of the day a map would have been more useful!

Shipwreck along the Skeleton Coast

The following two days we spent in Swakopmund. The drive down the coast was very beautiful, and for some reason all the houses in the small towns along the way were all brightly coloured! The roads in this part of the country are actually made from salt, which is similar to tarmac when compacted (a nice change from dirt tracks!). Swakopmund offered a huge range of adventure activities, but I after a few hectic weeks I chose to rest and recuperate. 

Me and Kristen on horseback

We explored the town a little, but due to a power cut there weren’t many shops still open. It was a bit cold and miserable while we were there which is quite common there due to the cold ocean air hitting the warm landside air, so we didn’t even venture to the beach! I went on a genteel horse trek with one of the girls through a dry riverbed and some spectacular countryside. I actually was riding a very quaint mule called Spock, but it took me three weeks to work out it was a mule as the German girl guiding us called him a moolay! I did wonder why he looked a bit different to the other horses! All was going well until Spock got spooked and bolted off with me hanging on for dear life- I think I was more terrified than when a leopard was seen hanging around our camp!

Riding in the lunar landscape

We spent a couple of good nights out at the limited evening venues Swakopmund has to offer, even showing the locals our singing talent on karaoke night!

A new adventure begins

Windhoek to Etosha National Park
 

The start of my adventure tour through Namibia was a little hectic- I wasn’t given a time to arrive at the starting hotel, and I just so happened to arrive at the exact same time that the tour was pulling into the hotel. My tour through Namibia was the final leg of several tours that had travelled across Africa, so some of the 19 strong group had been travelling together for nearly 6 weeks.

 

I quickly learnt that whenever we were told a time to be at the bus, we would always be at least half an hour late-our 2 guides could not time keep to save their lives! The guides were nothing like I was expecting, both of them were young surfer types! I spent my first day on the back seat of the bus, which I soon found out meant that I would spend approximately 50% of my time with my arse off the seat- and that was on the tarmacked roads. 

Perched on top of Waterburg Plateau

Thankfully it wasn’t far until our first stop at Waterburg National Park. This park is dominated by the Waterburg Plateau, which is a beautiful 200m high rock structure, containing fossilised dinosaur tracks, petrified sand dunes and hundreds of native flora and fauna species. Before dinner most of us set off to climb the plateau, which from a distance looks like a sheer cliff face. The guides told us it would be a gentle climb but it was more like an extreme scramble over rocks! But it was well worth it for the views from the top. The food every night was so good- we cooked on the braai which basically means cooked on an open fire. We had steak, salad and a special kind of South African bread called roosterkoek, which is cooked on the fire. 

Springbok

Black rhino

The next day we left early- every day we would get up between 5 and 6am (depending on how far we had to travel) in order to take down the tents, have breakfast, pack up and leave. We travelled north to Etosha National park, the biggest national park in Namibia and the third biggest in Africa. As we entered the park I spotted a black rhino, which we were incredibly lucky to see. We went on a quick game drive through some of the park and I got to see my first elephant, but unfortunately not a lot else.

A pretty huge group of 13 elephants!

We spent 2 days in Etosha National Park, and on the second day I paid a bit extra for a day's game drive through the park with our own guide. We got to see plenty of springbok, impala, kudu, wildebeest, zebra, giraffes and elephants and a few bird species too. We were on the hunt for some of the lions that we knew were hanging about but unfortunately we didn't get to see any. I was more than happy though, as at the end of the day we came across a group of 13 elephants (including lots of babies) coming up to a waterhole for a drink. 

Zebra

That evening we stayed at a campsite where there was a lit up waterhole so we could sit and watch the animals at night. I got to see plenty of rhinos, giraffes and some elephants too. Apparently there were even a few lions who made an appearance; I did hear a lion roar but I was in bed and thought it was someone in the tent next door snoring!

And onwards to Windhoek!

Jane, Harry, Kin amd me at the
Africat offices

And so we come to the end of the first 2 weeks of my adventures in Africa. It has been hard work, and I have plenty of cuts and bruises to show for my hard work! I have learnt so much about the animals and the place, and the people have been really good fun. Clive and Roma, who run the project, are incredibly passionate about the work that they do here along with all the volunteers, and Beth who helps to run the project (and coincidently is Australian) knows so much about the plants and animals of the reserve. To end my time on the project we had a visit to the Rare and Endangered Species Trust, where I got to feed a vulture!

There were 11 volunteers helping throughout the 2 weeks from across Europe and further afield. There were certainly a few characters in the group, but a lot of hard workers and a lot of laughs were had by all. Luckily there were a few people who stayed on in Windhoek after the project had finished, which was nice because it meant that I wasn’t alone while I was there. On the way back to civilisation we stopped off at an African wood market which was an experience- every two steps a vender would ask if we would like to visit their stall, and we were told that if we wanted anything we should halve the asking price and haggle from there!



Christuskirche, Windhoek

On the recommendation of every person who had ever been to Windhoek, and every guide book going, we booked into Joe’s Beerhouse. I can tell you, everyone was not wrong! I had an amazing kebab of ostrich, zebra, kudu, springbok and chicken (very strange having spent 2 weeks watching half of these animals from a truck!). I would definitely recommend zebra if you ever get the chance to try it (as cute as they are!).





Cocktails on the roof of the Hilton Hotel

Windhoek itself is quite small, and not particularly interesting. All of the locals warned us that Windhoek was not very safe but I didn’t run into any problems- apart from the internet being so very slow! I was fortunate that one of the other volunteers had far too much money and not enough sense, and was staying in a suite at the brand new Hilton Hotel. So for two days myself, Anja and Ben sunbathed by the pool, sipping cocktails and eating good food. It was a nice relaxing way to end my time at the project before starting my adventure tour of Namibia.