Whyalla

Whyalla... Daph and Ern have arrived.

We drove through a lot of red dirt and scrub on the way in. And not much else. It felt like we were in the outback. We wouldn’t have known that just a stone’s throw to our left was the delicious coastline, with beaches and ocean comparable to the Whitsundays.

On arrival, we checked out the town to get our bearings, and to suss out our home for the next six weeks. They have every convenience we could require, which is lucky because we are miles away from anywhere. The rows of cute houses are all neat as a pin. It’s retirement heaven. They try their best to have pretty gardens in the red dirt, with neatly maintained potted colour everywhere. The guys with a square metre of meticulously manicured grass in their front garden must be the envy of the street. Grass seems to be a rarity around here. As are people. The streets are empty. And quiet.

Then we had lunch on the Whyalla foreshore, which is just beautiful with crystal clear azure water. The locals tell us there are dolphins all year round, and a unique annual cuttlefish migration that provides a kaleidoscope of a show that needs to be seen to be believed. Unfortunately, this happens between May and July, after we leave. We may just have to pop back later in the year.

We picked up the keys to our free accommodation, a three-bedroom house in the town. Winning. Except that we spent the whole day cleaning the scum off the floor, and the cupboards, and the utensils, and the oven (which still had old food in it from the last tenants). The hospital staff were unaware this house even existed, so it may not have been cleaned since 1982. We are very grateful for a free place to stay. But it wasn’t the best welcome.

Then today, Daph did her first shift at the hospital. It seems that South Australia has more paperwork than anywhere else in Australia. She will never again complain about “yet another form to fill out” because South Australia has triple the amount of anywhere else. And there won’t be much midwifery happening. With only 172 births last year, the baby-catching forecast is bleak. Daph will be mainly looking after the retirees and their gardening injuries. It’s all an interesting learning curve and an exercise in gratitude and appreciation. Which makes life all the richer.

Daph sent Ern out to buy bleach in bulk today. There is much more cleaning to be done. Days off are sorted for the next few weeks.