Poseidon Down Under!
| Ciara Kelly |
Blog 8
June 2024
Deserving its own paragraph, I have also booked my first-time home! I am flying home on July 14 th for a months holiday. Mum and I are going to the 2024 Paris Olympics to see the swimming and Rugby 7s so I cannot wait to see this. In 2032 the Olympics come to Australia so I am unsure if we will be still here or not. I am really looking forward to seeing all my friends and family and hopefully I will have time to call down to a training session and see you all again.
May 2024
Unfortunately, my time up on site was cut short as I was let go due to financial cuts. Hopefully work will pick up in a few months; time and I can go back to site. In the meantime, I have signed up to get my tickets for the Roller and Articulated Dump Truck (Moxy) which will benefit in my future applications for FIFO work. I managed to get 7-weeks experience under my belt which is always a plus. On the positive side, I am now back playing with Melbourne Shamrocks, and we have championship coming up now, so I have something to focus on. I also managed to get my old job back as a receptionist and swim teacher in South Pacific. I am doing some cover shifts which I am delighted to be doing.
March and April 2024
This month I had a career change! I was given the opportunity to fly to
Rockhampton (an hour and a half flight up past Brisbane) to go and work on a construction site in Clarke Creek. The project is a wind turbine farm, apparently the biggest in Australia. This was a FIFO (Fly-in, Fly-out) opportunity being a general laborer. I had to think long and hard about whether I wanted to leave my Swim School Co-Ordinator position as it was invaluable experience for whenever we move back to Ireland or if I wanted to give up a once in a lifetime experience in Australia. In the end, I followed my gut and decided to try the construction. I obtained my White Card and flew up to begin a new chapter. It was 3 weeks on, 12 hours a day, and 1 week off. I lived in accommodation up in Rockhampton which was a 40-minute drive from
site. I had meals cooked for me, a gym, my own private room with a private bathroom, and a launderette. I felt like I was in a hotel! Now I was also getting up at 4am and working until 6pm which was a little shock to the system. Everyone I was working with was so lovely and they let me try all the various job tasks. With no experience, I had to throw myself in and just do it. I used the jumping jack, I was shoveling concrete, I learned about the various depths different layers had to be back filled in at and how to read the drawings. I also got to see some wildlife too such as emus, dingos and echidnas. Thankfully there were no spiders or snakes.
February 2024
I was delighted to be selected to represent Melbourne Shamrocks along with fellow teammates at the 9s tournament. Teams from Brisbane and Sydney came down to play so it was a great experience to witness and play against these teams. The 7s tournament was 2 weeks after that and this is a major GAA event in Melbourne again where teams from Queensland and Western Australia come and play for the trophy. Melbourne Shamrocks made it all the way to the final, the first time we have ever made it to the 7s final, but unfortunately lost. It was still a fantastic day out. I also turned 25 in February, halfway to 50 hahaha. Brendan had given me a meet and greet with Ant Middleton, a British SAS Solider who was having a talk in the convention center in Melbourne. Ant Middleton was one of the DS on the tv show SAS: Who Dares Win and has written multiple books about his experiences as a Navy and Para Solider and how to maintain positive mental health. He was such a lovely man to meet and was very happy to sign our books and have a chat to Brendan and I.
January 2024
Brendan and I did a little holiday up to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and what an
experience that was! The scenery, the heat, the flies! We flew to Ayers Rock Airport and were collected by the shuttle bus that drops all guests off to the hotel they have booked in. Being that this is clearly in the middle of nowhere, everyone stays in the Ayers Rock Resort which has 4/5 hotels to choose from, restaurants, a shop, tourist shops, and information desk. That’s it! We had booked a sunrise tour and walked around the rock itself. You cannot climb it anymore, that stopped in 2019, but we were able to touch it, so my left hand has officially touched Uluru. We also booked a helicopter ride over Uluru, we could see Kata Tjuta which is one of the sister rocks of Uluru, and a sunset tour on camel back. I had imagined riding a camel was like riding a horse… I was horribly wrong. The saddle is filled with straw, which is pretty uncomfortable. Rusty, our camel, did love a good scratch and he was very well behaved. Uluru was an incredible experience where I think both Brendan and I said, “this is so Australian”. When someone says to me what do I picture Australia to be, I can imagine the rugged, barren landscape that surrounds Uluru, and the heat would also play a part in that image.
Blog 7
1st January 2024
Poseidon Goes To Bondi!
Hi guys, how are we all?
This is a special edition blog as Brendan and I visited Bondi Beach on New Years Day. Unfortunately the weather was not as sunny as we would have hoped, and Maxi was actually on annual leave. We will just have to visit again in the future.
Thankfully I did get to meet Corey and Hoppo. Corey was very chatty, friendly, and bubbly. Hoppo was also lovely. Of course I had to ask if the shark alarm was used recently, and it actually had been! Only a few days before our visit, they had to set the alarm as a shark was spotted off the shore. Thankfully nobody was hurt, and the shark went on about its business. They were also filming a new series of Bondi Rescue. Mad to believe that it is still being recorded as I remember watching it when I was really small, convincing myself that I would be the first female beach lifeguard on the show.
Brendan and I both agreed that Bondi is actually a lot smaller than it appears on TV. The tower also seems a lot smaller too. The TV is obviously playing tricks on our perception of things. We had a mooch around the shops where I bought a Bondi Beach towel. We then decided to walk to Bronte along the sea walk. We had intended to walk to Coogee but it was further down than we anticipated.
I am glad that I can tick off Bondi beach now. I would recommend it to anyone who comes to Australia as it is cool to see somewhere in person when you’ve only ever seen it on TV. I would advise though seeing it when the weather is a little nicer.
Lots of love,
Ciara
Blog 3
August 2023 | Melbourne, Australia
Hey everyone, how are we all?
4 months here already and July was definitely a jam packed month. At the start of the month, Melbourne Shamrocks (my camogie team) played in the Championship final, and I am proud to say we won against GarryOwen. For some of the girls, this is their 3rd Championship win in a row, obviously it is my first. It’s fantastic to play senior camogie out here as it is a higher standard than I was playing at home. It is very competitive (i.e. fighting for a jersey) and very physical. My teammates are from all over Ireland and were extremely welcoming when I attended my first training session back when I landed. I am delighted to say I am the proud owner of an Australian camogie medal. The season is over now but will restart January/February time as we play in the 7s and 9s tournaments. Apparently, they are loads of fun so looking forward to them. Unsure if I will enjoy playing matches in the Australian summer heat…
Towards the end of the month, Brendan and I flew to Perth and Brisbane to watch Ireland in the Women’s World Cup. We watched them play Canada in Perth and Nigeria in Brisbane. What an experience that was! The number of Irish who turned up to support the ladies. The atmosphere at the Canada game was electric. We were constantly singing and chanting. The highlight was seeing McCabe’s corner goal as we were standing right behind the goal. The stadiums were mainly green for both matches (especially against Nigeria as Nigeria are also green). 1 of the photos I have attached is with Tazuni, the official mascot of the 2023 Women’s World Cup. She loved striking a pose.
When we were in Perth, we went to visit the quokkas, the happiest animal in the world. We saw these cheeky chappies on Rottnest Island, just off the coast of Perth. They are extremely inquisitive and are happy to walk around your feet and pay no attention to you. They are native to the island, roughly 10,000 inhabit the island, and they have no predators. Living the life, I think. We even saw a little joey peeping his nose out of his mother’s pouch. It was extremely cute. Rottnest Island is only 24km and you can cycle around it, get a tour bus, and even go swimming off the beaches. I definitely want to go back.
The final photo is Tangalooma, a resort island where Brendan and I did sand tobogganing down a 70m high sand dune (that’s an 8 storey building that you do have to walk back up after sliding down!). It was such an adrenaline rush. We managed to fit in 5 slides down before we had to go home. Sand got everywhere and I mean everywhere. It was extremely funny afterwards to see each other. We also did a quad tour around a sand adventure park where we took high corners, circles, and a ride along the beach (we picked a late time to watch the sunset). Finally, just before the 7pm ferry we sat and watched the dolphins come in for a feed. That was a cute experience to see the dolphins swim around and again, catch the sunset while being fed.
Think I have managed to fill you in on everything that happened in July. This newsletter was a long one so thank you for reading it if you’re still here. We are now looking forward to our big trip to Singapore, Kuala Lumpar, and Bali in September. I will explain more in that newsletter.
Best of luck to all club members receiving both Junior and Leaving Cert results. I am sure you all absolutely smashed it and we are so proud of you. If anyone is wishing to study in UCD, I am happy to offer any help regarding orientation/general knowledge and if you want a job on pool deck as a lifeguard, let me know.
Love,
Ciara
Blog 2
May 2023 | Melbourne, Australia
Hey everyone. Good to catch up with you all. Hope everyone is well and enjoying the beautiful Leaving Cert weather at home. Wish I could say the same but unfortunately, it is winter over here, so I have been wearing my winter coat, even my hat!
The above photo is from Brighton Beach where they have loads of beautifully painted beach huts that I think the homeowners own. Some of the designs include dolphins, waves, the Australian flag, etc. They are pretty to see, and I can understand why Brighton would be extremely busy during summer.
I have been employed by the Sea Baths for a month now and have been in Australia for 2 months already!! It has flown by, and I am glad to say, I am enjoying every minute of it. The only downside is that I miss my car. Like at home, public transport can be hit or miss here (I had to run to work one day as my tram never arrived).
On the 28th May, Brendan and I experienced our first earthquake. It was a very weird feeling as we were both very confused as to what was going on and why we were being shaken. Turns out a 3.8 magnitude earthquake hit Sunbury (1hr drive) at 11:40pm. According to news articles, tremors were felt as far north as Bendigo (2hr drive) and as far south as Hobart in Tasmania (15hr trip). Again, according to the news, it is the strongest earthquake to have hit Melbourne in 120 years! Thankfully nobody was injured, and no damage was caused.
Best of luck to all club members who are sitting the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert this year. To Leaving Certs, congratulations from graduating secondary school.
Love, Ciara xxx
Blog 1
March 2023 | Melbourne, Australia
Hello everybody and welcome to my first ‘diary’/’blog’/’update’ on my life in Australia. Melbourne is absolutely beautiful. From the little adventuring I have done, due to the sheer size of Melbourne alone, it holds beautiful architecture, scenery, and little hidden gems.
As you can see from the above photo, I got my first job in Australia as a Swim Teacher in St Kilda Sea Baths. The pool is 25m, heated, and is filled using sea water directly from St Kilda beach, right on the doorstep. When in the pool, the window at the back overlooks the sea and it is an absolutely breath taking sight watching the sunset during my night classes on Monday and Wednesday. Each level is named after sea animals (Sea Dragons, Starfish, Jellyfish, Octopus, Bottlenose Dolphin, Stingray) you can find in the Port Philip Bay. We then also have Squid Junior Squad and Gummy Shark Senior Squad. We also have adult lessons on too.
John will be happy to hear that I have been researching lifesaving clubs out here to join. Elwood Lifesaving Club appears to be the most promising as they do both pool and beach competitions. They also do IRB ‘Inflatable Rescue Boat’ which looks really impressive. They hold carnival events across the country to compete head to head to see who the ultimate IRB champion is. That might be an interesting skill to add to my bow.
I’ll try to keep my updates as regular as possible. Hope everyone is well back in Ireland and congratulations to everyone who competed in the Branch competition. Special mention to Emily Crean and Anna McGloin for winning the Junior Girls category and Bailey Crean and Abby Cahill for winning the Junior Boys category. Poseidon is on the rise!
Love, Ciara