2005 Field Trip - August/September

Dust, Dust, Dust That's about it. Lots of lazing around. Very little work, everything's winding up. Catching no animals, too much fire, not enough water, lots of dust, dirt and sand. Just three tuff troopers this trip, Claire, Penny and Alister. Day 10's exciting report in the calendar. 'Bugger all animals caught today, only a few. Spent the passing hours at the ranger station, chillin and washing our clothes. Now we have clean undies and sox! Oh yeah, we ate Claire's to be famous jaffles... once she produces her cookbook'

Then there was the last wok warmed shower under the stars and we packed up the Piccaninny camp for the last time and moved up to the new luxury accommodation at the 'vollie's camp' near the ranger station where we ate lots of pizza while Jaz, the visitor centre chick, screamed at the All Blacks on the TV.

Finally caught Monkey and Tripitaka, Pigsy came later but clearly had a fight with Monkey who disappeared on his cloud through the tunnels that criss cross through the Buchanan Sandplain. So we chased those chestnut mice around for awhile, laughed at a few tour guides wo couldn't take their eyes off Miss Universe and finally had a bit of a trashy night up at Cathedral Gorge for the full moon. But Claire wowed us all with her fire poi skills. And I caught some budgies with the camera down at Grevilea Ck.

Thalie, Jaz and Alister quietly stole a garden gnome one night from some dumb chopper pilots. Captain Sunshine had a great trip to Wyndham flying his chopper, had a smoothie at Barra Barra, got attacked by a croc at Lake Kununurra and made it all the way back to the Bungles but was then made to walk the plank at the Pirate Party.

May, back at the luxury vollies camp

The last trip, the craziest trip, when Bungle Brain finally took hold and ran rife not only through the vollies camp but the entire park community. SEVEN vollies this trip, Marlie, Tom, Yasmin, Steve, Phil, Jenny and Sarah. The new vollie's quarters could easily fit us all but few animals to play with so little work to do. A lot of slave labour was utilised by the rangers and two bird ponds were also built to great success, almost swimmable, just needed a little more concrete. Spent a fair bit of time on top of Popcorn hill eating golden popcorn.

Followed mammal #258, a pebblemound mouse, to her mound. But Jezabel only left it once for a quick romp in the rocks. Had a bit more success with Peter Pan, Seaman Stains and Romeo, the desert mice who happily chewed away on spinifex every afternoon. We spent a lot of time in the spinifex too and Yasmin even decided that the desert mouse new something and that was that spinifex is actually quite tasty. EKT also learnt all about desert mouse poo.

A bit from the Calendar - 'Sarah got bitten by a dragon for the first time' 'Tom collapsed in Hammock, all laughed' 'beer is running out' 'we got rain' 'Tom had explosive diarrhoea' 'Twister collapsed Marlie's tent, Tom laughed'

Other than that, the highlight of the trip was the Pirate Party. Arr me hearties, man the topdeck and prepare to be boarded.  Pirates and wenches arrived at the beCALMed good ship vollie for a night of drunken debauchery. And it was certainly that (for some more than others). The spitting contest had limited success but the water battle sorted out the landlubbers and the water rats.

Thanks to all my vollies and everyone from the park that helped me survive the Bungles. Its been awesome!

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