{"id":9709,"date":"2017-12-19T07:27:41","date_gmt":"2017-12-19T06:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/peregrinusmundi.com\/tumbarumba-back-to-positive-things\/"},"modified":"2020-07-05T17:39:03","modified_gmt":"2020-07-05T15:39:03","slug":"tumbarumba-back-to-positive-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peregrinusmundi.com\/en\/tumbarumba-back-to-positive-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Tumbarumba, back to positive things"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Tumbarumba appeared in a torrential rain. It has been raining for three days and I am not sure what to do. My only goal in mind was to reach the village because this is where one of the Costa farms for the blueberry harvest is located. The season is supposed to start in early December. So here I am in a small desert village. A central street with a few shops, an information center and a campsite. And that’s all. I have a moment of hesitation. But there is something in the village that I like. A friendly atmosphere, a mountain air and the strange feeling of being in the right place. Tumbarumba is a tiny village that has grown in the middle of the hills. The Australian Cordillera, the great mountain range that stretches along the east coast of Australia is not far away. The Kosciuszko National Park, where the mountains run, is only a few kilometers away. This is where the highest peak in Australia is located (2228m). Here they call the place the Australian Alps. Three ski resorts share the few snow-covered slopes in winter. I find it hard to imagine Australia with snow. But given the state of the weather right now, it does not seems so impossible.\u00a0<\/p>

In the rain I go see the Costa farm to find out about the blueberry harvest season. But there is nobody. No one in the campsite either. I have a bad feeling. The camping ground is completely soaked and the small river which crosses it threatens to overflow. Apparently according to the camping owner, the fruit-picking season does not start until December 11. Maybe even the 18th! Bad news. What will I do in the meantime?<\/p>

Taking advantage of a moment of sunshine, I go walk around the village. A small path goes up the hill behind. No one except an Echidna who quickly ran away while seeing me arriving. A shrill sound suddenly twists my eardrums. I spot a brown and white thing on a tree in front of me. A passerine makes vocalizations. For a very small bird, it has a voice!<\/p>

The next day I call Costa. It is good, I am on the list of registrants. Introduction Thursday to start work Monday! I am happy. But it still means a week behind what I thought. I ask Angeline, the lady of the farm if she can give me leads for accommodation in the area, not wishing to stay at the campsite. She tells me to go see the hotels in the village. She will also contact a lady she knows who may have a room available. I go see the hotels. Too expensive. Fortunately Angeline contacts me with the number of Pauline, the lady who could house me. I call her, explain my situation to her and she want to meet me in the evening. So at the end of the evening, I meet Pauline. She seems nice but it is the first time that she welcomes someone into her house and she hesitates a little. But she ends up inviting me to come and sleep at her house. She lives in a pretty secluded house, 14km from Tumbarumba. We are discussing the organization. There are several points to settle but we will see that later. Right now I am warm in a good bed!<\/p>

In exchange for a not too expensive accommodation price, Pauline asks me if I agree to take care of cleaning her garage and gardening. I accept without problem. And so here I am living in a superb quiet place. The house was built by Pauline and her husband on the extension of a hangar. The interior is very nice. I have my own room. And the kitchen and bathroom are of a higher level than almost anything I have seen since I started traveling. A large veranda and a garden surround the house. It is full of flowers and the view of the surrounding hills is superb. No neighbors, just a horse almost wild in the paddock next door. There are birds everywhere and chimes stir in the breeze and play a sweet melody. A little paradise! I feel very lucky to have come across Pauline.<\/p>

Angeline call me back two days later. With a good surprise. She asks me if I want to be an assistant supervisor! The job is to help the supervisor manage the picker team. It is paid by the hour, $23. I said yes although I hesitate a bit wondering if I wouldn’t be better off being a picker (blueberry picker). By being fast it is possible to make a lot of money. But since I have never been picking, it is very unlikely that I would be fast from the start. The next day is the induction for the assistants. So I go to Costa around mid-morning for a presentation by Angeline and the signing of a whole bunch of papers. The organization looks a little less developed than in Trevelyans in New Zealand, where I worked in a warehouse paking kiwis. But I guess packing and picking work differently. And Costa Tumbarumba seems to be a bit smaller than Trevelyans. However, the atmosphere that the place gives off pleases me.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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