Ski resort jobs

Went to an information / interview session for Perisher Ski Resort. It was very interesting to see both the applicants and learn about Perisher.

There are two ski resorts in Australia, Perisher and Thredbo. According to the presenter, it could actually snow any day of the year in the Snowy Mountains, but of course, most of the snow occurs / accumulates in the winter. The deepest snow is actually at the END of the season, but when the weather starts getting warmer, Australians want to head to the beach, so the resorts don't get much business once the beaches are warm. The snow is a bit remote, and people make reservations in advance, regardless of the snow conditions. Perisher has a train that takes people from lower elevations, so they don't have to drive in the snow, as most Australians have no snow-driving skills (though there are plenty of 4WDs for mud and dirt roads).

Everyone at the info session were "late applicants", many who just found out about job possibilities - but the application period actually starts in January. Perisher has a high rate of return employees, and they try to keep them by finding them jobs at other resorts in the off-season. The biggest surprise, as the representatives went around the room - most of the people in the room were from Taiwan, and applying for housekeeping jobs. The rep said, for whatever reason, they get a huge number of applicants from Taiwan ex-military for housekeeping jobs. There were also people from Argentina, Wales, Britain, and New Zealand - most were young people on gap year or on break from school.

The big challenge for Australian ski resorts is their remoteness and New Zealand gets more snow - it's just a short flight over to New Zealand and possibly even more accessible ski resorts (I see them advertised at the train stops). But there's no "just drive up the hill and go skiing" as there is at Tahoe - it's more a "make reservations in advance" situation.

Oh, I probably won't get a job - they either didn't believe I'd be happy to make beds (or couldn't compete with the Taiwanese military?), and I didn't have quite enough experience to be a desk clerk. Maybe I need to go to school and learn to drive a snow grooming machine?!

Banana situation?

Still learning more about Australia. For example: most bananas are grown and consumed within the country,  but most of the time there's an oversupply.  Dole starts banana exports.

Visit to Newcastle

Finally got around to visiting Newcastle - a somewhat lengthy side-track on the way home from Hawks Nest. Newcastle is the largest coal exporting port in the world - the mining began in 1833 (wikipedia), and there are huge stacks of coal along the port as evidence. The old brick industrial buildings remind me of towns in the Midwestern United States. Unlike Sydney, the streets are nice and wide, and though there's traffic, it doesn't feel claustrophobically squeezed onto narrow neighborhood streets.

Unlike any Midwestern town (except maybe on the Great Lakes), there's a lighthouse and a nice beach for surfing. Even in the harbor crowded with cargo ships, the water seems relatively clean, and surprisingly clean considering the amount of coal sitting on its shores. Below is a seaside pool complex - in a style similar to the Cliff House in San Francisco.

Hoosier tyres?

Another reminder of home.

What?! I've never even heard of Hoosier Tires, but then, I don't follow the NASCAR circuit (it's all Goodyear and Firestone, isn't it?) Wait a minute... clearly the web site was made in Indiana, because everyone knows tires is really spelled (or as they say here, spelt) tyres! link to Hoosier Tyres