Good Times @ Grass Valley

So after I had left Cairns and spent time being a tourist in Perth I decided that I needed a job. (Australia: still expensive). I had already added a women on my facebook named Danielle Prowse - in addition to being a photographer she also sources backpackers for bar jobs around rural Western Australia. My timing lucked out and I managed to land a job working in the Grass Valley Tavern in Grass Valley, Australia.

 Although I had completed a bar skills course in Sydney and worked the bar a little at Ala Turka I hadn't actually worked a full time bar job before Grass Valley, so I was a little apprehensive when I started. Turns out the most difficult part is pulling a pint, and it's actually pretty easy. Within a week I'd pretty much settled in. I lived with the family who owned the bar in a twin room with the other backpacker Lauren:

I spent 8 weeks living and working in the Grass Valley, as well as picking up some shifts at the Riverside Hotel in Northam which Jenny and Adrian also owned. There I got to make coffees and serve food as well which felt a little more comfortable as I'm used to waitressing - plus on Friday and Saturday night it turned into a cocktail bar!

The overall experience was quite new to me - not only working in a bar, but to be so rural and to be surrounded by Australians! As much as I love Cairns - and I really do - the only people I met were other backpackers. Being in WA felt like a much more authentic experience and I got a real taste of Australia. Although some of it could be a little unpleasant (it was extremely hard to bite my tongue at some off-colour remarks), most of it was amazing. All the regulars at the bar were so lovely and genuinely interested in your life and travels. Often they would offer to take you on trips around the area. We got to see sheep shearing on a local farm, as well as Hilary Boat Harbour and Cottesloe beach.

I would say the best part of working here was drunken Thursday nights. The pub ran a Jag the Joker game, with the money rolling over every week and it was an excellent excuse to get extremely drunk. Not that I need much excuse in Australia apparently - it's gotten to the point that my father has discreetly asked my sister if I might have a drinking problem!

I spent 8 weeks at the pub and I loved it. Every time I encounter a backpack that's a little low on cash or looking for a new experience I always tell them to go work in an outback bar now. Just I was writing this Danielle Prowse put up a new ad on Facebook looking for a barmaid a certain Grass Valley! Looks like someone else gets to have the cool experience I did!

(We had a rule - if the song 'Mustang Sally' came on the jukebox we had to stop what we were doing and dance on the barrels. No one seemed to think this was strange).