Applemania

  The island state of Tasmania is known for it's apples.  I figured it would be an appropriate to experience 'The Natural State' by picking up some work on an orchard.  To this end, I found myself a job on Calthorpe Orchard, about an hour north of Launceston.

Picking apples is heavy work.  The job involves identifying the readiness of apples by their color, climbing up ladders and filling bins with fruit.  Do this all day, and there is money to be made.  It's paid by the bin, between $33 and $45 each.  On a good day it's possible to squeeze out five or six of them.  I imagine that I have picked more apples now than I will eat in my entire life.  And I'm gonna pick some more. 

It's good to be living in the countryside again.  Life is really simple on the farm, and without advertising or shops, I don't find myself wanting more.    I jumped on the option to camp out on the farm, so I'm living for cheap.  It's an opportunity to save up some coin for future travel.

 Australia grows a lot of fruit and needs heaps of seasonal workers to help with harvest, so it has made a deal with backpackers across the land.  If we work for 88 days in a rural area doing farmwork, they will grant us a second year visa.  So there is an international crowd of pickers, many of who would rather be somewhere else, but are staying on to get the visa. 

In the morning, when the grass is wet with dew, I climb up the ladder and look at the view.  The sun is rising with red hued clouds, and the orchards stretch out in the distance.  You can hear the French guys singing songs, the dutch girls laughing, and old mate Phil cursing the Korean crew for stealing apples from his side of the trees.  The quality checker is a nice girl.  Her name is Juliette, but we call her hottie police officer behind her back.  She's saying something about my apples being a little bit green.  I tell her it's cool and carry on with what I'm doing.  I'm picking apples.  And some people think I'm crazy, but I'm loving it!