9 week school of Christian Healing & Discipleship

Perth, a vibrant modern city with a population of around 1.4 million. The West Australian coastline stretches for 12,500 km and most of it consists of clean white beaches and clear, blue-green water. The Swan River divides the city into north and south, and the colourful and cosmopolitan city of Fremantle is located 20 km south. Fremantle has its very own character and 'feel' and is a magnet for those who like to sit in the sun or wander the streets and take-in the picturesque old buildings and absorb the fascinating maritime history of the place. I have had the opportunity of visiting the surrounding areas including -

New Norcia, Australia's only monastic town. I joined in a guided tour to discover New Norcia, hear the stories of the last 160 years, visit the monk's own chapel within the monastery, the Abbey Church and beautifully decorated interiors of the College Chapels. Home to a community of Benedictine Monks since the first missionaries arrived from Europe in 1846. Fascinating and well worth a visit.

I arrived at Springhill several days early to help out with preparations for the 9 week school of Christian healing and discipleship which I am attending. My jobs have been cleaning slime from the fish pond, see photo, cooking and gardening. Springhill is situated on 85 acres of land, about an hours drive east of Perth. There is a tennis and volley ball court, swimming pool and even a native animal enclosure with several kangaroo's. I am sharing a room with Sandra who lives in Perth with her family but who will be living on site for the 9 weeks. It was her birthday on the 1st day of the course so the staff made a cake. Sandra has been a missionary in the Sudan in Africa. The nearest town is Northam, which is situated on the Avon River just 98 km from Perth and 13 km from Springhill. The Avon River flows through the town and is fringed by soft grassy banks and shady trees. The teaching content of the 9 week school is designed to give delegates a biblical understanding of the many aspects of healing, deliverance and discipleship.

The course finishes on 14^th December and I fly home to New Zealand that night arriving in Christchurch the following morning, so will be home in plenty of time for Christmas.

Zoom into the Springhill specials to see what is on offer!

'Treeless Desert'

I picked up the re-location camper van as planned but had to return it twice before leaving Adelaide. There was something wrong with the camper that I was not happy with especially as I was starting out on a nearly 3,000km journey of rugged wilderness. After the disappointment of not having a camper van to drive over the Nullarbor as originally planned, I finally took off, a day later, driving a 4 wheel drive car, for $1 a day. This meant that I had no facilities for sleeping or cooking. If you have looked at my blog I mentioned about Luke who responded to my add for a female traveling companion. As I had said that I was not prepared to share a bed with a guy, he had left earlier and started hitch hiking. He was not having much success so he sent me texts asking how I was doing and if I had set off. It became apparent that he was stranded so I said I would pick him up and we could find a back packers somewhere en-route. Zoom in to see what is written on Luke's T shirt. Just click on the picture.

The road from South Australia to Western Australia is amazing, hugging a rugged coastline with dramatic cliffs, deserted beaches and awesome National Parks. The only dilema was how to fit in all the sights of this epic journey without taking several weeks, I had only 6 days! The quiet and endless horizon is known as the Nullarbor Plains - 'treeless desert'. Its name is not derived from the Aboriginal language as many people think, but comes from the latin 'nullus arbor' – no tree. The Aboriginal name for the area is 'Oondiri', meaning 'The Waterless' as it has an average rainfall of only 20cm. After a days driving and getting to know each other we were ready for somewhere to sleep and all the available places were quite expensive and neither of us wanted to pay their prices. We went into this pub and asked if they knew of a cheap place to stay and they recommended the caravan park where there was an old caravan. We found this caravan for $40 per night for both of us, it had all the basic kitchen things although a bit run down. Unfortunately we soon discovered there was no bedding, Luke gave me his sleeping bag and he slept in his clothes! I had the double bed and Luke took one of the bunks. This is not my normal practice to share a room with only one male. Luke had not brought any food for the 6 day journey so we shared what I had. He cooked tea of bacon, eggs, potato, carrot and sprouts and fruit for dessert. As it was raining and cold we decided for an early night.

The next day we stopped off to watch the magnificent Southern Right Whales frolicking in the pristine waters of the coast, viewing them from the 60 metre high, sheer limestone cliffs. We drove as far as Eucla just over the quarantine border and again prices were high and no back packers. So we ended up sharing a room, stepping out of my comfort zone again. I took the double bed and Luke slept on the single one. It was always cheaper sharing accommodation. The accommodation was room only we had to find the showers and kitchen somewhere in the camp site. We discovered the camp kitchen had no utensils, we had food but nothing to cook in or eat out of. Fortunately we were able to borrow some from a young German couple. Luke is 29 years old and a typical traveler. He is a chef, photographer and has just written a book.

The next morning we decided on an early start as we had nothing to make a cup of tea with even though we had the tea and milk. We set off from Eucla at 6.30am. Around 9am we had breakfast, yoghurt and cereal eaten from 2 old paper cups from McDonald's and a plastic knife! Followed by a drink of water. It all tasted good for which we were grateful. Later that day we stopped at Cocklebiddy originally established as an Aboriginal mission in early pioneer days. That day we drove over 700km to reach Kalgoorlie. Kalgoorlie is a modern and bustling regional centre with a unique gold rush heritage, modern mining and an outback environment. Men came in by the thousands to find their fortunes on the goldfields. With the influx of single men, so too came the demand for goods and services. One such service was provided by local brothels. At one time there were at least 25 brothels. There are 3 surviving brothels today as was evident as I walked by.

It was here in Kalgoorlie that Luke and I departed company as he had a job here as a photographer at an aboriginal community. I booked into the Youth Hostel, where the people were very friendly and several 'kiwi's', some of whom were from Christchurch NZ, who were working in the local mines.

I decided to stop over at Northam where I will be attending the 9 week school of Christian Healing and Discipleship as it was on my route into Perth. The course starts on 12th September - 14th November. It is very isolated, a long way from public transport and no mobile phone coverage, although there is internet.

Adelaide

After traveling from Melbourne to Adelaide on a 10 hour train journey on the Overland, I was whisked away to an International Evening at the Uniting Church. A wonderful evening of tasting dishes from around the world and being entertained by Philipino dancers. Here in Adelaide I am staying with Joy who is a SERVAS host. Joy has traveled to many countries around the world, so it has been interesting listening to her stories.

Adelaide is a cleverly planned city with Colonel William Light choosing the site for it in 1836 – becoming the capital of South Australia. It has the charm of a big country town but not the hustle and bustle of a cosmopolitan city. Prior to settlement of Europeans, the area now known as the Adelaide Plains was home to the Kaurna Aborigines. Adelaide is unusual as it was established by immigrants, and has no convict history. Rapid expansion took place during the First World War and after WW11 new immigrants arrived from Europe, including many Italians, bringing with them the Cafe Culture which is now so popular with the people of Adelaide.

Nestled deep in the picturesque setting of the Adelaide Hills, I visited the historic Hahndorf – a little piece of old Europe transplanted into a beautiful Australian setting. Another day I visited Victor Harbor where the local trams are pulled by horses. It was here that I visited an interesting art exhibition where exhibits were from young adults with intellectual and learning disabilities.

From Adelaide I will be driving a 2 berth re-location camper van for $5 a day, across the Nullarbor Plains, which I am told is a mainly desert area. It will be a 6 day journey to re-locate the camper to the city of Perth. I have advertised for a female traveling companion – unfortunately the first one was a male called Luke. My reply to him 'I was not prepared to share my bed with a guy.' I expect to be in Perth on 25^th August, with or without a traveling companion.

Another Amazing Place

I am now here in Gilbulla the headquarters for Ellel Ministries in Australia. It is a magnificent property located about an hours drive south west of Sydney. Set in 54 acres of grounds, Gilbulla comprises an historic main house, conference hall, motel-style accommodation, budget accommodation, chapel, beautiful grounds and recreational facilities.

Ellel Ministries took its name from the first building acquired for the work – Ellel Grange. The name Ellel means 'All Hail' in Old English to honour and worship God; El El means 'Towards God' in Hebrew. In Ancient Cantonese it means 'Love Flowing Outward'. These meanings confirmed it was a God given name for the ministry. The mission of Ellel Ministries is to proclaim the Kingdom of God by preaching the good news, healing the broken-hearted and setting the captives free.

I came here as a volunteer and have been working in the garden – pruning roses, trimming lavenders, weeding and driving the tractor, also cleaning in the main house and baking in kitchen. My working day starts to 9am and finishes at 5.30pm at which time I am ready for a shower and tea at 6pm.

My next stop is Melbourne to visit with Rev Hugh and Dorothy Prentice, fellow missionaries from Tanzania.

Love, honest work and practical Christianity

50 kms north of Coffs Harbour at the foot of a magnificent sandstone cliff I visited some converted railway wagons where I found an atmosphere of love, honest work and practical Christianity. The place – Sherwood Cliffs. Here apart from the daily cooking, cleaning, washing and other domestic activities, there is always the sound of saws buzzing, hammers banging and tractors running. A thriving garden produces a lovely supply of fresh vegetables and the dairy cows produce milk and meat. The orchard increases every year as trees are added. Hidden, but not hiding, in this tranquil environment people have an opportunity of finding real answers for their needs. It provides a family orientated programme for drug rehabilitation where staff and clients live, share and work together. There is also a school for children of both clients and staff. John-Pierre and his wife Honi with God's guidance founded the place 31 years ago. John-Pierre is pictured with sulphur crested cockatoo on his shoulder and Honi feeding the baby kangaroos. The last picture is the new area for women. Staff do not receive a salary but rely on God to supply their every day needs. An amazing place.

Coffs Coast

I have enjoyed my stay with Emily, Joan and their mother 'Oma'. Mother and I went for days out, to the hairdresser, looking for shoes etc. Now Emily has a week off after a busy 2 weeks full time in Vocational Care - a holiday programme for 5-12 yr old children. Joan has a 800cc Kawasaki motor bike and she gave me a ride on it one day. The picture on the right shows Emily at Nambucca Heads where people are allowed to portray their artistic skills on the rocks along this coastal stretch.

Coffs Coast – situated half way between Sydney and Brisbane, there are a choice of over 40 beaches all in their sandy splendour, stretching 90 kms of picture perfect coastline. The beaches offer many different surfing, swimming and beach experiences. Some offer privacy away from the crowds, while others safe surf conditions and are regularly patrolled by Coffs

lifeguards. At Coffs Harbour boats bob about in the marina against an ocean backdrop sparkling in the sunlight as seagulls search greedily for the leftover fish and chips from lunching holiday makers. The harbour is still very much a working port and an important commercial fishing community. The Coffs Coast is also notable for its banana and avocado plantations. It has a sub-tropical climate that averages 26 degrees Centigrade and a minimum of 12 - sounds like an ideal climate to me.Muttonbird Island is just beyond the marina and is home to thousands of migrating wedge-tailed shearwaters (or muttonbirds) that bread on the island each year. Named for their ability to 'shear' the water with their wings. They were called muttonbirds by the early settlers who killed them for their fatty mutton like flesh. At the Eastern end of the island, perched above the surf crashing over the rock platforms and pools below I had an excellent vantage point to watch 5-6 visiting humpback whales on their annual migration. These gentle giants are a spectacle to behold.

Gold Coast

During my stay in Brisbane Tom and Carina took me for a day out to Montville a small village, where there was an interesting clock shop with numerous cuckoo clocks, then a short visit to the Sunshine Coast but alas it rained. After leaving Brisbane I visited the Gold Coast which has 72 kilometres of legendary beaches including Surfers Paradise. The beaches of the Australian coastline are indeed spectacular and rival those found anywhere in the world.

I had an interesting stay at the YHA (Youth Hostel Association) at Coolangata. The accommodation is graded by stars according to a quality standard. 5 star being a very high standard, but this hostel had no 'stars', so I wondered what I was letting myself into. The hostel was quite run down and I was sharing a dormitory room with 7 other people, fortunately all female. However I met some lovely people. I met a Christian couple over a meal, and on return to my dormitory my room mates invited me to share their potato chips and a drink. As we sat on our bunks we shared stories of our travels. The next day I moved onto Kingscliff, a small coastal village further south, where I stayed with another SERVAS host Don and Yvonne who lived in an over 50's village. Yvonne taught the men's tap dancing session.

Monday I traveled by bus and train to Sawtell to stay with my friends Emily and Joan who live with their mother Oma. Sawtell is just a short distance from Coffs harbour where you can see a rolling ocean, winding rivers and sparkling creeks. As my job at Stanthorpe had fallen through they suggested that I come and be a companion for their mother and take her for days out while Emily and Joan are at work. So this is my 'job', similar to HelpX by working to pay for my board and lodging. I plan to be here for approx 2 weeks.

I have the use of a car and today we went to Bellingen and Dorrigo. This cultural-rich community is a magnet for artists, musicians, writers, actors and crafts people. The term 'cottage industry' is taken literally here. It seems every second home boasts an artists studio and the results are on exhibit in a huge array of galleries. Locally made jewellery, ceramic and textile works arejust some of the pleasures available to peruse or purchase.

Cairns to Kuranda to Brisbane

After 2 days in Cairns I visited Kuranda dubbed the 'village in the rainforest', nestled in the mountains behind Cairns on the edge of the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics of Queensland, Australia. Market day is every day in Kuranda. It was here that I stayed with a SERVAS host. SERVAS is an organisation where hosts open their homes to travelers usually for a couple of nights and who enjoy the cross-cultural exchange. I stayed with a lovely couple, Graham and Terrie, for 3 nights and enjoyed some great home comforts that I missed while on the sailing expedition - a room to myself, comfy spacious bed, hot water and a shower etc, etc, etc. It is only when you don't have them that you appreciate the basic things in life. I was shown around the village, saw some koalas and taken up to Port Douglas.

Now I am in Brisbane staying with some friends, Tom and Carina, who I met at the last 20 day school of healing and discipleship that I attended last year, not far from Sydney. Brisbane's city heartland is a unique district with the river as it's central focus reflecting the city's reputation for a relaxed subtropical lifestyle. Grand colonial architecture stands side by side with modern office towers and hotels. Here in Brisbane it was not long before I was once again on the water!! I took a trip on the City Cat - a catamaran which caters for the travel needs of recreational passengers and commuters. With the river being the heart of Brisbane it is a great way to travel around the city. Temperatures have dropped from 30 degrees centigrade and humid in Cairns to 16 degrees here in Brisbane.

My work assignment in Stanthorpe fell through as the HelpX workers who were already there decided they wanted to stay on so they did not need me. That was a bit of a disappointment as I was really looking forward to working in an attractive highland town most famous for being cold. It sits at an altitude of 915m and is one of the few places in the state that gets cold. It was minus 1 degree centigrade this morning.
With a change of plans I am now heading off from Brisbane on Thursday 9th July to a small village called Coolangata for a night at the YHA and then on to Kingscliff to stay 2-3 nights with a SERVAS host, on the coast further south.

From Shaka Zulu to Cairns

Unfortunately our time on the Shaka Zulu was not all plain sailing. I generally enjoyed the sailing and visiting the Islands and the BBQ on the beaches and yacht, but our skipper liked his drink. During the normal course of a day he could handle the 10-15 cans of beer. 2 female crew members had already left and our Skipper Warwick took on 2 male crew members whom he knew. The new crew seemed to encourage Warwick in his drinking and it was now rum and beer, a whole bottle of rum being consumed during the day which started mid morning. As we were anchored off shore from Dunk Island I had no alternative but to stay on board until the next morning. I then approached Warwick and said I was not happy about the previous evening and would be leaving the boat and would make my own way back to Cairns. I managed to get a ferry to the mainland at Mission Beach and then a bus to Cairns. Picture shows Sarah cooking BBQ on the yacht.

On my way to Cairns I passed through Tully – Australia's wettest town, with the average rainfall of 4,200 millimeters. For this dubious honour Tully receives the nations 'Golden Gumboot' award. The seemingly incessant rain and the fertile soil nourishes the regions thriving sugar cane, tea and banana crops.

Mission Beach – 14 km stretch of coastline with sandy beaches. Named after an Aboriginal mission was established there in 1914. Mission Beach area contains almost half of Australia's total number of beautiful fan palms, which are a necessary habitat for the endangered Southern Cassowary, a magnificent flightless bird.

Now in Cairns – gateway to Tropical North Queensland. A thriving and dynamic city, once an isolated port for shipping gold, tin and timber. Surrounded by forested hills and tropical vegetation. I visited the Farmers market and tasted all the local delicacies. Went to the library housed in a splendid colonial type building, very modern inside with air-conditioning and lovely comfortable seats. Then I went to find a church so that I could worship with fellow Christians on Sunday. I am now staying at the Nomads Backpackers where I had been told I had an air-conditioned room with 2 male and 2 female as room mates. However when I got to my room there was no air-con and my room mates were all male. So I went back and asked to change my room and I now have 2 females and 1 male, who are from the UK traveling together

Sailing Rally

During the rally we visited Great Palm Island – inhabited by an Aboriginal community, regretably crime has been rampant, there are 18 police officers and approximately 3500 people.

Another one of the Islands we visited was Dunk Island which is shown on the left – it is the largest and most famous of the Family Islands due mainly to the writings of its first white settler Edmund Banfield whose lyrical excerps describing island life have become symbolic of tropical island paradise. Edmund lived here with his wife Bertha from 1897, drawn by the possibility of a Robinson Crusoe existance he quit his job to search for his own tropical isle. With the help of a few Aboriginal inhabitants and the proceeds of his writings, managed to survive and build a slab hut. During his life on the island he kept a daily journal in which he described island life and Dunk's astounding wildlife. It was these beautiful and finely descriptive essays that were the basis of 4 books which were to establish Dunk's reputation in the world as an idyllic island paradise.


Hinchinbrook – Australia's largest Island National Park and it is as wild as it is beautiful and remote, the rock cliff faces and the headlands of it's seaward coastline broken only here and there by long curving beaches of unmarked white sand. Awesome too, is the diversity of plant and animal life until now only revealed to the walker negotiating the steep and sudden rise from the sea's edge to mountain peak. Swimming can be dangerous in certain places due to crocodiles, sharks or stinging jelly fish.

Warwick, the skipper and his daughter live permanently on the yacht, they have no home on land. It is very cramped on board with a total of 6 people. 2 of the crew share a double bed which they have to curl up on as it is not very long, pictured below. I have a long enough bed but less than half the width of the size of my single bed at home. During some rough seas it was not easy to stay in bed. We did one night sail and took it in 4 hour watches to steer the yacht. Bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast, picture on right.

6 months in Australia

Future Plans while in Australia

!st June - 30^th June Working as a crew member on a yacht on the East Coast of Australia.

1^st July – approx 12^th July visiting friends in Brisbane. Friends whom I knew in the UK, people that I worked with at Mvumi Hospital in Tanzania and friends I made on my previous visit to Australia.

12^th July - middle of August working in a restaurant which is part of a farm with cattle, sheep, chickens, geese and growing grapes. Apparently people go there for the cold weather and log fires. The farmstead is in Stanthorpe 3 hours inland from Brisbane. The region is known for wine, vegetables and fruit growing.

Middle of August – beginning of September traveling to Perth.

12^th September starting a 9 week school of Christian healing and discipleship.

14^th November return to Christchurch arriving on 15^th November.

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Whitsunday Islands

8th June arrived Airlie Beach and Whitsunday Islands on the tropical Queensland coast of Australia. Our first job was to wash the decks and generally clean up after a week at sea. The next priority was to dive for the showers - a nice hot shower was so greatly appreciated.
The Whitsunday Islands consist of 74 islands, coral reef, waterways, beaches of white silica sand backed by bushland where bird life fills the air. In the sea are dolphins, turtles, tropical fish and coral. The Great Barrier Reef is 2000 km long, the worlds longest living structure, made by tiny marine animal skeletons pilling on top of their ancestors, a collection of 3000 individual reefs housing thousands of species of fish and six of the worlds seven species of sea turtles, an extremely fragile eco system. We had an amazing opportunity today to go snorkeling and see some of the tropical fish around the shores of Hook Island. The picture below on the left is coral taken with one of the crew members underwater camera, wow!
After snorkeling we had a BBQ on the beach, see picture above showing 2 other members of the crew and myself.
On Saturday 13th - 21st June we join in a sailing rally to some of the Island in the Great Barrier Reef. In preparation for this we have a full day working on Friday to get the yacht in ship shape, cleaning, refueling, shopping etc.

Hitchinbrook - Magnetic Island

Arrived at the Shaka Zulu yacht moored at the marina in Cardwell on 2^nd June. The crew consists of Warwick the skipper, Sarah his 21yr old daughter who has an intellectual handicap, another Sarah from Northern Ireland, Yammi from Hong Kong, Jodie from England, myself and Buffie the siamese cat. The living conditions are very cramped and one of the crew sleeps up on deck. Picture shows Warwick and his daughter and Hitchinbrook Channel.

An early start at 6am the next day we set off and sailed through Hitchinbrook Channel to Magnetic Island. The beaches here are distinguished by their outstanding natural beauty and laid back atmosphere. Population of 3000 on the Island, of people who have chosen to fully immerse themselves in the unique tropical lifestyle. Half of the island is National Park and is a haven to wallabies, bats and bush tail

possums. It has the largest natural koala sanctuary in Queensland, so spotting furry grey bums in the foliage is a mandatory pursuit. A good network of trails makes for some spectacular bush walking. The surrounding waters are part of the precious Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Local buses swerve from one cosy cove to another.

The 4 crew members are all part of HelpX and we help with preparing & cooking the meals, cleaning and sailing the boat. We have had a mixture of weather from drizzle on the 1^st two days to warm and sunny with temperatures up to 27 degrees. Two of the crew have already suffered from sea sickness, so far I am doing OK, Praise the Lord. Internet and mobile phone access has not been good so if you send me a message it may take a few days for me to reply.

My 6 month adventure begins on 1st June flying to Auckland for overnight. 2nd June n to Cairns and then a 3 hr bus journey to Cardwell. Here I hope to find the Shaka Zulu yacht and meet up with the skipper Warwick. Part of our sailing trip involves joining a rally with motor, sail, classic and tall ships. The rally starts in the beautiful Whitsunday Islands, travelling North by many tropical islands to Dunk Island and onto Port Hitchinbrook. It includes visiting 6 resorts, BBQ's on beaches, 4 island stop overs and hopefully fantastic tropical sailing.


I managed to get this opportunity through HelpX, where work is exchanged for board and lodgings. There are lots of other options if you are prepared for a working holiday.

Australia June 09

Planning and getting ready for my adventures in Australia starting in Cairns as a crew member and helping to prepare meals on a yacht from Cardwell, south of Cairns. I leave Christchurch on 1st June via Auckland. The yacht will leave from Cardwell on 3rd June.