Farewells and Memories

Leaving parties have been had, farewells said. Some people we’ll see back in Reading, others perhaps if we return to Oz, and a few hopefully not ever again. What? I’m just being honest – there’s always a few! Our last weekend was a fitting tribute to our time in hot and sunny Karratha. A morning’s sunbathe in the garden, fish and chips by the mighty Indian Ocean in Point Samson, an afternoon’s scamper on the beach with a borrowed dog (the friends we went with were dogsitting for a couple of their friends – we didn’t ask to frolic with a random stranger’s pet pooch), a poolside evening drinks party thrown by the company, and then on the Sunday a fabulous BBQ party by the pool with a load of friends – you can’t get more Aussie than that. A few snags, a couple of tinnies and a float in the pool, mate. That’s the life. Well, I had chicken and vegetable skewers, a homemade burger and a few g&ts but I felt pretty Australian all the same!


So will we be back? Probably not to Karratha (although a lot of people say that and somehow find themselves back here again and again – money makes people fickle!) but perhaps to Perth, or maybe Queensland. Having said that, Karratha has a way of drawing you in, it’s a funny old place like that. For all its drawbacks – its remoteness, the high cost of living, the lack of entertainment facilities, the flies and extreme heat in the summer – it can surprise you in wonderful ways, ways that sometimes make you gasp. Like when we returned from the pool party on Sunday evening. The night was inky black, the lamplights dim and none of our house lights were on, giving the stars centre stage. And they were magnificent. With no high rises and little light pollution, we could see every single star, every constellation, and we could make out the Milky Way. They seemed to go on forever, blazing across the sky with their fierce light. I had to drag myself inside. I will make sure that I don’t only remember the bad, but the good too. The huge skies, the empty white sand beaches, the tremendous amount of wildlife in both sea and on land, the warm, dry weather, the lifelong friends we've made. Karratha, we won't forget you.