Being a film 'Runner'...week 1

Last Sunday I arrived in Wyndham, Western Australia. This is where we're based for the film we're making. A population of around 800, it's the most northern town in W.A, and one of the hottest in Australia. A 102km drive from my last stop Kununurra, with spectacular scenery of the Kimberley along the way.

Very excited as I arrived in town to see their big tourist attraction...the Big Croc.

The BIG Croc, Wyndham, W.A

Bright and early Monday morning, I began my job as the Runner. Here's a bit of an idea of what the role entails, with a few of the jobs from this week.

* Leave camp at 6.15am to drive 101km return and arrive at bus stop 1/2 early collect an actor for an audition. Bus was 1/2 hour late, and he wasn't on it.

* Drive 202kms return to airport for 2 pickups...success!
* Another 202kms return to start pricing 'unit' gear. Tents for crew to dine under, trestle tables, drink bottles, pillows, eskys, mops, chairs, printers, phones, tent lights, toilet paper, insect repellant etc
* 202km return more pricing, purchasing & ordering. Collect portaloo to tow back to film location ready for  the site construction crew who start the next day. The drive includes a track where I couldn't go over 5kmh, and mudflats.

Alan & Sam from the Art Department take delivery of the portaloo

Loved driving back to base on the mudflats!

* Trips to get lunches, coffees, supplies for team heading out for days scouting locations
* Cleaned an unoccupied house that will be used for rehearsal space for the actors. It had been unoccupied (by humans) for a long time...but the rats were having a ball! And the dust/dirt.....wow!

Cleaning! All part of the job.

* Drive over a BIG snake in the middle of nowhere. I felt it bump under the 4WD....probably hurt the snake more than me. The Art Department asked whether I'd killed it because they need one for the film, but I assured them that if I had, I certainly wasn't packing it up and bringing it back to base!
* Meet up with the Shipping Container guy to get it on site for all our goods to live in.

After 1 crazy week at work, the good news is my friend and boss Fiona and I are still very good friends. Lucky enough to be house/dog sitting for the weekend (Bertie Humperdick, the Jack Russell cross), we spent Saturday's happy hour at the 5 Rivers lookout for sunset.

Fiona takes in the view

Five Rivers Lookout, Wyndham W.A

Simple Stats

Days since departure: 93
Distance travelled: (910km for work)

Snakes run over: 2

Portaloos towed: 1

Weeks worked as Runner on film: 1

Whale Sharks swum with: 2

Emergency mechanic stops: 1

Kangaroos hit: 0

Working in Wyndham

So here's some actual news. I've got a job! This is the reason I've been on a somewhat 'schedule' to get this far north of Western Australia.

So starting Monday, and for the next few months, JC is having a rest in the Wyndham Caravan Park, while I get to work as a runner on a movie!

The film starts shooting in a few weeks time, so at the moment my job during pre production will be a lot of airport pick-ups, drop offs, basically any odd jobs that need to be done. And I'm assuming it will continue to be a lot like this for the next few months. I'll find out soon enough!

I have been given this fantastic opportunity by my friend Fiona who is the Production Manager on the film, and with her as my boss, and me as her 'bitch' I'm sure this time will only bring us closer together ;-)

I'll tell you more about the film and what it involves as it all happens, but for now, yay!!!!!

Broome to Kununurra

Even as the man at the Broome caravan park pretended to wipe a tear from his eye, for me staying any longer was not an option. There was no room at the Inn, (the Inn being Broome). Ahead of me was a 1044km drive to Kunununurra via Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek & Turkey Creek.

Along the way it wasn't kangaroos I needed to keep an eye out for, it was stray cattle & horses.

Mega cow!

There's no fencing for a lot of this drive, and a lot of strays around so you really do need to be vigilant. The cows just take their time a cross, or stand on the road whenever they want.

Boab tree

The scenery as I got further north in the Kimberley was absolutely stunning. Mountain ranges, horses & cows taking shelter under boab trees, huge eagles lunching on roadkill (!!), and the occasional lizard bounding across the road.

There's an eagle in this picture. Your job is to spot it!

It's a pretty decent drive, so I pulled over a couple of nights to freecamp. I've decided this is my favourite way to spend afternoons/nights while travelling. The silence under the stars and the full moon gives you a real sense of where you are. And at no point when I've been out in the middle of nowhere have I felt at all vulnerable or worried. The only annoying thing is when another camper decides to turn on their generator. Where's the serenity?!!!!!!

The sun sets over the campsite.

After a few days drive I arrived in Kununurra, and found a perfect place to set up camp.

Right at my doorstep has been crocs, beautiful birds, and goannas.

Freshwater croc lazing in front of my van

Goanna just passing by

The view just over the grass

Kununurra has a 'Celebrity Tree Park' where 'celebrities' who pass through town are asked to plant a tree. Nicole Kidman, Princess Anne and Peter Brock among a few who have left more than their mark.

Kate Ceberano's Pom Pom Tree

I went to buy some wine when I arrived, (well it been a LONG drive!) and discovered a bit of a setback. You can only buy wine and beer (over 3.5% alcohol) AFTER 5pm. In fact, anywhere north of Port Hedland the restrictions. Meaning you also can't buy casks anywhere. It's okay, I'll work around it.

So now it's time for me to get out and enjoy all that the Kimberley has to offer, and there's plenty of it.

Next stop, Wyndham.

Simple Stats

Days since departure: 81
Distance travelled: 9866km

Emergency mechanic stops: 1

Kangaroos hit: 0
Snakes run over: 1

Broome, Broome, Brooooome!!! W.A

Firstly, apparently people have had a problem commenting on my blog. Good news is, I've fixed it!

Well it turns out Broome's a bit of a tourist haven. Who knew?!!! An average of 30 degrees for the week I spent here, and plenty of time spent at the stunning Cable Beach, where the water temp was 22.

Cable Beach, Broome, W.A

Cable Beach, Broome, W.A

Cable Beach, Broome, W.A

Cable Beach, Broome, W.A

Cable Beach, Broome, W.A

If you've seen the film 'Bran Nu Dae' you might recognise this cinema

Sun Pictures, Broome, W.A

Another highlight here in Broome was bumping in to some friends I'd made about 1200km back in Coral Bay, and then later some my old neighbours from way back in Canarvon!

Ice-cream justified because it's HOT!

I hadn't planned to stay here as long as I did, but by staying just a few extra days I was able to see the 'Staircase to the Moon', when the full moon rises over the mudflats at extremely low tide. It was breathtaking! The colour and size of the moon as it rose was one of the most amazing sites I've seen. I had to capture the memory in my mind, as my camera wasn't up to the spectacle. But here's how it looks.

A pic I borrowed from someone on the internet much more talented than I.

Also waiting for the low tides so I could check out the dinosaur footprints. There's only a few opportunities when the tide is low enough to see them, so there's a big crowd. 

The footprints aren't easy to find, but the trick is to spot the right people to follow! No photo proof however, as they were underwater. Was enjoyable then sitting waiting for the sunset as I watched and counted, the amount of people who fell from rocks either hurting themselves, or their cameras. I stopped count at 15.

I was extremely lucky to be able to stay the time I did, being the peak of peak season and not having a booking. The guy who runs the caravan park just shook his head every time he saw me and said I should be buying a lotto ticket with the luck I'd had!

Back in Karratha I bought a CD by the Pigram Brothers, Broome musical superstars. They are performing on Cable beach this afternoon, so of course I'm sticking around just long enough to catch them before heading out of town to freecamp the night.

And then east I go!

Simple Stats

Days since departure: 78
Distance travelled: 8822km

Emergency mechanic stops: 1

Kangaroos hit: 0
Snakes run over: 1

Car troubles & Eighty Mile Beach

Apart from crossing the Nullabor, I was heading off on probably my biggest stretch of 'nothing' between Port Hedland & Broome. The distance is 600kms and in between there are just 2 roadhouses. About 50kms out of Port Hedland Jean Claude (Camper Van Damn!) started to backfire. Being the optimistic un-knowledgable van owner I am, I decided that rather than head back, I'd push on in the hope that the problem wouldn't worsen, or maybe it would just go away!

Stopped at the first roadhouse 200kms in to the drive in the hope there'd be a mechanic. No, the closest was either back in Port Hedland, or Broome. With no phone service anywhere along this trip, I wasn't in the best position at all. So I pushed on another 50kms to Eighty Mile Beach to sit it out for a couple of nights.

10km corrugated road heading in to 80 Mile Beach 

Maybe a couple of nights rest, plus a good talking to would help JC would feel better? And I DID talk to my van. Out loud. I even promised him he'd get a wash in Broome if we made it that far.

Eighty Mile Beach - looking right

And left

Getting ready for the sunset 

Eighty Mile Beach sunset

So the stop at the beach was lovely, and of course very picturesque, but don't even think about swimming here! Saltwater crocs like to inhabit the area, but the sharks keep the numbers down ;-) 2 metre tiger sharks are caught right off the beach!

So back on the road again, attempting the next 350kms to Broome. I discovered that if I keep JC in 4th gear (he's got 5), and stick between 75-80kmph there was a lot less backfire. So that's what I did....for the very long journey. BTW, there's really nothing to see on this drive. At all!

Late in the afternoon I found my oasis and looked for somewhere to camp. No free camping, and being the first day of WA school holidays, it was like looking for accommodation in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve!

With an obviously desperate look about me, one of the caravan parks said I could park on their lawn out the front....next to the sewage dump point. And I didn't care one bit!!

Just before they shut shop for the night, they came over to say they had a no show, and I got upgraded. Yes, I was allowed INSIDE the gates!

Next day I found my saviours.

Superstars!

Some new spark plugs, new fuel filter and a good tune up, and we're back in business!

Now that it's over and I look back on that drive, a backfiring van travelling at 75kmph for 350kms, it's a little bit funny.

Days since departure: 72
Distance travelled: 8822km

Emergency mechanic stops: 1Kangaroos hit: 0
Snakes run over: 1

The Pilbara Region, WA

After visiting the beautiful coast and swimming with whale sharks, I thought a trip inland would be worthwhile, so headed off for the big drive to Tom Price. It is primarily a mining town which was once  private, now public, named after the former vice-president of Kaiser Steel, and is in the heart of the Pilbara.

BIG tonka trucks, worth $4.5 million each

I went on a tour through the Hamersley Mine, where iron ore is in abundance, and it's being mined 24 hours a day. A miner here earns around $150,000pa, and pays an average of $250pm for rent, so if you're up for the 12 hour shifts and dirty work, a great way to make some $$$!

They've finished with this mine, and moved on to the next.

Sorting out the grades of iron ore 

A swimming pool for lunch breaks?

Loading the train

 This one's heading to Karratha

Each of the trains leaving here have approximately 230 carriages, and they depart 4 times daily for the coastal town of Karratha. It's about the length of the trains I used to get stuck waiting for at the Leader Street crossing in Adelaide. I'm sure!

The money being spent, and made, plus the sheer size of the place was pretty incredible. And although it's not the biggest producer of iron ore, the quality is apparently brilliant.

Tom Price is the closest town to the Karrijini National Park, which is meant to be beautiful. But, with my van not being 4WD, and recent rains making the roads muddy, it wasn't ideal for me to get there. Next time.

So back to the coast I went needing to backtrack a bit (200kms) to visit industrial ports Karratha & Dampier. This is where my friend Fiona spent some time working on a film coming out next month called 'Red Dog'.

Small pub on the way to Karratha

Red Dog, Dampier, WA

It's based on the true story of a dog that was famous in the region and was owned by 'everyone'. And it looks like a fantastic film! For a really good idea of what the area looks like.....have a look at the trailer by clicking on this link....  RED DOG Trailer

From here I headed back towards Port Hedland and made camp overnight by a dry river bed.

The drive to Port Hedland is like much of the driving in this area, very scenic.

Port Hedland itself however, not so much. There's a HUGE rail yard leading to the ships, with processing and shipping of iron ore done here. And much of the coast looks like this.

Port Hedland, WA

Apparently if you're a fisherman, it's not a bad place to spend some time. But I'm not a fisherman, so, um...

It has quite an industry, producing 3 million tonnes of industrial salt for export each year.

Salt Mine, Port Hedland, WA.

So as interesting as all that was, time to move on to see what the next adventure will be.

Days since departure: 71
Distance travelled: 8085km
Kangaroos hit: 0
Snakes run over: 1