When we first time arrived in Red Rock at the end of June, we both loved the place  straight away and said to each other,” That’s get a job here.” So we did. When we checked in , we asked for a job straight away. At that time , was a handover management from contract to Reflection Holidays Park. We got really lucky that the park general manager ” James” was there,  he says, ” send me your CV , new park manager will be here in 2 weeks , I will ask if need any workers in this park.”  Great!!  We need some times off from finished last job anyway.  So we just relaxed in Red Rock  and explored the area.

(2 weeks in Red Rock , please read : Banana Coast Part 1-Northern Beaches)

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2 weeks later, we asked James again about the jobs.  He said, ” it’s getting into a very quiet season, and  this park won’t have enough hours for both of you, but if you like relocated to the other park that I have positions for you both.” Awesome!! So he sent us to Coffs Harbour for housekeeping and grounds man.

2 months in coffs harbour , we didn’t get many hours. Also, the A1 highway was too much noise, and Lilia was sick for weeks also got a very bad cough from the highway dust. We did ask the manager for more hours or relocate to the other park.  End up, we got a chance to start training in Boambee Creek Reserve Kiosk. We learned to take an order, cook fish and chips , make OZ burgers,  also sell some goods and coffee.  The Resever Manager -Bridget was great person to work with, she work with us on the floor , we had fun , had  good laugh and we talk like old friends, the other workers were great to work together too.  It was fun and a great place to work,  we both loved it so much,  it was a good change, so we decided to relocated to Boambee Kiosk and work there as full time.

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A week later, we got a phone call from Red Rock manager “Ann”  she said James referred us to her, if we are interesting to work there as they needs people immediately.  What a news!! we just started in Boambee Kiosk, and we didn’t want to  disappoint Bridget. But Ann says she has spoken to Bridget . So, We asked Bridget advice, she says we need to meet Ann first and it up to us . So we did, we go to see her after we finished work.  She was lovely and straight up to the point, ” we need people right now!!” and introduce us to the other workers and store manager.  She said , we can be all rounders, such as housekeeping, ground man, working in the reservations and Kiosk . Great !! it sounds like what we like to do, and it’s a new opportunity to learn something different. So we didn’t think too much,  just ask her when you need us and She said ” if you could come anytime soon I would be very happy.”  So we said “2 days”.

After that,  we went back to see Bridget straight away,  told her about our conversation with Ann and  we accepted Ann’s offer.  She said ” O well….I’m disappointed you are leaving, but I’m very happy for you both . That’s a very good place to live and a good opportunity for you guys to learn something more that I can’t give to  you.” What a person!! she was kind and very understanding that we like to learn something more that made Lilia tears. …….

It was very short time work there, but we did have a great time in Boambee Creek Kiosk.

Cool, it’s time to move back to Red Rock!!

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We were so happy to go back to Red Rock, it is a beautiful place. We pretty much started the next day to get into position straight away.

The first week, Lilia started housekeeping and work with ground man and also worked in the reservations. Ruben started in the store kitchen straight away. It was a mistake. Ann thought Ruben had experience in the kitchen, but anyway we love to learn everything.  A week later, Ruben learned a lot in the store and kitchen, but he said he wasn`t enjoying work in the kitchen. so we swapped position at the 2nd week and it worked really well.  

Ruben did housekeeping in the morning and  working in the office in the afternoon, sometime on the ground with ground`s team clean amenities and camping kitchen. From time to time, do a bit of mowing just help out whatever they need.  The office is a good place to meet the people who are staying in the park. Red Rock has people that come here every year, some of them even more than 30+years. Sometimes that makes it easy but other times they will tell you how to do your job. That was interesting at times. If you book a site in Red Rock around Christmas school holidays and you do this every year, you get to keep the site forever as long as  you keep paying for it every year . So we have the same people in the same period on the same sites so they know the park very well, it was interesting.

Sometime we got chance to work together which was fun and we are a good team together.  Maybe because we learned every job we become really useful so we got a lots of hours, which is great,  we need money !!  It’s great to be all rounder in caravan park so we get chance to meet people in the park also the job doesn’t get boring.

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The store kitchen, we call it Hell`s Kitchen. It`s small and benches are low, its more like a domestic kitchen then a commercial one. Ruben tried to do the cooking but got super stressed and sore back from small specs and low bench.  Lilia however is amazing, for her crazy personalty she get along with everyone so well also she got into the store job straight away.  Lilia got trained by Jayne and Lesley, they both have many years of experience in the store and kitchen.

Lilia has many years of kitchen hand experience in the past , it was very easy for her to learn to cook and stay in the hell`s kitchen.  Funny things ,they kept saying ” you wait for Christmas time,  you are not gonna like it”. This kitchen gets super busy from time to time, but Lilia soldiered on and got good at it. First few weeks, she could only do 1 work/lot burger in a time but at the end of the week ,she did 5 lot burgers in one go,  which is not easy but she did it.

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Lilia gets along with Juniors so well , they had fun and laugh in the kitchen

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This shop is also a  Community Post Office for Red Rock locals, so we meet a lot of the locals coming to check for there mail everyday, some of the locals are nice others are challenging….

So what are we doing after work ??

that`s what we do after work, sunny day – go swim and raining day – catch the water (red rock has no town water)

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The park manager Ann and Allen

Ann and Allen manage this park so well and  they are great  people , we loved working for them. They both are very kind and fun to work with, we had laugh all the time. They threw a wonderful  stuff Christmas party , we had a BBQ with music,  Jayne prepared lots of salads, everyone had a great time at that night. Ann and Allen are real family people and they let us felt family while here which was very nice.

The team is really good ,everyone get along and everyone is living here and loves Red Rock. We loved here too, spended our first “on the road”- Christmas and New Year here , we enjoyed every moment in Red Rock.

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We got really lucky in Red Rock ,we saw BIOLUMINESCENT – the sea sparkal. This is algae in the water that lights up in the dark when you disturb it. We’ve seen it so many nights  but we could not get enough, every night we went out just want to play with it , it was the coolest thing to see it in your life time. Sometimes it was rolling waves that glowed , other days it was bright in the river and we played with that, the other night we even went up to headland in the dark just want to see the light wave, it was so much fun. We would rate it as high as North Light that`s how impressive it is.

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Our last week, Ann made a goodbye party for us it was very nice. We had another BBQ party with music , loved the kabah Woo Hoo….. !! Everyone was enjoying it, we had good food and good company. What a great place to work with an awesome team and amazing manager.

Thank you so much Red Rock families, We gonna miss you guys !!!!!!

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We worked at Red Rock for 4 months, we learned so much from everyone, so…after all what we become??

And Lilia had her ” certificate of survival ” sign by Jayne and Lesley, she become a short order cook!!

Lilia has graduated from Red Rock Hell`s Kitchen.

For last 4 months, we met lots of people. This is the interesting part of traveling we think, the more people you meet the more you learn and the more opportunities you can discover. Also we enjoy learning about every different business. There is so much to learn from other people from there mistakes and from there successes. We enjoyed working in the store making coffees, milkshakes , cooking and talking to people. There still a lots to learn from this store who knows we might do something like this later.

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There`s a most amazing person we ever met – Mr Imrie

A 98 years old age man comes to store pick up his new papers everyday never missed a day. Every time he came Lilia will have a little chat with him, which he seems to enjoy her company. Mr.Imrie has very interesting life, full of the stories!! every time Lilia have conversation with him it was full of surprises. He loves to read and tell the history, he has history class to teaches people every second week in Library. He likes to keep busy still drive himself to go to Digger in Woolgoolga every Friday catch up with his old friends. He was in the air force flew planes when he was age 17.

He played tennis at high level been teaching tennis as professional coach in Sydney for 30 years, and he used to owned a sport shop for many years. He still loves party now and then, before Christmas he came to shop with nice shirt and shinny hair, Lilia said to him ” Mr, Imrie you are looking so good today!” he says ” O well, I just been to a Christmas party”. Lilia said” Ok! how old are you now Mr. Imrie? still a party animal haha….” and Mr. Imrie says ” I still have 5 parties to go before Christmas.”…….very impressed!

What a person, we learned a lots from him and we know you will never too old to do the thing.

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The packing up however is a bit of work , but we are getting a whole lot better!! Every time we packed, it gets better and created more room, it`s fun also challenge but it is part of our life now .

will you believe we fit them all in and still a lots of space!! I think we are crazy….

Loved Red Rock…

UP TO THE NEXT ADVENTURE !!

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