There is really only one reason backpackers go to Bundaberg: work. It is pretty much the fruit picking capital of Australia. I arrived at the transit centre about 5pm and was picked up by the hostel. I mentioned I was looking for work and was told I could start picking the very next morning, if I so wished. I would've done too if I hadn't had to pick up vital supplies, such as trousers.
However, I did start working the day after that and have been busily picking tomatos ever since. Let's get one thing straight: it is hard work. I get up at 4:30am every morning and spend a number of hours on my feet in the hot Australian sun (and occasionally Austrailian rain, which I prefer. I'm less likely to get sunburnt and it makes me feel at home). There's also a great deal of bending to be done and it takes a few days for your back to get used to that. You also get very dirty. A couple of German lasses and I were considering starting up a punk bank called The Black Snots in honour of one particularly lovely tomamto picking phenomenon. However, I have certainly had worse jobs - working as a Rides Assistant at one particular UK theme park springs to mind. That also involved being on my feet all day, but I had to wear a uniform and deal with the Great British Public. Whilst tomato picking I can wear what I like, including my own choice of ridiculous hat to keep the sun off. I have a fetching wide-brimmed straw affair with shells around the top. Also, your average tomato has a higher IQ than your average theme park punter, in my experience. Misanthropic, moi?
Bundaberg is quite a large place which gives the impression of being a small, redneck town that somehow got lots of shops and traffic lights. It has got a pretty decent shopping district, but very little else besides. There really isn't a great deal to do beyond working in the fields. There's Moncrieff Theatre that has shows, presentations and films. I went there one night to see Stardust, the film adaptation of the Neil Gaimen novel. I got the impression that the cinema wasn't very popular when, when I asked for a ticket, the women looked at me blankly for a good few seconds. "Oh, you want to see the movie?" she asked, in some surprise. When I got into the auditorium, I understood a little better. The place was huge and there were half a dozen people there, including me.
Work is usually finished by early afternoon due to the obscenely early mornings and, as I have mentioned, Bundaberg doesn't abound with options to fill your free time. There are really only two things people do to entertain themselves post-picking. The locals seems to favour the Going To The Pub Really Early method, whereas everyone else goes to the library. It's really quite odd to see the place so busy that often you can't even get a seat.
Unfortunately, the library is closed on Sundays, as is the laundary, the supermarket and pretty much everything else. I think there are a couple of newsagents open and, bizarrely, a pet shop. Sunday is the day we all head over to the open air pool. There's a nice grassy bit surrounding it with plenty of shady trees. I'm going to remember to bring a picnic next week.
