The Not Very Snowy Mountains

I arrived in the Snowy Mountains to discover that they are not in fact, as advertised, snowy. They are however very cold. I was picked up at the bus station and taken to the house that would be my home for the next three plus months. The house itself is a decent size and is set up for six people though currently there are only three of us in residence. I originally had an older lady as a roommate but she has decided the mountains are not for her and left leaving me with a room to myself. It would be nice to think I would be fortunate enough to have a room to myself for the next three months but I am sure I shall have a new roommate before long so I am trying not to spread out too much! My current housemates are two guys who have a room and bathroom downstairs and thewe have been promised two a couple who have not yet arrived but will have their own onsuit room once they do.

I arrived on the Sunday and since I wasn’t due at work until the Tuesday I spent the Monday settling in and exploring. The town itself is small but pretty. I have an amazing view of Lake Jindabyne from my living room and bedroom window. The two pubs are at the other end of town but as that’s only 15 minutes away I’m not complaining. I have already found the one bookshop and supermarket though I did restrain myself by deciding I would return to the book shop after a few paydays. It was very cold after my month in the tropics so after a quick look round the main square I headed back to the house to tidy up and organise some cupboards whilst my fellow housemates are at work. That evening there were extreme winds and they hadn’t died down by the next morning therefore I was not required to go into work. Instead of working I took advantage of my extra free day to investigate one of the pubs with my one of new housemates. Sadly there is no five seeds cider so I’m going to have to make do with bottles of sweet Strongbow which though no five seeds doesn’t taste too bad.

Wednesday I finally got to see my new place of work. I got a lift from the boss up to Thredbo and got a chair lift to work. My first day was interesting and full of so many interesting people I had trouble remembering all their names. There is a good mix of people with a varying age range and nationality. I thought I was going to be asked to be a cashier but it turns out I’ve been assigned to the floor. My duties aren’t difficult though they do require me to pay attention to my surroundings for six to eight hours a day which should be interesting. Fortunately the people I work with are really nice and a little bit of chat when it’s quiet seems to be allowable. The rest of my week was very similar though it did get busier as the week progressed. I met and managed to remember most of the staff I’ll be working with directly and am even starting to make progress with the rest. I have had to turn down an outing to the pub but I’m reliably informed that Wednesday night (being payday) is pub night so hopefully I can get to know most people then.

The view from the balcony outside our living room