Day 295! After a quick stop and overnight in Sydney, it was time to continue heading up the coast. I did an 11 hour train ride yesterday from Melbourne to Sydney… and if that wasn’t fun enough, today I had a 10 hour train ride and then an hour bus ride. It was going to be a very long day.

I woke up this morning at 6:15am. All I needed to do was throw on clothes, do some minor packing up, and head out. My hostel was a short 5 minute walk away from the station, so I decided to head over a little early to make sure everything was sorted… and I didn’t miss the train.

I got to the station just as the sun was cresting over the city. It gave the Sydney central station a nice golden glow in the morning.

The train wasn’t set to leave until 7:15am, but I was there at 6:45am and the train was ready for me! This time around I was able to hop right on. And there were a lot of people already on and waiting for our departure as well!

Before we left the station, on my 10 hour journey, my seat mate for the ride sat down next to me. Unlike yesterday, this seat mate wasn’t so chatty. My guess is they were a high school student with her two friends coming back from a concert in Sydney. But we didn’t chat so I have no clue!

We set off down the train tracks, out of the city. This time around, the scenery was much different at the start! Instead of flat fields, the ride started with densely forested hills with beautiful valleys.

We also passed by large rivers, beautiful rocky terrain and tunnels, and some big marinas on the rivers that were outlets to the ocean. I had a window seat today, so a few more pictures!

As the journey started, I cracked open Dune and continued to read. But after an hour I needed a nap and I shut my eyes for an hour.

When I woke up, the scenery had changed back into flat farm lands. It took awhile for it to change back to rolling hills, rivers, and forests, but it eventually did.

I continued reading my book and made a ton of progress. By the time I got off the 10 hour train ride, I finished part 2 of 3 of the book (which was probably another 200+ pages).

Around 1:30pm, 6 hours into the journey, I found that there was a water bottle fill up station near the bathroom! I’m not sure how I missed this on the first train, but this was a huge game changer, which I wish I had found sooner.

After that revelation, I was guzzling water left and right!

Throughout the ride I was snacking on my trail mix and granola bars. I didn’t want to pay for the overpriced train food, so even breakfast was the snacks as well. But I survived.

When I had service I texted friends from Melbourne and home, and caught up with other friends I made while traveling that I hadn’t spoken to for a while.

Maybe because I was on the right side of the train and had the window seat, I noticed the families and friends reuniting at the train stops. It was super cute and wholesome to watch and brought a smile to my face watching people run up to their loved ones.

As we got closer and closer to Yamba, the train edged closer and closer to the ocean! The ocean was toying with me and playing peekaboo… I never saw it long enough to snag a picture and even when I did see it, it wasn’t for long. I knew I’d be seeing plenty of it eventually though.

After a solid 10 hour journey of lots of sitting and reading, the train finally made it to Grafton. This was my stop because the train wasn’t stopping in Yamba.

I was elated to get off of the train and walk around. Unfortunately though, my traveling wasn’t over and I had another hour of traveling to go.

I was a bit concerned about missing my bus because it was a tight connection. Luckily the train was on time and so was the bus! I was able to disembark one and hop right onto the next.

The bus driver, when I started chatting with him, asked me where I was from. When I said I was from the US he said, “fair dinkum.” To which I responded, “I’m sorry sir, I have no clue what that means.” He responded with some slang that also meant the same thing… but I didn’t know the other slang either. But apparently it meant true or alright.

The bus ride was really quick and there was a nice sunset starting up too. I think most of the people on the train were headed up to Byron Bay and not stopping before that. So I was the second stop (the first being another stop in Yamba).

The bus driver wished me luck and told me I made a good choice. He showed me the directions to the hotel and said it was one of the most beautiful in Australia. This made me feel pretty good about my decision to come here!

From where I was, it was about a 10-12 minute walk… but most of it was up a very steep hill. Half of the town sits on the bottom of the hill and the other half sits on top overlooking the beaches.

I set off through the streets with my bags and of course got some stares. But I also got a number of smiles and hellos which was a really nice welcome! I was also welcomed with the ocean breeze trying to sweep off my hat. But the familiar taste and feeling of salt in the air made me know I was in the right spot for me!

As I submitted the hill, I saw my home for the next two nights and hopefully my place of work for the foreseeable future, the Pacific Hotel.

As I approached the hotel, I immediately went to look at the view over the ocean.

To say I was excited was an understatement… I was ecstatic! To be in a place where I could be next to the ocean every day was exactly what I was looking for.

I made my way inside to check in, but I couldn’t find it. So I asked the barista, who sent me to the bar, who then got me sorted out and knocked on a closed door I had missed when I walked in.

The door swung open and a very kind Australian man greeted me. I read his name tag and it said Simmo! Sure enough, I was meeting the man I needed to when I arrived. Simmo is the manager I’ve been in contact with since applying for the job at the hotel.

Now he’s a busy man and it took a little mind jostling to have him remember who I was… and he said he was honestly expecting me to be a girl. To which I told him the story about the chess tournament when I was younger where a coach told me the exact same thing. Simmo thought that was funny.

Simmo helped me get checked in and told me to go settle down, have a beer at the bar, go to the beach in the morning, and then come find him in the afternoon. This is definitely the vibe of an Australian work culture, much more laid back than in the US. We did chat a little bit about my previous work history and based on our conversation, he said he thinks I’ll make a good fit to the team.

That was the news I wanted to hear and I made my way upstairs to find my room and shower.

This hotel is not your typical Mariott or Hilton. This hotel has character and you can tell it’s been a staple of Yamba for a very long time.

The room is 2 bunk beds… but I think I might have it to myself. The booking was a bit confusing but it was $89 for the first person and $35 for each person after that. We’ll see if anyone else joins over the next night or two.

The shared shower and bathroom were just okay. The shower was better than the hostel in Sydney, but that’s not saying too much.

When I got out of the shower, a beautiful sunset was happening. So I appreciated that for a bit before heading downstairs and checking out the hotel bar.

The hotel bar/restaurant is in two parts. There’s a bistro and then there’s a pub. I didn’t really realize that and I sat down at the bar which only served a small menu, so I don’t know what the bistro sells. I’m assuming the bar food was cheaper though.

I got myself a Carlton Dry and a plate of fish and chips. I wanted a filling meal for my first real meal of the day!

While I sat and waited, Simmo chatted with me a little bit and asked me if I knew how to pour a beer and glass of wine. To which I offered course said yes. I might not have done it in a professional setting, but I’ve done it plenty of times myself! I’ll watch a couple YouTube videos just in case of course though, but how hard can it be.

I also watched the current bar tenders do their thing and they weren’t doing anything special. The current bar tenders were super nice and around my age too. Max and Bryce were the two I met. Max seems to be in a bit more of a leadership role and when Simmo introduced me, he said “this is Elie, he’ll be working with us.” So sounds like I might have the job already?

Max ended up buying me a beer, which was very nice of him, and we got to chatting a bit. He’s been working at the hotel for the past couple of years and is from the area. Bryce is from the area as well and they both seem like good friends. The atmosphere of the bar, I’m not sure about the bistro, was very lively and fun.

I also think sitting there today was a big help for whatever they throw at me my first day. I saw where everything was kept, how each of them poured beers, wines, and mixed drinks. They didn’t make any cocktails and I for sure can make a simple mixed drink.

By the looks of it, this is exactly what I was hoping the work would be! When I get bar work on my resume, a whole slew of opportunities in the hospitality world will open up!

Also the fish and chips were quite tasty!

I had one more beer, which I think Bryce gave me at a discounted price, and then I said goodnight and see you tomorrow to Simmo.

It sounds like he wants to get me working by the end of the week. But I need to get my RSA sorted out before he can allow me to start. So tomorrow, first thing, I’m going to head to Maclean on the bus and get that situated.

After I left, I meandered down to the beach to see it at night. The ocean breeze was nice and cool and I sat down on a park bench listening for a little bit before heading back up. I then went down the hill towards town again to see what was going on tonight.

And… nothing was. Pretty much everything was closed. I’m curious to see what the weekend nights are like, but there might not be many late night options in this town! That means saving money and I’ll need to make friends who have places to go to hang out at!

I made my way back up the hill to turn in for the night.

I’m excited to be in Yamba and start whatever journey is about to start! Once this job is solidified, I believe some sort of housing should come with it… and after that, it’s finding a used bike and surfboard and living the Australian dream!

Here’s to the next phase of OZ!

– Elie