Internet? What internet?

One of the most frustrating things about living in a remote location is the lack of services that we normally take for granted 'down south'.
I had withdrawal pains from my regular shopping trips to Officeworks, Spotlight, Lincraft, The Reject Shop and others but discovered a love for online shopping.
Of course I had my personal shopper back in Mackay. A phone call, a bank transfer and our daughter had some much needed goodies in an express bag and sent to us the next day.

The one thing I find it hard to live without, that our personal shopper can't help us with, is the internet.
When we came to Saibai we brought a Wifi modem and a 3G iPad with us. For the first few weeks they both worked well but then the modem stopped working and a month later the iPad also had no service. A phone call to Telstra resulted in being told that they would replace the modem at the nearest Telstra shop. Well that happens to be in Cairns which is 900 kilometres and a $700 one way flight away.
We asked for a replacement to be mailed but they couldn't find Saibai Island in their computer so they sent it to Mackay.  Luckily our son put it in the mail for us. As it had a battery it couldn't come express and had to come by barge so three weeks later........

A trip back to Mackay the in September school holidays gave me a chance to get my "connection" issues sorted but the iPad still has limited access to the internet.

I miss not being able to go to the store and getting things fixed or replaced straight away.
So if you are wondering about there not being any posts for a large chunk of time, then blame it on the internet.

Peter's Saibai Sunsets

Peter's two hobbies while he is enjoying being "retired" are fishing and photography. Now fishing on Saibai requires a boat so he needs to be invited on a fishing trip by one of the other "retired" husbands or a local. So it is his interest in photography that fills in a lot of his time.

 

One of our favourite photo moments is the Saibai Sunset. We walk down to the front beach and have seen some beautiful sunset. The sun this evening  changed from yellow to orange then red. It was absolutely spectacular but the photos we took just didn't pay it justice.

Shades of pink, purple, yellow and orange look beautiful against the blue of the ocean.

This is a photo I took with my iPad of Peter  capruring another spectacular sunset on Saibai.

 

Is there a doctor on the Island?

Saibai Island has a modern Health Clinic which is managed by a wonderful medical team. A doctor visits for three days every few weeks and emergencies are airlifted to Thursday Island or Cairns by medevac. When we first arrived on Saibai Island we had flu injections, Japanese encephalitis vaccination  and had blood tests to check for diabetes, cholesterol, kidney and liver disease and Hep A & B immunity.  Everything came back fine.

After ten weeks on the island I found myself in need of medical assistance for an ear ache. After three trips to the Health Centre and getting sent away three times due to emergencies I was still self medicating on Advil and Panadol with no access to antibiotics or ear drops.

It is not something that can be helped in a remote location. The medical staff can work straight through the night with an emergency and then have to see patients the following day.  People line up in the waiting room and wait all day to see a nurse so me walking in at 3.30 pm after school to get my ear checked is wishful thinking. 

It is one of the downfalls of living and working on a remote Island. 

I am heading back down tomorrow morning to try again. Fingers crossed tonight is a peaceful night with no further emergencies and I can get some drops for my ear.

NSW's win in State of Origin last night did not go down well on Saibai !

The first snake we have seen on Saibai

The first snake we have seen on Saibai.

Walking back from the IBIS we noticed some people gathered around something on the ground. As we got closer we saw it was a small snake.

Helping out a neighbour....Saibai style

I was approached by two Papuan ladies who asked me if I could type out a letter for them. They handed me a neatly printed three page letter which was an application to a PNG college for a young man wanting to improve his employment prospects in Papua New Guinea.

I have my own computer, printer and paper on the island I so was happy to do it. They left me the letter and we agree to meet up the following day. 

When I delivered the typed letter the next day the ladies were very appreciative and handed me two mats and a basket as a gift to say thank you.  

I have a favourite lady from PNG who makes things for me for the PrePrep classroom. I ordered grass skirts from her to use in my class and to send to a Kindy class in Brisbane and a Year 1/2 class in Mackay.  When I collected them she gave me two long mats and two small mats for free.

From PNG to Australia by dinghy

PNG to Australia by dinghy...

 Never ceases to amaze us.

While at the eastern end of Saibai Island, we noticed two boat loads of Papuans heading to Saibai for the markets.

 

As well as  the people, there are crates of crabs and handmade crafts on board. 

 From the eastern end of Saibai we had a clearer view of the village of Sigabaduru. Before we arrived here we had absolutely no idea there was a part of Australia where you could see another country from our shores.

 

 We are often approached by Papuan villagers asking for clothes. On barge day they shop at the IBIS and buy  trays of 1 kg flour, presumably to resell in their village.  

 

These photos were taken by Peter of a Papuan boat sailing across to Saibai Island from PNG, before dropping their homemade sail and motoring into the shore.

 

 It is a case of  modern meeting tradition.

Starting with a purchased dinghy and motor they add hand made features to make the boat function for their unique purpose.

(travelling between countries by water each week day as cheaply as possible)

 

This is a close up of a modified dinghy. The sails are made from a variety of materials.  When soil is transported to the island by barge it comes in large white bags. These bags are used to make sails, as are hessian potato sacks, tarps and whatever else can be accessed freely or cheaply.

 

Our First Saibai Fishing Experiences

Our first fishing experience on Saibai Island was to the jetty where we were joined by two little girls who caught small bait fish using hand reels. Their fishing tackle was a hook and a small piece of peeled prawn and they caught several small bait fish which they gave to us to use as live bait. We didn't catch anything but had a relaxing afternoon.

Our next fishing trip was to the "bridge".  The "bridge" is a large culvert that runs under the road and feeds sea water into a creek during high tides.

As our fishing rods hadn't arrived, we borrowed a fishing reel and a telescopic rod from the other teachers. I chose to fish on the creek side with the hand reel and peeled prawns as bait. 

 

(I figured if the saying is "when in Rome do as the Romans do", then it makes sense to "when in Saibai, fish like the locals do")

 

Peter fished on the ocean side with whole prawns and the fishing rod. 



 

You can always pick the amateur fishermen. They are the ones who get excited when they catch something. No matter what it is.

  

 



My first catch on Saibai was an eel. Locals said we could eat it but I let it go.

It was really slimy and we really weren't THAT hungry.

 

My second catch was a mud crab that I caught on a hand reel and managed to land. Unfortunately, although it was a male, it was a tad small so I let this one go as well.

 

Peter is still waiting for his first catch.

Exploring East Saibai

East Saibai Exploring

The locals told us there was a pathway leading to a creek at the eastern end of Saibai Island where we could catch barramundi, so we set off to explore this area. To our surprise we found a sand beach. Sure, it doesn't compare with the beaches we are familiar with at Bowen or even Mackay but when you are used to living on a mud island the sight of sand is a cause for excitement.

 

This section of the island had a large amount of debris, natural and litter, that had washed up on the beach. 

 

 

We followed the path until the mosquitos became too much to bear. Even though we had insect repellent on, the mozzies were still trying to find places to bite us so we turned around and headed back. We didn't get to see the creek but we have since been told that there are crocodiles living in the creek, so mozzies might have been the least of our problems.

 

 

This tree had washed up on the beach. We have been told by the locals that in the past, because there were no large trees on Saibai, the Islanders used trees from Papua New Guinea to make their canoes.

 



 There were a large number of very big tyres along this section of the island. The tyres are partly buried in the sand and some are formed into a circular pattern. Our first guess was that they were to stop erosion but we are going to ask a local.

 

Heading home to PNG after the markets

Commuting between countries

At the end of the day, the Papuans pack up their markets and head back to their home on Papua New Guinea.

 

 

Everyone is aboard and their unsold merchandise is loaded - time to head home to Papua New Guinea.

The passengers pay the boat owners to be transported between PNG and Australia.  It takes ten litres of fuel to get here and the Papuans can pay up to $5 a litre for fuel to return home.

 

Shopping at the markets

 It is always interesting going shopping at the markets as there is always something new. The prices vary so it is worth shopping around.  The pink and beige basket was $10 at this stall but  a similar size one at another stall was $20.

From this stall we bought a crocodile made from shell for $50 and the seller threw in the two small shell carvings of a turtle and a dugong. (Three at the front)

We were looking at the crocodile on the right which was made from a dugong tusk for $50 and the seller said he would throw in the wooden turtle carving for free for $50 phone credit instead of cash.

This lady sold us the cassowary feather head dress (centre front) and has offered to make woven headbands for my students without feathers for $5 each. She gave me a woven bag as a gift so I could see her handiwork. 

Back at the flat we check out our latest purchases and the bag that was a gift. 

Saibai Island dancers on YouTube

 

 

Performance of Saibai Island State School on Thursday Island in 2010.

 

YouTube clips about Saibai Island

These are some YouTube clips we watched to learn more about Saibai before we moved here.

 

This is a YouTube clip published on Mar 1, 2012

Full story on http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/p... Reporter Hagar Cohen from ABC Radio National's Background Briefing gets a tour around Saibai in the Torres Strait. She is talking to Councillor Ron Enosa, Mayor Fred Gela and Engineer Pat McGuire. Video and photographs by Brad Marsellos, ABC Open, Wide Bay. Archival photos by Pat McGuire.

 

 

This clip shows the issues on Saibai caused from king tides and heavy rain.

 

 

 

 

 

This clip is of  traditional dancing at the Saibai Island Community Hall.

The Saibai Island dancers are well known across Australia. 

 

 

 

 

 

Saibai Island on ABC's Message Stick

Saibai Island Home

Sunday 4 July 2010  ABC1 showed an episode of Message Stick called

Saibai Island Home.

 

 Message Stick follows a group of students from NAISDA Dance College, near Sydney, as they travel to Saibai to learn firsthand about the history, culture, environment and of course, dance of the island.

 

If you are interested in knowing more about the history, location and culture of Saibai Island please click on the following link.

Message Stick

These YouTube videos are parts 1, 2 and 3 of

 Saibai Island history, culture and dance from the Message Stick episode.

 

 

Part 1

 

 

Part 2

 

 

Part 3

Educational link for teachers and students

An educational link for students and teachers

This is a great interactive website by National Museum Australia where students can learn about the Torres Strait then go fishing using traditional tools.

Click on this link to access the website Saibai Island Canoe

IBIS - The only shop in the village

Shopping at the IBIS is one of the highlights of the week.

During our first week, Peter became well known by the checkout chicks as he made daily visits to stock our pantry. The main mode of transport on the island is walking so we only buy what we can carry.

The prices are reasonable considering the distance the produce has to travel. Stock in bought in on the barge on Tuesday so everyone rushes down to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables and fresh meat.

Good quality rib fillet is $28.99 kilo and sausages and mince are around $11 a kilo but they are low in fat so well worth it.

3 litres of milk costs $5.69 and bread is $3.79 a loaf.

You can buy a barbeque chicken for $15.99 which is the closest we get to takeaway food.

 There is a good supply of fresh fruit and vegetables.

 

Red capsicum are currently $18.39 kilo but green capsicums are $6.39 kilo

                                                                                          

What a nice surprise to discover my favourite drink is only $2.93 -

cheaper than I paid in Bundaberg  lol                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

You can buy electrical appliances at the IBIS - anything from kettles, toasters, vacuum cleaners to flat screen TVs, generators, washing machines and fridges. 

 

 

The smallgoods section in IBIS is well stocked on barge day. We stock up on essentials and grab any specials for treats.

This week we grabbed some dips for $2.89 each and last week we treated ourselves to Delta Cream biscuits for $2.99 pkt.

 

We buy 1 kilo blocks of Black and Gold brand Mild Cheese for $15.44 and grated it ourselves.

We buy bread and freeze it and Peter makes fresh bread in the Breadmaker once a week.

We also make our own yoghurt which works out cheap and tastes delicious.

Easter craft

For Easter the Pre-Prep children made baskets by weaving different coloured strips of paper together then we folded the woven square into a basket.

 

 

 

On the last day of term the children had an Easter egg hunt in the Pre Prep playground and the eggs were shared between their baskets and taken home.

Home Sweet Home

Our Island Home

This is our flat for the next nine months. It is small but comfortable. We have everything we need for now - ensuite, air conditioning, satellite TV, full size oven and fridge.

 

When the barge comes in

 

The highlight of the week has to be when the barge comes in, especially when you are expecting a Grocery Run order or a bulk parcel from home.

 
 

The Seaswift barge is due in on Tuesdays each week but this is dependant on the weather and no breakdowns.
 



The forklifts unload the barge and delivers the freight around the island.

 

Highs and lows of a Saibai tide

 Saibai Island

 

looking towards West Point at low tide at sunset.... 

and high tide in the morning.