Adels Grove
- Carmen Friend
- Apr 24, 2019
- 4 min read
Where do you start! Adels Grove was our home for 10 months and we loved it! We started out as general hands and left as Wet Season Managers. A piece of paradise in the middle of the outback. When we arrived we had intended on staying for 2 days to go into the Boodjamulla National Park, however there was a sign for housekeepers wanted and so we decided to give it a crack!
We both initially started working in housekeeping, stripping and making beds, cleaning the ensuite bathrooms and then doing all the laundry ready for the next day. In total, Adels Grove cater for 150 people within onsite accommodation be it ensuite rooms for a single person, couple or a family or a tent along the Lawn Hill Creek as well as cabins. Each week we have tour companies such as Heritage, Outback Aussie Tours and Outback Spirit who are usually dinner, bed and breakfast. They can be with us for 2-4 days.
We were promoted from housekeeping and do almost every task within the park. Trent has been trained in amenities, Rub Donk (collecting the rubbish and lighting the hot water donkey’s), canoes – hiring out canoes at the National Park to tourists and selling trips on the electric cruise boat, workshop – changing and repairing tyres, servicing the generators and odd jobs, yard which consists of cleaning up around the trees, fixing blocked drains, water filters, air con filters, water truck to help keep the dust down, kitchen hand and also ‘The Shack’ where we cook the fish and chips on a Monday lunch and dinner times. He also helped me out in the office during the wet season and acted as dinner cook.
I too have taken on new skills learning the bar including being maître de, taking lunch orders and serving dinner to our guests on ‘The Deck’, water truck and ‘The Shack’ for fish and chips. Office and shop was a major task through the wet season with just the 2 of us on hand to keep the place ticking over. Breakfast and lunch cook was added to my list of knowledge skills - Big Grove Burger got a few 10 out of 10 scores through the wet season! We have a roster which is posted on a Sunday afternoon for the following week and work alongside 28 other staff. Most weeks we have a variety of work but in the busy times we may only be rostered on one task for the week. We work 6 days a week with a rostered day off each week. We are provided with dinner every night on ‘The Deck’ – 2 course meal or we are able to have fish and chips once a week.
We all live on site in our caravans or in some cases within the staff quarters. Rod and Michelle Low Mow and their children Hayden and Charlee live between Adels Grove and Mount Isa as the children attend high school. Previously Charlee and Hayden did all their primary schooling within the grounds of Adels Grove within a dedicated school room which is still on the property. We have learnt many things relating to the bush and outback from both Michelle and Rod after spending lots of time with them during the wet season. Being able to spot birds and also identify trees and flowers which we have never seen or heard of before has been great. These guys have built an amazing legacy for the area over the past 19 years with thousands of visitors catered for in one form or another.
On a monthly basis, we welcome people from within the community to attend the Royal Flying Doctors surgery. We have 2 rooms dedicated for the doctor and nurse that visit each month. We also cater for emergencies and have seen the Royal Flying Doctor aeroplane fly into collect patients. There was also an air race to raise much needed funds for the RFDS during the season and I was lucky enough to be able to take flight with Rod and take photo's from the air and also ground of the planes and people who arrived in. It was one of the busiest times.
Our lives have been enriched just that little bit more with all the things we have learnt but also achieved whilst here. The raising of the water tank was a big job but the team worked together to get it lifted and fitted. Painting around the ensuites, oiling decks and clearing the Grove and camp sites was a big job but worth it for the start of season 2019. Trent and I also put together a document to win funding from the Outback Tourism Infrastructure Fund to create a new camp kitchen and conference centre for the park - this will be our legacy!
We have meet so many people - some travellers and also those we have worked with creating special memories and friendships that will last us a lifetime. This is a unique place and one we recommend visiting or if you are looking for work next season or even this one or you want to volunteer, maybe this is the place for you!
Good luck Adels Grove for season 2019 - we will be back to visit one day down the track!
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