Where are the camp sites? - Life in the Hunter Valley as a FIFO Mining Engineer from Brisbane

The first thing that I asked when I started working in the Hunter Valley was ‘Where are the camp sites?’ Previously I have only worked in Central Queensland mines and lived in dongas that felt like a fridge at night. When I started working in the Hunter Valley and was living in a warm serviced apartment, it felt like I had stepped up in the world.

Every Monday morning I would get up before the sun and catch the first flight to Newcastle, Williamtown Airport. With the domestic flights sharing the runway with the RAAF jets, you would occasionally see them take off and hear them roar away into the clouds. We’d then jump in our hire car and drive a couple hours out to site. We’d stop halfway in Maitland to grab the Monday lunch orders from Blakeney’s Pie. These pies are the bee’s knees and after loading up about 15 of them we’d continue on our way. Several others in the Tech Services team would eagerly await the arrivals of their pies.

After finishing up at work we’d travel back to Singleton and check into our apartment, then go to the local Woolies and stock up for the week. We made some good friends down there, so most days after work we’d have something on. Tuesdays was trivia night at the local RSL where we rivalled against a team of senior citizens every week. What we lacked in age and experience we made up for in numbers. On occasion the 10 of us were better than 4 of them and we’d take home the 1st prize of $50, which we would use on beers for the following week. Wednesday was indoor soccer night, where we’d play a social game of 5v5. This was my exercise for the week. Then on every second Thursday or so, we’d go out to one of the famous Hunter Valley vineyards for dinner. This is a must if you’re going to spend time in the region. Flying back on Friday during daylight savings time, meant taking off and landing at the same time. This also meant no time was lost for weekend beers. Having spent some time working in Central Queensland and the Hunter Valley, there was a clear winner if I had to choose between the two. Work is work, but it’s what you do outside of work that makes you happy to live where you live.