An Early Start

3:30am. I don’t do 3:30am, it’s so early, it’s still last night. But that was the time the alarm went off. Obviously, knowing I had to be up at that time, I didn’t fall asleep until about half past 2. That’s just normal when I have to be up so early. It would have been slightly later that I set the alarm for, but there were things I’d forgotten to do the night before, one of which was to have enough money in my purse for a taxi. Good job the cashpoint is just over the road, really.

So the taxi arrived (early) just before half four and I was standing in the queue to get through airport security before five. Before even the coffee shop was open, but only just. We left Adelaide as the sky was starting to lighten over the hills, several dawns as we flew eastward delicately touching the clouds so they looked like mountains on fire.

Melbourne was cooler, busy. There is no trainline to the airport as the govt (allegedly) signed a contract not to build one for an extended period of time after the toll road opened. So onto the bus which is the only alternative to the $50 taxi fare. It drops at the bus station on Spencer St next to the main railway station, which is basically a very large wavy roof over some train tracks. It’s pretty impressive, or at least I’m sure it would have been had I not already been up for five hours and still walking through the morning rush hour.

Over the river to the conference centre, which is in the Crown Entertainment Centre – a huge complex with casino, cinema, conference centre built around two hotels. Probably the first time I’ve ever been in a casino as I walked through, and probably the last time for a very long time.

I actually got to the conference with time for (another) coffee and to find a corner to sit down and sleep. Along with several others. I did not book the tickets for that early – I wouldn’t. But someone else was paying, so I’d no choice. I was going in lieu of Andrew Pearce who’s just had the baby , paid for by the SA Red Cross Transfusion Service. It turned out that I was definitely the only Emergency Physician, and almost the only doctor – there were about 8 others. So mostly lab staff.

It was an interesting first day – much of which was interesting in an “I’m a doc so most of this sciency stuff is interesting”, although there were useful bits. Lunch time I went to find the hotel, having left my bags in a random corner at the conference. Just over the river, only about 10 min walk and opposite Flinders St Station. That’s easy. I left the after-session drinks early and went back to have a shower. Something to wake up, anyway. Then the choice of going to the evening lecture or falling asleep and maybe not bothering to eat. Sadly just too knackered to really appreciate any sort of culture, so I went to the lecture. It was fairly interesting, about Biobanks which is a research sort of thing, but by a lawyer / ethicist who was obviously a supporter so not much discussion of the controversial side or debate about them.

I stopped for food on the way back, eventually finding a Greek restaurant that actually had Greek beer – haven’t had that for a few years (and not usually only one bottle at a time!). It was a restaurant that was crying out for Gordon Ramsay to sort out. As I walked in there was a strong smell of red wine, and a group of blokes sitting on the balcony watching the waiter mop up a smashed bottle. Inside there were a few other people (it was early and a Monday – none of the other places I’d walked past were particularly busy). The décor was OK, although not really capturing that sapphire sky, sparkling sea, green Cyprus covered hills that I think of in Greece. Instead the word that spring to mind was “red”. There was a long back of deep red lights along one wall with sparkly bits hanging over them.

The waiting staff were fighting a bit of an uphill battle. I ordered Mezze – three dishes, but more just kept arriving. The waitress (who was French – so European) spent her time apologising to the couple behind me for various things (and I’m still not sure if there was genuinely something to apologise about or if that was just her natural demeanour), and taking dishes away from my table. The dolmades were disappointing – I can make better – but the cheese and spinach pie was pretty good. As was the pita, although a tad oily. A new menu, apparently.

So a bizarre place which could have been great but just fell a little short.

Next day was a little more of the same, but had the relevant stuff about trauma. Again, actually pretty useful and I think it was a shame there weren’t more doctors there. Why do conference centres here always provide a small box of mints? I just don’t know, but you just sit there eating them which is irritating. The girl next to me, who was an obstetrician who’d just flown in from KL, fell asleep.

The evening was the gala dinner. Not knowing anyone (and therefore not really talking to anyone other than small talk with people, I didn’t sign up to the seating plan but left it to the organisers. So I ended up being put with various others from Adelaide – lab staff from the RAH, Lyell-Mac, Women’s and Children and one of the private labs. Good for a bit of informal discussion to take back to the dept, and actually they were a laugh, but I left as soon as the food was over. The food was OK, but over-reaching itself a little. Well done for having fish as the beef was raw (with no option of having it cooked any other way) but the way it was served was an equal number of each dish to each table then you had to swap between you. The wine was OK, but not special.

To be honest, I was still knackered and already knew I was going down with something – sore throat and headache. Plus I was flying back the next day to go pretty much straight into work.

I went to the first session the next day, mainly to pick up any handouts that were hanging around, then left to get to the airport. Still cold, although any rain only happened while we were in the conference. I’ve never flown so much as I have here. Although to be honest it’s easier – only a couple of companies to check prices and you book tickets online just like booking a hotel.

It was surprisingly warm in Adelaide, and I picked a taxi with a very talkative driver. I managed an hour in bed when I got back then into work to carry on.

The sore throat just got worse. Friday the car battery was dead again. Well, almost dead. And yes, the boot light was warm when I opened up – so I’m sure that is the problem. The offending bulb is now not in the car. The bus gets me to work at five past 8, which is very irritating. Once is OK, but I couldn’t get it every morning with a ward round at 8.

I did nothing at the weekend – lay on the sofa, reading. It wasn’t fair to go to the party I was supposed to go to and share the cold around, I didn’t think. Sunday I had to go out – had to go and drive the car for a while to recharge the battery once the RAC had kindly got it started. Again.

I drove north. The weather was beautiful, so up towards the Barossa to see how far I could get. The petrol in the tank (which wasn’t much) lasted as far as Truro, which is a little village by the side of the Sturt Highway on its way to Sydney. It’s strange hearing the names as I always seem to see two places at the same time. Obviously no cathedral, no grey clouds (like the last time I was in Truro), no river – but there was an old bank in a mid-west US style, roses and bougainvillea. And a service station, thankfully.

On the way back I went via Kapunda, to look at the miner. Map Kernow (which is “Son of Corwall” – has become Map the Miner in Aussie terms). There is the old copper mine site, which is about a mile to walk round. About my limit currently, it took about 20 minutes. Much of the open excavations are still there, which you can walk into, and many of the shafts which obviously you can’t. There are no buildings left, just a few walls and a chimney which you’ll see on any poster of the area. The sun was dropping, already and I failed to find the old pumphouse – good old Aussie signposts. Or maybe it was the very small stone hut by the pond. Probably was. So I drive round the back of the town (two IGAs within 100 yds of each other and little else). Most of the streets are dirt tracks once you get off the main road and many houses look like mobile homes.


The very large miner is a monument to Cornish miners, but is only 20 yrs old. Yet another in the fad for very-large-things-that-might-just-attract-a-tourist. So back to Adelaide.









In the sunset I drove off round the hills for a bit. Up One Tree Hill Road – which is a hill with lots of trees. Into valleys where night falls early as soon as the sun drops to the west. The last glow of the sun on the tops of the trees turning the far hills and trees pink and purple. And over the ridge again into Adelaide via Golden Grove as the sun fell burnt orange into the sea, melting away. It was dark by the time I got back home.