Wallaby Part 2

24th September Day 1 0232

After a 3 hour bus ride, which we all slept through, we reached Tiger Hill Camp in the middle of the night. Roughly awoken, we dragged ourselves out into the cold wind of the desert night. First time we experienced the cold of Australia. We dragged our heavy bags up the hill, about 400 meters in pitch darkness, swearing at the treacherous vegetation grasping at our ankles. Finally making it up to the cookhouse, it was a bleak sight. Row after row of tents, lit by naked yellow bulbs. We were briefed on the days to come, and sent to the cookhouse to eat our night snack.

Cookhouse

Almost but not quite, entirely unlike porridge

25th September 0900

Prepared for outfield, packed the 5 tonner trucks with stores and moved out. Our first stop, Single Tank Battle Course, at Mulpha. The Australian landscape is really beautiful. Just miles and miles of browned, knee high grass, scatterings of trees, and framed by majestic mountain ranges.

Packing the Target tonner

Welcome to the desert

TCC rolling in!

Setting up tentage at Mulpha

After everything had been set up, we walked the ground and started preparing for the shoot. We worked slowly, as this was unfamiliar territory, but managed to set up everything by night fall. That night we slept outside the tentage, confident it wouldn't rain in the desert. 

It rained that night. We pulled our sleeping bags around us and ignored it. When it became too heavy to ignore, we went to stand inside the tentage. No one got much sleep that night either. 

Wallaby

I'm back from Exercise Wallaby! Amazing experience, really. After the whole thing, you've learnt so much about the tank, about your own capabilities and about yourself. I feel like I can take anything the army throws at me now. Pretty tired now. I've got 5 day block leave, awesome. I actually managed to keep to my word and maintain a journal of my 23 day adventure. So in the next few posts, I'll transcribe everything onto this blog, complete with photos from my great friend and crewmate Andy Chee!

23rd September Day 0

Went to Changi Airport at 1130 to have lunch with family. Felt strange that I was going to be going alone, duffel bag and all. Met up with TCC at the airport. 

Everyone gathering at the gate, after browsing through the duty free shop 

 We entered only with our travel order and our 11Bs, something different from ordinary travelling. You don't even need your passport, just your 11B. Morale with pretty high, everyone's excited to be on this trip. It felt like going overseas with your friends, not a military exercise. Yet. Boarded the plane, MH8727. Malaysian Airlines, but a chartered flight. Doesn't beat SIA, but it was pretty good compared to what I expected. There was a movie screening, MIB 3 and Prometheus. The food served was ok, not bad for airline food, but no alcohol.

Excited to be on the plane

We touched down in Rockhampton International Airport at around 2345 local time, and collected our bags straight from the plane. As in we literally unloaded our own bags from the plane. That's SAF for you, no baggage claim or anything. We quickly went through customs and boarded a bus from Rockhampton to Shoalwater Bay Training Area.

Tired and hungry. No one was celebrating anymore.