Ayers Rock (Uluru)- Day 1

I boarded my plane to Ayers Rock and was lucky enough to have a window seat. Two and a half hours later I was flying over the rock and its neighbor The Olgas (Kata Tjuta). The view was breath taking and I was so excited to start the trip. I couldn't help but notice how green it was, rather than the red I was expecting. When I arrived I asked if it was usually so green as the area is dubbed "the red center". The guy at the desk said they have had 10 times the annual rainfall and thus everything is in bloom. Apparently there are flowers that people haven't seen in decades! I stayed at the Lost Camel hotel in Yulara village, which is the only village in Ayers Rock. It was soooo hot and the power was out for maintenance so I chose to put my stuff away, but on a bathing suit and hit the pool until I needed to get ready for my sunset dinner. The pool was lovely and a great place to chat with other travelers as everyone had the same idea! I went to shower and change for my sunset dinner. We boarded the bus and drove out into the dunes where we had champagne and snacks to watch the sunset. After sunset we ate kangaroo and emu and lovely salads. Then we were serenaded with a didgeridoo and given a star talk. While the guide was talking about the southern hemisphere's stars the most amazing shooting star lit up the sky. It was so bright and then it broke into little pieces. I've never seen anything like it ever. Amazing.

Koala pics

Koalas and Kangaroos

Hello all,

Last weekend was great fun. I went out to Yanchep National park to see some Koalas and Kangaroos in the wild. The kangaroos are only out in the early morning so I had to get up at 630. It was great though, all the roos hopping around and some even had little joeys in their pouches. The koalas were too funny. All of them looked so sleepy and cuddly all curled up in their trees. I also went to a Perth Glory soccer match. Perth lost to Sydney, but it was fun anyway. Aussie Rules Footie season just finished so sadly I will miss that, but there is always rugby and cricket. This weekend I am heading out to Rottnest Island, which is just a 30 min ferry ride from Perth adn boasts great snorkeling, so I will try to update again tomorrow when I get back. Miss you all! See you soon.

B

I'm on a boat, or I was on a boat...

Hey everyone,

Finally back from 3 weeks and 2 days aboard the Jack Bates. I had so much fun and learned a bunch. Life on the rig can get fairly monotonous but there is TV, Internet, and ping pong so you can find ways to change it up. I was working as a sample catcher to keep my spot out there as the rig has a max capacity due to lifeboat numbers. It wasn't too bad, although I had a bad reaction to the synthetic based drilling mud they use. Chemical burns are no good, but I'm all better now. Being an operations geologist, we ask a lot of the mudloggers and wellsite geologist and I was able to see exactly what those requests entail. I can say that I will think twice about sample intervals after my experience.

I was able to see exactly what goes on in the logging unit, caught and washed samples, and attended the morning meetings. I got to drive a crane (over the water where no one could be hurt), saw the moon pool, pressed the button that set off the air guns for the down hole seismic survey, took a mud weight, watched the leak off test, and watched all the mud chemistry readings. I think I even learned things that my brain is still processing.

The rig had a really nice gym so I tried to go there everyday after my 12-12 shift. I have to say the gym was essential because they feed you all the time and the food is sooo good. I think I gained like 10lbs out there! The helideck was a nice place to take a walk or go for a run, though I felt like a hamster running in a wheel out there.

The rig was always surrounded by large tune, mahi mahi, and sharks. I saw some everyday sharks and a huge hammerhead. In the event of an evacuation I decided to let everyone else jump first to feed the sharks, and then go last :)

So the whole experience was awesome, and hopefully I'll get to go back offshore at some point in the future. For now I am enjoying the time back in Perth and look forward to seeing more of Australia. More updates and photos to come!

Brianne

Greeting from the Jack Bates!

Hello!

I haven't posted for a bit as I am out off the coast of Western Australia on the Jack Bates semi-submersible drilling rig. I have been doing quite a lot out here. I caught samples coming off the shakers for this last well, The Grafter-1. The task was interesting as we are drilling with synthetic oil based mud out here, and as such I had to wear rubber boots, a tyvek suit, and long rubber gloves. The samples were taken off the shaker boars and placed into sieves, they then had to be washed in base oil, detergent, and water. The trick I learned was to then take the sieve over to the shaker and place it right up against it to allow the vibrations to shake out all the water and get the samples fairly dry. I then had to take a small sample out for the well site geologist to look at and place the rest in a sample bag. Two full sample bags were then tied together and then slung over the drying rack. It is very loud and very warm in the shaker house, add to that the fact that I was basically wearing a plastic bag and you get the idea. It was fun though. After we reached TD I was able to go and watch all the wireline logging tools get rigged up and then sat in the logging unit to watch all the data come in. We only ran an RCI on this hole to take fluid samples. After the logs were run I watched the tools get laid down on the deck and then checked the serial numbers on the sample jars to insure all the records were correct. I also was able to watch the opening pressure test. That was fairly neat as the pressure told you whether or not there actually was a sample in the tube, and also whether there was water oil or gas in it. Yesterday they let me climb up to the very top of the derrick, known as the crown block. That was fun but a bit tiring. The view was excellent and I thank the roughneck who took me up for explaining all the safety gear to me. This next hole I am going to get to do some wellsite geology, watch some of the drilling, and potentially see the sidewall cores. Should be fun! There is also lots of marine life around the rig. So far I have seen loads of tuna, dolphin fish, tiger sharks, and a hammerhead. Pictures will be uploaded when I get back to land! See you all soon.

Brianne

Perth Zoo

Hello everyone!
Today I ventured out to the zoo. I took the bus there and it dropped me off right at the entrance. The zoo had lots of Australian animals. The kangaroos just roam around freely and you can walk through them. There were also some very cute little wombats, porcupines, wallabies, and a giant crocodile. There was of course a dingo, but no babies were eaten. :o) They also had lots of other animals and a large park for barbeque's and parties. Here are some photos for your enjoyment. Hopefully I'll have some of these animals in the wild later. Off to the rig in the morning!
Brianne

HUET

Hello everyone!
I began my first week of work here in the HESS Australia office. There is a lot of work to do and it seems my new boss is more than happy to hand some over to me. I am really excited about the opportunity. Thursday and Friday (today) I was sent off to Freemantle for my Sea Survival and Helicopter Underwater Escape Training. Thursday involved fire fighting, lifeboat boarding and deployment (got a quick cruise around the harbor), and escaping from a blacked out smoke filled room. That was all good fun. Today was life raft deployment, first aid, jumping from heights, life jackets, and of course, the helicopter stuff. I was a little apprehensive, but it all went well. I hope I never have to use any of it in real life, but at least now I know what to do and am prepared. I am sooo exhausted though! Tomorrow I plan to tour around town, head to the zoo, and then get in for a good night sleep. Sunday at 4am I am headed to the airport to fly up north, where I will get on a helicopter and fly out to the rig the Jack Bates. I should be out there for 2-3 weeks, so you wont hear from me for a bit. I hope you all are doing well, and I will talk to you soon!

Love
Brianne