Before...

DAY 16: March 5th, Underground Mining and last night in Moranbah

I did my speciality smoked salmon and scrambled egg breakfast to set us up for our trip underground in the afternoon. We had to go to the mine over a week ago to take the induction training that allows us to go underground. It involves being able to put your self-rescuer on and what to do in an emergency. We had to watch a short programme and then take a test afterwards – which we all managed to pass with hardly any cheating! This is all good, however, a lot had happened in the last ten days and I don’t think any of us would have survived had we had to operate our self-rescuers!
We got all kitted up in our orange or green overalls, wellies, big weight-lifter’s belts, helmet and goggles and, after a quick photo shoot, made our way to get our lamps and rescuers. I could not believe how much it all weighed, I could hardly move by the time my belt had been loaded up with the necessary equipment!