Blog Archive
Bush vs. City
Host: Anna Plains Station Written by Helen Campion, Station owner/ manager. It’s been twelve years since we left our house in Sydney to live on a cattle station in the Kimberley. The time has flown by. The little children we brought out from the city have grown up, so much so that one is at […]
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Mooing to medicine
Host: Anna Plains Station Written by Tim Stoate When your parents decide to live 270kms from the nearest town, growing up in regional Western Australia is as interesting as it is different from the typical child. I was very fortunate in my upbringing. Having just under one-million acres to play around on was any little […]
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Up ‘n’ out
Host: Anna Plains Station Written by Helen Campion, Station owner/ manager. The sound of the alarm to get the camp moving at 5.10am sometimes comes around too quickly for a few members of the crew. Others have been smart and gone to bed early the night before. However, all are present for a 5.30 am […]
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The Kimberley
Host: Kalyeeda Station Written by Josh Harling Josh was a Ringer at Kalyeeda station for 3 years from 2000. He met his wife Emma here.They now live on a property near Cairns with their 3 children. He wrote this poem about his time with us. The Land is Vast and restless The Winds blow warm […]
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From Occupational Therapist to Jillaroo, if you can dream it, you can do it!
Host: Kalyeeda Station Written by Casey McRobb I had no idea what to expect when I graduated from uni and accepted a short term contract as an Occupational Therapist in the Derby Allied Health Team. I knew that Derby was in the Kimberley Region, a few hours from Broome, but I had never visited the […]
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Family reunions, station style
Host: Kalyeeda Station Written by Hannah Camp As you grow older it is inevitable that you forge your own path, this often means leaving home and moving away. You get a job, responsibilities and limited annual leave. It’s been ten long years since our last Kalyeeda Station family reunion and ten years since I was […]
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You never forget your first
Host: Kalyeeda Station Written by Hugo Rikard-Bell Note from Kalyeeda Station’s blog co-ordinator: “One of the most exciting musters in the Kalyeeda calendar is the River Paddock muster. As the name suggests this paddock borders onto the river and consequently after a big wet season (like last year) the fences can be washed away. This […]
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Anorexia out bush – not just a city girl problem
Host: Kalyeeda Station Written by Camille Camp I was diagnosed with Anorexia when I was 15. Having an eating disorder is never an easy experience, but when you live 6 hours from the nearest GP (general practitioner) and a further 3 hour flight from the nearest Eating Disorder (ED) clinic, life is even more challenging. […]
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Two Territorians on tour tell Tall Tales from the Top End in Tasmania
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Alison Haines. In our first blog this month I mentioned we were on our way to Tasmania to present at a conference. Now… being hot weather and hands on, in the bush sort of people, flying to Tasmania in mid-winter to dress in suits and present […]
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Showing them how it’s done
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Alison Haines. Katherine Rural Campus Show Team – Show Prep and 2017 Katherine Show – Photo Essay: It’s that time of year again at Katherine Rural Campus … SHOW TIME! Katherine High School students and CDU staff practising leading and training their animals in preparation for […]
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RIST in the NT
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Alison Haines. Each year, Sally and Ian Aldridge bring Rural Industries Skills Training Students from Victoria to experience 3 weeks living and working in the Northern Territory. The program combines 2 weeks on-station work experience and 1 week working with the Charles Darwin University Katherine Rural […]
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The new kids on campus
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Alison Haines. In 2017 the Agriculture and Rural Operations team have close to two hundred students on forty stations, scattered across some of the most diverse and remote landscapes the Northern Territory has to offer. Developing student skills and knowledge as well as performing workplace assessments […]
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The CDU catch up
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus Written by Alison Haines. Hello Again from Alison and Fiona! You may remember us from our blog last year describing the work that we do for the Charles Darwin University’s Agriculture and Rural Operations team as VET Lecturers / Workplace Assessors (Horse/Cattle Production, based out of Katherine Rural […]
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Drought in Northern Australia
Written by Kate Fairlie, for Beachport Liquid Minerals Where is the rain? Whilst many Southern areas in Australia are waiting for their winter rains, approximately 66% of Queensland remains drought-declared. 2017 has seen the second driest June to be recorded for Australia; which has had an impact on the quality of grasses available for cattle in […]
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Go for the Good of the Whole – Part 2
Written by Shaelyn Meyer – Consultant, Crossroads Ranch Consulting, Montana USA. Read part 1 here. Below, I will compare the various ways the operation has changed in the past 20 years. These are changes that have worked for us, but holistic management is not about applying a cookie cutter management plan made up by someone else. […]
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Go for the Good of the Whole – Part 1
Written by Shaelyn Meyer – Consultant, Crossroads Ranch Consulting, Montana USA. Hello! I’m writing to you from Montana! I grew up on a 10,000 acre ranch in rural eastern MT, but of course, the “rural-est” places in the U.S. still don’t quite compare to the Australian Outback. I know because I spent a year in AU; […]
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Community in the pasture
Host: HerStory Western Lifestyle Photography Written by Kaylie Franklin With August, nearly behind us at the community pasture things are starting to gear up for the fall season. I know, fall, already! We definitely capitalize on our long summer days in Canada. Sun rise at 5:00am most mornings and sets at 10:15pm most evenings. We […]
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The Smoke – Branding in Canada
Host: HerStory Western Lifestyle Photography Written by Kaylie Franklin Just when we thought winter would never end and the snow would never stop, the sight of green grass and the sounds of momma cows bawling for their new baby began. In my opinion this is one of the best times of year in Alberta, and […]
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It’s a wrap
Host: Southampton Written by – Kylie Savidge, Owner, Southampton Station. The bang tail muster of Easter 2017 has come and gone, with weaning taking place earlier than normal due to our season turning dry again. There has been no rain of any significance since Sept 2016. This has led to minimal grass growth and cows […]
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The peril of Pimlea – Part 2
Host: Southampton Written by – Kylie Savidge, Owner, Southampton Station. Find part one of this article here. I have sat in the yards daily with a sick bull, hand feeding and watering him, pleading with him to hang on, hoping that we could save him only to lose him after 3 weeks of treatment, too […]
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The peril of Pimlea – Part 1
Host: Southampton Written by – Kylie Savidge, Owner, Southampton Station. Let me say that what I am writing here is based solely on personal experience in my area, and on Southampton with contributions from friends who live in this district. These are our first hand observations. (Warning: For those of a more sensitive nature some […]
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A boy and his dog
Host: Southampton Written by – Kylie Savidge, Owner, Southampton Station. Continuing the theme of children and animals, the story I am about to tell you occurred during the Easter muster, fortunately with a happy outcome. Please be aware that there is one photo in this story that may be a little off putting for some […]
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A girl and her pony
Host: Southampton Written by – Kylie Savidge, Owner, Southampton Station. After four years as a contributor to the Central Station blog, I feel like I am an old campaigner and have told all the stories that one can tell about their lives living on the land in rural Queensland. But it seems that I have […]
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A unique lifestyle
Host: Miss Chardy I was thinking the other day what a very unique way of life we lead up here on an outback cattle station. You see, back in 2001, when I first came up to work in the NT I used to think everyone would love this sort of lifestyle. Why on earth wouldn’t you want to […]
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Missing In Action: Is anyone still out there?
Host: Miss Chardy Boy, I know I say this all the time, but seriously…. where has the year gone and how… HOW can it be June already???? I have been so slack with my blog posts of late… I am not sure if I just haven’t been feeling the blogging love or if I have just […]
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2017 Mustering Season
Host: Miss Chardy Things are in full swing here at Chardy Central. It seems the rain has finally gone and mustering got underway a couple of weeks ago now. I still can’t believe it is now nearly the middle of April. Before the crew can start mustering they have to get all their ducks in a […]
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Outback sleepover
Host: Miss Chardy Well it is the school holidays which means time for another sleepover. Harry has been hatching a plan with his little friend next door for about 2 weeks. They had it all sorted. Now you know that when I say neighbour it isn’t as simple as walking out the front door and 20 […]
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What happens when your six year old gets sick and town is 5 hours away
Host: Miss Chardy Sick kids. It is the pits isn’t it, so scary. I mean, I get worried (and totally freak out) when a jackaroo comes to me with a cut on his eyebrow that needs stitches (may or may not have happened last week) so can you imagine how much it worries me when one […]
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“Never a Ringer” – Jimmy Mead – Camfield Station, NT
Host: Kent Saddlery Written by Helen Kent. This story excerpt has been tributed by Lyle and Helen Kent of Kent Saddlery from their book “Stories of Australian Country People“.’ “Well, I actually sorta grew up in the Territory and Kimberleys. I was born in 1933; I’m from Toowoomba in Queensland and I left school at 11. I was […]
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“Fifty Years of Family, Floods and Favour” – Ernie and Kylie Camp – Floraville Station, Qld Gulf.
Host: Kent Saddlery Written by Helen Kent. This story excerpt has been tributed by Lyle and Helen Kent of Kent Saddlery from their book “Stories of Australian Country People“. Mugs of tea have been poured and a plate of freshly-baked Anzac biscuits sits in the middle of the table, begging to be dunked and enjoyed. Overhead, a metal […]
