In last week’s episode Debbie Dowden shared the story of how she found herself living a life she’d never planned on, but at the same time it seemed like everything in her life had been leading her there. That life was centred around her new husband’s family sheep station in Outback WA. A vast property […]
When the term ‘Serendipity’ was coined way back in 1754, it was described as “the accident of finding something good without looking”. Debbie Dowden’s life has been shaped by a series serendipitous moments. The fixed-wing pilot was working as a flight theory instructor when her future husband enrolled in her class. In what can only […]
Welcome to the Cattle Station Classroom Podcast. In today’s lesson we are going to be learning about what’s involved in buying and selling a pastoral lease in WA – and it’s definitely a little more complicated than buying or selling a house in town! To do this I am joined by Karel Eringa who is […]
Welcome to the Cattle Station Classroom Podcast. In today’s lesson we are going to be learning about diversification permits for pastoral leases in WA – what they are, why they exist, who needs them and how to apply for one. To do this I am joined by Karel Eringa who is the pastoral manager at […]
Welcome to the Cattle Station Classroom Podcast. In today’s lesson we are going to be learning about the legal requirements of managing a pastoral Western Australia. We’ll cover topics such as what a pastoral lease can be used for, what activities are required to be compliant, what makes a good tenant, and even the renewals […]
Welcome to the Cattle Station Classroom Podcast. In today’s lesson we are going to be learning about the different types of land tenure in Western Australia – in particular, crown land and pastoral leases. To do this I am joined by Alison Gibson from the WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage. Alison is the […]
Welcome back to another “Station Stickybeak” episode. This series was created to share an insight into why pastoralists do what they do, given their circumstances – whether it be location, country type, rainfall zone, infrastructure, ownership model, market, or any of the many other factors influencing management decisions. In each Station Stickybeak episode I’ll chat […]
They say that “Australia rode to prosperity on the sheep’s back”. And for more than a century the Gascoyne region of Western Australia was sheep country, running millions of animals and generating the kind of wealth that literally built Australia. But with the introduction of synthetic fibres the industry gradually lost its shine, and when […]
It’s a warm summer’s day – you’re standing at a sheep market in a Middle Eastern country as tens of thousands of people descend upon the city in preparation for the upcoming celebration of EID. The atmosphere is palpable – excitement, joy, and stress – picture your local shopping centre on Christmas eve. Your job? […]
Grief takes many forms — and Lara Jensen’s has crystallised into anger. Just over 20 years ago, her brother Christian’s Toyota was hit by a train at a passive crossing, killing him and his two young passengers. This wasn’t a case of drink driving, speeding or being distracted. The findings from coronial inquest showed countless […]
A young Peter Ritter stood in the paddock of his family farm in Moree, and watched as a gigantic Hercules aircraft roared overhead. It was locked in war training exercises — oblivious to the kid standing underneath in awe – a kid whose obsession with aircraft had begun. It took a stint in a Territory […]
30 years after first working on a sheep station, Spencer Robinson finally purchased one of his own. So, in 1976 the family sold their small farm in Victoria and travelled across the country to Mooloo Downs in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. And, the Robinsons are still in the region almost 50 years later. […]
Written by Debbie Dowden, Challa Station Raucous laughter fills the workshop as the mustering crew gathers for ‘tribal council’ after a long hard day of mustering. Stories are shared, grievances aired and points handed out for mistakes and misdemeanours. The points are tallied and a pink nightie is handed over to the person who won […]
We’ve all heard the stories of city girls who end up in the bush – what about a boy from the ‘burbs? Glenn ‘Stixy’ O’Byrne hails from the surfy coastal town of Bussleton in Western Australia. Despite not having grown up with or even being particularly interested in cattle he managed to find himself working on […]
Felicity Brown is a milliner whose work has been featured at New York Fashion Week not once, but three times. Twenty years before the bright lights of the big apple called her name, Flic was working in a stock camp in the Northern Territory. In this episode Flic reflects on her time working on cattle […]
In December 2010, Jodie and Hamish McTaggart were looking forward to the chance to sit back and relax for a few days. The family property, Bidgemia Station, was in the worst drought on record, and the newlyweds had been working flat out all year to look after their cattle. So, when news of rain in […]
Carbon Farming is a topic that been dominating the Australian media over the past several years. I don’t know about you, but even with an agricultural science degree – I still struggle to understand how it works, and how there’s a market for it. If you’re in the same boat, then you’re in luck – because after […]
This episode discusses mental health and suicide – listener discretion is advised. When Damon Kaylock didn’t have success in landing a job as a jackeroo, he didn’t give up – he just came up with plan B. The plan? To work as a station cook, get on to a station, and work his way into […]
Wooleen Station is not your typical cattle station. And, it’s not so much Wooleen itself that’s different, but the way in which it’s managed. Within months of taking over management of Wooleen, David began implementing a plan to completely destock the station. It was a move he believed was critical to ensure the long-term sustainability […]
When Frances travelled out to a cattle station for work experience, she didn’t think she’d still be there 15 years later. This isn’t your typical city girl goes country story though. Frances didn’t travel to Wooleen Station because she wanted experience in the stockcamp – she wanted to see their tourism operation. However, Wooleen was […]
