Note: The information on this page is relevant to the time period of 2014-2015.
Host: Alexandria Station
Managers/ Owners: Manager- Stephen Bryce. Owner- North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCO)
Region: Barkly Tablelands, Northern Territory
Nearest town for shopping, doctors etc: Main shopping town is Mt Isa, closest town is Camooweal
Nearest roadhouse: Camooweal or the Bart Hut
Number of cattle: 70,000 head depending on season
Number of staff: 55 on Alexandria and its outstations
Size of station: 1,611,800 ha (3,982,844 acres)
How often and how the mail is delivered: Mail service is once a week
How often and how the stores shopping is done: Bulk stores 2-3 months, fresh veges weekly
How far off the bitumen you are: 120km
Alexandria Station is spread over approximately 3.98 millions acres of the Barkly Tablelands in the Northern Territory and is presently known as the second largest cattle station in Australia. Alexandria is the North Australian Pastoral Company’s largest and oldest property, the original partners having acquired the lease in 1877. Currently maintaining a composite breeding herd of 55,000 head of cattle, the NAPCO composite breeding program is acknowledged as the largest program of its type in the world.
Alexandria Station is made up of three station complexes; the main homestead Alexandria, which is located on the Playford River, and two outstations; Soudan on the Rankin River and Gallipoli on the eastern side of the property.
Playford River in Flood
Employing over 50 staff between the three places, Alexandria is a hive of activity during the mustering season. Each outstation having a stockcamp of six people, as well as a mustering stock camp and weaner camp at Alexandria. The station has two road trains pulling 6 decks each, that is mainly used to cart weaners to the main cattle yards for processing.
A full time bore mechanic is employed to maintain upkeep of 164 bores, along with 5 full time pumpers, employed to start pumps and clean troughs. Each year over 6,000 round bales of Mitchell grass is cut and stored on property to feed weaners during the mustering season.
Station Challenge Team Photo
We hope you enjoy reading our blog posts, and learning a little more about Alexandria Station and our staff.
Archives
NEW PODCAST: Cattle Station Classroom
Have you ever wanted to know more about the northern beef industry? Traditional opportunities to learn about the industry include: university, TAFE, short courses, schools, and on-the-job training. For a number of reasons, whether it be time, money, and/or access, not everyone has the same learning opportunities. The Cattle Station Classroom podcast is a free […]
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Episode 41. Chris Henggeler – The backpacker who bought a cattle station
Imagine this: building a pastoral lease from scratch. I’m talking about walking onto a piece of land that has never been managed or developed – no fences, no man-made waters, no roads – nothing. Sounds like something from the 1800’s right? A story of the settlers? Well, this actually happened in the late 1980s, when […]
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Adventure, before dementia!
Written by Sally Scott – Yougawalla Station What on earth could persuade us to leave our beautiful farm, garden, house and family in Margaret River to go to one of the most geographically isolated properties in the Kimberley? Well, there are a lot of reasons: a bored husband, family succession planning, a yearning to get […]
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ISTJ’s – the most common tribe in the bush
Written by Sarah Cook – Aileron Station. Bush people are drawn to our own circles. We live together, we work together – and then we socialise together. We appear to have similar values, think similarly and heck – even vote the same way. It makes me wonder, is there any other industry quite as full […]
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Sustainability: different country, same concept
Written by Frances Cooper – Mt Riddock Station Studying land management at university seems like a fairly normal pathway into working in Australia’s extensive rangelands…right? Well, maybe if I’d studied in Australia it would be. However, I completed my studies in the UK and let’s just say that Central Australia is a little bit different […]
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Episode 39. Ben Mills – Floods and droughts on Mandora Station
in today’s episode I am sitting down with Ben Mills … who, as you heard in the introduction, came onto the podcast very willingly and with much enthusiasm. If you’re a long time listener of the podcast, you’ll be familiar with Ben’s wife Caitlin, who featured in episodes 29 and 33. In this episode Ben […]
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The Picnic Races
Written by Barbara Camp – Kalyeeda Station I am writing this to you from the precipice. The precipice of something big. It’s July of 2020 – the year that wasn’t. I don’t need to tell anyone that surviving unscathed to the mid-point of this year is nothing short of miraculous. COVID has rocked our world […]
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Has anyone got a copy (Part Three)
Written by Steph Coombes – Central Station editor I’m known to my friends for my shocking lack of direction. And, in my old age I’ve come to learn to laugh at myself and the silly things I’ve done, rather than shrink away in embarrassment as I used to do. So, I’ve decided to share a […]
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Employment and unemployment
Written by Roley James – Hidden Valley Station When I was asked to write an article for Central Station I had to pause and think for a while. I wondered what would be the most useful or interesting advice that I could give people in the industry or wanting to get into it? Below are […]
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Has anyone got a copy (Part Two)
Written by Steph Coombes – Central Station editor I’m known to my friends for my shocking lack of direction. And, in my old age I’ve come to learn to laugh at myself and the silly things I’ve done, rather than shrink away in embarrassment as I used to do. So, I’ve decided to share a […]
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Episode 37. Hannah Purss – From city girl to cameleer to cattle stations
After 36 episodes talking about cattle, we thought we’d mix it up and talk about another four-legged herbivore that is also found on many cattle stations… camels! Our guest today is an incredible woman named Hannah, who, as you’re about to learn, knows an awful lot about camels and has no shortage of yarns about […]
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The unspoken struggle
This may sound like just another city girl meets country boy love story but stay with me. Hopefully, it will be worth the read. Five years ago, I was living in the city enjoying all the perks it had to offer. I had just returned from travelling Europe and was in search of a new […]
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Has anyone got a copy? (Part One)
Written by Steph Coombes – Central Station editor I’m known to my friends for my shocking lack of direction. And, in my old age I’ve come to learn to laugh at myself and the silly things I’ve done, rather than shrink away in embarrassment as I used to do. So, I’ve decided to share a […]
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180km just to check the mail
Written by Stephanie Coombes – editor It’s often the most simple things in our day that we take for granted – hot water at the turn of a tap, wifi that loads a YouTube video almost instantly, a quick trip to Woolies to satisfy that craving, and a short walk down the driveway to collect […]
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Low-stress wife handling
Written by Connie Wood – Blina Station Jim Lindsay, Eat Your Heart Out. She lowers her head, shakes it a little and a bit of snot comes out as she snorts and stomps the ground with her foot. He’s not sure if its fear, adrenalin, or pure fury that’s got her shaking like that but […]
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Episode 35. Pip Bain – A childhood on Mt Clere station and losing a parent to suicide
What’s it like growing up on a cattle station? In this episode we chat with Pip Bain, who grew up on Mt Clere station in Western Australia in the early 90’s. Pip talks about spending her days looking for bush tucker, helping out the stockcamp, and how she followed in her family’s footsteps to pursue […]
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Episode 33. Caitlin Mills – Challenges come in threes
Caitlin Mills has spent the past decade working on cattle stations in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia. In this episode we chat about Caitlin’s time in the Kimberley, including being a first time manager at Mandora Station with an initiation by fire, flood and drought (literally!). You can listen to the episode […]
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Basic beef
*This blog has been contributed anonymously. The number one thing I have found from working in the northern beef industry is that there is as much to be learnt from doing things the wrong way as there is from doing them the right way. Let me back up for a moment: over the previous 30 […]
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Macro and Micro isolation – A bold contrast
Written by Munro Hardy I recently moved to Sydney for a new position with a Tech company – a complete 180 for me. I’d spent the last 13 years in the Northern Territory working in the great outdoors (aside from 2 years working underground, where I was focussed on saving money for my chopper license […]
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When it’s time to admit defeat
Written by Aticia Grey – Glenflorrie Station The hardest part is to know when it’s time to admit defeat. Zen & a young premature calf saved via cesarean & survived. Raising orphan calves is something we have always done here at Glenflorrie. My parents taught me early on the value of compassion and Dad would […]
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The humble water run
Written by Connie Wood – Blina Station Being part of the management team at Blina, I wear many hats, one of these being the stand-in bore runner when we have been short staffed, or down to skeleton crew over the wet. This has meant that I’ve done more than a few miles on different occasions […]
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Tips when moving to town
Written by Miss Jodie A couple of years ago my husband and I moved from acreage on the outskirts of beautiful Katherine to suburban Brisbane. We both found it challenging to say the very least and made some epic blunders along the way, but we learnt and survived, and I thought that I would share our […]
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Killer: you’ve changed
Written by Sarah Cook – Aileron Station “We’re getting a killer”. “We need a killer”. “Time for a killer”. “Save him for a killer”. “Found a killer”. These one-liners are enough to scare the be-jezus out of townies, but for some of us, killers can be a cause for celebration. My son, Hayes Cook, about […]
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Nurofen for cows
Written by Stephanie Coombes – editor *Note: this article has been written so anyone, regardless of their background, can understand. Whilst I am not a veterinarian, I consulted with a number of practicing and policy veterinarians, as well as technicians from pharmaceutical companies during the research for this article. For a great technical summary on […]
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Unexpected isolation in the middle of nowhere
Written by Grace Hambling – Humbert River Station Editors note: Grace met her fiancee while working in the Northern Territory. They eventually moved down south, but like many others, found themselves drawn back north. They returned to the NT over the 2019/20 Christmas/ New Year break. Upon our return to living on a Cattle Station […]
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9 years on, why I still support live export
Written by Barbara Camp – Kalyeeda Station It occurs to me in the years I’ve been writing for this site, I’ve shared a lot about my weird and wonderful life in the bush – my love for animals and horses, and my experiences living in remote Australia after finding love out bush when I went […]
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New tricks
Written by Tannas Godfrey – Tobermorey Station So, this is not a story about Barrygowan Station – it’s about Tobermorey Station and more importantly about how everyone has an opportunity in agriculture. So how did we get 3000km and in another Territory since my last Central Station blog? New digs – our first day at […]
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ANNOUNCEMENT: Nationals launch petition for better signage on regional roads
The Nationals WA spokesperson for Transport, Vince Catania, has launched a petition calling on the Western Australian State Government to ensure policies for road works signage are strengthened to create safer regional roads. Mr Catania said he has been seeking Government support for improved road signage procedures for several months, but the matter had come […]
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School fun, in the middle of nowhere
Written by Maddie Johnston, Governess – Mount Sarah Station My name is Maddie and I’m the luckiest govie alive to have a job on Mount Sarah Station with Kirsty and Cameron Williams. I supervise two of the four children with their schooling through Port Augusta School of the Air (SOTA) with their classroom teachers located […]
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An Easter calamity
Written by Monica Haslet – Meda Station Over the Easter weekend we decided to take the kids out for a nice family ride for the first time. The result was not quite what we hoped for… instead of the nice fun little walk past the billabong, around the house and back to the horse yards, […]
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Episode 31. Katie O’Donoghue – Taking the leap, and learning to appreciate where you are right now
Katie works at Mandora Station which is situated on the 80 mile beach between Port Hedland and Broome in Western Australia. That’s right, Mandora is on the beach! Anyway, Katie has a very unusual story – I don’t want to give too much away – but let’s just say she didn’t set foot on a […]
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Stepping up during a crisis
Written by Maddie Staff, Florina Station One day you’re just the govie. The next… well let’s just say it wasn’t what I would have ever expected, least of all in my life. If you asked me 8 months ago if I thought I would be able to do this, I would’ve said no. But, here […]
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Water is life
Written by David Pollock, Wooleen Station Over the past 13 years our main objective on Wooleen has been resting the landscape from grazing as much as possible, in order to let it recover itself from historical overgrazing. I won’t go into that too much because we covered it in last years stories (Story: Watching the […]
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10 life lessons I learnt from living on a remote cattle station
Written by Miss Meg – former stationhand in the Northern Territory Living remote can challenge you in many ways. Some people just flat out say “No, I couldn’t do it,” some people want to try it for a while and some people love the lifestyle. I know it’s not for everyone and to be honest […]
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The last windmill
Written by Steph Coombes – Editor, Central Station. Can you think of anything more iconic to outback Australia than the old windmill? Standing tall and strong in an open field – I bet you can imagine that sound of metal creaking as the blades rotate around and around, ever so slowly. Invented in America the […]
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Episode 29. Caitlin Mills – Starting out in the Pilbara, and a brush with the RFDS
Caitlin Mills has spent the past decade working on cattle stations in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia. In this episode we chat about Caitlin’s early days in the Pilbara, the different versions of how she supposedly met her future husband, and the day she had to call the Royal Flying Doctor Service. […]
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Are you bogged, mate?
Written by Mary O’Brien I spend a lot of time raising awareness about spray drift but recent events have compelled me to talk about something that disturbs me even more than spray drift. I have spent my whole life working in rural and remote Australia and always around country blokes; working with them, for them, […]
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It takes a community
Written by Anne Marie Huey – Dampier Downs Station. We’ve all heard the old adage “It takes a village to raise a child”. Well, in my opinion, it takes a community to raise a steak. While we’ve been encouraged to “Thank a farmer” for our next meal, as someone whose job it is to contribute […]
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Episode 28. Hugo Rickard-Bell – The Incident
Central Station [SHORT STORY] episodes bring the stories from our website to life through the authors themselves. Find the story from this episode here: https://www.centralstation.net.au/the-incident/ Narrated by: Hugo Rickard-Bell You can listen to the episode on the Apple Podcast app by clicking here, on the Spotify app by clicking here or through the media player below. […]
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From the stock camp to sailing on cattle ships
Written by Camille Camp – Kalyeeda Station. I recently went on a nine-day voyage on a live export vessel. A cruise you might say, a cattle cruise, however the journey was anything but cruisey! The prospect of working as an onboard stocky has always appealed to me. As pastoralists, we produce cattle that journey to […]
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Baby, can you handle the heat?
Written by Kirsty Williams, Mount Sarah Station With the car packed to the roof, three kids plus a new baby to take home, looking in the rear-vision mirror heading out of Adelaide in the early hours of the morning was a great feeling. After being away just shy of four weeks whilst waiting to have baby […]
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Whoa, boy!
Written by Debbie Dowden – Challa Station, WA. Col Stanton is a bit of a legend in our area. Not only because he’s a top bloke, can drive a grader like it’s his dancing partner and has loads of interesting yarns to tell. The thing that makes Col a legend is his soil conservation skills. […]
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Episode 27. Danielle Doyle – The adventures of Miss Chardy from Mittiebah Station
Danielle Doyle has become an iconic character of outback Australia over the past 7 years through her insightful (and hilarious) blog and “Miss Chardy“. Labelled by her husband as an “indoor cat”, Dan Doyle is not your typical cattle station manager’s wife. She doesn’t ride horses, and you won’t catch her out on a muster […]
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A not-so-wet wet season
Written by Anna Phillips – Bulka Station, WA It was starting to get quite dry, and being our first wet in the Kimberley we were told that usually by December we should have had a couple of decent storms. Well, we had had nothing and it was starting to get a little worrying. We were […]
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Things I miss about northern Australia (and some things I don’t)
Written by Elina Andersson Hellberg, former stationhand – Kimberley region, WA Three and a bit years after moving back home there are still a few things about rural Australia that make my heart ache from longing. I miss waking up whilst it was still dark, it meant that I saw more sunrises than I had […]
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Assumptions
Written by Kirsty Williams, Mount Sarah Station. Whether you are born into it, married into it or just fell in love with it, those in agriculture are simultaneously dealing with drought, floods, bushfires, fluctuating prices, international trade tension, animal welfare and misled consumers. Livelihoods are reliant on something completely uncontrollable – the weather. There are good […]
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So Now You’re A Station Manager’s Wife
Written by Jodie Grant – Florina Station. So you have met the man of your dreams, your knight in shining armour… it just so happens that he is a cowboy. No not a concrete cowboy but a fair dinkum horse riding, cow roping, gun slinging cow boy. This is something you never expected – let’s face […]
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Episode 25. Anthony McNamara – The Ringer with a reputation
Imagine this: you’re fresh out of high school in the city, and you manage to land a job on Newcastle Waters – one of the largest and most prestigious cattle stations in Australia. But… you don’t know where it is, or what even happens on a cattle station. You’ve definitely got no experience. Well, that’s […]
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A day in the life of Roy
Written by Katie O’Donoghue – Stationhand, Mandora Station The alarm goes off. It’s early, the sun is barely out of bed itself. It’s a new day, another busy day ahead and so, with one final stretch I jump out of bed head outside springing off the deck and head off in search of the crew. […]
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Little people, huge hearts!
Written by Kirsty Williams, Mount Sarah Station I was nervous with George starting kindy given all he wants to be when he grows up, “is a worker!” But easing into kindy days bit by bit, stretching the time out longer and longer over the weeks (and a few bribes of toy tractors and the like) saw […]
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The Dry Year
Written by Barbara Camp – Kalyeeda Station. Look at these two photos. They were taken nine months apart from about the same spot. I say ‘about’ because the dry, desiccated mud flat where I took the first shot last year is now under a considerable amount of water and, knowing the size of the salt […]
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When a pregnancy is followed by a cancer diagnosis
Written by Hayley Price – Rookwood Station In March 2019 I was 30 weeks pregnant, sitting in my GPs office patiently waiting for my doctor to make phone calls. Recent tests indicated that our little girl’s stomach was measuring below the second percentile, as well as my blood tests indicating that I needed to see […]
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Episode 23: Miss Meg – 10 life lessons I learnt from living on a remote cattle station
Living remote can challenge you in many ways. Some people just flat out say “No, I couldn’t do it,” some people want to try it for a while and some people love the lifestyle. The first time Meg lived on a cattle station when she was 18. She didn’t work on another station until 10 […]
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A Change in the Weather
Written by Andrew Miller – Overseer, Shamrock Station Current weather events have recently demonstrated in all its entirety the absolute control of which we as a collective (ie. the human race) are susceptible to the outcomes of future weather patterns. From local Government to Wall Street, the flow on effects of natural disasters are now […]
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Tender loving care – station style
Written by Mick Cameron – Overseer, Bulka Station My name is Mick Cameron. I, along with my partner Anna and two-year-old daughter Mackenzie, live and work on Bulka Station in the Kimberleys, Western Australia. In this blog I would like to talk about our early weaning program at Yougawalla Pastoral Company (YPC), its advantages, and […]
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Take a Chill Pill-bara
Written by Lydia Inglis – Stationhand, Yarrie Station. The Pilbara. The land of where: Having one spare tyre is asking for two flats. A trip to town is 5 hours of driving. And if you dare to say how great all your bores are it’s guaranteed they’ll pack it in tomorrow. It’s a land of […]
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The Pastoralist Pregnancy Pact
Written by Steph Coombes – Editor, Central Station. You might remember a story in the media from about 10 years ago. 18 teenage girls from the same high school in Massachusetts, USA, became pregnant at the same time. The story goes that they planned their pregnancies after making a “pregnancy pact”. They wanted their kids […]
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Episode 21: Mariah Maughan – Finding your place outside of the stockcamp
Have you ever wondered what job opportunities exist beyond the stockcamp? After a number of years working on stations, Mariah Maughan knew that she wanted to be involved with the northern beef industry, in particular the Kimberley, but it was time to leave behind her days of being a Jillaroo and find a new role. […]
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Episode 20: BONUS EP – Angela Wall – the psychology behind COVID-19
Right now, almost everything in our lives revolves around the idea of flattening the COVID-19 curve. But, there is a second curve we need to work towards flattening, one that no one is talking about; the impacts of the pandemic on our emotional and mental wellbeing. In this episode we speak to Angela Wall, a […]
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Episode 19: Coronavirus & cattle stations
I’m sure by now that you are well and truly sick of hearing about the coronavirus… or COVID-19. Whether or not the virus itself is as deadly and threatening as it is reported to be, we cannot deny the impact it is having on our economy and community. First of all, it feels like a pretty […]
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Episode 18: Tips for station newbies (let’s talk about sex)
This episode is based on one of the most popular stories on the Central Station website, called “Tips for station newbies”. From advice when applying for a job, to what to pack and how to behave once you’ve got the job – we cover a lot in this episode! We even cover … sex! So, […]
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Sexual harrassment in the pastoral industry
Host: Yougawalla Pastoral Company Written by Jane Sale – Manager, Yougawalla Pastoral Company This blog is from a talk I did at The Kimberley and Pilbarra Cattlemen’s Association (KPCA) Ladies Lunch in Broome WA. I have tried to adapt it to the wider audience and mix gender. I hope it resonates with everyone. Speaking at […]
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RCS International Conference – Brisbane, July 18-20.
Get ready for this, Central Station readers! It’s set to be the biggest event in regenerative ag this year! To celebrate 30 years of the Grazing for Profit™ School running in Australia, and all the regenerative ag community has achieved in that time, Resource Consulting Services (RCS) will host the third decadal RCS International Conference […]
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Episode 17: Learn the skills you need to work on a cattle station + SCHOLARSHIP INFO
Have you always wanted to experience the North Australian beef cattle industry but you’re not sure where to start? Well… there’s a course for that! Training through the Katherine Rural Campus will allow you to develop the basic skills that you need to seek employment on a cattle station and allow you to experience the […]
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What to pack when moving to a cattle station
Written by Steph Coombes – Editor, Central Station So, you made the leap and applied for your first job on a cattle station. Then you made it through the interview and landed the job – yasss! Now it’s time to start packing, and you might be feeling a little anxious. Chances are, if you forget […]
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Episode 16: Adriano Moraes – the man behind 3 world championships
We’re really excited to bring you something a bit different today – it’s not a story directly related to cattle stations, but there are some connections and we felt it was a story worth telling. In September 2019, 3-time Professional Bull Riding (PBR) world champion Adriano Moraes travelled from his home country of Brazil, all […]
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Episode 15: Pip Grossmith – what happens when you’re open to life’s opportunities
As the daughter of a Coastal Sciences Professor who grew up on the northern beaches of Sydney, working with pastoralists in rangelands of Western Australia is the last place anyone expected Pip Grossmith to end up – including herself. With a “have a go” attitude and unparalleled authenticity in everything she does, it hasn’t taken […]
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Pastoralists to the rescue – Part 2
Host: Kachana Station Written by Chris Henggeler, Owner – Kachana Station Part 1. New Millennium, New Challenges Part 2. When Alarm Bells Ring A nurse or doctor can hand out medication and check up on a patient on their own, but when alarms begin to go off in a hospital ward, it is useful to […]
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Episode 13: Dionne Walsh – the Paddock Power project
Many breeder paddocks in northern Australia are too big and under-watered to achieve optimum productivity. In the Barkly Tableland region, for example, average paddock area is 218 km² (21,800 hectares) and some are more than 1000 km². These large, poorly watered paddocks impact on reproduction and profitability: there’s over-and under-utilised feed (depending on distance from water), […]
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Don’t spend too much time looking in the rear-view mirror
When learning to drive we’re constantly reminded about the importance of checking our rear-view mirror, not just when reversing or changing lanes but for general awareness of our surroundings and enhancing our peripheral vision. However, spending too much time looking in the rear-view mirror can be hazardous as it distracts us from what’s happening in […]
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Ground control to Major Tom – a boarding school oddity
Host: Yougawalla Pastoral Co. Written by Jane Sale – Manager, Yougawalla Pastoral Company This blog is a follow up to a story published in 2018 called “Learning to let go” where I wrote about my son Gus’ last year at home before going to boarding school. “Ground Control to Major Tom” “10, 9” Take your […]
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Episode 12: Kate Everett – Life as a contract musterer, Dolly’s Dream, and making the world a kinder place
The Everett family are like many others in the Northern Territory – they live and breathe horses, cattle, and station life. However, their lives changed irrevocably in January 2018 when Dolly Everett, 14, took her own life after being the target of relentless bullying at boarding school. In this episode we sit down with Kate Everett […]
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Remaining vigilant of the Brazilian threat
Host: Yougawalla Pastoral Co. Written by Haydn Sale – Manager, Yougawalla Pastoral Company I am writing this blog at 41,000 feet passing over Africa on the way to Perth via Dubai from Brazil. Total travel time 35 hours. My wife Jane (the founder of this website) tells me to use the time and write my […]
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Episode 11: Tom and Annabel Curtain – the “We’re still here campaign”, a #1 single, new album and tour
You may remember Tom and Annabel Curtain from Episode … Tom is a long-time horse trainer, Golden Guitar winning musician, and founder of Katherine Outback Experience. Annabel’s dad picked Tom up while he was hitchhiking one day, and these days she calls the Northern Territory home, where she runs Katherine Outback Experience alongside her now-husband […]
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Pastoralists to the rescue – Part 1
Host: Kachana Station Written by Chris Henggeler, Owner – Kachana Station It was in early 1979 that I arrived in Australia. Most of my time since then has been spent somewhere in the north, living and working in the bush. Good fortune offered me the opportunity to do some travelling before and during that time […]
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Episode 10: Dr Jillian Kelly – CSI for cattle, drought smokos, and painting in the bush
Dr Jillian Kelly is the District Vet in Coonamble, New South Wales. You know the show CSI – Crime Scene Investigation? Well, Jill is basically a detective for diseases in farm animals. She discovered the first case of Ichthyosis fetails, or Fish Scale Disease, in Australia! Jill is also the founder of the “Drought Smoko”, and has […]
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Kachana sterek
Host: Kachana Station Written by Fettes Falconer Note: Fettes Falconer is a Perth based retired geography teacher who visited Kachana some time ago and has been a loyal supporter ever since. As word got around that we needed another story for Central Station, people began ducking for cover. We thank Fettes for obliging in the […]
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Episode 9: Mark Bettini – managing drought and Cyclone Veronica in the same week
Mark Bettini is the co-owner and manager of Bettini Beef – a family business which manages 5 cattle stations across 1 million hectares in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. In this episode Mark shares his experience of going from managing drought conditions after a poor season in 2018, to managing for flood and the […]
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Dreamtime – feeling safe when you sleep helps
Host: Kachana Station Written by Jacqueline Henggeler, Owner. When we moved to Kachana Station to set up our home in 1991, there was hardly any vegetation and we saw native animals on rare occasions only. Once we had established some vegetation and electric light, we attracted insects, especially during the wet. This brought along other animals […]
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Reinventing landscape management through regenerative pastoral practices
Host: Kachana Station Written by Chris Henggeler, Owner. Caveat: Whilst composing this message I remain painfully aware that there are many people doing it really tough all over Australia. When your livelihood is on the line, and everything you own is at stake you do not need others telling you how to prioritise. The landscape vision […]
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Episode 8: Hayley Goad – overcoming discrimination in the ag industry
Hayley Goad is the Office Administrator for Bettini Beef – a family owned business which manages 1 million hectares in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Don’t let her job title fool you though – she spends as much time out on the station as she does in the office! In this episode, we sit […]
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Things you should know before applying for a station job
Written by Steph Coombes, Central Station Editor So, you’ve decided to take the leap and head “up north” for a year of cattle work, dusty days, and memories that will last a lifetime. You’re about to be one of tens of thousands of people who have walked onto a cattle station, chasing adventure and opportunity. […]
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Episode 7: The story behind our Ariana Grande parody video
In July 2019 we released a parody video on our Facebook page of the Ariana Grande song “Breathin’” called “Breedin’”. The song features pastoralists from cattle stations in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia dancing in their paddocks, cattle yards, and on trucks, while singing about early weaning, segregation, pregnancy testing and supplementation. […]
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He’ll fly a bullock up your arse
Host: De Grey Station Written by Mark Bettini, Owner – De Grey Station Mustering pilots get to see many funny things – bike riders are always good for a laugh. When they stack it they quickly look around to see if anyone saw them. Once you have determined if the rider is ok I think […]
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A meeting with a wild horse
Host: Yarrie Station Written by Martha Lindstad, Stationhand, Yarrie Station It had been one of those perfect days. We weren’t far out in September, and were getting closer to the end of mustering. As many times previously this year, a team of us were sent to our leased block, Coongan. Coongan had more rainfall than […]
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25% off our 2020 calendars!
Central Station has released 2 calendars to support the Royal Flying Doctors Service and the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association. As a thank you to our blog subscribers, we’re offering 25% off our calendars. Just use the code “thankyou25” at checkout to claim your savings! You can find the calendars in our shop by clicking here. […]
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88 days
Host: Anna Plains Station Written by Camilla Drema, Domestic Looking at the city landscape before me; a beautiful skyline with some teetering skyscrapers, I realised this place had become my home away from home in just 8 short months. And you didn’t just leave home before you were ready… Enter Anna Plains Cattle Station. When […]
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Episode 6: Jane Sale – from the suburbs of Melbourne to building one of the largest pastoral companies in the Kimberley
Jane Sale is a station manager, business owner, wife, mother, and the brains behind the original concept for the Central Station website. From starting off with an undeveloped 850,000 acre block of land on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert with just 800 head of cattle, today Jane and her husband Haydn manage over […]
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The Pilbara Mexican
Host: Yarrie Station Written by David Drexel, Stationhand You know is not going to be easy to be in the Pilbara for a mexican when he finds out that they call avocados an “avo” and after 3 months thinking that they were all speaking every day after lunch time about that “Avo”, he realizes that […]
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From the Blue mountains to red ranges
Host: Yarrie Station Written by Tara Shiels, Stationhand Why did I move from the high altitudes and rolling mountains coated in rich green gums trees, icy waterfalls and the glistening sandstone cliffs of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales to red dirt plains further than the eye can see? With sandy river beds lined […]
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Cattle chemistry
Host: Yarrie Station Written by Kate Woodward, Stationhand. What’s a pharmacist doing on a cattle station in the East Pilbara? Well this year was about doing the things I’ve always wanted to do. With a family background in station management and livestock trade I was keen to experience station life for myself. After a bit of […]
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Episode 5: Boyd Holden – working overseas in the live export industry, and coming home to Australia
Boyd Holden is a livestock handling and animal welfare consultant based on the Northern Rivers of NSW. His knowledge, skills and expertise in animal handling begins at the farm gate and extends all the way along the process to the point of slaughter. Boyd’s extensive experience includes the transport of livestock, saleyards, feedlots, quarantine depots, abattoirs and live […]
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Dating in the bush – a Tinderella story
Host: Yarrie Station Written by Martha Lindstad, Stationhand, Yarrie Station “Go up north and find yourself some handsome young cowboy”, is a saying quite a few young girls hear when they decide to work on a station. Is it really that easy, finding someone and dating in the bush? When I first arrived at Yarrie […]
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Station “pets”
Host: Kalyeeda Station Written by Hannah Camp I was reminiscing with a friend recently and a topic of conversation was raised about childhood pets. When you think about pets most people think about the common types; dogs, cats or birds. Growing up on a cattle station in Northern Australia our childhood pets came in many […]
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In my blood and under my skin
Written by Steph Coombes, Central Station editor I love this sunburnt country. Having lived all over Australia, as well as in Canada and the United States, and having had the privilege to travel to a dozen or so countries has only strengthened my love for Australia. However, while I love Australia – I do not […]
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Anna Plains & Cyclone Kelvin: 18th of February 2018
Host: Anna Plains Station Written by Helen Campion, Manager Lives and homes were under threat as Cyclone Kelvin was due to cross over the coast South of Broome somewhere!! As the warnings were being listened to on ABC radio and social media pages it was clear that our station which boundaries with Mandora Station to […]
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Taking the leap
Host: Umbearra Station Written by Myrella Corbet, Station Hand. It’s crazy how life can change so quickly. Sometimes so quickly that it doesn’t fully register initially. This was the case for me when my partner Ryan and I decided to make the big leap of moving from our home town of Gympie in Queensland to Umbearra […]
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Take the good with the bad
Host: Sherlock Station Written by Andrew Rose, Manager. It had been a long dry year and mustering season was wrapping up on Sherlock station. Surely it was time to have weekends off and take it a bit easy..? Not this year. With a poor season behind us, the cattle were starting to struggle and we […]
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Episode 4: Todd Walsh – Landmark Broome market update
Introducing Market Updates brought to you by the team at Landmark Broome. In this short episode, Livestock Agent Todd Walsh gives a run down on what’s been happening in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia given the current dry conditions. **** To find the “Is the animal fit to load?” guide online, visit https://www.mla.com.au/ and […]
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Generations of change
Host: Umbearra Station Written by Angus McKay, Owner. The Bluetooth speaker was pumping out the beats from one of the 6 or 7 smart phones scattered around the undercover work area. We were pregnancy testing a yard full of maiden heifers with a Repro Scan ultra sound preg testing unit. It was at that point […]
