I was looking through the photos on my phone this weekend, and came across some old photos of a station I visited a while back. It was the first station I ever visited, and is about a 8hr trip from where we live. (Or 10/11hrs depending on whether you get lost… Whoops!)
When I visited, it had been raining for the past few weeks, which meant the roads weren’t always passable. I had to park my car at the closest pub (about 1hr away) so Jackaroo and his mate came and picked me up in one of the station cruisers (Toyota LandCruiser). Jackaroo had already been working on this property as a contract musterer for 6 or 8 weeks, so I jumped at the chance to go visit. It’s not in me to turn down an adventure!
I stayed for a week on a soggy cattle station where the freezing winds bit at whatever skin was left uncovered. For most of the week Jackaroo, the rest of the mustering team and the station hands were unable to work due to the rain. They worked in the shed, building and fixing whatever they could, to pass the time. In case you’re wondering, the difference between ‘contract musterers’ and ‘station hands’ is that mustering is all that contract musterers do. They are called in for 6 or 8 week stints a few times a year to assist with bringing in the thousands of cattle at branding or weaning time. Station hands are full time on the properties, and help out with all farm tasks such as fencing or fixing bores etc. I seemed to have been given the role of camp cook, baking scones and other meals/snacks for the crew. I didn’t mind, I was happy as Larry inside in the warmth, playing guitar and eating butterscotch scones. Station life was easy, I thought. Little did I know…
Anyway, I thought I’d share these photos with you. My favourite is the one where the boys are surfing on the hay bale!
