Many years ago, as a young child I lived on a vast cattle station in North West QLD Augustus Downs in the heart of the Gulf Country. Augustus Downs was about 4000 square klm and ran a breeder herd of roughly 25000 Brahman cattle. My grandparents owned Yeldham station about an hour and a half away between Lawn Hills and Gregory, comprising of just over 500 Square Miles of country they ran a predominantly drought master herd of around 8-11,000 head depending on the season. As a child growing up in the bush on stations I had no other kids my own age to play with except during Mini School week with the school of the air, or some holidays when I went to visit my Grandparents on Yeldham and help with the mustering. I had one brother, Steven who was 4 years younger then me. My main source of entertainment was my horse, my goats and a healthy imagination! I spent endless hours training my horses for gymkhana events and Barrels, Campdrafting and I loved to jump, Id jump pretty well anything that was placed in front of me, Logs, Fences, even gates! (yes mum never caught me lol). I had quite a bit of responsibility as a kid, both my parents like most station people worked full time, we couldnt afford a governess and lessons were done via School of the Air over the radio from Mount Isa. My Brother and I would tune into Notices at 8am to hear what time our lesson was on for the morning and any news we had to know, attend our lesson over the radio (half an hour) at the allotted time, and do what lessons we could in our books which were then checked at night when mum and dad got home, sometimes resulting in many hours of cranky sulking kid and exasperated parent trying to teach me something I just wasnt getting at the time. As a parent I can laugh now, at the time, I thought they were cutting my throat! I was responsible for cooking the main family meal, washing clothes and keeping the house tidy and clean. I was also responsible for keeping some form of an eye on my younger brother, not sure how successful I was at that, I had a fair old go at the opposite a few times :D As a kid Id spend endless hours looking through mums horse books, I was always enthralled by the photos you would see of properties for sale down south, but especially in Tasmania where it always looked so green, lush, and the mountains and creeks so beautiful. I always thought Id spend my whole life on stations, and for a good portion of it, I did, but the dream of the lush green paddocks, year round green grass, and mountains never quite left me. In 2006 life threw some changes into my life which saw me re evaluate where I was heading in my life, a short time later I decided to explore Tassie and quickly liked what I saw. In 2011 I finally had the opportunity to go and visit King Island, over a week I had a whirlwind tour of a few farms and settled on one Id really like to own. So back to the Huon Valley I went, Sold our little house, gave up our lease property, and started talking to the bank about some rural finance. 6 months of a lot of stress and headaches later, I stepped off the plane on King Island in a howling southern storm June wind, holding the keys to the farm Id bought 6 months earlier. 3 years on, and we now own our second property on King Island, and are slowly building up our cattle and horse numbers and improving the properties we have purchased. I look back over the last 15 years and think back to the glossy adverts in Horse Deals that started the dream for a little girl from the bush to one day own her own stationand breed fine horses and fat cattle, and realize, I did it. Im still doing it, and I wouldnt change it for the world. I have had many stumbles along the path, many hills and a few mountains to climb, but the peaks Ive surmounted have well and truly eclipsed the valleys Ive had to cross to get to them. There has been much blood, sweat, many many buckets of tears, and no doubt many of all of them to come yet! But I wouldnt change it for the whole world, each and every day, I live my dream Ive had from a little girl, and the dream that is now reality is a very satisfying and fulfilling dream. A small segment of my story. :)
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 09:29:25 +0000