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| Day 7: November 6 -
1770 to Myella Cattle Station |
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We stayed overnight in these brand new villas that a company is trying to sell as timeshares. Really a beautiful
place, but they have some electrical issues - the power went out three separate times while we were getting ready and having breakfast.
The group was on the road by 9 and we had a long ride ahead of us. We went from the coast inland getting to progressively smaller hamlets along the way. The scenery changed
drastically as we moved away from the shore. The trees became shorter and there was a lot more scrub brush. In the shade of the scrub we saw plenty of wild skippies. In
fact, as we turned onto the road for Myella a few of them watched us and then hopped across the road in front of the van.
Myella is a
working cattle station where they purchase young
steers at about age 1 and raise them as beef cattle
to be sold when they turn 3 or 4. They work about
50 head of cattle at any given time. The Myella
experience has evolved over the years, but there
is still a large element of outback living. The
kitchen is open air with a constantly burning wood
fire. All of the tables and covering for the area
are made from trees that are part of the plantation.
We are greeted by Lyn, the daughter of the owners.
They are away on holiday, so it is up to her to
show us around and organize the activities. Lyn
is very nice but rough around the edges. She says
what she thinks and you just have to accept it.
She gives us a tour of the lodgings and grounds
around the house. Right next to the eating area
is a small grassy spot (the size of two backyards
in Newton) where Bob the calf is tied up. He is
a rescue project from a neighbor who couldn't deal
with him since his mother died during birth.
Myella is a refuge of sorts for orphaned animals and they are known for their raising of kangaroos. There is currently one young joey that they are raising named Tina. Tina
is less that 2 feet tall and really sweet. One of the chores for the guests is to feed her and there is a fight when it comes time to do that.
Lyn tells us that due to the dry conditions, a lot of the kangaroos that they raised have come back to the farm. It's greener here and they know they are protected within
Myella's 2km x 5km borders.
Following a lunch of spaghetti bolognase, Lyn sends
us out in a pickup with Shane, one of the few hands
that help work the farm. We go out in the gathering
clouds and Shane shows us the farm. He also shows
us spear grass which will burrow into skin, the
seed pod from a native tree and the wood from a
bottle tree. He points out some of the farm's perennial
animals like Fifi the milking cow and their Brahman
bull. He is a man of few words, but every one of
them has some wisdom.
After that it is time for our motorbike lesson.
Lyn gets everyone together around some dirt bikes
that the station owns and proceeds to give us instructions
on how to operate them. Grant has done this before
and gives Howard a helping hand. Before you know
it, we were shifting gears and executing a required
slalom course. Then Lyn took us on a tour of the
property by bike. We drove out to the sunset point,
but because of the clouds, only saw a rainbow.
We arrived back at the station and had a solid steak
dinner. The evenings entertainment broke down to
watching members of our group drink heavily and
try cowboy activities like throwing a lasso and
cracking a whip. Howard would occasionally wander
out to look at the stars and marvel at the clear
skies. |
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Myella Cattle Station |
Kirsten with Tina |
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Bob |
The rainbow |
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