Down on the Farm

We've spent the last week in the small coastal town of Kalbarri staying on a proper aussie station, which is a bit like a farm back home except that this farm is over 1000 square miles! We were sleeping in old sheep shearers quarters that were built by the convicts over 100 years ago. The station is one of the oldest in Australia dating back to the 1850s. It was our first WWOOFing experience (willing workers on organic farms) which meant that we worked during the day in return for food and accomodation.



The station is family owned and run by Belinda and Calum Carruth who made us feel very welcome in their home and soon put us to work out in the fields. We were tasked with taking down an old fence around a paddock next to a beautiful river and full of amazing wildlife. After a day working out in the field we would then scrub up and sit down for a family meal cooked by belinda, each night we basically got a different animal, more often than not killed by Calum himself.





On our days off we got to go and explore the place and went fishing, horse riding and even shooting roo's, Paul another worker staying was great at teaching us how to shoot, and giving us some fishing advice. Each day we seemed to get to fire a bigger gun, which started with a 22 magnum rifle and ended up with a 44 magnum, a proper Dirty Harry hand cannon, until recently the most powerful handgun in the world. It was easy to see why after feeling the shockwave from firing it!





We had an absolutly amazing time with them, that it made us feel really homesick when we came to leave, and had to explain to their little boy that we wouldn't be coming back to play hide and seek with him any more.




Quick Messages:
* Sending our best wishes to Kevin Rowland and all the family - hope you get well soon.
* All the best Jacks and Steve with your imminent arrival! (ta Sue for your posts)