Cattle station in the outback, NT

While travelling through Australia, you can become a wwoofer such as a willing worker on organic farm and you can experience different location and different jobs, helping in regional or remote areas of the big island. I chose to experience a cattle station because I always loved animal, especially horses, and because I wanted to see how australians live in a cattle station.

Life there was sort of relaxing and easygoing, even though the work is hard and tough and not everybody is willing to do it, especially in Europe nowadays.

Neutral Junction station sign

It isn't one of the biggest cattle stain in Northern Territory, I would probably say it could be classified as a mid range station: if I don't remember bad the owner told me it is about 130 x 130 km and it's cut half way by the Stuart Highway. Doesn't it sound impressive that the guys have to drive more than half an hour to the mustering yard and have to gather the cows all together for approximately more than four hours?1

I was lucky enough and could assist to two days of mustering and branding the cattle. I was involved in the process too, it was quite an experience, even though not the best one of my life.

Lunch out in the bus with billy tea and coffee

In the station I had to help with the gardening and the maintenance of some of the houses, but I had the chance to know the community life of aboriginal people: the station, in fact, has a little shop that is connected to centrelink (employment service for australian) and medicare (medical cover for australian) for aboriginal people and has a little school for the aboriginal kids that live 2 km from there.  Unfortunately the school was on break because of the school holidays, but I saw some of the kids in the shop when they came with their mums for buying grocery or sweet treats.

As far as the weather in the outback is concerned, it is not so pleasant as the warm and nice weather of the north coast or of the islands I visited on the way. Because I was there in winter time, in July, the temperature can drastically - sorry, but I guess I'm getting use to tropical weather and I have the need to write it - drop to less than 10 degree during the night even if during the day is warm enough and sunny for the whole afternoon. It depends basically on the wind that blows strong enough during the dry season and blows the dirt and the red dust of the desert too.

I can say I've been lucky enough, I've met wonderful people and had an incredible experience ;)