Central Station - True Stories from Outback Australia

Central Station [SHORT STORY] episodes bring the stories from our website to life through the authors themselves.  Find the story from this episode here: https://www.centralstation.net.au/doggone-kangaroos/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grief takes many forms — and Lara Jensen’s has crystallised into anger. Just over 20 years ago, her brother Christian’s Toyota was hit by a train at a passive crossing, killing him and his two young passengers. This wasn’t a case of drink driving, speeding or being distracted. The findings from coronial inquest showed countless safety issues at both the crossing and the train itself. On that fatef...

A young Peter Ritter stood in the paddock of his family farm in Moree, and watched as a gigantic Hercules aircraft roared overhead. It was locked in war training exercises — oblivious to the kid standing underneath in awe - a kid whose obsession with aircraft had begun. It took a stint in a Territory stock camp for Peter's fixation to take shape: by then he knew he wanted to become a helicopter mu...

Central Station [SHORT STORY] episodes bring the stories from our website to life through the authors themselves.  Find the story from this episode here: https://www.centralstation.net.au/welcome-to-wooleen/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 years after first working on a sheep station, Spencer Robinson finally purchased one of his own. So, in 1976 the family sold their small farm in Victoria and travelled across the country to Mooloo Downs in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. And, the Robinsons are still in the region almost 50 years later. In this episode, I speak with Waddi Robinson – son of Spencer, and father of Matild...

We’ve all heard the stories of city girls who end up in the bush – what about a boy from the 'burbs? Glenn 'Stixy' O'Byrne hails from the surfy coastal town of Bussleton in Western Australia. Despite not having grown up with or even being particularly interested in cattle he managed to find himself working on outback cattle stations and has since worked on properties across Australia, on live...

Felicity Brown is a milliner whose work has been featured at New York Fashion Week not once, but three times. Twenty years before the bright lights of the big apple called her name, Flic was working in a stock camp in the Northern Territory. In this episode Flic reflects on her time working on cattle stations, even though it was never a part of her plan... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

Central Station [SHORT STORY] episodes bring the stories from our website to life through the authors themselves.  Find the story from this episode here: https://www.centralstation.net.au/the-crash-of-wool-and-birth-of-tourism/ The LIVEXchange conference is your chance to find out what’s happening in the livestock export industry, with a program that features thought-provoking and informative...

In December 2010, Jodie and Hamish McTaggart were looking forward to the chance to sit back and relax for a few days. The family property, Bidgemia Station, was in the worst drought on record, and the newlyweds had been working flat out all year to look after their cattle. So, when news of rain in the forecast came through the Bush Telegraph, the sense of relief and joy was palpable. However, thos...

This episode is the first in a new sub-series we are launching on our other Podcast (CATTLE STATION CLASSROOM) called “Station Stickybeak”, because it is exactly that – a stickybeak. No two cattle stations are the same, and as such, neither are management strategies. I wanted to create this series to share an insight into why pastoralists do what they do, given their circumstances – whether it be...

Carbon Farming is a topic that been dominating the Australian media over the past several years. I don’t know about you, but even with an agricultural science degree - I still struggle to understand how it works, and how there’s a market for it. If you’re in the same boat, then you’re in luck - because after listening to today’s episode, your understanding of carbon farming will have definitely im...

Central Station [SHORT STORY] episodes bring the stories from our website to life through the authors themselves.  Find the story from this episode here: https://www.centralstation.net.au/we-shouldnt-be-here/ The team you know and love from Landmark Broome are now operating as Northern Rural Supplies . Its business as usual with the same team, same phone number and same location - the only th...

This episode discusses mental health and suicide – listener discretion is advised. When Damon Kaylock didn’t have success in landing a job as a jackeroo, he didn’t give up – he just came up with plan B.  The plan? To work as a station cook, get on to a station, and work his way into the stock camp. Spoiler alert – it worked. Damon has worked for the same company in the NT for 8 years now, and has...

This episode is part 2 of our chat with David Pollock from Wooleen Station . Make sure you go and listen to Part 1 first, otherwise you’ll miss the context of this episode! In this episode, David discusses his thoughts on the “Dingos vs Wild Dogs” debate, and why he has chosen to stop killing all dogs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wooleen Station is not your typical cattle station. And, it’s not so much Wooleen itself that’s different, but the way in which it’s managed. Within months of taking over management of Wooleen, David began implementing a plan to completely destock the station. It was a move he believed was critical to ensure the long-term sustainability of the station. Over the past 15 years David has implemented...

Central Station [SHORT STORY] episodes bring the stories from our website to life through the authors themselves.  Find the story from this episode here: https://www.centralstation.net.au/when-it-all-goes-wrong-call-the-flying-doctors/   The team you know and love from Landmark Broome are now operating as Northern Rural Supplies . Its business as usual with the same team, same phone numb...

When Frances travelled out to a cattle station for work experience, she didn’t think she’d still be there 15 years later. This isn’t your typical city girl goes country story though. Frances didn’t travel to Wooleen Station because she wanted experience in the stockcamp – she wanted to see their tourism operation. However, Wooleen was so much more than she expected, and she began to bond with the...

Picture this – a stockman riding a horse behind a mob of 1000 brahman cattle in the iconic Kimberley region of Western Australia. You’re probably picturing a young man in his twenties, footloose and fancy free, living one heck of an adventure. The first time Dean Maughan drove 2000km to the Kimberley to work on a cattle station, he was 45 years old, with a wife, three children, a mortgage and work...

Central Station [SHORT STORY] episodes bring the stories from our website to life through the authors themselves.  Find the story from this episode here: https://www.centralstation.net.au/when-it-all-goes-wrong-call-the-flying-doctors/   This episode is brought to you by Murranji Water Drilling, a family owned and operated team of fully licensed, insured and experienced drillers in the c...

Listeners are advised that this episode discusses suicide, and may not be suitable for all audiences. The first year out of school is equally exciting and terrifying – you’re considered an adult by society, and with that comes both freedoms and responsibilities. With her high school experience not being the best, and her first job on a station getting off to a rocky start, Pip Bain felt like she h...

Why would a young woman who was raised on sheep and cattle stations, go off to ag college before entering the workforce? Surely, she already had a lifetime of experience, and the station work courses were designed for people who had never set foot on a station before. Well, the answer is, that no matter who you are, where you’ve been, and what you know – there’s always more to be learnt. This is t...

Central Station [SHORT STORY] episodes bring the stories from our website to life through the authors themselves.  Find the story from this episode here: https://www.centralstation.net.au/the-dream-that-took-a-while/   This episode is supported by Milne Feeds. Milne feeds has been the leading provider of livestock feed in WA for over 100 years, and is now proudly servicing the NT too. Their early...

On today’s episode, I’m sitting down with my friend and former colleague, Clare Atkins. In this episode we chat about Clare’s role as a Stock Inspector and what that actually is -  because, really, who knows what that means or what they do. Clare discusses the responsibility of upholding WA’s biosecurity laws, and also the unexpected adventures that came with it. The team you know and love from La...

Matt Wood started managing Blina Station in the West Kimberley at the ripe old age of 23. In the past 13 years he has met his wife, become a father, and grown as a manager, friend, and member of the Kimberley community. Matt and Connie recently said a fond farewell to Blina Station, where they have called home for the past 13 and 9 years, respectively, as they make the move to manage the historic...

At just 11 years old, Imogen Cadzow is the youngest child of Steve and Rebecca Cadzow from Mt Riddock Station, north-east of Alice Springs. In this bonus episode, Immi shares stories about what it’s been like growing up on a cattle station, and how it prepared her to move interstate to attend boarding school. This episode is supported by Direct Drilling. Direct Drilling is a locally owned family d...