Teach and be taught

Mellaluka Station

What a life! After 3 weeks WWOOFing (volunteering for room and board) on a cattle station in central Queensland Dan and I hit the jackpot and started a job at a nearby station working as a governess and a stationhand. We are working with an awesome family and I am teaching the kids, Tom -7, Josie -5 while Dan works with the cattle. The people we work for are Bruce and Sammy and they couldn't be more accomodating. Sammy has been working with me in the school room for the past couple of weeks helping me get the hang of the distance ed system the kids use as they are 150 km from the nearest town. Dan has been busy working for the station next door as Bruce has been away getting his pilots license. In fact, tomorrow he is working for yet another station and is getting picked up for work and dropped off in a plane. Needless to say he is pretty excited and we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We work from about 7-6 and have the weekends off though tend to spend most of our time playing with the kids and learning more about the station life. Last weekend we headed off with Sammy and the kids to set some red claw traps. To me they appeared to be a cross between crayfish and lobster and were mighty tasty. All was going well as the first three traps we set caught us probably 50, however, the 4th trap was stuck to something on the floor of the river bed. Now one might think that Dan would wade in to get the trap out, but no, he sent me out on a log to try and fish it out. My balance isn't the best and of course I fell in - but not up to my knees as expected, up to my neck in muddy brown river water. Now grandma, don't fret as there aren't any crocs up here but I will tell you it was disgusting!! Fortunately I was able to get the trap out and as you will see below Dan didn't help, he just snapped pictures.

Yesterday was especially exciting as we saddled up the horses for the first time and got to ride! As Dan has slightly more experience :) than me he was allocated a lovely mare named Gemstone while I got to ride Tommy's horse named Goldie. Goldie is 20 and very gentle so she was wonderful to learn on and now I can trot! Believe me, it's not as easy as it looks but I feel as though my days at the VanSlittenhorst farm are long behind me.

Needless to say we are having the best time and really enjoying living in "the bush". It is unbelievable how skilled you have to be to survive out here and everyone at home would be shocked to see how often I drive - manual AND offroad, sometimes while dragging dead cows - it's an interesting life. As you can imagine Dan is in heaven with the 4 wheelers and motorbikes as well though I tend to stick to 4 wheeled motorcars.

We aren't sure how long we will be here at the moment but for a few months at least so if anyone cares to contact us our number is +61 749835002 and if anyone cares to send us anything our address is

Mellaluka Station

Clermont

Queensland

4721

Much love, ash and dan xxoo