Working at a Cattle Station at Normanton Queensland Australia

Working at a cattle Station

31 May 2010
Trip took 3 days..first night at Camilalla Beach, then 45 kms past Bowen and then Ravenshoe and here...2,012 kms distance traveled.
Was very exciting. Loved the trip and found the roads and weather excellent. The Toyota drove well..was wonderful trip.

Love the property. Its right next to a lagoon and very green and very beautiful. Will do photos next week. I can use the internet weekly so will prepare for it. Its a very beautiful part of the world, many birds and trees and beautiful colors. Love the people I am working for..Bill and Maxine and the team love my cooking. I shall never want to leave here I can see.

So far done nothing but cook. Today the muster started. It is done with a helicopter who finds the cattle and directs the team to collect them and take them to the fenced areas for all they do to them. Then it takes 5 days for this lot to be done, and then the helicopter comes for the next part. I will know more as I see it happening. I hope to be poking around the sheds with a camera and get some photos...want one of the cattle being led in, dust around, as they come towards the shed.

They killed a hige beast for meat, and I have mince and steaks and huge roasts to prepare. The guys will eat 2 Porterhouse a meal. I am amazed. I have never seen so much meat before. Last night I cooked  salted meat for lunch today. They make their own salt beef here and its delicious. Cooked in in a crock pot overnight.
Today I will make a huge roast fort tomorrows lunch, and have steaks for dinner when they return. They have taken a cut lunch...sandwiches, cake, scones and fruit. They eat very well here. I am sure I will be fat in 2 months with all this good cooking, and eating, I am doing here.

This is this weeks adventure...today the muster has started, and soon the yards will be full of brahmin and motor bikes, and action.

1 June 2010


Yesterday the muster started. A helicopter locates the cattle, and then they are driven down to the house yards.
Today they will dip them and inject them after sorting them into weiners, calves, pregnant and fat. This property is a breeding property where they breed Brahmin cattle.
The property is one of a few properties. Others fatten for the overseas market. The meat from here goes overseas. It is of a very high quality. The meat that was killed for the kitchen has so far been a flap roast, salted meat and an irish stew, and the food is delicious as the quality of the meat, and vegetables here, is very high.
On the way at Milla Milla I saw a tea plantation and bought some local tea which has a wonderful flavor. The countryside between Innidfail and Ravenhoe is all very mountainous. That is where the tea grows. I also took photos of a Wind farm. Ravenshoe claims to be Australia's highest town.
It was scary driving up these steep inclines in the first and second gear. The views were spectacular but as the driver, I was more concerned with getting the van up the hill and over.

Today the team are giving the 600 cattle in the yard injections and the dip. They will work these cattle for about 5 days and then the helicopter will return for the next muster. I hope to get some aerial shots if I get lucky.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Queensland/Normanton/2005/02/17/1108500203650.html

http://maps.google.com.au/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=normanton+queensland+australia&fb=1&gl=au&ftid=0x698a760aaeb881cb:0x8725f05ef6eaf3d9&ei=Pi0ETNqzEIvRccz42akK&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ8gEwAA