Charlotte Plains - camels

Photos from bottom up
1 M boarding small boat with Warrego River guide Lisa at start of 2 hour trip viewing a wonderful assortment of wildlife.
2 A couple of kangaroos viewing us quizically - for Gaby's benefit particularly.
3 Start of our evening and overnight Charlotte Plains camel wagon trip with CP resident cameleer Willie. Robyn offers these trips to ` homestay ` guests and Willie and a few ( in this case 7 ) of his trusty friends. He's worked with camels for 30 years catching them wild from the Simpson and other desert areas. Remarkable .
4 M making yet another 4 legged friend. Clearly an understanding here.
5 Willie explaining one of the finer points of camel wagon management and his extraordinary experiences.
6 Reid joins the 3 of us for breakfast after a night in swags under the stars by the artesian bore. Willie , also a hotel chef in earlier days, cooked us a superb dinner the night before including fresh water crayfish ( yabbies ) caught in the bore drain.
7 M getting a lesson in breaking an egg with one hand . Breakfast at 5.30 was porridge , lamb chops , fried eggs and damper with syrup. Needed it ! Went straight from there to muster Sawpit paddock ( 6,000 acres and 1600 sheep ) with aid of gyrocopter hired by Reid for the day .

Day 3 - Charlotte Plains - cattle

Photos from bottom
1 Reid and G starting the muster of the 10,000 acre ( about 15 square miles ) Tolonga paddock , full of molga trees and spinifex grass - both good cattle fodder.
2 Reid and M. M celebrating finding the first lot of cattle.
3 & 4 G nudging along ( hopefully in right direction - always had compass to hand ) 40 or so head of cattle .
5 Reid and M surveying the scene at the far end of the paddock and about 14 miles from the homestead.

day 1 , part 2 at Charlotte Plains- sheep

Phtos from bottom
1 Rustom at work after mustering a few of the 8,000 sheep on the 70,000 acre property.
2 M also at work and learning form Rustom.
3 How not to train Rustom !
4 M on motor bike . In fact she rode a quad bike most of the time . Both she found noisy and harked back to the days of the horse. How bikes though have transformed the management of these properties. Just needs more practice !
5 CP shearing sheds -one of the oldest and largest in the district. In the glory days , there were over 50,000 sheep and this shed has 12 shearing bays - 6 on each side of the shed. In thise days wool fetched £1 a pound. Changed days. Reid & Robyn , apart from contracting out work during shearing and some mustering days , run the property on their own !
6 A cold stubby as sun set - about as good as it gets . Note Catherine's car in foreground . Thank you , thank you Catherine .

Charlotte Plains - day 1 & artesian bore water

Photos from bottom up
1 Sunrise from our bedroom at CP. Early starts - up 5.30 and off before 6 on 1st morning - to the artesian bore at southern end of property and about 5 miles from the homestead.
2 The bore
3 some facts - quite amazing .
4 G in the very hot water. 5 minutes is about enough.
5 Reid dredging the bore drain

Adelaide to Cunnamulla

Left Catherine's farm at 5 am and made the 1100 odd mile trip to Cunnamulla in 2 days as planned. Photos from bottom up : _
1. The lovely sheep station Ululoo homesteas outside Hallett , SA , last visited by G 45 years ago on introduction of Bob and Ros Melrose. Just been sold after being in family for 6 generations.
2 Typical country as we head NW to Broken Hill.
3 Old post office in Bourke. Saw the fascinating exhibition centre there after spending night in Cobar.
4 Meeting up with our hosts for week ahead, Robyn & Reid Russell of Charlotte Plains, at Cunnamulla Races.
5 Just in time for the last 2 races. No 1 - Clang-a-bang - was the winner of the Cunnamulla Cup - last race of the day.

Aussie trip - Sydney & Adelaide

We arived in Sydney on 23/9 , after being diverted through Brisbane, in the worst sand storm seen there in living momory ! But we were `rescued ` at Sydney airport by Katy's dad Murray and whisked up to Bateau Bay. After a wonderfully relaxing 3 days staying in Murray and Judy's home there , we did a one way car hire and returned to Sydney to fly to Adelaide. Catherine , Fiona and Matt laid on a welcome party for us and entertained us magnificently, first based at Catherine's house in Adelaide and then at her farm an hour or so north at Mount Pleasant.Hopefully we made some useful contribution to the list of jobs Catherine had prepared ( at our insistence ).

Photos from top down
View from Crackneck Point , Bateau Bay looking south in direstion of Sydney
Our son Duncan's fiancee's parents Murray and Judy on deck of their lovely home one block from Bateau Bay and Shelley Beach
Catherine , with M , at her farm ( admiring bonfire ) looking over the creek which runs through her 23 acrre farm
Fiona ( Catherine's daughter ) on Charlie training for Adelaide Show in 6 weeks
G's birthday dinner - Matt , Fiona , Catherine , G & M
View from just south of `The Entrance` looking North
M at sunrise on the steps leading down to the beach venue of Duncan and Katy's wedding on 21/11