A Road Less Travelled

Part 8

photo: house dam Valpre Station

New beginnings

I came here to see and experience life on a cattle station, but couldn't help and reflect back on my journey here. What I expected to be a three-day trip to reach a certain destination had turned into a nine-day adventure, and I was reminded of the famous saying: "The journey is the destination". How true - live each and every moment with awareness, you can never be in that moment again.

Past and future are in the mind only – I am now (Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj)

I spent two days at Pat and his family's house in Charters Towers, where I was waiting to be picked up by Larry's other brother Russell. Russell was managing a big cattle station two and a half hours out of town and was expected to come into town this week to pick up groceries, engine parts, - and me. The roads into the property were too wet for my car and it was going to stay at Pat's for an overhaul and checkup during the week I was away. Pat is a mechanic. I found that people in Australia (and especially in the Outback) are incredibly generous and nice.
Both, Pat and Larry had put me on the phone with Russell when they had talked to him, so I felt a little familiar with the new person that I was about to meet and go stay with. But when he arrived two days later on the 5. January, we both instantly felt as though we had known each other for a long time ...and I think I was a bit smitten by the entrance he made as well. It was as though Marlboro man had stepped out of his ad (for those that are old enough to remember those ads...); a rugged, masculine and confident looking individual was leaning against his dirt-covered four-wheel drive car, greeting me with a mischievous grin, his Akubra hat stained and battered. Both man and car looked like they are used to hard work.
The trip back to Valpre Station was over too quickly. I had barely noticed the scenery passing by, for we were deeply engaged in conversation. I learned right there, that there is much more to this man than just what you see; hiding under this rugged appearance was a sensitive, shy, and very smart man. My English wasn't that good yet; especially since Australian English was nothing like the Oxford English I was taught at school. I often had to ask Russell to use an easier word, one I might understand. Even with my limited knowledge though, I could see, that Russell had the language skills of a writer or English teacher, and he was not afraid to use it and engage in meaningful philosophical conversations. I loved it! It is not often that I meet someone that has the same desire to talk about deep and meaningful topics, and my only wish was that my English skills could keep up, instead of limit what I wanted to say.
Something I did notice on the way, was the lack of traffic. We probably passed a handful of cars when we were still near town and then nothing anymore. We were soon on dirt roads, where we slithered around on the mud and traversed running creeks, further and further away from civilization, in a car that had no trouble with this terrain and the challenges it faces. Mental note to myself; if I ever travel through the outback again; buy a four-wheel drive car next time.
The first thing that struck me when we got out of the car, was the serenity of this place. I was immediately taken back to that unforgettable moment when I was sitting on a blocked off road in the middle of nowhere. Well, this place is in the middle of nowhere as well, it was over an hour ago, when Russell announced that 'by the way we are now on Valpre station'. Horses peacefully graced around the house yard and two friendly and excited dogs welcomed us. A few different kinds of buildings and sheds, as well as parked trucks, cars and machinery were sprawled out amongst some shady trees, however everything was very neat and tidy. Russell showed me around the main house and to 'my room', encouraged me to make myself feel at home, while he had to quickly go to the dam and do something I didn't understand to the pump there. I packed all the cold stuff into the massive fridge and freezer in the kitchen and had a shower. I have never seen a fridge or freezer like this before, but I am sure it had a lot to do with the fact that we just came from the 'nearest' shops. Here, you better plan well and don't forget anything, ...or learn quickly to live without it. You can't just quickly go back and get it.
We enjoyed a simple dinner, then sat outside on the backstairs with a drink and watched the sky turn into the most spectacular colors, which were highlighted even more by the few wisps of clouds in the sky. We didn't talk much then, but not because we didn't know what to say, but because it was so comfortable to sit there and watch the night settle over the outback in such a magnificent way. I was so happy, so very much at peace, and I realized then ...so very much in love with this country.
Cluttering sounds from the kitchen woke me up. I saw that it was still very early but decided to get up and find out what kind of chores or work I can help with today. We had to go fix a couple of timber rails in one of the yards and had to pack lunch, since the drive there will take a while. ...Ok? Well, that was a concept I could barely grasp, since Russell reassured me that it's 'just in the next paddock over', and 'on this station'. We packed all the tools and a couple of sandwiches that I made, filled up a big water esky and headed out. The drive was interesting. Actually, I couldn't stop laughing about how much we got bounced around inside the car, we were thrown from one side to the other, so much that at times I was certain that the car will tip over. Up and down, over rocks and into hollows, pushed forward out of the seat when descending down into a gully, and pressed back into our seats on the steep way out again. I never drove on anything else than an actual road in my life... This is better than paying for a ride at the fair! Half the time, I couldn't recognize that we were, in fact, still on a road (of some sort) - it just felt so adventurous.
When we finally arrived at the set of yards, we first made a fire and boiled a billy. A billy is an old rusty can with a wire loop on it for fetching it out of the fire when the water boils. Russell filled this old tin can with murky brown water from the nearby stream, I was wondering why we wouldn't rather use the clean water that we brought along? 'Because it is better this way' - just wait and see. Just before it boiled, he threw a handful of tealeaves into the water, and before we drank it, he swung it around, holding onto the wire and using it like a centrifuge. Wow, it was the best tea I ever had! Is it the surroundings, the rust infusion, the sediments in the water, the smoky fire ...or the swinging it around that makes it taste that good? To this day, I am not sure about this one, but I never pass up an opportunity to drink a billy tea from a rusty tin cooked on the fire.
Eventually, we started the job we came here to do. I helped as well as I could, which wasn't a lot. It's not like I know which tree to pick for the new rails, nor can I use a chainsaw. It was a pleasure to watch him work though ... he is a very capable man. When the yard was intact and ready to hold cattle again, and after we had our sandwiches, he wanted to take me for a drive around, and show me some of the parts of the station that were accessible at the moment. The roads were still very wet and he knew we couldn't get through everywhere. I was looking forward to more driving and to see this amazing place. The size and distances were just unfathomable for me. I knew, there are a few thousand head of cattle on this property, but we rarely saw any. How big is this place...? Where I came from, I would already be out of my state, in fact, even out of my country by now, yet here we are, still never even seen anyone. I certainly realized how dangerously lost one could get in such a place.
We were talking all day. Russell was telling me a lot about everyday life, and how it all works, what the yards are for, how often (or rather how little) the cattle get handled here or come in contact with human beings, and he answered the many questions I had. It turns out that today, and this week, is all very different than usual, since all other people that normally work here are away this week for one reason or another. 'This has never happened before – ever!' Russell reassures me. There are no holidays on cattle stations. And again, I couldn't help but wonder, if there is such a thing as fate...? Here we are, cut off from the rest of the world, two people alone (with a strong attraction) – what could possibly happen...

But then we bogged the car.

I was handed a shovel and asked to help dig out around the tires (the other alternative was a three-hour walk back to the house to get another car and pull the bogged one out...). I was slipping and sliding around in the mud, sinking ankle deep in and falling over plenty of times. It was hilarious! If only my parents could see me now, all sweaty and dirty, my bum in the mud, trying somehow to get a hold of something and be able to get up again. I was laughing until I had tears in my eyes, and until my tummy hurt from too much laughing. It was the single most un-ladylike situation I have ever been in, and I enjoyed it so much! I was raised to be a good girl. Good girls don't do this... and they can't do that... They are composed, look stylish, say the right thing ...and in my case spend a lot of time with mum in the kitchen to learn how to cook and become a good wife one day. But there is too much tomboy in me to always want to be 'prim and proper', always stay composed. I had no idea how much fun it was to do actual work, to sweat from doing something physical, and to get dirty (and ungracefully slip around in the mud). So much fun!
While I was shoveling mud, Russell was gathering dead wood and sticks, which made me wonder if we are going to make another fire? But it wasn't that at all. I could learn something new here; the sticks and logs were placed in front and behind the tires to help them give traction for the next attempt of getting out of the bog. And it worked!
Because we lost a fair bit of time doing this, we decided to head back to the homestead. However, before we got there, we also had a punctured tire and Russell had to change it and take the other one back to the shed to fix it before we might need it again tomorrow. All in a day's work here. This is nothing out of the ordinary.
We had a great week, I loved everything about it and felt so lucky that I had been given the opportunity to experience all these new things. Life was so different here from what I was used to, and every day was a new adventure. From lick runs, water runs (checking and cleaning troughs), and checking fences (riding alongside miles and miles of fence lines on motorbikes), to more somber jobs like shooting cattle that were so badly stuck in the mud around waters that we couldn't save them. Killing them was the only humane thing to do before the crows will start eating them alive (starting by pecking their eyes out).
I realize that this wouldn't seem very romantic to most people, but to me, it was a wonderful week. I am still not sure if it was partly due to my deprived tomboyish side, which could finally flourish here, the beauty of this country, or Russell's rugged charm ... but we knew before the end of the week, that we wanted to spend the remaining three months of my visa time together.

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