Another dusty 25km driveway took us to the homestead of Emu Creek Station. Offering a genuine farm stay, this working cattle station was a gorgeous place to camp for a few days. We pulled up beside a beautiful but dry riverbed, under the mottled shade of tall eucalyptus trees. The gaping cavity where gallons of precious Summer rains would normally be flowing at this time of the year was a sobering reminder of how critical these arteries are to sustaining life in our hostile northern landscapes. There had been no rain since December and all that remained in the creek were a few sparse muddy puddles and farming oddments that had found their way into the river during decades of toil on the land. Like the farmers, we’d have preferred to see the water lapping at the thirsty roots that lay exposed to the harsh outback sun but it was kind of fun walking around on the fertile riverbed, uncovering little treasures.
We all enjoyed the abundant bird life including flocks of colourful parrots and a pair of graceful owls that hunted silently in the shadows of dark. After months of adhering to the fire bans in WA, we relished the chance to use the fire pits provided beside each camp site. We scavenged for wood as we explored the property – possibly the most energetic activity for the 3 days we were there!! Despite the evenings being warm, we delighted in watching the mesmerising flicker of gentle flames and hearing the crackle of the dry branches as they succumbed to the heat.
A resident family of dingoes lived on the property and, unusually, was welcomed by the farmer who said they happily co-existed with his cattle. One came within metres of our camp on our second morning before fleeing when I went to investigate why Bodhi made a sudden dash up the small incline behind our van. That night, we heard the haunting howls of the dingoes as they hunted, moving closer to our camp before suddenly becoming eerily quiet.
The Station had run sheep for a century before changing to cattle when the wool market crashed during the 1980’s. The old shearing shed and shearers quarters on the property had been left untouched. We loved exploring the now slightly dilapidated timber buildings. We imagined the noise of the clippers and the chatter of shearers and roustabouts; the bleating of 20,000 sheep as they protested while their fleece fell to the well oiled timber floors, and the smell of sweaty men, sheep shit and greasy wool.
The mess hall still had cupboards full of unmatched crockery, pots and utensils, their patterns and colours clearly identifying they belonged to another era. A huge timber block from a locally felled tree sat atop a steel frame in what looked to be the meat drying room. Huge slabs of meat would have been butchered here and hung to feed the 50 men who worked tirelessly during the shearing season. Standing in the unrelenting heat with flies buzzing persistently on our sweaty pores and darting into the corners of our mouths when we spoke provided a mere inkling of the harsh and uncomfortable conditions they must have endured.
The owners were looking to retire, and at 70, who could argue! Darrell managed the cattle and maintenance work around the farm while Joyce provided Devonshire teas to travellers and hosted long-stay road or mining workers who expected a 3 course meal every night along with clean amenities and rooms. She also cooked burgers and made coffees at a roadside stop every day from 7am – 4pm. Her ‘shop’ was a refurbished old bus, emblazoned with red and yellow BURGER BUS signs. She worked her butt off in there, on her own and without air conditioning! You’d be hard pressed to find anyone more deserving of putting their feet up and taking it easy as they transition into their twilight years, so if you’re in the market for a 500,000 acre cattle farm in the Pilbara, they’d love to hear from you!
Jesse was very excited by the idea of the Burger Bus and asked Joyce if she’d be so kind to give him a ride. Well, she went one better – she offered him the opportunity to be her assistant for a few hours…but only if he was waiting at her door, ready to go at 6.30am the following morning! He could barely contain his enthusiasm and was awake at 5.30am, dressed and sitting impatiently beside the bus just after 6am. When we arrived to pick him up, we were proud to learn he’d worked tirelessly, helping with cooking, cleaning and other randomly assigned tasks – she’d expected a good country work ethic and he didn’t disappoint! (We just wish he’d have the same approach to chores at home. Maybe we need Joyce to be the enforcer!) After filling our tummies with Joyce’s deliciously decadent bacon and egg toasties, we returned to the blacktop and headed northbound towards our next destination, Onslow.
Photos from left to right
This sign depicts the 3 names of Emu Creek Station
A barrel in the dry riverbed
Collecting fire wood in the riverbed
Nature!
Beautiful gums
The tree swing - waiting for the next rains to fill the river
Michael admiring his fire
The 'outback' landscape away from the fertile river
The wool shed
Shearing equipment
scales and wool bale
The sheep sprayer
The sheep run
The old wood fired oven - still laying on the site of the first kitchen beside Emu Creek
Jesse waiting excitedly beside the Burger Bus
Jesse 'working' in the Burger Bus
Sunrise at Emu Creek Station
Sunrise at Emu Creek Station
Sunset at Emu Creek Station