Trilby Station - 5 July 2014

We have a very cool wind blowing again for the last couple of days. Last night wasn't as cold as it has been and the temperatures look like they will be a couple of degrees higher in the early mornings for the next few days.

We went to see Liz this morning to pick up a mud map from her for a drive round the property. She said that her, Gary and their son, Will, would be flying to Enngonia, up on the Queensland border, as they had a Race Day on today. She was trying to work out what to wear - hat, shoes, etc.

The have a hangar not from the house, which has 3 planes parked in and outside it. The main plane that is used they bought nearly 30 years ago secondhand from Redcliffe in Brisbane. Liz calls it Gary's Toyota in the sky. In summer the water in each paddock must be checked almost daily. By road this is over 400km and takes around 11 hours. By air, it takes about an hour and a half.

Their property continues on the other side of the road from Louth to Wilcannia and this is where we started the drive. It is all flood plain at the beginning and so very flat and this section is also naturally treeless.

We came across where the stockmen used to live, which has been destroyed by white ants. You could still see the timber tank stand, the stirrups for the house and the cement steps, as well as a brick fire place. The outdoor toilet or dunny was still standing as well. There were axles of cars strewn through the ground, springs from seats and an old kerosene fridge.



From there, we headed further across the property. We went through their goat paddocks. Goats were introduced into Australia with the First Fleet and introduced into inland Australia with settlers, miners and railway workers. They roamed free and reverted to the wild. Cashmere and Angora goats were introduced in 1861 but the venture failed due to the competition with wool.

Feral goats are a very important source of income for the property. A female goat begins breeding at about 7 months, breeds twice a year and often has 2, 3 or 4 kids at a time. They graze on scrub rather than grasses so are great for the scrubby areas. The goats are only considered yours to muster when they are on your property. Sale price varies from around $14 per head up to $50 depending on supply/demand at the time. We have seen quite a few goats on our travels out this far west. Liz says that no grazier would still be viable here without the income from the feral goats over the years.

Newchum is where there is another hangar which they work from in times of flood. There is an old Sydney double decker bus parked next to the hangar. The two guys who did most of the fencing of the original property in the '50's and '60's, Maurie Hocking and Allan Jordan, lived in the old bus when they were working on the property. They used to drive it into Louth, occasionally, on a Sunday afternoon and take the kids there for a joy-ride. They also liked a drink and miscalculated the height of a bridge one day and hit the top of the bus.

Not far from the Newchum hangar is an old homestead, one of 3 or 4 on the property. It was built in the 1950's for Gary's parents. They moved from there in 1965 and as their new house was fully furnished, they left everything in the Newchum homestead, including food. We walked through the house. There was an old boiler for the washing and a wringer machine. There was also an old Aga range, which was usually left on all day with a kettle on top. There was a kerosene fridge, as well as boxes of starch powder and Zest plant food. They had a couple of papers left on the table from the 1970's. The house was used if anyone working in the area needed overnight accommodation.

It was a great drive and very interesting looking around the old buildings.

We took our morning tea and lunch with us, which was good, as we ended up being gone for about 4 hours. We arrived back at the van for afternoon tea before heading out for a long walk again. As we were coming past the airstrip, Gary was landing the plane. They were back from their day at the Races.