Wwoofing on Kondoolka Station

Pounding fencepost with tractor hammer

G'day!

Sheep are top priority on Kondoolka.  But when not working directly with sheep, there's always plenty to do.  One of the most time consuming tasks is fencing.  There's always something to do with fences and every wwoofer works on fencing.  Last year, Kondoolka has a fast ranging wildfire which burnt out parts of several paddocks and their fences, so there's even more fencing to do than usual.

Putting tension on the strainer wires

A fenceline

I helped with all aspects of fencing; just a little of each to get a taste of it.  (Dave was really great about showing me as many different tasks as possible, even if all I could do is observe.)  I took apart old fences, snipping and rolling up old wire and wrapping chain around the 30+ year old black oak posts for Stefanie to yank them with the tractor.  I used the tractor's hammer attachment to pound posts into the ground.  A drill is used to get through claypan or rocks.  I rode along while Dave was stringing wire from the wiring trailer to watch out for kinks.  I hammered staples to attach the wire to the posts at the correct intervals and wired black plastic spacers onto the fences to maintain tension and make it more visible to the sheep/wildlife.

Making fences is a perpetual chore

Modern fencing uses design and hi tech wire to keep sheep where they're supposed to be yet allow wildlife like emu and kangaroos to get through safely.  I saw emus and kangaroos run into fences and bounce off and/or through;  neither the animals nor the fences were harmed.

Fence spacers

The 2 meter long posts are pine, treated to be fire resistant (oily spots are left on your clothes when wrestling with them).  The wire is a high tensile metal and plastic blend.   Posts are installed 20 meters apart (about 28 paces for me) except for next to gates and corners;  the strainer posts (cuz they take the strain of the tension wire?) are longer and placed closer together.  Posts for holding paddocks are generally 9 meters apart.   Dave uses a special ratcheting tool with a chain to tighten the wire around the strainers.  It's pretty cool to see how a fence gets put together.

Major Mitchell cockatoo - under wings are gorgeous

Other fence/gate related jobs:  I used an oxy/acetylene cutting torch to blow holes in pieces of metal for the strainers (fun!!) and did some arc welding to make regular gates 600 cm higher to deter sheep visually from jumping during drafting.  (Fugly welds cuz I'm way out of practice but they should hold.)   I used a circular saw to cut the metal pipes for the gates and a hammer and anvil to pound the ends into the proper shape.   I like working with metal!  I also took out wire from the old posts so that Dave could saw them up for firewood.  The black oak burns long and hot.

Picnic at Johnny's Dam

The station has an entire fleet of vehicles; boys must have their toys!  There's a trend toward having multiple stations or farms to take advantage of scales of economy.  Equipment is expensive and if can be used more regularly, the average cost per use is lower.  The grader is used to clear bush and make roads.  The road to the homesteads is made and maintained by the government.  All roads on stations are made and maintained by the station.

The loader is used to unload the bundles of 40 fenceposts from the truck to the ground or to load a bundle onto the ute.  A hook attachment is used to make a line to indicate post placement for a fence.  A chain attachment helps pull fenceposts from the ground.   The loader is also used to dig out and then fill wombat holes.

Australian gecko

The "truck" is what we would call a semi.  It's used to transport large and/or heavy loads such as the fenceposts and (maybe) the rolls of fencing wire, onto the station.   A framework for transporting sheep can be bolted onto the truck.  The carrier is two levels and and can be sectioned off for ease in loading the sheep.

The/Stefanie's tractor is used for pounding in, drilling holes for, and pulling out old fenceposts (like pulling teeth).  There's also a fleet of motorbikes for mustering or just for getting around.

Young emu running 

There are two utes; one was a spare that needed a tow or push start.  Utes have a cab for passengers and a tray for cargo. The tray is a flat bed with no wheel wells.  The sides and back can be up or down.  Very utilitarian; much more so than pickup trucks.  The ute has a crane which came in handy for several jobs.

I drove the ute a few times on the station.  The good thing: no traffic for me to worry about right or wrong side of the road.  Not so good:  I kept trying to shift with my right hand and had to switch hands when all my right hand encountered was the door.  LOL!

Kangaroo

Resource management includes monitoring water and feed levels and keeping sheep populations to a sustainable level.   Australia has endured many droughts historically and will probably continue to do so.  Rainfall at the homestead is measured and charted daily.   Dams (watering holes/ retention ponds) and huge cisterns with watering troughs are scattered throughout the station.  Some of the dams are fed by drilled wells; in other areas, water is piped in from larger dams.  Windmills power the pumps, with solar and/or petrol powered generators for backup.

Wombat hole on brand new fence line!  Argh!

Being in the outback means self sufficiency.  Electricity is from an array of directional solar panels with a back up generator.  Diesel and petrol (unleaded gasoline to Americans) is delivered directly to the station by BP (British Petroleum) to the station tanks, the generator tank, as well as a portable fuel tank trailer.  Dave pays less per liter to have fuel delivered than he would pay at a petrol station in any town, near or far.  For long trips, he carries extra fuel in gas cans.

A tower in the front yard provides land line telephone service.  A satellite dish provides a few television stations.  We also had wifi.  The mail comes twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays.  The house, ute, and truck are equipped with CB radios and portable units are used when on the motorbikes and other equipment.

Young adult emu

I saw heaps of wild life on Kondoolka; kangaroos, wallabies, emu, rabbits, goats, wombats, foxes, feral cats, lizards, and geckos.  The smallest emu I saw were 5 chicks about 1 foot tall.  The younger they are, the lighter in color.  Most of the ones I saw were on the young side.  When emu run, their feathers dance around like hula skirts.  Funny and beautiful.  The most colorful birds include Major Mitchell cockatoos, galahs, and Australian ringnecks.   (I know emu are birds but they are flightless and act like animals.)

Sunset on a Kondoolka salt lake 

Most of the time, I enjoyed seeing the wildlife.  But they can be pests and dangerous too.   Sometimes they are hit while crossing the road;  other times they seem to choose to run into moving cars.  And the problem is worse at dusk.  Additionally, wombats sometimes start their burrows IN the road.   The holes are large and deep enough for the front end of a car to fall into; we had to swerve to avoid new holes several times.

The outback is beautiful with red soil and blue, silver and green ground cover.  The land varies from flat plains with scrub to rocky areas to small wooded ravines. Typical mallee/outback plants in this region include bluebush and saltbush, heather, mulga, myall and black oak trees, and a plethora of Acacia and Eucalyptus species.  There are several salt lakes on the property; some are small and reasonably deep while others are large and very shallow.

More work on fencing in front of vegie garden

I got a tour of almost half the property while we checked pumps and generators, and cistern and dam levels amongst other chores.  We went on a short hike on Mount Wallaby, a small mountain on the property with several caves, barbecued at Johnny's Dam with friends who came out to visit, and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over the large salt lake.

We went to Wirrula (population about 500), 110 km away (75 minutes) to drop off the truck's fuel tank which had a crack.  Wirrula is the closest town and has a general store and a pub where Dave and Stefanie attend Australian rules football (footie) home games.  We went to Streaky Bay (pop 1000) another 60-80 km from Wirrula (2 hour drive) to do the bi weekly grocery shopping.  We saw heaps of jellyfish off the fishing pier.

Jellyfish off Streaky Bay pier

I was dropped off at Poochera (45 km SE of Wirrula), the nearest bus service for my 9 hour ride to Adelaide.  I got a good sampling of life on a sheep station and in the outback.   I am gobsmacked (surprised) to know that one person runs the station himself.   Dave has to be so organized to keep the station running smoothly and to monitor, diagnose, and fix everything on the station with spare parts and supplies so far away.

This wwoofing job was one of the highlights of my travels.  Thanks again to Dave and Stefanie.
Cheers!

Fence gates

Cyn

Checking dam levels, pumps, etc.

Solar power

Wind power

Diesel and petro are delivered

Bundles of fence posts on the truck

Kondoolka Station, Sheep in South Australia

Me with a few day old lamb

G'day!

The Australian outback is vast and sparsely populated by humans.  I got a good idea of how much so while traveling to Kondoolka Station.    Kondoolka is located, as the crow flies, 100 km/60 miles east of Ceduna and 380 km/240 miles west of Port Augusta which is 300 km/180 miles north of Adelaide.  And to Peter W-S, although Adelaide may not be in the middle of nowhere, Kondoolka surely is.

Kondoolka is in the center (of nowhere)

The closest stop The Ghan train gets to Kondoolka is Kingoonyah, now a ghost town, at 2:30 am, a 2 hour drive away.  For safety reasons, the train service will not set down passengers in remote areas unless a pick up person is present at the time.   Passengers are required to give their drivers' contact details in case the train is delayed.

Do you believe me now?

My host, David Best, elected to pick me up from Port Augusta at 7:30 am and combine the 400 km drive with some shopping and errands.  Then we headed for the home paddock through the Gawler Ranges on the packed dirt/gravel Great Northern and Kingoonya Roads, the "short cuts"/main roads in the area.   We stopped at The Submarine, an iron(ic) sculpture someone built in the dry dusty bush, for a picnic lunch and at two stations along the way to say g'day to friends/neighbors.

Dave is the station manager at Kondoolka.  He runs the station alone assisted by Stefanie, a 26 year old German former wwoofer, with an occasional hand from Bob who works with Greg, the owner of Kondoolka, at the wheat farm several hours away.   Molly, an 8 months old smooth coat border collie (just like my dog, Shadow), is beginning her training as a sheepdog.

One of my goals for the year was to work on a genuine Australian outback station.  I'm not comfortable with animals and decided that sheep were the least frightening between cattle, horses, and sheep.  Dave accepts wwoofers who he thinks can handle the isolation and have a true interest in working/learning on a sheep station.  I am grateful that he accepted me and for his generosity and patience with an obvious city slicker.

Although I observed and learned heaps, since this is a sheep station and it's all about the sheep, I'm going to talk about the sheep first.

Mustered sheep

With about 10,000 sheep on 1100 sq km (272 acres/425 sq miles), Kondoolka is considered a small station.   Most small stations run about 7,000 - 8,000 sheep.  A large station might be 3 - 4 times that size and run up to 20,000 sheep.  Kondoolka runs Dorper sheep which are raised for meat rather than for wool.  Dorper sheep are usually all white or white with a black head.

These sheep are definitely free range.   Paddocks are separated by grids, fences, and gates; more about them later.  The sheep roam wherever they want within their paddock, including on the roads.  When they hear or see our vehicle approaching and deem that we are too close, they will move, usually at a run.  They may run in front of, alongside or away from the vehicle.  It's unpredictable.  It's fun to watch the sheep run with an occasional bouncing jump and to see the little lambs running alongside their mums.

I don't know how he got up there

Dave usually musters sheep on a motorbike once every two weeks or so.  He takes a portable radio unit and cans of sardines with him.  Both times that he mustered while I was there, he was out for 8 hours.  He tries to round up all the sheep in the targeted area; he got 500-600 (?) sheep the first time and about 800 (?) the second.   (David counts the sheep; I just forgot to ask.)  Depending on road access, he eithers musters them overland to the shearing paddocks or to remote drafting yards and then moves sheep by truck.

The next step is to draft the sheep which means separating the sheep into different pens.   This is done in stages.  First, all the sheep are in one or two large pens.  They are moved in groups into successively smaller pens for ease in handling.  Chasing sheep in a large pen is not fun.  Then, the sheep go through a race, a narrow chute wide enough only for one at a time.  Dave uses gates to shunt the sheep into the appropriate pens.  Repeat until all the sheep have been sorted.

Bob is feeding the sheep into the chute

Sheep are flocking animals; they like company.  Once a few sheep go in one direction, usually all the others follow.  If a sheep falls, it is trampled until it can get up again.  I noticed that the tiniest lambs were usually on the edges but often they are trampled too.  Sometimes a bottleneck occurs because the leading sheep stop.  Many times, pressure from the sheep in the back will make room for the others.  They don't seem to mind being packed in tight.  Patience is required.  Or just shut the gate and process the sheep you've got.

Eartags and elastrator bands and pliers

Sometimes all it takes to get the sheep to go through the chute is to walk towards the back of the pen away from the chute.   Once they are faced the right way and wedged in tight with human legs blocking escape, they usually go through.  If not, they can be encouraged by picking them up by the tail and pushing them forward or with a punch or kick in the backside.  The sheep are not treated gently.  Some of the little lambs were tossed several meters; but they all seemed to easily handle it.  Occasionally, a sheep will end up facing the wrong way.  Sometimes just turning its head will work.  Others have to be picked up and turned or allowed to come/fight their way out of the wedge and start again.

Drafting sheep through the chute

Sheep usually will not go toward a human.  However, when feeling trapped, they might run into or jump over a fence.  Try not to be in their way because it hurts when they bounce into or off of you.  Some of these sheep are full grown weighing 35 km/80 pounds; some are several months old; some are newborn.  Some have horns that are big and curled; others have small or short horns.   Each of us were banged up although I only got a few bruises on my legs and hands.

Lambs, big and small, are tagged with the Kondoolka tag, a different color each year.  This year is green; last year orange.  Females are tagged on the right ear; males on the left.  The other ear is marked by hole-punching a J into it; a form of branding.  Each lamb's tail is docked with an elastrator rubber band to cut off circulation until the tail falls off.  Males are also castrated in this manner.

Smaller lambs are picked up and put on their backs in a 6 seat merry-go-round where their hind legs are cinched down (like ob/gyn stirrups).  Larger lambs go through The Immobilizer which uses large pads to hold them still while they are being weighed, tagged, marked, docked and castrated as necessary.  Each lamb takes a minute or two.  We processed 255 lambs the first time and about 300 and counting (I left before we finished) the second.

Lamb ready for procedures 

When we were working with the sheep, Dave didn't give much direction.  I guess I was welcome to just watch and try to stay out of the way.  The first time we drafted, I tried to help get the sheep through the chute.  Sometimes I was helpful (I think); sometimes I got in the way.  Then came the marking.  After observing a while, I found that I could be useful loading the eartags and the elastrator bands onto the instruments for Stefanie.

 

Ram with wicked horns

                                   

The second time around, I loaded eartags and elastrator bands for the small lambs again.  During the second drafting, since we had 4 people, I made it my job to keep the inner pen full so that Bob had a ready supply for Dave and Stefanie to work on the larger lambs.

Kondoolka Homestead

To move the sheep after opening the gate, we/I wade through them towards the back of the pen.  Sometimes they headed into the inner pen where I wanted them, good.  Sometimes they went into wrong corner of the same pen and stopped.  Sigh; repeat.  Sometimes too many would be in the small pen as I tried to shut the gate and some would turn and go out bringing with them other (that's ok) and sometimes all of the sheep. Darn!  Start all over again.  It was easiest to get them where I wanted when the pen was crowded or when there were less than 5-10 sheep.  Eventually, I was able to maintain a steady supply most of the time by myself.

Just a tiny part of Kondoolka Station

On average, most sheep are mustered twice.  Once as lambs to get marked/tagged and the second to be sent to the abatoir (slaughterhouse).  Dave does marking 2-4 times a year and ships about 6000 sheep a year. So probably some lambs are marked just before they are trucked out. Although most of the sheep that are shipped are lambs under a year old, older sheep are also shipped as hogget (1-2 years) or mutton (2 years or older).   About 450 sheep fit on the truck so usually 1-2 truckloads go to the abatoir monthly.

Baaa!  My turn!

When water and thus food is plentiful, like this year and the past two, ewes are more likely to have twins and/or lamb more often, but the target is for a ewe to lamb on average every 8 months.  Only 1.5 - 3% of the sheep are rams.  The ratio depends on how old the ewes are; older ewes seek out rams so there should be more rams.   Another factor is how long the rams are left with the ewes; with large paddocks, taking out or changing rams is more time consuming.  BTW, sheep can be loud.  And it is obvious that lambs and ewes can find each other by call.  Baaaaa!

Map of Kondoolka Station

Dave butchered 5 sheep for meat while I was there.  Since he is very experienced, it was very clean, quick, and efficient.  Three of the sheep were cut into roasts, chops, and ribs; the other two were boned and taken to a butcher shop in Streaky Bay to be turned into mince (lamburger)and sausages.

We eat very well at Kondoolka.  Most of the time we had different lamb cuts cooked in a variety of ways.  Shepherd's pie using the leftover roast was my favorite.  The secret is the barbeque sauce.  Because "everything tastes better with barbeque sauce and cheese."  We had roasted chicken and some beef dishes including schnitzel for a change.

I enjoyed my 3 1/2 week stay at Kondoolka Station.  More info next time about life and work on a sheep station.

Cheers!
Cyn

Kings Canyon, Watarrka National Park

The Rock Tour group

Gday!

We left Uluru in the rain with waterfalls cascading, and headed for Kings Canyon.  Kings Canyon is about 300 km/180 miles from Uluru and about 330 km/200 miles from Alice Springs.  On the way, we stopped at the Mount Conner Lookout and climbed up a small red sand dune to get a good look at Mt Conner on one side and Lake Amadeus, a large usually dry salt lake, on the other.

On the first day, after 4 (or 5 or 6) hours of driving, Rachelle told us that we could get our first glimpse of Uluru.  We could see it!  Yay!  Some of us took pictures as we drove along.  A few minutes later, Rachelle told us that what we had just seen was actually Mount Conner, AKA Fooluru.  What a dirty (grotty?) trick!

Mt Conner or Fooluru

We also stopped, in the rain, to collect firewood again.  Collecting firewood is brutal here.  The Australian government has adopted the Aboriginal practice of periodically burning the bush to minimize large wildfires.  So there are many dead and partially burnt multi-trunked and small trees around.

We only want wood that's 1.5" in diameter or larger.  So we pull limbs down or off and strip them of the little parts.  If they're longer than about 6', we break them by jumping on them.   Then we pile them on top of the trailer and tie them down.  It is a real group effort.

Are we happy campers in the rain and cold?

We reached the Kings Canyon Campground before the rain did.   We immediately made a huge fire because we needed the coals to make our dinner.  We all pitched in to make chili con carne, rice, and a vegie medley.  It started to rain as we were eating dinner around the fire.  No camp chairs with this tour; we sat on rolled swags.

Our campsite had a metal roofed, screened structure with a long table and benches in one end and a fridge and counters on the other end.  This became our sleeping quarters.  We mostly were dry; the rain came in through the screen and in a couple of leaky places.

My swag and arctic sleeping bag

But there were heaps more mice here.  This time, although I do believe the pitter patter on my head end was rain, I did feel little stirrings across my lower end that could not possibly have been rain.  Anyway, I'm just thankful I didn't have to share the INside of my swag with a mouse/mice.

Rise and shine at 5am.  Whyyyy?   I'd rather miss the sunrise!  (Actually, none of us whinged although I'm sure we all thought it!)  We had porridge, cereal, yogurt, toast, canned fruit cocktail, tea and coffee.  (Those French girls love Nutella!)  Then drove the 35 km to Watarrka National Park.

There are two bushwalking tracks available in Kings Canyon.  A 2 km/1.2 mile (1 hour) Kings Creek Walk that traces the bottom of the gorge and a 6 km/3.7 mile (3 hour) Kings Canyon Rim Walk along the top of the canyon.  Of course, despite the rain, we did the 6K track.  This is full on adventure!

Rabbit, turtle, camel, or turkey?

One French girl did not participate because she only had little canvas shoes and no rain coat.  Several of us were outfitted in matching black plastic raincoats (rubbish/trash/garbage bags). Tres chic.  Doesn't matter, we all got wet anyway.

It turned out that Rachelle wanted to beat the crowds.  Well, we were the first but we had two large busloads not too far behind.   First, Heart Attack Hill.  Ugh!  Well named!  Steep.  Large rocks.  Some steps.  Switchbacks.  Difficult in rain.  Can't imagine in heat!  No breath for talking.  Or writing.

We had to get over the start of a waterfall
hopefully without falling in.

But at the top, wow!  Gorgeous view of the gorge and surrounding countryside.  Even through the rain.  We walked along the top for a while looking at the rock and rock formations.  One rock looked like a rabbit, turtle, camel, squirrel, turkey (only to me)....

Then we descended to the Garden of Eden.  We crossed over the valley, lush with cycads, ferns and palms, on a bridge and walked to the end.   The large permanent waterhole makes a great swimming hole during most of the year but we enjoyed the high waterfall instead.  In this dry arid rocky environment, the Garden of Eden is an oasis.

The Garden of Eden

Normal rainfall in the area is about 30 cm/12" annually.   So most people would not have to rockhop through low spots, jump over gullies (one rather harrowing), or walk through waterfalls.  Which we did!  Unfortunately, my hiking boots had developed holes during my Kakadu adventure.  So, although I had waterproofed them again in Cairns, they didn't keep my feet dry.

The waterfall we had to go over and eventually, through.

Rachelle pointed out several unusual plants and explained how the Luritja people used them.  One of them is the Ghost gum;  the powdery coating on the bark is used as sun protection equivalent to SPF50.  The umbrella bush, the watarrka for which the park is named, flourishes here.   She also pointed out fossils of squid (unusual), and other sea creatures.

Permanent waterhole in the Garden of Eden

After climbing back up, sometimes on staircases, we came to the Lost City, domes of eroded sedimentary rock and eventually to the sheer 100 meter/330' red rock cliff face.  Kings Canyon is spectacular, even in the rain.

After a lunch stop in Curtin Springs, we went to the Camel Farm at Stuarts Well.   Believe it or not, I met someone I knew there.  Rachel, an Englishwoman, had also stayed at Dingo Moon Lodge in Darwin and traveled on The Ghan train to Alice Springs with me.  I knew she was going to work on a camel farm but didn't connect it until I saw her.

Kings Canyon cliff face

One of her jobs was to collect the ticket ($7) for the camel rides and handle the camels.  The camels are saddled for two riders.  Rachel had Sally kneel so the riders could get on.  The lurches to get to her feet are probably the most scary part of the ride.  Rachel walks the camel up the paddock.  Then she leads Sally at a run back down the paddock.  It was fun to hear the French girls squeal.  Then Sally lurches to kneel again.  I rode a camel in Cairo a few years back so I passed on this opportunity.

Ghost gum - spf50

We got back to Alice Springs around 4 pm and then met up at The Rock Bar for dinner at 7 pm.  We all washed up well.  After dinner, we took/shared cabs ($8) back to our respective hostels.  The cabs were lined up outside the restaurants and bars.  Maybe it's a scam to provide jobs to drivers.  Whatever.  Better safe than sorry.

I've been at Kondoolka Station which runs sheep for the past 3 weeks.  You'll get some details soon.

Cheers!!
Cyn