Rockhampton - 27th Jan to 30th Jan

We rocked into Rockhampton around 18.30 in the evening, tired and weary from the lengthy bus journey we were in no mood to hunt for accommodation so luckily the YHA was just across the river leaving us an easy decision to join them. Rockhampton is known as the beef capital of Australia and it is clear that the town builds its tourism industry around it. After a chilled first night in the hostel watching the Australia's tennis hero Ellen Dokic in the Melbourne Open we were set for a walk around day through the town. It felt as if we were back in Asia exploring on our own. We first crossed the Fitzgerald river, a huge river that splits the town in two. After that we headed down to the local library, a strange choice you might ask, but the net was free to surf and considering the trouble we seem to be having changing our flights out of Australia to earlier ones it was money we needed to save. We noticed the building architecture placed Rocky in the Wild West. Although clearly not geographically situated in this region the whole area gave you a feel for what life may have been like here a few years ago. Later on in the day we did our food shopping and booked ourselves in for a farm stay at a place called Myella, a genuine cattle farm located 1 ½ hours from Rockhampton where we would be able to join in with all sorts of activities, a good thing to put on the CV for living in Suffolk! The evening came to a close with an unreal sunset over the town and a few games of pool, this time with no Thai girls to rob us of our money, only a Dutch lad that I took great pleasure in beating, not that I'm competitive.

At the crack of dawn we awoke the next day a little before 6am and waited for our pick up for the day on the farm. Short on time we sacrificed breakfast and made our way to the shuttle for our ride inland. As we arrived on the farm we were not greeted with the stench that is normally associated with many farms but fresh cool clean air. Before we got down to business we had breakfast, toast on the open log fire and milk fresh from the cows udder chilled to perfection. Afterwards we made our way up the dirt track and into the stables where we met our horses for the journey around the farm. Following a brief safety talk we saddled up and trotted into the open land. My horse was called Whisky, white with slashes of brown the smallest horse on the farm and one of the most temperamental, 'perfect for someone who has never so much as breathed the same air as a horse before'. Rachel was riding chocolate, a stunning coat consistent in its shade of brown 'milk chocolate'. As we left the stable the first obstacle in our way was a dragon, not a fire breather thankfully but a metre long lizard. Blocking our path we made a sharp turn to the right, not wanting to crush it in its own habitat. As the ride went on we learnt about different types of trees growing in the outback and the significance they have to the animals living there. We also learnt the reason for why yokcal's chew grass, 'a sweet moisture content' as you do. It was not long either before we spotted our first wild kangaroo, standing proud and in defence of the family that then emerged. These beasts are truly stunning and even more gracious in their way of travel; there is no better way to see these animals, living wild in their own habitat around the Australian bush. The horse riding experience was brilliant and a great way to see the wild side of Australia. We pulled back into the paddock after the horses had had their fun by trotting back leaving some of us, like myself, with a sore backside.

After an hours stop for lunch Rachel and I went our separate ways. While I learnt how to ride a motor bike, manual style on a dirt track Rachel ventured further into the heart of the Australian bush.

"As Steve left for his adventurous motorbike ride, I took the calmer option of feeding the baby calves. This involved calling across acres of land for just a small number of two calves. As they slowly but shorely moved their way into the paddock, I conjured up a mix of a blended wheat with water, and some kind weed……ummm yum! One of the calves was only born on Christmas day, so coincidentally was named Christmas! Quite sweet considering her mother was named Mary! Once the feeding was over and I had been chased across the field by a very small dog wanting to play 'fetch', I made my way to the 4x4 in which we loaded a calcium soaked hay to feed the horses. Once I had jumped onto the back with dog in tow, I was taken on the start of an adventurous and intellectual journey around the farm, a whole 2500 acres. As the opening scene of the chronicles of Nania came to mind, the wardrobe door was opened and so did my journey into Australia's wild and highly dangerous wildlife.

The first stop off was one of the most deadliest, Australia's most deadly spider the female red back and also for double fatalities, the male black back, which had settled in for home in the farms post box. After habituating the area for around 5 months it had decided to sporn several offspring on the day I decided to pay a visit. So therefore with several hundreds of deadly spiders on the hunt, and with myself invading their home, I decided it was best we moved onto the next destination on the farm.

The second destination was none other than the home of yet another dangerous specie hiding itself under the rocks in the red dust at the far end of the 2500 acres of farm land. As we made our way across dirt tracks, through fields of cattle, stopping and opening makeshift gates and then closing them, past ponds and the friendly Kangaroos and wallabies hiding under the trees for shelter, we finally reached the northern end of the enormous farm. There I experienced one of the most unforgettable and peaceful sights. From high up on a ridge I stood taking in the view of the flat green and red landscape laid forward in front of me, with not a sight of a building or another human being for miles. A pure picture moment, however personally I felt that the pictures taken do not give the area the justice it deserves! After taking in the views, my tour guide, Vicki the farm girl, decided it was time to go looking under rocks for scorpions! At this moment in time I was deciding that my life was quite valuable to me and whether this was a risk I should be taking, however after a lot of persuasion I started pulling back at rocks in order to find my predator . After a concession of boulders I finally came across a black scorpion. This tiny insect looked harmless to the naked eye, but I wasn't taking any risks, so after a quick photo I returned the rock to its original stance and dashed away. After some life threatening situations we decided to leave the area and head back to the centre point of the farm, where we fed the horses off the back of the truck."

After I met back up with Rachel we shared our stories and soon got down to our last couple of farm duties. After briefly playing with a lasso we headed for the cow pen for a milking session. I can't say I felt comfortable with the cows udder in my mouth, I mean don't get me wrong the milk tasted nice but it was going to take ages to completely milk her, until the lady came back over and told me its only calf's that milk their mothers that way, we milk with our hands here. As the day came to a close, we dozed in the bus back to Rockhampton before getting an early night ready for our early departure for Agnes waters and 1770 in the morning. Rocky had been a perfect retreat off the beaten track and an insight into yet another Australian way of life.