It is always great to get on the road each year and catch up with folk on the cattle stations of northern Australia. Soon to be added to our website will be testimonials from, photos of, and information about some of the stations we visit each year.
Cattle Stations
Cattle stations in Australia are interesting and unique places. The stations we visit on our saddlery business trips are, for the most part, company owned and represent small communities of around ten to thirty people. The majority of large cattle stations in Australia are owned by ten to twelve pastoral companies, with only a handful owned by descendants of the original settlers.
The manager and family live at the station for most of the year - usually taking a holiday period during the wet season when the mustering is over. During the dry season, life at the station cranks up, and the number of employees increases dramatically. Stockmen (known as ringers) and cooks join with mechanics, gardeners, bore runners and grader drivers and other employees for the busiest time of the year.
The Stock Camp
We particularly enjoy an overnight stay at a stockcamp.
The term 'stockcamp' refers both to the group of workers who work with the cattle, and to the actual location on the cattle station where the workers camp out while mustering cattle. So you could say "the stockcamp is camped 20 kilometres from the homestead" (referring to the people), or "we're going out to the stockcamp" (referring to the location).
A typical stockcamp consists of a head stockman (sometimes a woman), a camp cook, and about six ringers. Many stockcamps include a couple of women, and the average age of most ringers is between 16 and 25 years. The cooking ability and attitude of the camp cook often determines, and always influences the morale in the camp. There are still some camp cooks who use open fires and camp ovens, but most stockcamps have a caravan which is set up with a generator, gas stove, refrigerator and freezer.
Castle Livestock contractors at Fossil Downs Station,
Kimberleys WA, 2007 (Darren and Jackie Castle).
Working as a ringer
A ringer is a male or female stock worker on an Australian cattle station.
The head stockman is often not much older than the ringers and there are great opportunities for young people who want to pursue a career working in the cattle industry. Someone with a positive attitude who is keen about stock work is usually assured of employment, and there are numerous pastoral companies willing to train such employees.
A lot of ringers stay for only one or two years before going back to family properties, or continuing with study or careers in other fields. In the last few years we have come across numbers of international backpackers (and Aussies) spending time in a stockcamp and gaining a genuine Australian experience! A sense of excitement, and the prospect of adventure attracts many young people to work on cattle stations where there’s an opportunity for a great character building experience.
The stockcamp usually works with the cattle from March to November in the dry season when there is little or no rainfall. The workers sometimes camp away from the homestead and stay out in the stockcamp for several weeks at a time, shifting camp as they muster from paddock to paddock. During each round, different paddocks are mustered, calves are branded, drafting of weaners and fats takes place, and spaying, pregnancy testing and other necessary cattle work is done.
