12.-14.09.2018

Hello everyone, we're back online!

After about 432 km of travel, we arrive at Barmoya, Henderson Park Farmstay. The drive was long but easy, always on the Bruce Highway. Nikki and Ryan, our hosts, are already waiting for us and their two Australian Shepherds are excited about the new visit. Nikki and Ryan run a 5000 ha cattle farm in the hinterland of Rockhampton. So, as far as the eye can see, it's all pastureland/Henderson land. We are staying in the Headlow Lodge, with a large area and a pier on the Headlow Creek.

Ryan hands us the key as well as our dinner, barbecue meat (bred on the farm, of course), potatoes and salad. He explains the grill and the outdoor lighting to us and disappears again. We explore the nearby surroundings, being careful of snakes and other creatures with every step. First, a campfire.

Wood and firewood are ready. With the sunset, the first kangaroos appear - oops. We look around the corner and already see them hopping across the pasture.

We sleep soundly until sunrise. The fog has turned the land and the Creek into a white blanket, the sun gradually reveals the land and the day and the birds awaken.

At 9 AM, Tracy picks us up in the red pickup truck. Together, we check on the mother cows in the pastures and the newborn calves that may have been born overnight. A funny kindergarten of about 20 calves on wobbly legs frolics in the pasture near the mother cows. Unfortunately, there was also a stillborn calf this night - both the mother and the calf.

We learn a lot about the work on the Henderson Farm, which is now in its 6th generation. Calves that are rejected are hand-raised, like these 3 guys here.

By the way, they are Indian cattle, as they can handle the heat particularly well. But they also try crossbreeding Indian-Angus. We enjoy both grilled!

The next morning, equipped with an exquisite packed lunch, we say goodbye to this idyll, where we would have liked to stay longer, and plunge back into the hustle and bustle of life.

Conclusion: Mosquito attack, 1200 cattle, many kangaroos, 3 deer, 2 turtles, dingoes (heard at night), 0 koalas.

Tomorrow is a travel day to Whitsundays, Great Barrier Reef