Cycling The Globe

After cycling through Asia I found myself in Australia with an empty bank account. With no prior experience I ventured into the Outback to work on a cattle station. It turned out to be a job like nothing I have ever tried before. Granted, the first weeks you will need to adjust to the new surroundings, but I soon learned to love them. Here are my top 10 reasons to work on an Australian cattle station.

#1 Nature

The natural beauty of the outback is evident. To always be connected with nature by being aware of the weather, the season, the state of the moon just feels right.

#2 Isolation

260 km to the nearest supermarket. A 100 km dirt road driveway. Yes, a cattle station is isolated, but you will also be far away from the noise and pollution that a city generates. And you will be amazed by the number of stars on the sky at night.

#3 Growing a Beard

Looking presentable is an important part of many jobs. Not so much in the outback. For the first time in my life I tried to grow a beard and was very pleased with the result!

#4 Daily Doses of Action

Two days are never the same at a farm and something crazy is guaranteed to happen. Especially while mustering cattle!

#5 Aboriginal Culture

You can meet aboriginals in most Australian cities but you will not learn much about their culture. Living in the outback you will meet the aboriginals in their own environment.

#6 Big Toys

Cars, 4WD, trucks, bikes, ATVs, tractors, graders. There is always a new vehicle to try . And driver licenses don’t mean much out there!

#7 Learning New Skills

When I started working at the station I had a very limited knowledge about engines. Trying to get an engine to run knowing there is nobody else around for hundreds of kilometers makes you very creative.

#8 Friendship

You are bound to get to know some people very well as the neighbor might live 100 km away. Sharing experiences with your coworkers as you are all in the same boat will hopefully make you some new friends.

#9 Low Stress

I was expecting the job to be physically hard. In fact, it was not. Most days were spent driving around in 4WDs. Yes, we had some very long days now and then, but there was always plenty of time to rest in between.

#10 Freedom

It’s just not a 9 to 5 job… If you are looking to try something different I would certainly recommend giving cowboy life a go. And the best part? They really need people out there. Go to the Outback (around Alice Springs is a good place to start), find a phone book, make a few calls to the stations, and you could have a new job tomorrow!