August 1998 - a few quick pics from my trip with Ma (Jessie) to a cattle station out West from Cairns, Queensland.
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We left the Cairns razzle-dazzle and its surrounding lush rainforest behind, driving up over the coastal ranges ...
... out west where there is wide open space, grey-green bush and red dust ...
Mount Mulligan Station is a working cattle station, where some 1500 head of Brahmin-cross cattle roam the bush, mostly fending for themselves between musterings, except for a little supplementary feeding for young animals when needed.
Farm-stay guests can watch the varied farm activities, or avoid them if they prefer. (Owen told us of the dismay of some previous visitors who decided to watch cattle being branded - they found it very disturbing to their city sensitivities.)
But while farm work goes on, you can also ride horses, swim in the dam, walk for miles, or just take it easy on the shady verandah.
For a touch of history I wandered around the old Mount Mulligan Mine site, which was surrounded by a busy little town earlier this century. Of that town, the only remaining building today is the former hospital, which now serves as the station homestead.
We were lucky to be able to watch and listen to Kobi, one such traveller who was spending a few weeks at the station while we were there. He had already made himself a couple of didgeridoos and had learnt to play them very well. The station horses also seemed to have developed quite a taste for didge music!
Way-out-west and traditional as some things are out at the station, today's technology is part of it too.
With my laptop computer and modem we tried to set up Owen's new internet connection via the Mount Mulligan VHF telephone (it's way beyond the end of the normal phone lines). And although we didn't succeed, we did learn that it will soon be possible - although slow by modern data standards - once his ISP makes some changes to the modems at their end. I'm still hoping to get an email from Owen one of these days, to say it really is working!
(See Contacting Mount Mulligan for further news on this.)
As you can see in the photos, he needed some technical advice from Ma, and then got the engine running perfectly. Later he zoomed off to practice take offs and landings in a rising breeze - quite an aviation display with the only audience being Ma, myself and a few cattle nearby.
