Life on Weeroona by Ashlyn Stiller

Here on the farm days start early. Despite my morning grumbles, I’m always excited to help out with the feeding, weighing, or walking of the cattle. Some kids say that holidays is a time for TV and general boredom, but not for us. We have the feedlot jobs then we have backgrounding work on our other properties. The early starts for mustering followed by hot days of branding and weaning are always marked out on the calendar for when we are home. It’s not just the work though that makes living on the property so exciting.

With 40,000 acres of space to run and play, there’s never-ending fun. Motorbike rides, exploring the range and when there’s water; swimming in the creek, are some of our favourite activities. While my home is remote, it is peaceful. 35km to the nearest store has its perks. At home we grow a lot of our own food, and with no takeout in sight, we also nearly always cook ourselves. Home cooked meals are one of the things I miss most when I’m away at school. With this much space, there’s also room for pets. Currently we have 4 dogs, uncountable chickens, a few ducks, 2 (scary) geese, horses and of course cattle - with an occasional poddy calf to care for. Cats are also in great supply here; we currently have 5 of them (not the finest topic with dad).

The scenery still surprises me after nearly 16 years of living here. Almost every morning an amazing sunrise lightens the land and the birds are welcomed as the only traffic outside. While the sunrise is beautiful, I’m not usually up and “in the mood” to take it in. Sunsets, however, are my favourite part of the day. Boarding in town has also helped me realise how lucky we are to walk outside at night and see stars.

“Weeroona” in the Indigenous language means resting place. Besides from when we are working, I will admit it is where I truly am at rest. Ask anyone here really, I bet they feel the same.