Time Trundles Onward

So just a little insight into life on the farm after a couple of months.

The work I was doing was incredibly varied. Still getting up at 7.30 but sometimes not actually doing anything other than switching the pump off and feeding the horses until after 10am, not because I didn’t want to but because I never knew what I was supposed to be doing on any particular day. I did wish I had the stability of a big industry type farm, where I would always know what needed doing and always have something to do. I’m sure Wallendbeen would have been fine, if I’d had the bottle calves that I’d been told would be my job. I would have at least had something consistent to do for part of the day and that would have been my job!

As it is I was doing something completely different every day, whether it be stripping vehicles to clean, fixing machinery, fencing, sheep work, cleaning sheds, mowing lawns, fixing water pipes, or working on the tractor. A lot of these things weren’t too bad, and having the variety was good. The worst days were the ones there was nothing significant to give priority to, or it was raining so the important jobs couldn’t be done. Those days were horrible. I’d find myself pottering around, doing this and that, trying to find enough to do to fill the day and ending up feeling completely unfulfilled and as though nothing had been achieved.

Then there were the days when there was just so much to do, like a full day working with sheep or out in the tractor. Those days were brilliant. So good to feel like you really got something done. No time to wander if you’re actually enjoying what you do on other days, just enjoying a full day of work, just doing it. And even not finishing until 7pm could be great too.

Downtime at Wallendbeen was strange though, mainly because there was so little to do. Evenings my routine became: shower, read, have tea, maybe watch TV or read a bit more, go to bed. Early in my time there days off would be just doing my laundry, anything else I needed to do for me and retreating into corners of the garden, out of the way so I didn’t feel guilty for not doing work. Later on laundry and cleaning the kitchen became part of something I just did in day to day work and by the end of March weekends were spent in Young, a town about 40km away where I had finally made some friends!

Impromptu Sydney Trip (9th & 10th March)

So a little impromptu trip to Sydney, decided upon just two days before going. Not really sure why I went. Just to get away for the weekend I suppose. 4hour train each way though.

In typical Rachel style I did a lot of wandering; through the Botanical Gardens, which I have to confess I didn’t think were anywhere near as good as some of the gardens I’ve wandered around back in the UK.

From there my wanderings took me to the Opera House. Amazing how many people use that particular path for their morning jog. There is no denying how impressive a building the Opera House is. Up close all the different parts, what would you call them? They’re not quite arches… curves? Feather? I don’t know. Anyway they’re quite incredible. I would love to be able to look at that building with a knowledge of architecture, though from a dramatic, theatrical point of view, I have heard that the main stage has compromised on acoustics and sight lines to accommodate the aesthetics of the building. It’s still incredible though and I would love to see a performance there.

Onwards my wanderings took me to ‘the Rocks’ district of Sydney. Somewhere near Darling Harbour, I think. Irish pubs; cafes; chocolate shops; little, boutique arcades; a tiny museum; and market places. So much fun. I spent hours wandering around and could have spent a fortune. I didn’t though, just had plenty of free samples and brought a few little bits and pieces.

There was however an incredible artist at the back of the market place and I really regret not getting a picture of his work and how he did it. Anyone going to that area should really go and check him out. He seemed to be a permanent fixture.

He’s a spray can artist but not in a graffiti sense. He paints landscapes. He was painting a storm over a lake when I saw him. Layers of colour just in exactly the right place, scraping off the paint to make clear lines and definitions. The way he worked was incredible. Had I been sure I would be able to get a painting home without damaging it, I would have brought one. But it’s really worth just going and having a look at him work.

Took a ferry to Manly on the Sunday. Gotta love a place that has ferries as public transport. Can’t say I was overly impressed though. Nice as it was to see a beach, I do like to actually be able to see the sand not just the people, and it’s always better to be able to get to the water.

So while I didn’t really do a great deal in Sydney that weekend I did make a few plans of things I’d like to do, like going back to climb Harbour Bridge and spending some time walking in the Blue Mountains. Something to look forward to.

Canberra (1st & 2nd March)

As my little book (thank you Jenny) tells me… “Canberra was created in 1909 to stem the ego battle between Sydney and Melbourne, who both fancied themselves as a federal capitol. An empty space between the rivals was chosen- a paddock with a ready-made population of 20,000… sheep.”

 That makes Canberra not only Australia’s capitol city, with its own little territory: Australian Capitol Territory (ACT) but also a planned city, which, to my mind makes the layout quite interesting. It’s all straight lines in the centre of the city, with every sight line planned. The war memorial, straight to Parliament House, with the New parliament House on the hill directly behind. That particular line goes straight across Lake Burley Griffith, with the fountain falling exactly on the same line.

While the tour around Australia’s federal parliament building didn’t really interest me, the embassy buildings did. Unlike most cities I know of where the embassies just occupy normal buildings, in Canberra each country has been issued a plot of land to do with what they will. Some remain empty; some have nice, normal if somewhat posh buildings; and some have really gone all out: A traditional long house, complete with stilts, wooden roof, etc; a Thai palace; and the USA… Forte Knox!... walls so high you couldn’t climb over, topped with wire; more security lights and cameras than imaginable; huge barred gates; plain unimaginative building; and of course a no stopping sign outside!

At the opposite end of the road; the War Memorial, was brilliant! It was huge, and I’ve been to a lot of war memorials. 4 floors dedicated to all the wars fought by Australians, from settlement to modern day. WWI and Anzac Day, April 25^th 1915, where Simpson’s donkey played an important role.

I guess I could call this trip particularly cultural. To start with, a trip around Canberra’s ABC studio. That’s like the BBC: National TV and Radio. Even sitting in (very quietly) on a radio show. But my main reason for coming was the ‘Morning Star’ Performance. An aboriginal ‘dream time’ story. One of their sacred spiritual rituals, performed on stage for the first time ever I believe. It was incredible. The performance combined modern dance with the aboriginal ritual of storytelling through movement, sound and music. It was completely captivating and impossible to explain. Just wow!

The gallery where the performance was held also had an incredible array of aboriginal art work. The paintings, like the stories supposedly tell of journeys but in a non-linear way. How you read them though I have no idea. The techniques however was incredible. Thousands upon thousands of tiny dots making up each painting, the colours changing at just the right time somehow. And the bodies and faces, there’s something just weird and uncanny about them. Brilliant though! I wasn’t quite as keen on the techniques being used in modern style paintings. I felt it was much more suited to the muted, earthy colours and traditional subjects, but that’s just my feelings. The sculpted, painted dingoes were great though!

So a trip to the theatre, art gallery and to the museum, admittedly only briefly. I just focused mainly on Aussie history. Some brilliant exhibits; highway men, Ned Kelly and his exploits; original plans and models for Sydney Opera House; and settlement history, how the buildings were built to resemble those in the UK, including a photo comparison of an Aussie church to the one just around the corner from the flat in Aberystwyth. Also they have eisteddfods out here, which they still call eisteddfods, though I’m not sure many people know where the name comes from.

But the best thing, well second to the performance, was that it just happened to be Canberra’s  Enlighten Festival. The whole city, particularly the ‘official’ side was just full of street lighting shows on the Friday night.




Whole sides of buildings projected in spiralling lights and huge pieces of artwork. Mini shows with torches and fairy lights and lanterns on the edges of paths.


It was great, but best of I discovered Canberra was home to one of James Terrell’s Sky Spaces. Turrell being an artist or scenographer who works with light. The disadvantage being  that the full effect of the space is best appreciated at sunrise when it becomes an incredible light show. So up at 5am next morning… so worth it.

Cake and Clay

Well not actually clay and not very often cake but my awesome sculpture class, lifeline to sanity (though I wouldn’t claim a sane member in the group).

Started going to sculpture class in Cootamundra very early in my time at Wallendbeen, as early as the second week there I think. No it wasn’t sculpting clay, it was winterstone, the beauty of which is you just mix the powder with water; slap the paste on your armature; shape it; and wrap it in cling film to dry. Okay it was a little bit more complicated but that was the general idea.

First you make your armature, the skeleton of your sculpture. You do this out of whatever material you have handy; chicken wire, newspaper, polystyrene… then on goes the winterstone. This actually takes a fair bit of time to get to the right thickness and smooth enough not to take weeks finishing it. When it’s all dry and finished you sand it down to a nice smooth surface and then the fun bit. No, it’s all fun but choosing your finish is great. Do you wax it? Varnish it nice and white? Put icing on (no not edible) a shiny bright white? Paint it bright colours? Or play with chalky pastels then add a finish? So very much fun to be had.

And the wonderful people! Quite completely crazy. Mainly a bunch of women who were so much fun! Tea on Tuesday would generally be eaten at sculpture whether it be from someone’s pot, take away or just Cadbury Mini Drops with Sally. And some ‘proper characters’ mainly Gemma who was ‘teacher’ to us all. Completely crazy which led to a very fun day at Cootamundra Picnic Races, where we spent the entire day wandering around selecting candidates for the best dressed competition. Very entertaining but another story entirely.

Back to sculpture and our random experiment with the green putty… It was supposed to mould to create casts. What we didn’t know was exactly how to use it. Instead of letting it shape and setting it in sand to dry in shape, we tried to dry it first. Needless to say they distorted and dried it unusable body part casts. But they did create beautiful, distorted ‘sculptures’. Mine splatted in bright paint on the greeny background, skin follicles still visible. =)

But if you are ever in Cootamundra and all the town benches have turned into brilliant chairs, go and tell the sculpture class that they’ve done a brilliant job. Tuesday 6.30-9pm at the Art Centre. You know what, actually, go and see them anyway =)

A Little Bit of Freedom! (16th Jan)

So while I can say I was enjoying myself at Wallendbeen, I can’t deny getting a bit bored and lonely. The ‘children’ gone back to school, uni, abroad. Gen working during the week in Canberra and very little to do on the weekend. Town being too far away to walk, no bus service. Outside of the village and knowing no one anyway.

This was actually my first change of scenery; babysitting just up the road, for a family member too. The place looks like a castle. Unfortunately I never got a picture. Was also my first chance to drive anywhere. Automatic will take some getting used to!

The babysitting was uneventful, the youngest already in bed when I arrived and didn’t stir all evening. And the eldest two, no older than 10, watched the Lion King  and put themselves to bed. So nice to be somewhere different and watch silly, fun TV. Watching films and whatever I wanted until midnight. It felt normal.

So really just a nice little interlude to what had become ‘normal’ and just kind of highlighted how important it is to do something occasionally! Don't realise how lonley and bored you get just doing the same thing in the same place even just for a couple of weeks.

The Sheep Shed

As everyone may have now realised, I'm not all that incredible at keeping a day to day journal, particularly as what I'm now writing about happened at least 6months ago. Internet connection is also not all that reliable. So what I've decided to do is condense my time working in NSW into general categories including some dated events.

So probably the most significant part of life here... The Sheep Shed, and just sheep in general!

A surprising amount of the work seems to be moving sheep, and if it’s not moving sheep it’s something to do with sheep… every day! My first day at Wallendbeen was moving sheep on horseback actually which was quite fun and only occurred once since and I fell off… oops! They have 2 different breeds on the property; cross breeds and merinos. Cross breeds are generally bigger and merinos have better wool. 

Now before you can actually do any work with the sheep, you have to muster them all. For that I had one, occasionally 2 good sheep dogs and a quadbike. Oh and I first had to learn the names of all the paddocks (not fields) on a 1500acre property so I knew where to go and get the sheep from, and more often than not move them to.

 Now this job alone can take all day, especially if it’s a particularly big mob (not flock) and they have the run of about 6 paddocks and can get onto the country along the creek (not stream) where you do not want to drive anything other than a quadbike and you can lose the dogs in the length of the grass. They really do just give up trying and wait for you.

Once you’ve gathered all the sheep from every end of the earth, or so it seems, you have to get your assembled mob from wherever it is you’ve managed to assemble them, to wherever it is they need to be, whether that be another paddock or the sheep yards. Next bit of fun!

Moving them will normally involve roads, gateways and just you and one dog no doubt behind the mob with no one ahead to make sure they go in the gate when they get to it. So there is a lot of hoping, particularly when you’re following a mob of 1000+, you can’t see the front and you just really have to hope those sheep at the front turned the right way. If not, at some point when you notice they’re all going the wrong way you have to somehow get past them all, to the front before they get to a main road, turn them around and start hoping again. Now if you have a really good dog you’re fine, you send the dog to the front and block the retreat yourself… I didn’t have that luxury.

Then after all that, you then have to take a vehicle with a trailer and chase down all the ones that get left behind. In theory there shouldn’t be any but in a poorer mob you have the old and the sick that just couldn’t keep up (or stand up) and the ones that were just too plain stupid to walk in the right direction. There’s exercise for you. Stupid lambs take a lot of running down, then you have to hold onto them long enough to carry back to the trailer, or if you’re lucky enough to have a second person, wait for the trailer to come to you. And then there’s the big ones whose fleece alone weighs nearly half as much as me, yet alone the weight of the actual sheep (exaggerating slightly maybe)!

Upon getting the sheep to the yards (unless you’re just switching paddocks) are you drenching? Backlining? Vaccinating? Tagging? Jetting? Draughting? Or just shearing?

Now draughting, backlining, vaccinating, tagging or even jetting follow just about the same process. The sheep are run 60 or 30ish, depending on whether they’re lambs or full grown, into a race and shut in. you work down the line shoving the ones you’ve done behind you so you know where you’ve been.

Now drenching involved a knapsack on your back attached to the drench gun in your hand with which you shoot a dose of the liquid into the mouth of each sheep.

Vaccinating, likewise but instead of a gun, a syringe that gets jabbed into the back of the neck.

Backlining a spray gun and the idea is to get one line down the back of each sheep right from the neck to the bum. It takes a bit of practise to get it all in one go!

Tagging is basically an ear piercing gun. Load a tag in, put the ear between each side and squeeze.

Now of all these I would much rather backline. No effort involved, but I really did not like vaccinating. I could never really be sure I’d got the syringe through the wool and into the back of the neck, and they hated it more, or so it seemed. Any of them I could do quite easily on my own, particularly if it was only lambs.

(Waiting in the yards)

Draughting sheep requires more effort and more people. Basically it’s separating the sheep: lambs from ewes; ewes from wethers; those ready for selling; any way you want to split them really. Done by running the mob in a constant stream through a race while someone operates a 3way gate at the end, splitting them into separate yards. I could never get the hang of operating the gate fast enough but keeping them going through was difficult enough, though apparently a good dog can do it alone! To get them moving constantly you had to move some up into the small holding yard and start pushing them through the race. Of course they wouldn’t go so you have to start by physically turning them and pushing them through. Then you go back for more until they realise they can get out that way and they all start moving. Then you have to fill the small yard back up. But you have to do this before it empties so the next lot know where to go, but not when there’s so many left that turning and going through the gate seems easier. Fun!

Then becomes a brainteaser puzzle of moving all the now separated mobs through the yards to wherever they need to be without muddling any up! 

(Out of the yards)

And all this before they even get to the shearing shed and they really hate going in there!

The actual shearing starts at 7am. This means getting up to the shed, ready to work before 7. Initially I had to sweep the entire shed out because it obviously hadn’t been done since the last shearing.

My job was to try and act as rouseabout, aka, remove the fleece and sweep after each sheep. Now there’s a particular way to pick up and throw a fleece. You supposedly hold the two back legs in your thumb and forefinger, gather the rest of it with your other fingers and there you go. In theory you can hold an entire fleece in just your fingers and throw it perfectly spread on the table. I cannot.

The fleece gets thrown on the table for the classer to grade the quality of the wool, the fleece gets rolled up and put into a press and sixty or so fleeces get pressed into a bale.

Dirty wool (stain) gets bundled into one ‘bin’, sweepings off the floor into another and the ‘skirts’ (lower quality bits from the edge of the fleece) in another. The bellies are shorn off first and separated. And on goes the process, with the pens being filled when necessary, a job just as difficult as getting the sheep into the shed in the first place.

At 5pm the shearers leave and I carry on working. I have to bale up all the aforementioned wool in the separate bins in the press, sweep out the shed and take the sheep back to whichever paddocks they need to be in. Shearing day was a long day for me.

Oh and not to forget trying to keep the alpaca somewhere out of the way all the time too!

2 Weeks Trundle By... (Jan 28th- Feb 10th)

So as the title kinda states... a rundown on my first 2 weeks working at Wallendbeen, NSW.

Well to go right back to the start... it took 4hour on the train to get here!! Since then that really doesnt feel like all that much, but at the time it felt like a long time! 4hours and still in the same state, just didn't seem right. You could get from one side of the UK to the other in that time and in the grand scheme of New South Wales even, I hadn't travelled very far!

Upon getting here, nothing was quite as I expected. For a start there are no calves to bottle feed (as my job description stated). There's sheep, a lot of sheep... On a little farm of 1500acres (considered very small). The garden is about 5acres!

The countryside around here is rolling hills and paddocks (not fields), not altoghether disimilar to home except it seems to stretch forever and it is nowhere near as green. The grass is a kind of burnt yellow and actually it's a lot more rolling than being back in Wales. There's no steep valleeys like at home, maybe Cambridgeshire countryside is more comparable but it's still so much more vast!
The paddocks (hundreds of acres each) are littered with rocks; huge ones, worn smooth; looking like they've been dropped at random.
I guess people out here don't realise how incredible their 'boring' countryside is to someone whose fields are square, muddy and completely grassy green.

The family I'm working for are David and Gen, with twins Charlie and Henry, Gus (in Ireland) and Rosie. My first day here David took me around some of their land. I couldn't remember where I'd been directly after going. And I was no better later in the week!

Evenings are currently occupied watching cricket and tennis. I have never been interested in cricket at all before but I'm actually quite enjoying it, as long as they don't wear the cricket whites! Think I'll support Australia!

My actual job here aparently consists of odd jobs, nothing very definate at all, just anything that needs doing. In the first two weeks I've; built chairs, cleaned sheds, cleaned vehicles, fixed machinery, built fences... It's very much 'if it needs doing, I'll do it!' But it's varied and not boring!
In just the 2 weeks the gloves I was given for fencing are full of holes; they were freebies with dog food so I can't expect much... and I've seen some wildlife. We spotted a couple of kangaroos out in the paddock... no camera of course! and I've seen one of the most poisonous snakes out here just slithering through the garden!

I've got a general daily routine established: I get up, turn off the water pump and back in for breakfast at 7.30 (guarenteed to be first up). I then feed the horses; an ex-racehorse (Crown) and a pony very similar too Harry but a bit bigger (Buddy). Then the day progresses in the fore mentioned jobs. On completion I feed the 10 dogs and the horses and turn the pump on... simple!

Possibly the scariest bit of my first 2 weeks was being left on my own for the weekend. Not scary in itself but considering the weather was boiling hot, at least 40' and had been for weeks, there was a high risk of bushfires and I'm on my own with what felt like a thunderstorm brewing! If lightning were to hit before the rain... FIRE!!! Don't think I've ever been so glad to see just a few drops of rain... no storm though =(