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Caretaking 1 Million Acres - How To Get a Job Out Bush
The last few weeks on the Cattle Station in the Northern Territory were filled with a bunch of mixed emotions after we had to make the decision to finish our stay up here a little earlier than planned to get Kel's back sorted and get her some much-needed treatment. But even with that small hiccup, our experience to be able to trek up here and live for a few months in this part of the country has been absolutely amazing and we highly recommend it to everyone!
How did we get this job?
Well, it was as simple as joining a few Facebook groups like - Station/Farming Jobs Australia - Station Positions Northern Australia - Caretakers & Helpers for Rural & Remote Areas of Australia, which all have well over 20k to 70k members, made up of both employers and people seeking work. Well before we started our trek up to the N.T,. we put up a profile of us on a couple of these pages, with a brief description of our qualifications and work history and also the work and time frame we were chasing.
A good thing to note if you are seeking this kind of adventure, on a Cattle Station in particular, is that mustering in the north of Australia is usually governed by the Wet Seasons, meaning mustering will usually happen from April till November (or up until the first rains) and most Station Owners will like to lock in a crew well in advance of the start of the season. Your ability to commit to a full season will be a huge bonus point when employers are considering you.
Other than Facebook there is dedicated websites for Rural employment such as -
We personally haven't used these, but I've heard the Ringer-From-The-Top-End website is the more preferred for Cattle station work.
Approach -
Once we put the feelers out, we got swamped with job offers from all over the country for a range of different rolls. We had to filter out the ones that weren't going to work for us due to either the location or the position offered, and it came down to 2 or 3 in the end.
Be sure to kindly reply to all who have offered you work, even if it's something you're not interested in. This helps the employer move on quickly to their next choice and ensures you aren't wasting their time. Remember, even though they may be very spread out around the country, Farmers know Farmers and you don't want to burn bridges in this industry.
Good communication once you've found a position is key, so organise with the employer to do a phone call or video chat.
Write down questions to ask and make sure you 100% you know what you're getting yourself in to. Location, wages, hours and job description are good ones to clarify.
We are fortunate to have previously worked on a Cattle Station in FNQ many moons ago, so we had a bit of an idea on the job role we wanted. Kel & I are in a position these days where we don't have to solely work for the highest possible income and at most times we'll put "life experiences" well in front of any monetary gains. We also knew that roles in the farming industry don't usually work off the typical workday structure eg: 10hr days or 5-day weeks. It is usually the old classic 'sun up till sun down' and weekends don't mean shit! It is very common to work not only weeks but even months straight with minimal to no days off. So, with that in mind we sought out a job share/caretaking role which would allow us to share the workload between us both and also give each other the opportunity to get out around the station a bit more if we weren't both working our own full-time roles. It also gives the employer the added bonus of an extra hand when needed!
Income -
From our experience at the farms and stations we've worked on, and from knowing other people who have worked the farming industry, station work will usually pay on a day or weekly rate. Most are a day rate, and this is set depending on your skill set and role. To give you an idea of wages, Kel & I were job sharing the Cooks position along with Caretaking, we were paid $220 per day for the role plus diesel. All remote positions will usually come with board and keep along with meals provided but it is a good idea to clarify what the arrangement is. Sometimes there may be a higher daily rate paid, however there is a deduction then made for food and accommodation provided.
A good thing to remember is that even though pay rates are usually less than most workplaces, you'll have bugger all time to spend it anyway and your living expenses are almost nil!
Station Roles -
There is a range of jobs you can do on most Stations and the great thing is that not all need you to have any sort of farming background or experience. The typical ones are -
Ringer or Jackaroo/Jillaroo - this role is the most common and can be also known as a Station-Hand. It varies far and wide on what that job involves, as each property operates differently. Tasks will usually include riding horses or 2 wheelers to muster cattle, bike and horse maintenance, fencing, drafting cattle and everything in-between.
Bore Runner - on most stations water is everything, so a Bore Runner's role is exactly that, checking and maintaining water bores, being either solar, wind or diesel pumps. Usually, you'll also be expected to clean and maintain water trough's, snd most likely be putting out lick for cattle along the way, depending on the country and time of year. Other tasks could involve fencing and helping out with mustering. Good role for someone who can fix things with minimal parts & tools.
Station Cook - The job title speaks for itself, though there can be many variables. You are usually the last to finish work for the day, and in some places, you're the first one up as well. We've enjoyed this role on both stations we've worked but they have both been completely different in terms of facilities, crew sizes and work structure. Cooking for a crew of a dozen or more is common, and there have been times that we have cooked for 30 plus crew! Managing food stocks and meal planning is a must along with some general cooking skills. The main thing is that you have to be able to feed classic hearty meals to hard workers. It doesn't have to be fancy, you just need to be able to change it up and work with a lot of beef!
Also good to remember is that in an environment like this, every crew member looks forward to the end of the day, when they can take their boots off, maybe enjoy a nice cold beer and have a tasty meal. It is something of a moral booster for them and is also rewarding for the cook. We learnt very early on at our first station that the cook often sets the mood for the whole crew. If they rock up to a kitchen with a moody cook who acts like they couldn't care less about the food, that will ripple through everyone else's attitudes to their work and won't be fun for anyone!
Mechanic - Think McGyver... This is one of the roles you'd have to have some sort of background. I was the mechanic on our first station years back, and it was a great experience. Even though I have a mining background, I had the skillset to work out most tasks - and for everything else, there's not much that you can't learn how to do on YouTube 😂 This job would be ideal for someone with a diesel mechanic qualification, but if you're useless at thinking outside the box and working under pressure, this is not the role for you, no matter how good you are at swinging spanners. Equipment to work on ranges from motorbikes to graders, generators to lawnmowers. It's a farm and it's remote something always needs fixing and you will NEVER be bored!
Governess or Nanny - If you like kids (farm kids are the coolest!) then this could be your calling. Stations are obviously remote, and if the owners or managers have little tackers, then they'll usually be doing some sort of home schooling/ school of the air in their primary age years. This role usually assists the parents with not only helping look after the kids but also some household chores and upkeep of the Homestead. You would likely have to have a police clearance and any working with kids or first aid qualifications would be a bonus. The bonus about this role is it gives people the opportunity to experience the "outback" if some where a bit reluctant to take up a more intense roll like a Ringer or Bore Runner. It is also well suited for a couple to both work 2 full-time roles in the one place. The station we have just finished working on are currently on the search for a govy for next year, so if anyone is interested, let us know and we can put you in touch.
Please Note - With the above information, you need to realise that working on stations and most farming roles, you will have to be flexible. Work hours and days WILL change and often things don't go to plan. Your role can literally change from one day/hour to the next then back again. If you like a set structure and routine style role, this is NOT for you but if you want an adventure and to test your skills/limits, then definitely give it crack!
It might sound corny but the saying - It's not a job, it's a lifestyle - fits all roles on remote Stations. You become a family and all work together, wherever the work is needed. To give you an example, we've had days as Station Cooks that are 5.30am start, load 6 decks of cattle onto a truck in the dark, get back to the kitchen to cook smoko, mow lawns, prepare lunch then load another 6 decks of cattle, prepare dinner, go for a quick pig hunt before dark, serve dinner at 7pm, cleanup kitchen, water vege patch and relocate 3m Olive Python... Then the next day will be completely different.
The bonus is you'll meet some of the hardest working, salt of the earth people, that will likely end up being mates for life from a world you never knew existed. I guarantee you'll come out the other end a different/better person.
For me it is Work Ethic. I look back on so many days from our times on Stations and see what can be achieved in 1 day and how hard everyone works. Even listening to the crew at dinner talk about what they have been up to for the day would make me realise I can push myself harder and achieve more.
I also think I speak for both of us and say that another bonus is Isolation. We have talked about this in previous blogs posts but we both are quite content with our own company for months on end. It's definitely a strange and rare scenario that most people in their lives will never experience but I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance!
As always, we are more than happy to try to answer any questions you might have, so feel free to drop us a line at trekcamphunt@oldmateadventures.au
Cheers again for the support guys!
Much Love,
Team Jelly
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