Saturday 16 March 2013 - Mittiebah Station NT

Saturday 16 March 2013 - Mittiebah Station

Yesterday, we finally crossed the border and are now finally residing in the Territory! It was a massive day’s drive, I think we left around 8:30am and didn’t arrive until well after 6pm. We had to retrace our steps eastward back out towards Gregory Downs and then south towards the turn-off for the highway, which was about 70km east of Camooweal. Most of this was pretty rough dirt track. Then we travelled west along the Barkly Highway, crossing the border (woohoo!) and finally turned north, hitting more dirt road, although this one was in much better condition. After about 160km we reached our destination, Mittiebah Station – what a relief! Danielle, who we’d called just before lunchtime to tell her we were on our way, said she was starting to get worried because it was getting late and we still hadn’t arrived. As the crow flies, we hadn’t come that far, but the only public access was via the route we took (there's another track through an Aboriginal reserve that would have taken us straight there, but you need permission to drive it). So we literally had travelled in every direction, on black-top, red dirt and black soil (which isn’t fun in the wet, as some of the people here can attest!), all in a day’s work (well, for us, play)!

Woohoo - we're in the Territory (we had to double back to get this photo, Glenn was going to drive right past the sign)

The speed limit here (can you see how hot it is?) - if only our rig could handle that kind of pace!

The scenery varied significantly on the drive, with lots of red dirt hills and green scrub around Lawn Hill, plenty of creek crossings (many dry), the occasional herd of cattle and a few roos. The road in off the Barkly (Ranken Rd if you want to look on a map) is really stark and flat, a great big plain of pretty much nothing. As we got closer to the homestead, more trees and scrub popped up and we even saw a few plains turkeys. 

When we finally climbed out of the car, we received a warm welcome and offered a cold drink – there’s nothing quite like country hospitality. Danielle showed us a few grassy spots to set up the camper and Glenn got to work while I enjoyed a cold glass of white wine, I mean supervised the children. We had a bit of a chat with the folk who work here and then it was time for the kids to go to bed. Danielle had given us use of the ensuite at the girls’ quarters (the jillaroo and governess) and after I’d brushed my teeth I stayed and chatted to them for a while. Again, it was nice to have female company but also fascinating to hear about their lives, both here and where they grew up in Dunnedoo.

This morning we were treated to a cook-up by the girls (not at the usual time of 4:30am but at a much more sociable 8am) which everyone came to and we chatted to the staff a bit more. Everyone here is really lovely. Danielle and her husband Marty, who’s the station manager, do a terrific job and it’s easy to see they’re well-respected and that everyone enjoys working (and playing) here. Yasmin and Sienna are having a ball playing with their kids (Tom 8, Harry 6 and Clancy 20 months – only a week older than Sienna) and I’m enjoying the air conditioning that runs 24/7 in all the enclosed buildings! 

After breakfast, Danielle showed me around while Glenn got stuck into a few electrical jobs for them. He’s fixed the light in the dining room, is working on the coldroom and there’s a few dodgy air cons he’s going to look at as well. On my tour, I was really impressed by the schoolroom (a great big caravan that has stacks of resources – probably more than some classrooms!) and the beautiful house Danielle and Marty have. Yasmin and Sienna were quite excited to see the girls on the horses as they were getting ready to head out on a ride. The heat is creeping up but there’s plenty of shade available and as I mentioned, air con is everywhere if we need a break from it.