The road to Wooleen was a red dirt road, but in very good condition and we enjoyed being off the main roads - we saw one car in 150 km.
We saw a few pretty wildflowers -
and a carpet of pink
A big goanna feeding on a dead kangaroo on the side of the road - it moved away as we approached.
Wooleen station was really interesting. The camp ground and facilities were very basic, but fine. There were 4 resident Kelpies which were a delight.
one was a brown version of Smokey!
and there were also some guinea fowl that visited each morning.
A Willie Wagtail had a nest in a tree right beside our van -
the babies actually left the nest while we were there.
There were two self-guided walks which provided some insight into the history and problems in farming those rangelands.This is the 'rest home' for their old cars...
The weather was hot, but we walked in the morning then drove about 12 km in the afternoon to the Murchison River which runs through the property. It only flows about 1 year in 10, but there are some waterholes...they look very pretty however they are stagnant and not suitable for a swim!
One night we went on a 'sunset tour' with Dave Pollock ...you might remember seeing him on Australian Story. He said he realised that what pastoralists in the area have been doing is unsustainable and that he and Frances are aiming to rehabilitate the land and then move on to sustainable beef production. (Wooleen is152,000Ha) He showed us various areas that had rehabilitated since de-stocking, and discussed the history of the property and the issues faced. We admired his appreciation of the big picture, and his deep understanding of the land.... an inspiration.
The tour finished with a climb up to the top of a rocky outcrop,
where there was a wonderful 360 degrees view
The end of a great day.
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