Holidays and a New Toy!
After a rough couple of years, we decided it was time to pack up the camper and take a much-needed three-week trip to Mackay and back. Sounds easy enough if you live in town — not quite as simple when you’ve got a farm and 33 mouths to feed twice a week in the middle of winter. Thankfully, we’re lucky to have great neighbours and an aunty who was willing to house-sit. That made things a lot easier.
Before we could hit the road, though, a few jobs had to be ticked off — and a few unexpected hurdles popped up along the way. Here’s how it went…
Feed for Three Weeks
Because we use rotational grazing and have smaller paddocks, we needed to open up enough gates to give the cows and calves access to sufficient green feed for the time we’d be away. We also had to install a couple of extra gates along the fencelines to prevent animals getting stuck in separate paddocks — a cow in one and her calf in another was not a risk we wanted to take.
Hay Organisation
We stacked the hay neatly in the shed so our neighbour could easily access it to feed out a few bales each week. The plan was to let him use our tractor, making the process straightforward. But of course, Murphy’s Law came knocking. On the Saturday before our departure, the front tyre on the tractor went flat. After a few choice words, we made a mad dash to Trafalgar and pulled into the tyre shop with just five minutes to spare. Luckily, the team at John Brown Tyres stayed back and kindly replaced the tube for us.
Tagging and Marking Calves
We had two late-born calves that still needed to be tagged and marked. The plan was simple: bring them down to the yards the day before we left, do the job, and return everyone to the fresh paddock that would be home while we were away.
All was going smoothly. The cattle moved calmly through the yards and we separated the two calves without fuss. The first calf was done in no time. But the second had other ideas. Let’s just say he wasn’t too keen on becoming a steer. In the commotion, he managed to puncture his leg and there was blood everywhere.
We raced to the house, grabbed bandages and managed to stop the bleeding. At that point, it felt like the holiday was over before it had even begun. But after a call to the vet, we were reassured. We were advised to leave the bandage on for a few hours, then remove it. The clot should hold. We followed the advice and all looked well — he just needed daily monitoring for any swelling or signs of infection.
Holiday Back On Track
The aim of the trip was to get to Mackay to visit Will’s mum. We planned to camp up the East Coast and then come home through the middle of the country. But as luck would have it, 600mm of rain was forecast for parts of New South Wales the very week we’d be travelling through. Plans changed quickly.
We started off with dinner at the Marlo Pub, then stayed in a cabin at Bemm River Caravan Park. From there, we headed up to Batemans Bay and camped at the Red Gum campground — a beautiful spot on the Clyde River with some very friendly possums dropping by at night.
Next stop was Umina. The rain had started to fall, so we stayed in a cabin. Umina is a great spot with kid-friendly beaches, and if we’d had more time, we would’ve tried fishing. After Umina, we made it to Ballina and managed to get past the worst of the NSW rain.
Day Five: Seaworld and a Marathon
We timed our Seaworld visit perfectly — or so we thought. As we came through the Gold Coast, we ran straight into the marathon. Navigating a LandCruiser and camper trailer through the backstreets of the Goldie is not ideal, but we made it, only an hour behind schedule.
After Seaworld, we pushed on to Childers, a charming Queensland town full of character, boutique shops and stunning old Queenslander homes. The next day we did a quick stop at Bundaberg for a rum tour before heading to Rockhampton, where we stayed at the historic Criterion Hotel. The building is stunning and we were told the Queen herself once stayed there.
By the next day, we’d made it to Mackay for some much-needed rest.
The Trip Home
After three relaxing days in Mackay, we headed inland to Longreach for two nights of camping at Goodberry Hills Broadwater Campground. This place was a highlight. The sunsets from the private lookout were incredible, and we even tried our luck fossicking for fossils and catching yabbies. We also visited the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame — a must-see if you’re in the area.
Our next stop was Roma, where we toured Australia’s largest saleyards. Thankfully there was no sale on that day, or Sarah might’ve tried to bring something home.
Then it was on to Grawin, near Lightning Ridge, where we stayed two nights at the Glengarry Hilton. The locals were some of the friendliest and most entertaining we’ve met. The bush pub was a real gem, and there was plenty to do around Lightning Ridge — we even found a few opals.
After Grawin, we headed to Dubbo for a cabin and a much-needed shower, then continued on to Tawonga to visit Sarah’s family. After two more restful days (and a little bit of milking), we headed home.
We returned to find everything in good order. All animals were upright and healthy, and both Aunty and dog were happy to see us. We had time for a quick shower before heading off to Will’s dad’s 60th birthday — a night that finished with more than a few celebratory drinks.
The New Toy
Before the trip, we’d been eyeing off an upgrade to our old tractor. Eventually we came across a reasonably priced McCormick CX85, and it fits the bill perfectly. It’s got the power we need and a bit more comfort for those long, cold winter jobs.
