It's hard to do justice to the beautiful Barossa Valley. One of the world's greatest wine regions, it is known for its food and wine and stunning scenery. It was raining most of today, but the glorious sight of low clouds misting verdant rolling hills in a series of foamy tendrils was mesmerising. Okay, I [...]
There has been a lot of dust flying over the last couple of weeks courtesy of numerous tractors, one grader and a road-train. We've been laser levelling the cotton country to allow for even irrigation once the crop is in the ground. Firstly the country is cultivated to [...]
Welcome to Julie Nixon of Chinchilla QLD. Julie runs Weetalabah Cattle Services and both my father and I are big fans of her Hereford Bulls. Knowing how busy Julie's day is she was an easy pick for the inspirational women series that I've been running over the last two months. Welcome Julie "It certainly [...]
Penny Blatchford, wife, farmer and accidental activist joins me to talk about Coal Seam Gas and farmers rights... or lack of. Can one early Sunday morning phone call really change the direction of your life? I guess looking back and reflecting on what was the trigger one simple act by someone that was unknown to [...]
I live on a station called Brunchilly Station, which is 5,136km square and holds 22,000 head of cattle. Brunchilly Station is in the middle of the Northern Territory, 1 ½ hours north of Tennant Creek which is our nearest small town. Brunchilly is one of fifteen properties owned by Sir Sidney Kidman & Co. My [...]
It is such an honour to have been invited by Nicole to contribute to her blog series on inspirational rural women. I sit here writing this post in an atmosphere where Australias first female Prime Minister was not long ago unceremoniously deposed, surrounded by a dark cloud of sexism, and talented sportswoman, Marion Bartoli, has [...]
500 communities, 1300 volunteers cris-crossing rural and remote Australia offering everything from diaster support to a friendly ear and a cuppa. Meet this week's inspiring woman, Davida Melksham of Outback Links. This Like so many other women who wear many hats, I often struggle to come up with a suitable introduction. Quite simply, it is [...]
There is something about mustering cattle that gets into your bones. The steady clop of hoofs, crisp winter mornings, the joy of working with animals and being out in the bush. Of course the romanticism can wear off pretty quickly when the temperture is at freezing level and a nasty southerly is ripping around your [...]
West Australian, Catherine Marriott heads Influential Women an organisation committed to creating conversations that connect urban and rural populations by building confidence, capacity and skills in people. Catherine's ability to embrace change at all levels and her passion for the agricultural industry makes her one of Australia's inspiring women. Unafraid of tackling the 'red hot' subjects [...]
Today we head south to Sydney to meet inspirational woman, Danica Leys. Last year Danica was awarded the NSW/ACT Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women's Award for her vision and commitment to a vibrant primary industries sector. Danica, a former agronomist, co-created AgChatOz, an online forum which discusses rural issues across Australia every tuesday night [...]