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This morning we were treated to eggs and on the barbie, and I got the added protein of thick slabs of bacon to go with my eggs. We talked over the plans for the day; Dana was ready to head to Sydney that afternoon or evening, but Stephen was insisting we stay another day. I was in Stephen’s camp as I had some work to do on the bikes and leaving in the afternoon would put us in Sydney at night — much harder to get your bearings in the dark. In the end, Stephen won her over however reluctantly. She finished her breakfast and headed out for a run! Another positive was that we’d get to do some more cattle herding.
Stephen and I headed to the garage to attempt to repair Dana’s rear rack which had a broken lower pannier rail. It wasn’t a game-ender as there was a secondary rail higher up, but it would make for a better balanced bike. It is an aluminum rack and Stephen tried to braze it on with a torch, but it wasn’t enough heat, so we abandoned that effort. I kept working on the bikes, doing some needed brake and shifter adjustments, lubing chains and derailleurs, and cleaning them up a bit after 5 weeks of touring. In the meantime, Dana finished her run and coaxed Stephen into a cool-down walk with her.
Then it was time to head back to the pastures and move the heifers from the paddock next to their calves to one further afoot. We could hear them mooing to each other from Stephen’s place a good 3/4 mile away. The first paddock we went through was huge and we were moving them to a gate about 1/2 way through that field. Being herd animals, once you got a few going, the rest tended to follow, but there was one stubborn individual who kept going back and evading both Stephen and Tic/Dana in their ATVs. John and I got involved at the end once they got her closer to the gate trying to cut her off from escaping again. Finally, all the heifers were in the new paddock.
A bit about John John and I went into that paddock to check out a water tank that was leaking. John had worked as a marine diver at the Great Barrier Reef and knew quite a bit about how to fix leaky things. The tank was galvanized steel with a concrete lining and bed, and rust had taken it’s toll. John’s take on this one was that it’s time was over and it would need to be replaced — cheaper than any attempt to try to repair it. The replacement would be polyethylene — easy to put in and rustproof. While we were driving through the fields (and later on Tic’s front porch) I also heard about John’s other work and experiences. He was currently rebuilding an old warehouse in Sydney — a job that he was doing mostly alone and which he preferred (and let’s just say there are 7+ decades behind him). Big stuff too, like replacing the ends of the many original wooden beams that had been encased in cement and so poorly placed that rain water eventually rotted the ends of most of them. The place was in danger of falling down, but his work will keep it viable and even more so holding up tons of a new cement floor. That’s a pretty short synopsis of the work, but let’s just say, it was an impressive story.
We hung with Tic and John a little longer then went back to Stephens where we started packing up for our trip to Sydney tomorrow, and got cleaned up for dinner at Tic’s.
A bit about Tic Tic’s story is a wonder in itself. His family was always in the cattle business and he himself was a sheep farmer. Sometime back, a friend of his was working with the production of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome — the one with Tina Turner, and 300 pigs! The friend called Tic in to consult on how to handle the pigs and Tic told them they were doing it all wrong. He made suggestions and as we all know, the movie got made. He turned that experience into a 30 year career doing production and location management for a number of movies you’re probably familiar with including Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Mission Impossible and many others. He kept the ranch going with the help of Gary and now, Stephen who helps out when Tic is traveling or at his house in Sydney. (Gary has since passed on: cancer 😔).
At one point, I walked back to Stephen’s to get us our long sleeve shirts — it was bit chilly out after the sun went down. I was treated to a field full of kangas — and managed to get a quick video before they hightailed it back into the bush. And, of course, more stargazing.
We spent that evening having refreshments and appetizers on Tic’s veranda with Tic, John, Jilly, and Stephen. Tic and Jilly disappeared for a bit and then invited us in for a dinner that they had just whipped up in that short time.
A bit about Jilly Jilly is a cancer survivor who started Lifeforce Cancer Foundation which provides a range of psychological support to cancer patients. She was using her time in Coolah to work on opening offices in nearby towns to better support the rural communities in NSW.
We shared more stories with this varied and interesting group of people, drank more wine, and had a lovely time on our last evening in Coolah.
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