The Sheep Station Jundah

August 2025 

Finished up at Jundah and the Sheep Station at the end of July after doing another 5 weeks. Whilst not nearly finished the farmer needs a break to catch up with the main business, sheep. 

We had completed just about half of the boundary, the worst affected bit. But there is still many kilometres of fence still needing attention. The track around that part of the fence will need grading before vehicles can get there to do the repairs. In the meantime the sheep will be confined to the repaired area of the station. But my time there has ended, good luck for the future guys.

The replacement method for the washaways and flood gate replacement:

Build box assemblies to support the two ends of "good bits" of the existing fence welding 100mm bore drill pipe.

Tie of the existing fence to the assemblies and remove the old damaged fence.

Clear and level the fence line.

Run a suspension cable as sight wire and eventually the support for the mesh.

Lay out the 2.7m stem pipe posts and 1.35m butt pipe to be used as the fence posts and support.

Drive in all the posts, one meter into the ground with bobcat and post driver attachment.

Weld the support rod from the posts to the butts and suspend the cable on the posts.

Run out the 1.8m mesh.

Stand up the mesh and strain.

Tie off the mesh to the suspension cable every 50cm leaving an apron to curve along the ground.

Tie off the mesh to the stem pipe posts at the bottom with just a loop of wire that will give way with the next flood water.

With the right equipment, enough people, and no unforeseen complications, it was possible to do ~200m per day. Maintaining the integrity of the boundary overnight.

The Station - Week 3 and 4.

The Station - Week 3 and 4.

The team has changed over. The girls left heading south to continue their touring. Jun a Korean guy arrived late last week and has settled in. A few days later Lee another Korean guy joined us. So we are 3. 

Working some days with the station manager helping him with the dog fence, as his offsiders have had to leave. Other days we clean and refurb 4 foot fences. The work varies, it's good.

It took two days work for a 350m section of dog fence that required complete replacement. On the first day we pulled it down removed the pickets and towed the mesh away to reused as apron on another section. A new end assemble of bore pipe posts and rail was driven in and welded. The grader cleaned the fence line then a new fence was constructed. Not possible to finish in a day so the mesh was stood up with just a few posts for overnight.

Day two on the fence saw us driving in the rest of the bore pipe posts and weld in the stays to a short butt post 2 meters upstream from the next flooding waters. The theory being the stays will help support the fence posts during the high current running hopefully under the 2 meter mesh. The mesh is twitched to a 12mm cable strung from the end assemblies and can swing up during the flooding, supposedly. 

So by the end of day two we had driven in about 100 bore pipe posts and stays, welded the stays to the fence posts and butts and run out about 4 ton of mesh from the back of the truck and twitched the mesh to the support cable every 50cm. Good job done by all. Long days but rewarding. No sheep escaped and no dogs got through.

A wild dog probably chased this one
into a panic and the fence.

The old fence has got to go!

Nice clean fence line.

The mesh all 6 tons of it.

The loader holds the strain
whilst we get to and stand it up.

An example of the stay and butt support
system for the high dog fence posts.

The Sheep Station (week 2)

There were initially 6 on us here on The Station, not a good number as we have but one car. After a couple of days, and a team meeting, the Australian couple travelling together decided they would move to another farm to help out there. Works for all of us. 4 is good for tools and car transport reasons. So me and a Korean, French and Canadian girl are the team at the moment. We work well together and getting the job done.

Settled in to a regular routine working from the shearing quarters 5km from the homestead. It's closer to the fences that need attention. First up was the laneway feeding the shearing shed. Then working our way out to the boundaries and wild dog exclusion fencing. 

The 'dog fence' requires heavy machinery as it stands well over 2 meters tall and has serious end and strainer assemblies that our gear is not capable of handling. We are talking trucks, bob cat and a heavy loader. But we get to fit off the ring-lock mesh to the upper support cables and twitch the bottom and apron mesh to the bore pipe housing used as posts. These post have stays and welded supports to guard against the next flood event. At the base of the fence an apron extends out a meter or two along the ground to stop the dogs attempting to dig under the fence.

The two weeks so far have been punctuated by a Sunday trip to the Yaraka Pub for a BA lunch and food delivery pick-up. Also the Longreach show where the guys went into town for the night to see what living and socialising is like for the locals living in the country.

Twitching tool that twists a wire loop
quick and easy 

Extra high crossing a washaway

Did I mention the ever present flies? 

I love big machines doing the BIG work

and even smaller ones

BlazeAid Helping at Jundah

The camp was moved from Blackall to Jundah to be closer to the action. Stopped for a night at Isisford on the way to Jundah. Isisford, always a popular stop for me, was very quiet. It would seem "The Grey" don't know its back open for business. The tracks down by the Barcoo have been graded and all looks as it should again but there were just two others camping.

Got to Jundah next day to find a small camp in the process of getting established and only a handful of volunteers camping at the town CP and gathering in the local hall for meeting and meals. 

Cleaning dog fence

Travelled out to two different jobs both over a 100km away, mostly working on boundary dog fences, that being the top priority.

Then agreed to go on-farm to stay instead of driving so far each day. This looks to be the logical way to do the work in this region. So headed to The Station to join 5 other Vols. The property is about 100km east of Stonehenge on 4x4 roads good enough for my 2x4 front wheel drive vehicle but only whilst the conditions are dry. There were a few washaways but at the right speed, no problem.

The Station's next muster will be in September and will give a better indication of stock loss. They were running 10,500 Merino sheep.  But in the meantime the focus is getting the fences back up. Matt the manager is using a grader to ready other fence lines whilst the 6 of us, BA Vols, clear and stand fences closer to the homestead. We have been doing laneway fencing that feeds the shearing shed 5km away from the homestead. All the distances are big here.

The yellow sign says
 "Hit the Skids not the Kids"

A welcome sign after 80km of dirt-
 not far now.

The daily ride to check
fences, stock and for mustering.

BlazeAid Stanthorpe

 September - Stanthorpe BA

Only photos this time.

Creek crossing and flood gates.

The hill top in the middle of the farm.

Gullies on the flat.

Get the fence over the hill.

Cut your own round post strainers
 then bark them and dig them in.

But dig out the old one first.

August 2024

Stanthorpe BA August 2024

After a break, we’re back at Bungulla Farm, diving into the next phase of the fencing project. The electric fencing is nearly complete in the main area of the farm anyway.  Our focus has now shifted to tackling the remote boundary fences and the rugged terrain behind Red Hill.

Here, the granite belt lies just beneath the topsoil, making it difficult or near impossible to dig in round post strainers. Instead, we’re resorting to a method of securing the fence by drilling and hammering railway spikes into larger trees. This approach is labour-intensive and slows progress, especially since we have to carry tools and materials by hand due to the steep, wooded terrain and multiple creek crossings. Replacing flood gates at these crossings adds another layer of complexity, but we’re managing.

The farm's wildlife provides both beauty and a few headaches. Kangaroos are a common sight in the paddocks, while wild pigs and rabbits leave their mark with burrows that can be hazardous. Long grass and hidden holes pose a risk to both humans and vehicles, we’ve been fortunate to avoid major incidents so far.

One of the highlights of our routine is the vibrant community of backpackers we work with. Each Saturday night, a different nation takes the helm to cook a traditional dinner for the group. With an average of 35-40 people to feed, this is no small task! The diversity of the group is remarkable—at our roll call, we’ve had representatives from 14 different countries.

Backpackers generally stay for 88 days to qualify to extend their working holiday visas, so we frequently see new faces as some depart and others arrive. Despite the turnover, these new volunteers pick up skills and contribute to the fencing operations. 

New creek flood gate.

Stanthorpe Fires

Stanthorpe June 2024

Back in October 2023 bush fires raged along the boarder between Qld and NSW. Early in 2024 BlazeAid setup a camp at the showgrounds at Stanthorpe. That camp still continues but is now located at the Fred Rogers council facilities at Storm King Dam about 10km out of town.

Work continues on farms in the area as well as some farms an hours drive away. The camp has a majority of backpacker working for meals, accommodation and to qualify for a holiday visa extension to extend their stay, in Australia. People come and go but generally there are about 40~50 in camp at any one time, maybe 75% backpackers.

I've been working on a farm south of Tenterfield where the they lost 95% of the fences but the fire fighters saved the 2 sheds and the house. The farmer got up and running again by quickly erecting temporary fences on the property. We have removed the temporary fencing and put in place a permanent electric fencing system where one energizer, centrally located, is serving all the fences on the property. After 5 weeks we have used over 5km of new wire, hundreds of pickets, fitted insulators, and trenched many gate openings as well as the normal fencing stuff like mounting gates and building end assemblies. 

BPs trenching the electric cable under a gate opening

After improving the creek crossing with bricks a
great place for smoko.

Daintree - Cane Mill Mossman

 Working to lock up a farm on the main road. When that's finished moving on to a fence between a swampy area and cane cultivation. Cattle need to be contained. Difficult terrain. The farmer explains the access tracks were solid before the cyclone and then the flood dumped several hundred millimetres of river silt everywhere and turned the tracks into mud baths. The silt is not going to be good for ongoing cultivation. 

The 4x4 does OK until the land slopes, then its slip sliding down the slope and "where is that tractor"?

The viability of the cane is uncertain as the mill in Mossman may not open again. The value of a cane crop depends on the cost associated with harvest and transport. But if there is no mill in Mossman the transport cost escalate sharply. It's not looking good for the district if the mill closes. Lots of jobs will be lost. On this farm the cane may not be harvested, just ploughed back in and the cultivation converted for cattle.

ABC News Mossman Mill

Hot, humid and wet

Daintree Village Far North Queensland

Daintree Village FNQ 

Extract from Douglas Shire Council public notice:

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper made landfall on December 13, 2023 but it was the associated weather event that followed which had devastating consequences for the Douglas Shire.

3.2 metres of rain was recorded in less than a week and a total of 4.2 metres in the space of two months.

The entire Shire was impacted with major flooding, landslips, overnight evacuations, homes destroyed, water infrastructure, and roads collapsing.

https://douglas.qld.gov.au/cyclone-jasper/    Cyclone Jasper

Blaze Aid started a camp in the new year at the community oval and began repairing farm fences. The camp running with mostly backpackers. The conditions are not the best but everyone is pitching in. Tents are set up in the community hall and meals come out of a very basic kitchen. All the cooking and cleaning is done by the backpackers. There are no service clubs in Daintree Village, its a very small community.

The facilities at the camp are basic. Men have a shower setup in the public toilet block, the urinal area as it has a floor waste, and with a portable camping gas shower connected to the handbasin tap. Fortunately a warm shower is good enough in this weather. Whilst the ladies have a bush dunny looking tin-hut to shower in.  The basic kitchen has only one sink with just a cold water tap. All the hot water comes from an electric jug. But as I say everyone is pitching in and I've not heard a word of discontent.

I arrived in April and the weather, hot, humid and wet. Being rained-off happens all too often as does getting bogged in the paddocks. The work is dirty and difficult. Gumboots everyday. 

At the moment the camp has about 18 backpackers, an experienced camp co-ordinator from WA and now me. Tools and trailers are adequate but there are only two cars. Getting people to the fence line is a daily issue. 

Clear sky but still water everywhere

No work today

Bogged yet again

At least they are dry

Miriam Vale BA

Miriam Vale is about 375km north of Maroochydore. New BA camp opened and needed volunteers so for just a couple of days I went north.

Large farms and small 'blockers' been hit by a fast moving hot fire. Nothing new here more blackened paddocks some somewhat inaccessible and a dozer needed to clean access first.

Walking the track first is always a good idea. Down the gully, up the other side, then stop before a sharp 3-point left turn at the top of the next incline or it's abandoning the car and trailer in the bush and walking home.

Camera shot never looks as steep ;(

Lismore BlazeAid

September 2023

February-March 2022 flooding Lismore. 

This link leads to a good explanation of the flood.

VISUAL STORY - Anatomy of the Lismore disaster

https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2022/lismore-flooding/

On the 20th of September BlazeAid set up a camp at the Lismore Greyhound Racing Track to assist farmers yet to re-establish their fences. The Lismore Council arranged for the camp at the track and is supporting BlazeAid. 

Initially just a small group of us got the camp up and running before 2 teams of 4 started fencing the next week. Since then a good deal of fence line has been either repaired or replaced.

Volunteers are needed and the camp is expected to go for many months. Backpackers seeking 462 visa extension can qualify volunteering and working at this camp. Contact BlazeAid via their website. 

Driving around the district and especially the town it is a real eye opener to see the highwater marks on the building that have not been cleaned and are abandoned. Truly incredible!

The building at the Greyhound track is a fair indicator. The track will not operate again and the future the the 3 story building has not been determined. The water reached the top of the second floor trashing everything. But in the meantime its a good location as any for a BA camp.

Was once the betting ring at the track.

The track and buildings
 note the lights in the foreground

Assembling accommodation pods for backpackers

Miles BA.

 Of late I've helped out at a BlazeAid camp at Miles. 

Quick facts:

Miles is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Miles had a population of 1,746 people. (Wikipedia)

The work was rebuilding fences after a significant bush fire. As always dirty work. Lots of chainsaw work. But the side hustle for fires is the amount of timber requiring removal from the fence line.  Lots of fire wood for our nightly camp fire. 

And the boys got to play...

A chimney - hollow log

A candle - chainsaw prep

Yep, yet another fence photo.

Forbes controversy - Eugowra street art.

So I'm back in Forbes again after 12 months. More flood damage and more helping repair fences.

No boring flood damaged fences photos so please read on ;)

Took time off to check out the sculptures in town that caused all the controversy. Readers may recall the photos from the last trip here in January-March 2022 of the street art on The Lachlan Way Anyway these are in a park right in town and the article explains the level of feeling created by "The Pyramid"

Spent a week cleaning fences for a farmer a little south of Eugowra, the town that was nearly washed away by floods early in December last year. Like Rochester and Elmore caravans are in front of nearly every house in town.

Staying positive with my photos but you can click the link to check the extent of the disaster. 

As always click on a photo to enlarge.

Adelong and Lockington

Christmas and new years at Adelong, house sitting.

Early January developed itchy feet and looking for something rewarding, more BlazeAid. My usual fallback. Cootamundra camp was the closest but closing, Lockington a substitute. Easy drive to Wodonga for a free meal, over night stay, and a catchup with friends before heading on to Lockington in Victoria. Nice friendly little town with good community facilities. Arrived on Sunday and was out to work the next day. Weather, clear, dry, and HOT! Everyday this week nudging 40, with little or no breeze. Not good for sleeping at night either, the temperature very slow to fall to a comfortable level.

It's a longish drive each day to the jobs as the camp could not be located closer to the flooded farms. It seems lots of the town residents of Rochester and Elmore are now living in caravans in the local showgrounds. These folk have been flooded out of their homes.

First days out in the paddocks with just 4 volunteers doing a horse stud, building a pine post fence. Next couple of days on a larger farm cleaning and repairing. Most of the farms around here have concrete post fences that have been washed over by the flood waters. Difficult to stand up as the ground has dried out and now has a firm crust. This requires an auger for most posts before they can be moved. With the day time temps in the high 30s each day we start early and are back early giving us time to spend at the local community pool. Free entry and a great pool, for a small community. 

Volunteer numbers building as the camp at Cootamundra has closed and some of their people are coming here. Next couple of days with ten volunteers on to a new property by the Campaspe River and rail line. Big job just started before it got too hot. Be going back there lots of times to finish this farm. Not me after six days I'm going back to Adelong.

Lockington Pool.

Woolooga - Munna Creek

Woolooga BA camp will close at the end of this month.

As is often the case the hard jobs that have been avoided come to the top of the list toward the end. This one is a doozy!

The farmer tells us this part of the farm was leased to a cane farmer who walked away from the lease and the crop because of the flood.

Cows know no boundary and washed away fences need to be re-establish after the flood.

The farmer explains the creek is running strong at the moment but can be dry for extended periods and needs to be fenced. The creek is not always the boundary between the two properties and it something needs fences across as well.

These photos give an indication of the height and the ferocity of the flood waters.

Yep there is a fence down there.
And a creek crossing as well.

Wash-away just about to take the fence.

Same fence as above.
Cane crop left of screen.

There's a fence in there.

A fence in there - zoomed out.