It is strange to believe that almost six months has already gone by (since the start of this trip), as it seems like it was just yesterday that I arrived in New Zealand. I have learnt a lot about the culture, history, traditions and of course dairy farming in New Zealand. I have seen most of the country and met a lot of great people and made friends that will last a lifetime.
Although I enjoyed my time on Kenmare Dairy I am excited to be leaving for Australia and starting the next phase of this adventure. Upon arrival in Australia I will be going on a three-week safari seeing a lot of the major sites.
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My placement in Australia is in Wandoan which is up in the Queensland area, about four hours northwest of Brisbane. This time I am on a ranch which is more suiting to my experience from back home in Canada. The station in Wandoan is approximately 3,000 hectares and runs Santa Gertrudis beef cattle, with approximately 150 breeding cows plus 200 commercial cows producing steers. At the station they grow feed sorghum and grazing oats. I was told most of the mustering is done on horseback which I am very excited for since I have really missed riding since leaving home!
I am extremely excited for this Australian placement and to see how they run their station compared to our ranches back home. I will also have the opportunity to compare some of their practices with those of New Zealand.
