‘Ride ‘em Cowboy…’

The Oz experience is a pretty good way to get you up (or down) the East Coast of Australia. It’s a hop-on-hop-off service, meaning that you can get off wherever you want and stay there for however long you want, calling them up the day before you want to leave to get on the next bus out (of course do this sooner in high season or you might be trapped for a while. All of the people on the bus are like minded travellers, and the drivers try and make this as enjoyable as they can. Included in the price of the bus ticket (which varies depending on the kind of package that you buy) are several activities you can do as you go like surfing, lawn bowels (!) and the Kroombit Cattle Station.

Me and Pipsie

If anyone has watched any kind of cowboy film, then you will know what I am talking about. Kroombit is in the middle of nowhere (so remote in fact that in 1995 they found and downed WW2 plane that had been ‘missing’ since 1946, it was apparently not in any way hidden, it was just that no one walked past it in almost 50 years) and the people who work on this farm (made up of both locals and backpackers working for accommodation… as a cowboy!) spend their days moving goats around the enormous expanse of land they own and cracking whips.

When you come here, you get to share in that experience. I can now say that I can ride a horse!

The beauty of being a Cowboy

There are so many different things you can do at this place. Quad biking, Horse riding, Goat Mustering, Shooting and there is something called a goat rodeo, that everyone gets involved in at the end of the day, which constitutes of dragging a goat out of its pen, lifting and turning it over and simulating the branding on their arses (of course we were only using a rod painted red at the end). It’s a lot of fun!

Then the winners of the goat rodeo (depending on the time it took you to brand your goat) choose either ‘the circle of love’ or ‘the ring of fire’. For us it was ‘the ring of fire’, which turned out to be all twenty of us standing in a circle holding hands while our guide stuck a cattle prod into someone on the other side of the circle, sending 11,000 volts (apparently) through us all. I find myself wanting to know what ‘the circle of love’ my have included. He then asked for volunteers to have the rod put directly on them. Being who I am, I stepped up and he promptly stuck the rod on my bare stomach. Poor cows.

In the evening, there’s a buffet dinner (there’s a lot of these up the East Coast), whip cracking lessons and a Bucking Bronco. It’s hard to believe that just over a week ago I was in the concrete jungle of Sydney.

It’s starting to get hotter as well, and yet this is still winter over here. I can’t imagine what summer is like.

Matt M

STA UK WTI 2010

Breakfast with a real life Cowboy...

Leaving University Round 1

After three years at Exeter Uni it was always going to be a strange experience leaving. When I found out about STA I immediately knew that the whole process of saying goodbye was going to be condensed down into less than 3 weeks. Earlier today I left for the first time…

I had a meeting with STA the day after I left, and was meeting Becky for the first time (both of which I was looking forward to massively!) so I headed back to London. My dad arrived with the car and we set about stacking everything I own into it. I am going back at the weekend for a four-day long goodbye bender but this was the best time to get all my crap out of my room! Even though I know I am going back in 4 days, it’s still a little emotional saying goodbye to something that has been your life for 3 years.

Making some treats

Drinks on the Beach

Sunday, being the hottest day of the year so far (until Monday…), I went to Exmouth beach for a good 8 hours. Had a BBQ, got burnt, and had a few beers. The sky was blue all day, not a cloud in the sky, and we all stayed there until the sun almost went down. It was a great way to spend one of the last days I would be spending in Exeter as a Student. I bought a frisby at the beginning of the day with all the best intentions… note to self, never buy a frisby for 99p, it’s not worth it. After burning nicely, a friend went and got a nice colourful umbrella to sit under, prompting a small kid to look at us and say “you know it’s not raining right?”…

Something for the Burn

After watching the sun (almost) set, we piled into the cars, and spent the half hour journey back singing along to likes of MJ, Backstreet Boys, Eurovision and Counting Crows. A brilliant end to a brilliant day.

Sunset at Exmouth

On getting back, we all separately went in search of aftersun…. turns out there is no where that sells aftersun at 9.30 in the evening on a sunday, who knew. Rough nights sleep ahead…

On Tuesday I headed into London for some STA fun times. Met up with the sister for some lunch and tried to get my bloody mac fixed with the apple geniuses (random crashes are the bane of my life), before going to meet Becky (first one to the meeting would be getting a free pint from the loser… I lost… good start)

After being plied with donuts we were given our cameras, phones and backpacks, and I started to get a little giddy. They told us all about the itinerary and what we might end up doing and I still couldn’t believe my ears… you will have to wait and see what I get up to!!

This weekend I head back to Exeter, and I cant wait to finish my university in style. in just over a week I head off, and there are so many things to look forward to, but it still means saying goodbye… I’ll let you know how it goes!

At UEA at the moment visiting the little sis for a couple of days as she can’t make it down before I head off, so expect some more photos of the celebratory kind!!

Still in the sea at 6.30

Until next time!

Matt

WTI 2010