A farm stay was just what I needed after staying in the hostels for a few weeks. The shift from the towns into the bush was quick and dramatic. Thick greenery of the bush surrounds me as I travel the hour or so journey from Newcastle to Kooloomba with my farm Host Kevin whom I was going to be staying with for the foreseeable future.
The Lynch’s own a farm of about 2000 acres which has a reasonably sized herd of cows which are periodically moved from pasture to pasture allowing each to recover from the high impact style grazing that the cattle system is using. Motor bikes are used to move the herd about, horses are just kept for riding rather than working them with the cattle. The farm host both WOOFERS and Helpex helpers to support Kevin in his laid back style of daily work and duties. The work isn’t hard and you feel more a part of the family than a worker and one can indulge himself playing out around the land on the various motor bikes that seem to outnumber the people.
The night sky is a dream of an evening with the Milky Way stretched out directly over the house above us. The sound of insects and wildlife that are around the farm seem to add a soundtrack to the skyward lightshow every night. Parrots and nectar gathering birds visit the front porch to sample what is on offer from the bushes and trees that overhang the decking. Every evening as the sun settles down ready to hide itself away behind the surrounding hills a comforting calm seems to come over everyone and everything which really lifts how you are feeling and gives you a great sense of calm and thoughtfulness.
My fellow helpers include a guy from Hungary on his first big trip away from home on his own and a very quick witted Scottish gal whose quick one liner’s always makes people smile. The three of us were joined for a week by a girl from Hong Kong who cooked up a feast every night which were all dishes she had picked up from her stay here in Australia. She had been in Australia before and had had a book published in Hong Kong which encouraged other Hong Kong people to expand their horizons and to head over to Australia and to try the backpacking adventure.
