June 2019 and we host "Define" ( Jiahao ), a 25 year old and recent graduate in Global Trade from Xi'an in northern China.

He had 2 weeks with us just before returning home to his girlfriend and to begin a working life.

We begin with removing some problem trees in a windbreak line.

Define mixes concrete for fixing posts in a new fence.

 Like most of our backpackers Define, came with us to the cattle sales.

On a day trip we stop to see the water mill at Deloraine.

Define  moves steers quietly down to another paddock.

It's Saturday and we are on our way to have coffee but we stop to see the river on a  beautiful morning at Launceston Seaport during a heavy frost.

It's April and Nick a young Canadian Brick layer and Stone Mason from Montreal has arrived to help us for the next 2 weeks before rejoining his girlfriend to travel around Australia.

One of the first jobs is to help pick up some cattle from a friend who no longer is able to manage them, but this goat wants to come along too...haha

Winter is on the way and it's time again to stack the wood shed

The wood is all in now so we begin to install a new gate in a paddock, don't stop Nick, there is only another 40 holes to dig, did I say 40, I meant 4.

This afternoon we took "Rover" to the beach for a run.

On a day trip to the east coast they are pulling in salmon and perch at Bicheno.

It's been a very dry season so Nick helps me to carry the pump back down to the dam so we can refill the stock tanks. And 'Rover" watches the Platypus.

Its mid February 2019 and as the logging company is working in the area it's an ideal time to push over some problem trees up here.

And this big River Gum contracted a fungus that killed it very quickly about 2 years ago and became a danger to the cattle.

"Thar she goes"

In September 2018, Sam (19) from Colorado USA arrived for a two week stay with us. He is part way through an overseas adventure before returning home possibly to continue some study.

On the first day here we picked up a ton of fertiliser and then Sam loads it into the spreader.



 

   Today after a check of the boundary we find a tree has fallen across the fence so we get in and cut it away, clear the branches and repair the fence.

It's Saturday night and Sam demonstrates his pizza base making technique, and he has got it pretty right too.

Back to work reloading the bale feeder. 

Oh, Nike work boots, sorry Sam I should have warned you :)

Sam begins digging post holes for a new paddock fence.

Oh! another guinea pig, , sorry, I mean satisfied customer. :)

Bringing in some steers for periodic back lining.

An old Blackwood tree is broken up for fire wood.

These mixed breed heifers get some dry feed.

Jason from Hong Kong, having completed a degree in Global Shipping and Supply Chain Logistics, and halfway through his gap year, arrives during late July 2018 to help on the farm.

Today we are looking to buy cattle at a large stock sale in the midlands.

 Jason helps to re-align and adjust the wallaby exclusion wire outside the pasture fencing, and these Angus steers look on with interest.

 Here a group of young Semmental Cross heifers calves watch as Jason un-wraps the silage.

  Away from work, we try our luck fishing on the river. 

 Early in his stay here we had a very long and difficult job to do. It was to find and fix the cause of a blocked pipe, it took nine days to complete but he stayed to see it through, thanks Jason.

One of a backpacker's daily jobs is to feed the chickens and collect any eggs, and most days, even in winter he gets an egg or two. I don't know how he does it., I can't get any :)

 Jason feeds a young colt at Ray and Kerry's home at Westbury.

January 2018, after working and traveling around Australia and New Zealand, Jere returns for a second farm stay with us.
It's great to see him again and have him help us around the farm.

 

Waiting to load the Taarup disc mower we just bought at a farm clearing sale.

Jere checks the silage in the ring feeder.

Doing fencing and removing old barbed wire.

Jere helping with some modifications to the unit deck, and then putting his name to it 🙂.

Today we removed the fence and begin to take down these big gum trees near the house. 

The trusty Hi Lux is getting a new clutch, and Jere begins by removing the exhaust manifold.  

It's raining today so we are working in the shed, and Jere is trying get the old farm bike going, it hasn't ran for more than 2 years.

" But it still won't go, what is happening"?

No luck with Honda so we service the Polaris and change the lower suspension shaft and bushes. Good work Jere thanks.