Myella Farmstay Australia - Queensland, horse riding, motorbike riding and farm life at Baralaba, Rockhampton

Experience outback life on a cattle station - Myella farmstay is personal and relaxing

Vicki's Diary

Thursday, 2 October 2003

Just returned from 11 absolutely fantastic days at Myella, I am still excited about numerous experiences, the atmosphere, and lifestyle and last but not least the fun we had on this farm, 1,5hrs drive from Rockhampton/Queensland, Down Under (Australia).

On this page I would like to share these experiences with you and maybe gain your interest to visit Myella yourself.

Myella is situated in Baralaba, 125km southwest of Rockhampton and consists of 2600 acres of land (=ca. 10km²). There are approximately 400 beef cattle and 35 horses. The farm stay (since 1993) is run by Lyn, Peter and Olive Eather, who do an excellent job with it. As there are not too many guests at a time, the farm is very personal.

Every morning we went horse riding for at least two hours. With over 30 horses, there is a horse to suit every skill level. Don’t be scared of your first ride, you’ll receive excellent instruction and guidance, which makes it much easier than you think and you are well looked after (not only by Lyn, René and Ray, but also by reliable horses)! The groups are fairly small, and mainly divided according to riding abilities. Thus it will be an enjoyable ride at a suitable speed for everyone. Other than most tourist horse-riding places (that mainly go on prepared tracks in a strict line one after the other), there is always something different to achieve with the horses here. One of the best features during the rides is certainly the open countryside of Myella (even though it is a relatively small farm for the area, it still appeared huge to me; I haven’t been going exactly the same way for once and a ride to the other end of the property (Wallaby Hill) took us more than an hour). Apart from magnificent trail-rides, we completed activities to get to know our horses and brush up our skills in the first days, and gathered cattle, competed in barrel-races and other little jobs (checking the water, reporting the grass-conditions for the cattle etc.) later on. Overall, horse-riding was definitely my favourite activity; a big thank you to Ray, René, Lyn for guiding and Ginger, Candy, Whisky, Isis, Samurai and Rebal for not kicking me off (sorry Stuart, your communication was not successful *g*).

After Lunch, various activities could be participated in on Myella. (BTW: Nothing was compulsory; but I enjoyed every single job/activity I did). Once passed the Myella-licence, we were allowed to use the motorbikes (I personally preferred the quad bike) to drive around the tracks, go to the sunset point to watch a gorgeous sky, or to Wallaby Hill for a lookout over the property. In the morning, you can also gather the horses from their three different paddocks using the bikes (warning: get up early to get some brekkie!). Additionally, we were taught how to use a lasso, crack the whip, milk the cows (it is much harder than it looks like!), and feed the Joeys Luke (DOB. Dec 2001) and Leah (DOB Feb 2003), and spend a lot of time playing with "crazy piggy" Alexandra and dog Stubbie. The best refreshment after a hot morning horse-riding was a swim in the pool, playing water-volleyball or just relax. (Remember always to wear long clothing, a hat and sufficient sun-screen as the Australian sun is harsh and we don’t like sunburns/–strokes, do we?).

After a tiring, but enjoyable day you can look forward to superb food and country hospitality in the outdoor dining area. The best beef I ever had was on Myella and even though I stayed such a long time (well, it was way too short, but longer than most others) I never had a dinner twice. Vegetarians, you are missing out! The cows are happy out here, so get over it and try…you won’t regret it. Although suspicious at first, I quickly learned to use the campfire to make a toast, hot water and cook a damper. Tell you what: it tastes ten times better than electrical ovens. You don’t believe me? – Try it yourself!

The accommodation on Myella is just as fabulous as everything else. In brand-new, clean twin or double-rooms everybody is well accommodated and it is both quiet and close to all other activities. TV, video, library, phone, internet and laundry facilities are available.

The easiest way to get to the farm is either by car (see Homepage for description) or with daily transfers from/to Rockhampton (get there by Tilt Train, Plane or McCafferty/Greyhound bus).

Myella – where else can you…

…sleep in a swag surrounded by cows?

…catch baby-rabbit whilst moving hay stacks?

…ride + fall off Norman, the "calf"?

…learn how to use a lasso and crack the whip?

…meet chook, the parrot without feathers?

…look after Joeys?

…chase the little piggy and get chased by cows yourself?

…meet newborn calves just after their birth?

(This list could be continued forever; for additional suggestions that have definitely to be listed click here).

…have so much fun, relax and find yourself?

One thing is for sure: "You will leave stiff, sore and dirty, but happy!"