The Aussie Thread

[Keren]

Don't forget Canberra!

Melbourne had 1 degree last Wednesday. Brr!

 

[Bek]

I don't think it got that cold here, but it was close enough. Snow in the end of spring is weird which ever way you see it.

 

[Keren]

O I love snow I wish we got it here. Unfortunately the only white stuff we get is hail. Plenty of that the other day.

 

[Bek]

We got plenty of it here to. I've always wanted to see snow, but being a Queenslander I don't think I could cope with the cold.

 

[Keren]

I did this meat judging course in armidale this year - I was intelligent enough to go to armidale in the middle of winter! Anyway,we were at UNE and had to get from one side of the campus to the other (a LONG way) for our first lecture. A couple of girls walked in late. We asked them why, they said they tried to drive down but they didn't know how to defrost a windscreen! Cracked us up.

Anyway I'd better go to bed, I'm just about falling asleep. Goodnight!

 

[Bek]

I'm off to bed now to Keren.

Night!

 

[Anonymous]

To change the subject completely, WTH is the weather doing where you are? Within 6 days we have had both the fire and the air conditioner on. It reached 39 today. Av for the month is I think somewhere around low 30s but not sure. Weird.

Same here Keren!! This weather is bl@@dy strange.... was crappy, cold and windy a couple days ago, 37C today, and now meant to drop to 25C again tomorrow!

Bek, sounds like you're doing the same sort of traineeship I did when I worked at Anna Creek... good luck, you'll have fun and, like you said, with it being more pracitcal based much easier!

I'll say goodby now guys, off to work tomorrow and not sure when I'll get back. Sounds like they're pretty busy too- somehow I don't think I'll just be breaking bulls!!

See ya (or rather, read ya!) when I get back.

 

[Australian Cattleman]

We are spoilt here at our place in the mountains. Just love this climate,the distinct seasons (usually) are great. The past few days we have had spring winter spring then summer. Our paddocks are green and the rolling hills are nice and green off into the distance. We live about 100 mls (160 ks) due west of the east coast. Our property is about 8 miles east of Tenterfield which has a population of about 4,000. Its one of the fastest growing towns away from the coast in our state of New South Wales. Our property is at an altitude of 900 to 1,000 metres,we do have some just to our east at about 500 metres. We only run cattle,both commercial and stud. We have had 32 inches of rain for the year with about 35 as the average.Our area doesn't have any crocodiles or nasties in the water. Our main snakes are eastern browns,black snakes (both red bellied and blue bellied) and the occasional copperhead. These are no great problem and should not stop people coming to our beautiful friendly country.Our area is a very popular with tourists. We have quite a few national parks to our north (about 10 miles away) We have many old buildings in our town.
Real estate is becoming expensive because of the cashed up city investors. Most land ranges from 2 to 3 thousand dollars an acre. Too overpriced to make a living off.
Branded 75 calves last Sunday,all South Devon pures and just a few crosses. Still have all the Brahmans to do. All our Herefords have been done a month ago. Gets too hot too much later.
Colin

 

[Bullseye]

Bullseye,

I had a feeling you may have been an Aussie after posting in the WHOA! thread. I've finally found someone else from Queensland! Also great to see another Aussie on the boards!

Had an ag test today, I think I aced it, it was REALLY easy .

Hi Bek

Well thank you, I'm happy to be seen as an Aussie and a Queenslander on CT! It's also good to see another QLDer here too. Do we stick out like sore thumbs? :lol:

Bek it's always a great feeling when you sense you've done well in an exam, congrats, I hope you do even better than you think.

 

[Bullseye]

Colin,

Having done time at UNE (Hey, you US Folk that's not a Jail, it's a University :lol: ) I've also spent time getting to see the New England countryside. It's a terrific area, and good fertile grazing country. What is your rainfall at Tenterfield, about 800 - 900 mm?

I recall, somewhere, I came across the most amazingly well designed and built hexagonal (I think) shearing shed. It was almost like an architectural work of art. It wasn't being used back then, I wonder whatever happened to it.

Spent lots of time in New England National Park too, stunning!

Hey, one thing I learned fairly quickly in Armidale was to not leave the handbrake of the Landcruiser on overnight in winter. The vehicle wont move with the brakes iced to the discs in the morning. I wonder if the lecturer believed my excuse for being late??? :lol:

 

[Bullseye]

Real estate is becoming expensive because of the cashed up city investors. Most land ranges from 2 to 3 thousand dollars an acre. Too overpriced to make a living off.

Heck yeah, we know about that around here too, but it's the "federal government tax aided tree farms" for nothing else but woodchips pushing up the grazing land prices around here.

HUH, and these operations claim all sorts of environmental benefits...

Who can afford a million dollars for 500 acres of grazing land? Not your average family grazier... :roll:

 

[Bek]

I wouldn't mind being out your way at the moment Colin, just for the landscape.

I got a grand total of 3 questions wrong in that exam, which I think's pretty good, and they were only because I added an extra 0, twice and because I read one thing wrong.(EBV's, yuck!) But apart from the slip up I still got an A+, my first one in High School.

Only 1 week 3 days left of school for the year!! Then I'm off to Gympie for 3 weeks.

 

[Bek]

Thought I'd bump this up a bit or no one's ever gunna read it again.

How's everyone been???

 

[Australian Cattleman]

been darn warm here today. been watering the garden a fair bit this afternoon.
colin

 

[Bek]

It reached 35/36 degrees today, not very pleasant.

 

[Bullseye]

Gday Aussies

Hey Bek, well done on getting your first A+.

Lately, I've been out in this heat pulling weeds, Balloon Cotton Weed. It's flowering now and some are developing seeds so I need to get rid of it asap. It's easy enough to pull, with shallow roots. The weed is in the riverfront paddock thanks to our neighbour who seems to be farming the stuff!!! The seeds blow into our place and across to other neighbours. There is also Groundsel in that property and the same happens with those seeds. The problem is the owner doesn't live nearby and it seems doesn't care about dealing with his weed problem.

Yesterday (and today) I've been virtually "watching the grass grow"! No, but it feels like that waiting to see if one of my heifers cycles or not. My bulls are in my liquid nitrogen tank and they do their work via an AI gun. Yesterday it was 21 days since I AI-ed her and I'm anxiously waiting... This happens every time I AI. :lol:

So when I'm not watching for signs of "heat" I'm pull'n weeds.

 

[Bek]

Thanks Bullseye.

hope everything ends up as you want with that heifer. Had another ag exam today, 8 1/2 out of 10 so I'm pretty happy

 

[Anonymous]

I'm back!
Busy few days breaking in bulls, and playing with foals. I arrived home this afternoon to this....

She was born at about 8.30 this morning... perfect timing really!
I will post a couple more photos and some better, updated ones on the horse board.

 

[Bullseye]

Gday Aussies.

Killala, what a terrific beginning to your day seeing the new foal.

Bek, further congratulations on your grades.

It's 25 days since I AI-ed that heifer and all is good, no cycling. It was getting a bit frustrating on days 21 & 22. I have a bunch of 11 month old heifers (future ET recipients) just starting to cycle. They've been mounting each other and just about every other heifer in the paddock :roll: as well as the heifer I AI-ed.

It is so dry here, unusual for this time of year. How is it in your parts of the country?

Thankfully, our dams are full from unseasonal heavy winter rain.

Hopefully, it looks like showers should occur in early December. That's according to the precipitation outlook of http://wxmaps.org/pix/prec7.html , approaching MJO phase 4,5 & 6 at http://www.apsru.gov.au/mjo/ and a rising SOI. With these factors in place hopefully the showers will occur in early December and continue through summer. Do any of you use these weather resources?

 

[Bek]

It's hot here...the humidity isn't helping.

Carla, gorgeous foal congrats on her! Glad you're back on the boards also, how is down around your neck of the woods?