Four Weeks Into Station Life – What Our Days Actually Look Like

We are now four weeks into our station life experience and honestly, we’ve been a little quiet on the details while we adjusted to what this new life actually looks like.

So let’s catch you up.

Because while social media shows the sunsets, cheese platters and outback views, the reality is there’s a whole lot happening behind the scenes that has now become our normal day-to-day life.

What Exactly Is Toogunna Plains Farmstay?

Toogunna Plains Farmstay is an 18-room rustic outback station stay. It’s not a caravan park or camping setup they mainly cater for bus and tour groups, along with the occasional couple or small group travelling through on a road trip.

Most guests book package stays, usually one or two nights, sometimes three. Guests come from all over places like William Creek, Roma, Longreach and beyond.

Some groups fly in through companies like Sea Air, or Fun over 50, departing from the Gold Coast or Brisbane and spending a few nights exploring different remote locations throughout outback Queensland.

So yes people literally arrive here by plane in the middle of the outback.

And somehow this is now our life 😅

Guest Arrival Day

When the groups arrive, John or Adam (one of the owners) greet guests off the plane or bus, help settle them into their rooms and get everyone organised.

Adam’s role depends on what’s happening on the station at the time. Right now, with mustering and shearing season starting, he’s often tied up with station work.

Once guests are settled, they usually head off on one of the tours.

The most popular is the Sandhills experience.

Depending on the group size, guests jump aboard either the large or small Toogunna bus and head out to the Sandhills located on land that was once also owned by Adam’s family before recently returning to its original owners, the Durack family. (Honestly, if you love Australian history, look them up.)

Out there, guests enjoy drinks and a cheese platter while watching the sunset over the dunes.

And yes Bree is usually the one making the cheese platters 😊

Alternatively, some groups stay back at Toogunna and enjoy the same experience around the fire pit at the farmstay.

Both are pretty magical.

Dinner Under the Lights

After sunset drinks, guests either settle in for the night or board the bus again and head to Adam and Fiona’s homestead for dinner.

And this setup is honestly beautiful.

The backyard is transformed into this gorgeous rustic dining space under lights, surrounded by gardens and outback skies. Most nights, Taylor and Bree help set up the tables ready for dinner service.

Guests are served a two-course meal while John steps into whatever role is needed — bus driver, host, waiter, bartender… honestly, he’s become a complete jack of all trades out here.

Meanwhile, Bree’s role is usually:

• Cheese platter prep

• Table setup

• Helping where needed

• Then heading back to the van for the night

(And usually reheating John’s dinner when he gets home around 9:30pm 😅)

The Station Tours

The next morning usually starts early with a three-hour station tour.

Guests are taken across different historical areas of the property while learning about the history of Toogunna and station life in the outback.

One stop is Ringers Camp, where “smoko” is served.

Now if you’re wondering what “smoko” is… think homemade outback morning tea:

• Fresh cupcakes

• Homemade slices and biscuits

• Fruit

• Billy tea

And yes, someone has to drive all of that out there and set it up before the bus arrives.

That role rotates between Bree, Taylor, Lorenzo and Giulia depending on the day.

After smoko, guests continue on to the shearing shed where they either:

• Have a look around (for shorter stays)
  OR

• Sit down for a proper ploughman’s lunch inside the shed

There’s also plenty of chat about station life, wool production, shearing and the property itself.

Then it’s back to Toogunna to prepare for whatever the evening holds.

BBQ Nights & Eromanga Experiences

For guests staying two nights, the second evening is usually one of two options:

• A BBQ night at Toogunna
  OR

• Dinner at the Eromanga Natural History Museum

The museum dinners are something really special — five-course meals in the middle of outback Queensland.

Again, John is usually driving guests around and helping wherever needed.

The variety in his role is huge.

So What Do We Actually Do?

People keep asking us this 😅

So here’s the simple version:

John basically does everything:

• Bus driving

• Hosting guests

• Bar work

• Waiting tables

• Maintenance

• Tour support

He’s been averaging around 45 hours a week, although this week will likely push well over 60 with back-to-back large groups arriving.

And honestly? He’s loving it.

Bree’s role is much smaller and more flexible.

Mainly:

• Cheese platters

• Table setups

• Smoko runs

• Helping during busy periods

• Supporting where needed

Most weeks it’s only a few hours here and there, balanced around normal work commitments.

This week though it’s been a juggle. Between helping more with guests and still managing regular work, it’s definitely felt full-on.

What Our “Normal” Days Look Like

Truthfully? Most days are surprisingly normal.

We get up, start work around 8am and go about our day much like we would at home.

John heads off to the farmstay.
Bree either joins her online fitness class (Monday and Wednesday mornings) or sets up the office inside the caravan if she is not needed for a smoko run. Afternoons you may well find Bree in the kitchen at Toogunna preparing a cheese platter or two. 

Then it’s just work.

The difference is what’s outside the window.

Because instead of suburban streets, it’s dry paddocks, sunsets and complete silence.

And it is QUIET out here.

Beautifully quiet.

Life Outside of Work

When we’re not working, life is pretty simple.

We:

• Sit outside and enjoy the stillness

• Read books

• Bake snacks in the caravan

• Attempt to grow grass at the second house 😂

• Or occasionally drive into town

And when we say “into town” that’s a 160km round trip so it does not happen unless we really need to.

So far we’ve only done it twice — once because we needed supplies and once because we had to collect a parcel.

We also recently went into Quilpie for the opening of an art show featuring Fiona’s nephew’s work.

That was a fun night.

The whole town came out dressed up and socialising proof that outback communities really know how to support each other and make an occasion of things.

What’s Next? Shearing Season…

This week the station starts mustering around 7,000 sheep ready for shearing season.

And things are about to get BUSY.

The shearers are starting to arrive, the quarters will soon be full, and we’ll start hearing motorbikes and planes overhead as they round up sheep across the property.

It’s going to be noisy, dusty, chaotic and probably unlike anything we’ve experienced before.

But honestly?

That’s exactly why we came.

This lifestyle is stretching us, teaching us and showing us a completely different side of Australia.

And four weeks in we’re finally starting to feel like we’re settling into it 💛