OUTBACK STORY

Life on the track

The Birdsville Track is one of Australia's most famous roads, its history steeped in the myths of the Kidman droving days, the Afghan cameleers and the unstoppable mailman Tom Kruse. The families and characters that live there today continue the legend.

Story Sue Neales Photos John Elliott

Adam Gerard is leaning against the cattle yards down by the dry Warburton Creek on Kalamurina Station. He's the newest owner on the Birdsville Track and probably at this moment, the most sweaty and dirty. Not that Adam cares. His newly-acquired mob of motley cattle mustered from the Simpson Desert to the north and the Tirari Desert to the south are in the yards, the spuds and steak are on the fire and the first beer can is in hand.

Manager Nathan Keogh and his brother Steve are planning the next day's branding, while Adam's young son, Josh, 10, can't keep the smile off his face after a day mustering the sand hills and river flats on the station's new quad bike. "Look at it; it is marginal country - there's no doubt about that," says Adam Gerard, his eyes scanning the dry riverbed and desert country beyond of the 7000 square kilometre pastoral lease his family has just bought for $1.8 million.

It is something of an understatement, Kalamurina has less than four inches of rain annually (if it's lucky), is largely undeveloped with only one bore, no boundary fences on its Lake Eyre and Simpson Desert fringes and only one internal 100 hectare-paddock. Otherwise it's all high and long sand ridges with claypans in between.

Full story Issue 32 Dec 2003/Jan 2004