Wooleen Station north of Mullewa, up on the Murchison
Sometimes it pays to have the TV on while you are trying to go to sleep at 2:00 a.m. I don't watch much TV while I am awake. Far less than I did three or four years ago. I sometimes get up on Monday mornings to watch the American football (can you believe the Patriots lost to the Packers!!) but other than that I doubt that I watch more than about 30 minutes of TV a day and most of that is what they call 'accidental viewing'.
I watch more TV when I am not awake. Well not fully awake at least. Trying to go to sleep most nights I will have the TV 'on in the background'—mostly ABC 24 which is Australia's continuous news channel. I am more listening than watching.
Last night I caught the word "Wooleen" as I was working hard trying to get to sleep; and then I was suddenly wide awake and paying attention. Were they talking about the Wooleen I know? Yes, they were. Wooleen Station north of Mullewa up on the Murchison River.
I have never been to Wooleen Station but I feel I know it.
When I was a young'un growing up in a very rural country town a couple of my best friends used to go to Wooleen a couple of times a year. I am pretty sure they had relatives up that way, possible working on Wooleen. They would come back with great stories of the fun they had there. Seems that most time they would be hacking around the property in this magical vehicle called a Willys Jeep. I have never seen a Willys Jeep but as a kid I had this image in my mind of the most fun vehicle and I could clearly imagine my friends zooming around the banks of the Murchison chasing flocks of birds and kicking up dust.
Since those days some 50 or so years ago I always intended to go and see Wooleen. I have even got sort of close a few times having camped at Tallering Peak before it was a working mine, and been to Cue and Big Bell. But somehow, even though it got planned a couple of times, I never made it to Wooleen up on the Murchison.
I am pretty sure back when I was a kid that Wooleen was still in the business of sheep and wool. Apparently some time after this they moved over to cattle. But the two people currently running Wooleen, David Pollock and Frances Jones, have implemented a new plan. No sheep or cattle and let the country rest and recover—which must make it really hard on the finances. Really hard!
The ABC's Australian Story did an article on Wooleen in late November called "Letter From Wooleen" and this is what I heard as I was trying to go to sleep. I have since Google'd, found, and watched "Letter From Wooleen". You can go to it at the ABC Web site by clicking the picture below. Go on ... Click it and watch the first three minutes and then see if you don't watch the whole 30 minutes.
Turns out the David and Frances have a Facebook page for Wooleen Station. Click on the following picture to link over to their Facebook page.
And, as you might have guessed, they also have a Web site where you can see some pictures in the gallery or check out accommodation options should you want to visit Wooleen.
I don't have a 'bucket list'. I never really saw the point of having one. But I think I might start one now and my first entry is likely to be "Finally make that visit to Wooleen Station".
As it turns out, and I never knew this until now, Wooleen Station is on the Twin Peaks road. Can you believe that??
Barry.