Central Station - True Stories from Outback Australia – Details, episodes & analysis

On July 25, 2024, a tragic helicopter mustering accident claimed the lives of Peter Ritter and Gavin U’Ren.

It was a privilege it was to not just know them and work alongside them, but call them mates.

Gav, Ritter – you two were bloody good blokes, and funny buggers. The absence of you’re presence will be felt immensely, but I have no doubt you will live on through our memories, which will be traded over cold beers, and around campfires for years to come.

Since getting the call about the accident, I’ve started listening to this episode a couple of times, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish it until today. I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to record this conversation. It was such a privilege to hear all of Ritters yarns, told in true Ritter style – the ones that made it into this episode, and the ones we thought best to keep off-air.

Anyway that’s enough from me, I’m going to pass it over to you now Ritter – you always did spin a good yarn.

This episode was recorded in January 2022, and originally published in March 2022.

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Welcome back to our fourth episode with Garry Riggs from Lakefield Station in the Territory. When we last left Garry, he had just wrapped up his time in the stock camp at Blina Station. But the end of one chapter marked the beginning of another. Garry found himself working in mining exploration, and trust us, the adventures only got wilder from there.

In this episode, Garry takes us through another round of jaw-dropping stories from teaming up with a Dutch mercenary to the unexpected experience of accidentally smoking weed and being abandoned out bush. And if that’s not enough, he recounts the harrowing day he survived both a helicopter crash and a light aircraft engine failure.

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In this episode, Steph travels to the centre of South Australia to Billa Kalina Station, which has been in the Greenfield family since 1938.

Pastoralist Col Greenfield shares what it's like running a cattle station that is inside the Woomera Prohibited Area, and outside the dog fence.

*This episode was first released in 2021

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Picture this – a stockman riding a horse behind a mob of 1000 brahman cattle in the iconic Kimberley region of Western Australia.

You’re probably picturing a young man in his twenties, footloose and fancy free, living one heck of an adventure.

The first time Dean Maughan drove 2000km to the Kimberley to work on a cattle station, he was 45 years old, with a wife, three children, a mortgage and working full-time in the dairy industry.

In this episode, Dean shares the story of how his dream to be a ringer on a cattle station took almost 30 years to become reality, and how you just never know where life will take you.

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Central Station [SHORT STORY] episodes bring the stories from our website to life through the authors themselves. 

Find the story from this episode here: https://www.centralstation.net.au/when-it-all-goes-wrong-call-the-flying-doctors/ 

This episode is brought to you by Murranji Water Drilling, a family owned and operated team of fully licensed, insured and experienced drillers in the construction, mining and water services. They are licensed to drill and service in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. They ensure all water bores are installed correctly and professionally first time, every time! Quality bores tested and guaranteed! Learn more at murranjiwaterdrilling.com.au or find them on Facebook.

This podcast is brought to you by Ariat Australia: the perfect choice for the tough jobs. Ariat boots and clothing work hard, look good and are so comfortable there’s never a need to slow down. Visit ariat.com.au today.

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Listeners are advised that this episode discusses suicide, and may not be suitable for all audiences.

The first year out of school is equally exciting and terrifying – you’re considered an adult by society, and with that comes both freedoms and responsibilities.

With her high school experience not being the best, and her first job on a station getting off to a rocky start, Pip Bain felt like she had finally found her feet only to learn that her mother had passed away by suicide.

The profound loss of her mother was only amplified by the shock, as Pip learnt she had been sheltered from her mother’s mental health struggles.

In this episode Pip shares her story of how the next decade of her life would be shaped by losing her mother, and how it led her to take the long away around to find her place in this world.

Head back to Episode 35 to hear our first episode with Pip, where she discusses her early life growing up on a cattle station in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia.

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Why would a young woman who was raised on sheep and cattle stations, go off to ag college before entering the workforce? Surely, she already had a lifetime of experience, and the station work courses were designed for people who had never set foot on a station before.

Well, the answer is, that no matter who you are, where you’ve been, and what you know – there’s always more to be learnt.

This is the essence of today’s episode with our guest Kristie dePledge. Kristie and her husband Rory own the Koordarrie Station, situated on the Pilbara coast in Western Australia. Kristie was one of the original contributors to the Central Station website, and you can find some of her stories in our book too.

In this episode, Kristie shares parts of her story, including working away from home, meeting her husband, raising a family, and building a cattle station from scratch.

Central Station is supported by ThinkWater Broome, your local water experts for irrigation projects big and small. Their fully stocked retail store sells the latest irrigation products, including fittings, pipe, filtration and solar supplies. Covering the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia, their knowledgeable and passionate team are experts in the design and implementation of the most water efficient irrigation and water management programs across all sectors.

This podcast is brought to you by Ariat Australia: the perfect choice for the tough jobs. Ariat boots and clothing work hard, look good and are so comfortable there’s never a need to slow down. Visit ariat.com.au today.

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Central Station [SHORT STORY] episodes bring the stories from our website to life through the authors themselves. 

Find the story from this episode here: https://www.centralstation.net.au/the-dream-that-took-a-while/ 

This episode is supported by Milne Feeds. Milne feeds has been the leading provider of livestock feed in WA for over 100 years, and is now proudly servicing the NT too. Their early weaner product is a nutritionally balanced pellet for feeding to pastoral calves and young weaners, and has been developed with their hyfibre technology to reduce the risk of acidosis. Milne feeds also have a range of products available for beef and dairy cattle, sheep, and horses. Find out more at milne.com.au 

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On today’s episode, I’m sitting down with my friend and former colleague, Clare Atkins.

In this episode we chat about Clare’s role as a Stock Inspector and what that actually is -  because, really, who knows what that means or what they do. Clare discusses the responsibility of upholding WA’s biosecurity laws, and also the unexpected adventures that came with it.

The team you know and love from Landmark Broome are now operating as Northern Rural Supplies. Its business as usual with the same team, same phone number and same location - the only thing they’ve changed is the colour of their shirts (which is blue, if you were wondering!) Northern Rural Supplies proudly service the Kimberley and Pilbara regions specializing in livestock sales, real estate, animal health and management, fencing, fertilizer, water and all other requirements. They stock your everyday needs to feed your dogs, cats, horses, chooks, camels and even goats. The whole team is based in Broome so make sure you give them a call for all of your agricultural and semi-rural needs.

This podcast is brought to you by Ariat Australia: the perfect choice for the tough jobs. Ariat boots and clothing work hard, look good and are so comfortable there’s never a need to slow down. Visit ariat.com.au today.

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Matt Wood started managing Blina Station in the West Kimberley at the ripe old age of 23. In the past 13 years he has met his wife, become a father, and grown as a manager, friend, and member of the Kimberley community.

Matt and Connie recently said a fond farewell to Blina Station, where they have called home for the past 13 and 9 years, respectively, as they make the move to manage the historic Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory.

In this episode, Matt and Connie reflect on their time at Blina – the good, the bad, and the bloody funny.

This episode is brought to you by Murranji Water Drilling, a family owned and operated team of fully licensed, insured and experienced drillers in the construction, mining and water services. They are licensed to drill and service in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. They ensure all water bores are installed correctly and professionally first time, every time! Quality bores tested and guaranteed! Learn more at murranjiwaterdrilling.com.au or find them on Facebook.

This podcast is brought to you by Ariat Australia: the perfect choice for the tough jobs. Ariat boots and clothing work hard, look good and are so comfortable there’s never a need to slow down. Visit ariat.com.au today.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.