Central Station - True Stories from Outback Australia

Imagine growing up on a cattle station in the Northern Territory during a time when the world was at war, and the events unfolding hundreds of kilometres away would eventually reach your own backyard. Allan Hagan remembers seeing smoke on the horizon from the bombing of Darwin, and being evacuated from the station on horseback, picking their way through flooded rivers during the wet season. Now 90, Allan has a lifetime of memories from a Territory that has changed enormously since those early days. His childhood was spent at Waterloo Station, where life looked a vastly different to what most of us would recognise today. Later came a move to Helen Springs, where Allan began his working life as a jackaroo. In this first part of our four-part series, we wind the clock back to the beginning, as Allan shares memories of his childhood and the experiences that set him on a path in the cattle industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our recent episode with Raelene Hall, we discussed her self-published books titled “ Legitimate Bush Woman” and “Legitimate Bush Woman goes to town”. In this short story episode, Raelene shares two stories from those books. If you’re interested in purchasing the books, please email Raelene at [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Succession is one of the biggest challenges facing families on the land. It’s about much more than who takes over the keys. It’s about knowing when to step aside, when to step up, and finding a way to honour what the generations before have built while still allowing the next generation to make it their own. Emma Foulkes-Taylor has experienced succession from both sides. As with so many of our guests, there’s a lot I could have asked Emma about – too much to fit into just one episode – so for this conversation I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of having someone who was willing to talk about succession. So, today you’ll hear about her early years at Yuin Station and what she’s learnt through experiencing succession from both sides. And Emma, if you’re listening - I will be back to record more of your story - especially now that I know how to get to Yuin! This episode is proudly brought to you by the Shire of Murchison, in celebration of 2026 being the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1929, the Foulkes-Taylor family purchased Yuin Station in Western Australia's Southern Murchison. Nearly a century later, the property remains in family hands—a remarkable achievement in an industry where the only constant has been change. Over almost 100 years, Yuin has weathered droughts, floods, wild dogs, government policy and shifting markets. The family has adapted from wool to meat sheep, embraced new technologies that transformed everything from communication to mustering, and continually evolved the way they care for both livestock and the landscape. Pastoralism today looks vastly different to what it did when the Foulkes-Taylors first arrived. In this episode, Rossco Foulkes-Taylor reflects on the generations who came before him, sharing family stories and m emories that have been passed down through the decades. We also explore the challenges and decisions that have shaped more recent years, the lessons learned from nearly a century on the land, and what the future might hold for both Yuin Station and the next generation of the Foulkes-Taylor family. This episode is proudly brought to you by the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists West Australian committee, in partnership with the Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance, and Regional Development Australia Midwest and Gascoyne. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A governess meets a handsome jackeroo, they fall in love and move onto the family station. It sounds like a fairytale, or perhaps a Mills & Boon novel, but for Raelene Hall, it wasn’t quite that simple. For over 40 years, she’s carried a quiet feeling that she didn’t quite belong. That she somehow didn’t measure up to who and what a station owners wife should be. That she wasn’t a legitimate bush woman. This is a story about finding her voice, finding her place, and, eventually, learning to back herself. This episode is proudly brought to you by the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists West Australian committee, in partnership with the Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance, and Regional Development Australia Midwest and Gascoyne.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.