Bush Yarns

This EP we hear yarns from Christian Hayes. He (along with his wife Laura) is the founder and front man of Hidden Trails By Horseback which operate in both the Kimberley and the Victorian High Country. Christian has been involved in horseback tours in Australia, and also in North America since 2001 taking extended High Country Rides and fully catered Pack Horse Trips in the Yosemite National Park in America. Previous to this he was practising as a qualified chef in restaurants and pubs throughout Victoria. He shares yarns from his experiences living and working in some of the most remote and inhospitable places known to man as well as yarns about dad life, being a farrier, jack of all trades and lots more. We trust you’ll enjoy. Cheers

This EP Scotty yarns to entrepreneurs David and Bronwyn Rodgers. These two have been around the game a while. From Burke and Wills swags, Ultimate Campers, world champion jet sprint racers and heaps more. We hear how it all came to be and how much fun they’re having in their current space. Live from the Finke River National Park in the N.T. This is one to get those creative juices flowing and believe that all things are possible. We trust you’ll enjoy. Cheers

This EP Scotty caught up with Steve Grace at Haasts Bluff on the edge of the Western desert in the Northern Territory. For those that don’t know, Steve is an Australian country rock and gospel singer-songwriter and musician. His single "Big Dreams" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Gospel Charts and the album Children of the Western World was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). He also won a Dove Award for International Artist of the Year. Scotty and Steve yarn about all sorts from his career and family life, being the first to ride a Harley across Australia from West to East through the desert country for mens mental health and lots more. We trust you’ll enjoy. Cheers (side note- their is a tech glitch at 17:40. Apologies)

This EP Scotty Yarns to Azie Dungee who is from the Pamunkey Indian tribe which is well known for having Pocahontas from their neck of the woods. Azie is a seasoned traveller and has been to the Kimberley several times now. For a crust Azie writes comedy tv shows for Netflix and Amazon, one of the more recent being Harlem which stars Whoopi Goldberg. Azie yarns to Scotty about the challenges and triumphs in the tv world, what it’s like to be stepping forward one stair at a time, Australias indigenous beauty and lots more. We trust you’ll enjoy. Cheers

It’s been a while in the making, having Kimberley Photographer “Benny Wyndham” (@BenBroady) on Bush Yarns. He and Scotty have been mates for a long time and love any excuse to pull up stumps and have a yarn. This EP we hear all about Ben’s formative years living in Wyndham and what it was like growing up in one of Australia’s hottest and most isolated towns, his move from Wyndham to Kununurra, then fast forward to his current life of being a professional photographer. Ben tells us all about what drives him, why fasting is such a big part of his journey, epic adventures caretaking the Kimberley Coastal Camp through cyclones and spiritual encounters of a different kind and what it’s like getting there in a Mallard Flying Boat. They also discuss ‘that epic Lake Argyle lightning shot’ and lots more moments which are sure to inspire. We trust you’ll enjoy. Scotty and Benny sure did! Cheers

Ever wanted to explore the Great Central Highway through outback WA and pop out at Uluru? Well, Scotty and Taminga didn’t even now about it until they got caught out in the Kimberley floods and had to do “Australia’s Longest Shortcut.” Over 1000kms of dirt on their 6000 kms + road trip home. They break down the 5 day trip to the beach that turned into a 5 week holiday/mission, Talk about Tamingas latest art projects including the full run down on the Troopy colour change and artworks, Gibb River Road/ Great Northern Highway 2023 happenings and plenty more. We trust you’ll enjoy! Cheers

Ron Freestone has had one of the most interesting lives out of anyone Scotty has ever met. Whilst on safari around the Kimberley for the second round, Scotty and Ron sat down at Aunauyu (Surveyors Pool) to yarn about a few of Ron’s adventures. There’s so many standouts, like pushing a track into Jim Jim Falls for the first time that any vehicle got through with nothing but a compass and some coordinates from a Heli pilot, paddling the Croc infested Douglas Daly River then walking over land back to the highway and then picking their vehicle up 2 months later after the wet season was over and lots more. Unfortunately you can’t bottle these yarns and as much as Scotty tried to raise some of the crackers he heard over the 10 days, he only managed to get a smidgen of what he could to share. We trust you’ll enjoy! Cheers

This is our first couples podcast and it’s a ripper. Matty and Faith are parked up in the remote North Kimberley at a luxury wilderness lodge where they were caretakers in the last month of the monsoon. From an early age they’ve both travelled extensively throughout Australia and the World. Their journeys and experiences are both challenging and exciting and make for another ripper Bush Yarns EP. We trust you’ll enjoy! Cheers

Thank you to all you listeners for the feedback on part 1. Now it’s time for part 2. We trust you’ll enjoy! Cheers Kolya Sampi is a Woolah/Kija man born and raised in the East Kimberley aboriginal community, Doon Doon. He’s grown up working the cattle aspect of the land with his family and is now involved in showcasing his culture alongside his mum Bec within the Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles) and broader Kimberley. In this EP he shares stories from the land and his family that will be sure to expand all of our understanding and knowledge on indigenous culture in the Kimberley.

Kolya Sampi is a Woolah/Kija man born and raised in the East Kimberley aboriginal community, Doon Doon. He’s grown up working the cattle aspect of the land with his family and is now involved in showcasing his culture alongside his mum Bec within the Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles) and broader Kimberley. In this EP he tells us the dreaming stories behind the beehive shaped domes and also the scientific version. He shares stories from the land and his family that will be sure to expand all of our understanding and knowledge on indigenous culture in the Kimberley. This is a sneak peak with so much more. Part 2 to this EP will drop next. We trust you’ll enjoy! Cheers

There’s a lot of titles that come to mind but Boss Woman is the most fitting we reckon. Larissa Walker is directly responsible for 90% of the Gibb River Roads “scones with jam and cream” consumption. 17000 scones last season which equates to over 100 scones a day going out the door to be exact. From her place on the Gibb, Larissa, Husband Logan and their two kids welcome in visitors from all walks of life. In this EP she shares about living remote and the challenges and rewards that her role brings. Want to know how to get to where she is? Listen in and there’s a few tips at the end also. We trust you’ll enjoy! Cheers

Set on the banks of Danggu Gorge on the Fitzroy River, We’ve got two short episodes for you this time. Firstly, Scotty shares a message he’s learned through all the Covid madness about not giving into fear and learning to grow from challenging times. Secondly we have Charlie Evans who’s working as a guide on Danggu alongside some Bunuba rangers who he considers to be the best bushman in the world. He explains how incredible it is to work alongside aboriginal people who have a connection to country like no one else he’s ever met. To connect with Charlie and encourage him or ask any questions about his experiences, check out his Instagram page @westbushculture. We trust you’ll enjoy. Cheers

This EP Scotty talks to Boss lady Taminga Connell about her art. What began as art therapy became a form of healing and then lead onto shaping her future hopes and dreams. They discuss her recent collaboration with Luke and Sammy Wyllie’s Corsaire aviation team and the detail behind the eternity painting series. They also reveal their baby’s gender (by accident), they answer some of your questions which were asked on Insta, Scotty dives into some encouraging words from the book of Timothy and more. We trust you’ll enjoy. Cheers

Part 2 of Scotty’s Bush Yarns podcast with Shane Ross is all about his time in Africa. As we’ve learned already, Shane isn’t someone that will follow the rest of the crowd but will instead dive in head first and discover the real and pure side to the great outdoors. Shane spent some incredible time with some of Africa’s most feared and wild animals. Why? He wanted to know them intimately and learn his way and not the way the rest of the international tour guiding communities way. He certainly did that! We trust you’ll enjoy this podcast as much as we did. Cheers

Shane Ross is a unique character to say the least. Expedition leader, Tracker, Bushman, Photographer, Writer and more. After growing up in Cape York amongst the indigenous communities his career in the Bush has taken him all over the world. He spent over 5 years in Africa running his own private tours of some of the most wildest terrain know to man. When Covid hit, he returned to Australia and found himself embarking on his dream adventure. A kayak trip which lasted two months and over a 1000kms from Cooktown to the most northern tip of the Australian mainland. Dodging crocs, encountering big sharks, running out of water completely, severe isolation and exposure to the harsh tropical sun were just a few factors that make this yarn such a wild one. These yarns were to good, we had to do this podcast in two parts. Part 2 is just as cool! We trust you’ll enjoy. We certainly did! Cheers

This EP Scotty Yarns to storm chasing photography guru Jordan Cantelo (@Jordancantelo on Insta). Full sensory overloads are a regular accurance when Jordan is watching the eye of a massive electrical storm coming in hot! Scotty yarns about some of the behind the scenes hectic moments from his favourite images of his IG page, what gear he uses and what you could do to get in on the action, plus plenty more. We trust you’ll enjoy it. Cheers!

Financial hardship is such a tough journey, especially when you work hard to make a living. Bush Yarns host Scotty Connell and his wife Taminga recently found themselves in a situation where they weren’t able to keep up with paying their bills due to changes caused by the pandemic and other contributing factors. This scenario often tests even the most solid of relationships and purifies them in the fire, the battle to stay afloat. When you succeed, you are always better off having been through the challenges and come out on top. In the meantime, the humility, strength and determination is necessary to endure. If you’ve lost a job recently or are being challenged financially then we hope this gives you some hope to continue to look closely for the light at the end of the tunnel and to persevere. Victory could be just around the corner. Keep the faith! We trust you’ll enjoy this unique and “out of the square” yarn. Cheers

It’s so cool to hear yarns from a young bloke who is in his prime and living his best life. This EP we yarn to Bobby Henggeler. He grew up in one of the worlds most remote and unique locations on Kachana Station. Kachana lies amongst some of the biggest ranges in the Kimberley and landing on the homestead airstrip is an experience in itself. Scotty hears about his hiking missions, close croc encounters, fighting wild fires with blowers, what it’s like to make a living from salvaging planes and helicopters from some of the most remote locations known to man and heaps more. We trust you’ll enjoy this yarn. It’s a ripper! Cheers

Paul Waterhouse is one of Australia’s leading TV producers. Having produced shows for Bear Grylls, Chris Hemsworth, Mr 4x4 himself - Pat Calinan and plenty more. Scotty caught up with Paul behind the scenes on a recent filming mission to hear more about doing what he loves for a living and learned that there’s so much more to Paul than meets the eye. A true adventurer himself having ran, paddled and cycled his way across Australia in 4 months! We trust you’ll enjoy this Ep! Cheers

“Rear Admiral” Peter Letchford has been flying around the Kimberley and Northern Territory for 30 years doing what he feels called to do. Working in the beef business, ‘providing a hungry world with food.’ There’s a lot more to Pete and his journey than regular cattle vet work. He yarns with Scotty about the dangers and near misses of piloting his own air craft about one of the worlds most remote areas, his wife Belinda home schooling their 4 kids, being intentional in your God given purpose and lots more. We trust you’ll enjoy! Cheers