Australian Stories: Station Cook & Photographer Jaz Stewart

CELEBRATING THE AUSSIE SPIRIT WITH ETTO AUSTRALIAN STORIES VOL. 09

A few weeks twice a year when we are at camp, living in swags, you find a whole new appreciation for life. Your mind and soul recalibrate, and it is weeks of extremely hot, hard work, but you always return feeling refreshed.

Jaz Stewart is a photographer and Station Cook based on a cattle station in the Kimberley, Western Australia. We chat to Jaz about living life on a cattle station in one of the north most regions of remote Australia. Plus, we share some of her beautiful images below, just a taster of the natural world that she calls her home. 

You live on a remote cattle station in the Kimberley, Western Australia, tell us about the natural environment there.

I am living and have lived on a remote cattle station in the Kimberley for three years going on four. Naturally, the environment is very hot and wet during the summer months. Humidity is extremely high, and we get large amounts of rain over January and February, while the rest of the year rain is scarce. Our winter does get cool but nothing like home (New South Wales), being someone who hates the cold, I love winter in the Kimberley.

Aside from your beautiful photography, what do you get up to on the cattle farm? 

My role at Flora Valley is a station cook, so I spend a large chunk of my time in the kitchen cooking for about 15, sometimes more staff. I love to spend any spare time outside with the horses and in the yards helping the camp process cattle. I do light book work when necessary and for a few months, a large chunk of time is put into organising the local camp draft and rodeo in Halls Creek. I love that my job has a good variety that sees me inside and out. No two days are the same.

Tell us what it is like living on a cattle station?  What is something most people don’t know about life on a station?

Living on a station is something I do not think you will understand unless you have experienced it. You must truly get along with the people you work with, because for the nine working months you will be living, eating, working, socialising, doing EVERYTHING together. This also puts a big strain on some relationships; however, you learn how to read people and know when to step back and make some space for yourself. At the end of the day, everyone is an adult and needs to recognise when they need time to be alone and recalibrate, although tricky you can and will find a way to make relationships work.

While the isolation is real and you may not see anyone apart from your 15 crew members for weeks at a time, I do not find myself lonely or feel like I am missing out. You have dinner with 15 plus people every night and always have someone different to talk to. Imagine having 15 completely different people to call on at any time. They all have their own stories and can help in different ways. It's truly a blessing.  

Is it quite a mix of people from everywhere living on the station?

On Flora this year we have five women and ten men with ages ranging from 18-60, and I think we have one from nearly every state in Australia (minus Tasmania). Some come from city backgrounds and some from farming. So, we have a very good variety of people with a wide range of experience. 

Your photography, to us, tells stories of life on a station and in remote country Australia, shows life for the animals and humans, and gives insight into some of the extraordinary environment from red dirt, wheat fields and fires. Tell us a bit about what you are looking for through your lens and your creative process.

Every time I pick up my camera, I think of 16-year-old me sitting in a school room with no idea what I wanted to do after school, I had no idea that a life like this existed. Growing up in New South Wales, I had not heard of a cattle station and would never imagine a farm this big and with the opportunities I have. So, I take as many photos as possible of our everyday life in the hope that a 16-year-old like me sees it and takes a chance to come and see the outback.

I also get a high number of people who message me to say, "Ohh I wish I had done that when I was young, I live vicariously through your images" or "One day I am going to come to the Kimberley because it looks amazing!" I think the outback of Australia has a lot of hidden stories and talents and if I can help to tell the hidden stories, I think that is a job done. 

What do you love about this part of Australian country that you live in?

There is so much to love about the country. I love that we are not overpopulated, you can drive for over an hour and not pass a car. There is a different kind of 'peace and quiet' laying on the grass knowing that apart from you and your crew there is no one else for over 100km.

The blanket of stars above is extraordinary, with no pollution to dull the shine and no lights for miles. The people are also some of the most kind-hearted, helpful souls I have come across. Nowhere in Australia would you drive a 400km round trip on a terrible gravel road for a BBQ, but you bet these people can and will. Local committees will rally together to hold social events putting in hours of work to ensure it’s the best it could be, just because they can and that is the type of people that we are supported by. It is quite surreal to be surrounded by so many hard-working and generous people every day.

What does it mean for you to be living close to land and nature?

Although I live closely with the land and nature, we do have it quite well out here. The majority of the time we are at the station with running water and 24 hour electricity. Compared to 10 plus years ago we have it very easy.

However, a few weeks twice a year when we are at camp, living in swags, you find a whole new appreciation for life. Your mind and soul recalibrate, and it is weeks of extremely hot hard work, but you always return feeling refreshed. Our jobs and longevity rely on the land that surrounds us, so as a team, everyone works hard to ensure we are caring for the land as best we can, which involves controlled burning, monitoring pastures and spelling paddocks.

Having the chance to spend so much time outside on land that has not been over-developed is humbling. I think of some kids I went to school with who at 18 had never left the city lights of Sydney. To know and have experienced the outback like I have, I count my lucky stars. 

We gather from your photography that you spend a lot of time in nature, in your spare time what do you get up to in nature?

In my spare time (not often) I love to find water holes or little pieces of land that not many know about. Sometimes I will just wander off until I am surrounded by not a soul and think to myself, "I wonder how many people have stood on this dirt before?" This year I would love to try and visit more water holes and find some more little hidden gems!

How does nature nourish you?   

Nature is therapeutic. I know when I have a bad day, if I just go for a walk in the afternoon sun, I am bound to come back feeling 100x better. With no technology, just the sound of the wind blowing, the occasional bird and distant barking dog, I am nearly always able to clear my head and loosen my tense muscles.

I am known to wander off down a horse paddock during an early wet season storm with a camera in my hand to capture the light show Mother Nature puts on. In that moment it's just me with my thoughts, no one else in sight. My creative mind has the freedom to go crazy, writing its own story and being free. I always come home feeling relaxed and refreshed yearning for more. 

Your favourite thing about Australia?   

My Favourite thing about Australia is all the possibilities and opportunities that we all have access to. The outback of Australia holds some of the most beautiful natural landscapes I have ever witnessed. As humans, we just must allow ourselves to see and experience it. Be open to opportunities and be a good person. Good things come to good people. So, play your part and watch your life unfold. 

All images supplied by Jaz Stewart. Follow her Kimberley Cattle Station life on Instagram.