The Outback Life

• Izzy Perry, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

One morning on the property, it was cold and dark at an early 6 a.m. Monday the sun was starting to rise upcoming behind the fresh mountain with light mist the colors of the early morning sunset were primary. I sit on the leather chairs on the outside of my verandah with a hot cup of Bushell's tea steaming up into my face, my face was cold slowly heating up by the tea, my father yells "where leaving in 5" so I run inside drop my cup into the sink, I put some socks of my cold feet, slide my dirty boots on and run and jump into the Ute " I'm ready" I yelled, dad, says to me " are you ready for work today" " yes " I say back so, first of all, we go down to the yards with dirt flying everywhere I could barely see the road behind us we have to milk the calves, we mix some milk up for them and pour them into the bottles and tightly screw on the lids them little calves like to suck hard we pick a calf and milk it and then once they stop sucking the milk out of the bottle you move once all 15 calves have had the milk we head down to the horses catch them and then put the saddles on and the bridles make sure everything's is good and then jump on so them from the cattle yesterday sitting in Blackmore paddock we open the gate and start mustering them up the Fitzpatrick paddock this take at least four hours by this time it 8 a.m. it was hot now so I take my hot jumper off and keep going before I notice a heifer has ran of behind the tree so I trot out and go het it back into the mob while that happens a few more times and then finally we get through and shut the gate and lock it " well done u did good" says dad i nod my head "thanks" I say back to dad so then we go bc]ack home for lunch we have vegemite sandwich and a can of soft drink thanks mum we leave and head out where driving past the dam and relies that there is a broken fence she we jump out to see how bad it is luckily we have the supplies in the back to fix it so we jump out grab the steel out wrap it around the post and tie it up "until next time" I said by now its 3 p.m. so we go back to feed the calves they are silly little thing once aging we boil the jug fill the bottles up feed them once one has stopped sucking you move on to the next again and again and then where finally done and then we drive home down the long road with the dust everywhere, that's my Monday on the property.