Khory Hancock knows what it's like to live in two different worlds at the same time.

An environmental scientist by trade, Khory was born and raised on a large cattle property in Queensland.

It was his belief that agriculture, in particular cattle farming, was a part of the solution to environmental problems, not the cause, that led him down the path of advocacy.

Khory knew it wouldn’t be easy to draw a crowd talking about the environment, so he created an online alter ego called The Environmental Cowboy. By his own admission, the Environmental Cowboy was an oversexualised, self-deprecating character, who used humour and sex appeal to draw an audience.

But, it worked. It really did – and he was reaching millions of people around the world each week.

So, why did he walk away from the Environmental Cowboy and leave his advocacy mission behind?

In this episode, for the first time ever, Khory shares the tale of the birth and death of the Environmental Cowboy. It was an absolute privilege to be the first platform he has shared this story with, and I think you’ll be surprised throughout our chat.

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Apologies for not posting an episode for so long! As the count down to the podcast baby gets shorter and shorter, I have been "making hay while the sun shines" and doing lots of contract work! 

So, here is an oldie but a goodie, and one we get requested all the time!

This episode is based on one of the most popular stories on the Central Station website, called “Tips for station newbies”. From advice when applying for a job, to what to pack and how to behave once you’ve got the job – we cover a lot in this episode! We even cover … sex! So, if you have little ones around, it might be best to plug in some headphones.

Whether you’re heading out to a station for the first time, or you’ve been around for a while, there’s something for everything in this episode. If you have any advice you think we should include on our website, send us a message through our website or any of our social media accounts.

Ok, here is the mandatory disclaimer… The views reflected in this episode are those of the author and podcast host, and do not necessarily represent the views of Central Station staff, people who contribute to our website or our wonderful sponsors. The original blog was written in good humor and that is the same for this episode – we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and you shouldn’t either – we encourage you to take the following with a grain of salt and make up your own mind.

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Munro Hardy's pathway to his current career has not been straight forward.

After a gap year around Australia saw him fall in love with agriculture (Episode 190, Part 1), he kept on that path, trying his hand at all he could (Episode 193, Part 2). 

But, at some point, Munro decided to step away from the cattle industry and try his hand at all sorts of jobs, including pearling, roadworks, mining, and construction. 

It's not a pathway anyone would necessarily advise someone who wants a career in the beef industry, but as you'll see in this episode, it all came together and contributed to the success he is experiencing today.

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As promised, here is part 2 of our chat with Munro Hardy.

While he's only 35 years young, holy hatbox he has managed to fit a lot into a short space of time!

In this episode he shares stories from his time working in live export, contract mustering, and a pretty hairy tale from a trip to Egypt...

If you haven't listened to Part 1, go back and listen first!

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Today I’ve got something a bit special for you – as you would have heard in Part 1 – Munro Hardy has had many adventures in his life so far. When we were recording Part 2, Munro shared a story that I was not expecting, and it’s pretty hectic – so much so that I thought it should come out a week early in its own episode.

So... enjoy this preview of Part 2, and please, don’t try this at home!

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Starting a family is no longer as simple as meeting a partner and falling in love. I’m not sure if fertility challenges are becoming more common, or just more spoken about – but it certainly feels as though both are true.

While stories about fertility challenges are becoming more common, no two are the same.

In today’s episode, I sit down with Kim and Gus from Umbearra Station, 4 hours south of Alice Springs.

Fertility challenges don’t discriminate, and I don’t think it’s as black and white as saying that someone’s journey is easier or harder than anyone else’s – they all have their unique aspects. For Kim and Gus, their remote location meant that they ended up traveling in excess of 40,000 km to conceive their first two children.

To start our conversation, I asked them to take me back to the very start of their journey trying to start a family.

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Munro Hardy has been a busy man.

At just 35 years old, Munro’s career has taken him from fencing croc-infested rivers in the Top End, to mustering cattle from a helicopter, to boardrooms in Sydney, and most recently around the world as a Nuffield Scholar.

It took a bit of convincing, but we managed to wrangle Munro to sit down and share his story. In this episode, he tells tales from the gap year that took him around Australia, and all the adventures that came with it.

Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for Parts 2 and 3, to hear all about his helicopter mustering escapades, why he chose to leave the Territory for the big smoke, and how it led him right back to where he started.

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Nathan Dyer has found himself in some crazy situations, in the most remote parts of Australia... on assignment.

The job? Freelance journalist and photographer.

It's a far cry from his humble beginnings as a corporate accountant in the metropolis of Melbourne. 

In this episode, Nathan shares the unconventional path he took to land a job so many of us dream of, and some of the life changing experiences he's had so far.

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Since Annabelle Coppin was a child, she wanted people to eat the beef her family raised on their Pilbara cattle station.

But, simply selling cattle to the market wasn’t enough for her - she wanted to be involved in the entire process, and watch as people picked up packets of her beef from the supermarket.

She wanted them to know that what they were about to cook wasn’t just any old Aussie beef, but that from Yarrie Station - a property her family had been nuturing for 5 generations.

In this episode, Annabelle shares the highs and lows of starting a branded beef business, and how she keeps her dream alive.

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Would you ever take in a child that wasn’t your own?

If you’re imagining a relative, or a friend’s child - the answer might be a simple, straightforward, “yes, of course!”

But what if you didn’t know the child? And, if, once you get to know them, bond with them, and love them, they could be taken away?

That’s the reality of foster parents across the world.

In today’s episode, we hear the story of one family who are raising their 5 children, including 2 foster children, on a remote cattle station in Australia.

To add an extra layer of complexity to the situation, the foster children are Indigenous and the foster family are not. 

As you’ll hear today, it has been one of the hardest, yet most rewarding experiences for our guest.   

**Please note, that we have chosen to de-identify all names and locations in this episode, to ensure anonymity. While the family was consulted about doing the episode, this is one person’s story, and we need to respect the privacy of the children involved.**

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