Bullo, boots 'n' all in the Northern Territory

A HOLIDAY on a working cattle station brings out the cowboy in all of us, writes Linda Smith.

City Slickers ... a guest learns to muster cattle at Bullo River Station in the Northern Territory.

YOU need to pack three essentials to enjoy an Outback experience at Bullo River Station – sturdy boots, a cowboy hat and, most importantly, a keen sense of adventure.

Cowboy attire may sound trite but within five minutes of arriving at the Northern Territory working cattle station you'll feel right at home.

Bullo has a strange effect on visitors: it makes you face fears; it makes you do things you have not dreamt of doing; and it makes you feel perfectly comfortable in outfits you had not imagined you'd wear.

Pull off the Victoria Highway, on to a dusty gravel road, and swing open the gate marked "Bullo River". This is when you begin to feel the enchantment of the place.

Rocky escarpments, towering orange anthills and commanding grey baobab trees are set against the bright-blue sky and red earth. Knowing the property covers 200,000ha - about half the size of Sydney - you wonder what else this magical place has to offer.

Made famous by best-selling author and farmer Sara Henderson, Bullo is run by her eldest daughter Marlee Ranacher and Marlee's husband Franz with their two young children, Ben and Franzie. It is not a holiday ranch, but a working station with 9000 head of brahman cattle that offers visitors a first-hand view of station life.

Getting to Bullo, just east of the Western Australian border, is not easy. It is several hours' drive from Katherine in the dry season - and the only way in or out in the wet season is by chartered flight from Kununurra or Darwin.

But once you get to Bullo you will feel you have been there forever and won't want to leave. Just ask the staff - most went to Bullo for a short stay, loved it and have not left.

Or ask acclaimed film director Baz Luhrmann, who visited Bullo seeking inspiration for his Hollywood blockbuster Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, due for release in November.

At Bullo, mobile phones, internet and fast food are replaced by home-cooked meals, fresh air and an old-fashioned chat around the dinner table.

At the centre of station life is the homestead. The Ranachers live there but open the living areas of the sprawling stone building for guests.

A purpose-built guest area, close to the main house, has a dozen double/twin, air-conditioned rooms with ensuites. You can do as much, or as little, as you like. There is an inground pool but don't expect to sit idle - there are far too many adventures to be had.

Learn mustering, trail riding and four-wheel-driving. Go barramundi fishing or wildlife and crocodile spotting - or enjoy a sunrise over a billabong. Stockman Evan happily whisks you away to the cattle yards. Even city-slickers on horseback are made ready to muster cattle.

Aged in his 60s and at Bullo for more than a decade, the former rodeo rider and riding-school operator has a rough exterior but a heart of gold.

Evan shouts orders while inexperienced riders steer horses around a pack of poddy calves whose hooves stir the soft earth and coat you in thick dust - getting dirty is commonplace at Bullo.

A less energetic way to spend a day is to visit the breathtaking gorge, about 45 minutes' drive from the homestead, to fish for barramundi. Guide Trevor - a retired flowergrower and Bullo's resident fisherman - tells frightening stories about crocs in the area as you glide through sparkling water in a dinghy and admire towering rockfaces.

Bullo loses about 300 cattle a year to crocs who rush from the water at up to 50km/h to nab prey. Staff regularly see crocs about 5m-6m long.

A helicopter ride is the best way to see the size and scenery of Bullo. Pilot Franz Ranacher takes guests to Aboriginal rock art sites, fishing spots and Bullo's famous Cascades waterfall and rockpools.

Luhrmann was captivated by Bullo when Franz took him to the Cascades. Franz was not surprised - he also remains fascinated by his adopted homeland since moving from Austria.

Franz came to Australia as a backpacker and a promise of mustering work attracted him to Bullo. Marlee fell in love with him when she saw the long-haired Austrian - with earring and a "Save the turtles" T-shirt - ride on to the property.

Within four months they were married.

Franz has no shortage of stories to tell, and Marlee has written a book on the station, Bullo: The Next Generation. Their sons are home-schooled. Ben spends much of his time with two pet snakes draped over his shoulders.

When their time comes to leave, many guests are spouting the idea of quitting city life and running away to become a cattleman or a homestead cook.

The writer travelled as a guest of Tourism NT.

Sunday Mail (SA)