Bush Wanderlust Podcast

Welcome to a special episode of the Bush Wanderlust podcast to celebrate Mother’s Day. A huge shout out to all the past, present and future Mums and all the fabulous mother figures in our lives - we hope you’re having a happy and relaxing Sunday!And to the Bush Wanderlust podcast’s very own Katie Watson, a super amazing Mum-of-three – we hope you got a sleep-in this morning.Another amazing Mum we’re lucky enough to know is a girl from Walgett named Katie Murray. She’s a great Mum to four gorgeous young children, a generous and kick-ass small businesswoman and a very good friend of the Bush Wanderlust team.Katie’s loyal, motivating, infectiously fun, the life of the party and more often than not the organiser of the party too. Everyone needs someone like Katie in their lives and the Murray children Phoebe, Major, Adelaide and Minnie have definitely hit the jackpot scoring her as their mum.So it came as no surprise that the Burren Junction Country Women’s Association would ask Katie to be the guest speaker at the town’s beautifully restored School of Arts Hall to talk about her fast-paced city life before she took the plunge and packed up to move to Walgett in Outback NSW. They also asked her to speak about what inspired her to set-up the gift, homewares and coffee shop Stones Throw.Stoners, as it’s affectionately known, really has become so much more than just a shop: it’s a social hub of activity, an accidental counselling booth for locals, the buzz of the main street, a beautiful place to escape, laugh and catch up and the heartbeat of a resilient community which has copped more than its fair share of dust storms and drought.Thankfully there’s been some rain recently, but Katie and her awesome Stones Throw team can still be found brightening up people’s days.We are keen to sit down with this wonder woman for a proper Bush Wanderlust chat soon but thought we’d share Katie’s speech from the CWA event with you today to not only celebrate wonderful and adaptable Mums just like her, but also because the CWA is made up of so many Mums who work tirelessly to make the bush a better place to live.As you know, the CWA ladies are always busy getting things done and mutli-tasking, so you might hear a bit of rustling and food preparation in the background of this recording because we definitely were not brave enough to ask them to be quiet just for a podcast. So hopefully, you’ll manage with the sound and enjoy Katie’s speech. She started off by thanking the CWA and holding up a card with the word laugh written on it - how could we not?!Also, a special mention to Katie and Ali’s Mums because, let’s be honest, they’re normally the first to like and listen to the Bush Wanderlust posts, so thank you! We couldn’t do it without you.

In this episode, Ali and Katie are hitting the streets of Narrabri to indulge in a little retail therapy. But before embarking on the shops, they are definitely going to need a caffeine hit!Thankfully, the girls know a farmer from Spring Plains who can help them out with a delicious coffee fix.... Today, Bush Wanderlust is lucky enough to introduce you to the dynamic husband and wife duo - Dave and Martina Boyle. Just a few years ago, Davo was a full-time farmer, hard at work on his family's property where he grew up as one of four brothers. But these days, you'll find Dave behind a fancy coffee machine, brewing up lattes and cappuccinos. He's quite literally gone from paddock to serving plates and is a shining example of how adaptable, innovative and resilient farmers in the Narrabri region can be when times get tough, especially during drought. The twist is Dave set up coffee and produce store Yield at the back of Marval Designs, a fashion and lifestyle boutique owned by his ever-stylish wife, Martina. The Boyles also have two adorable daughters. So how do these two lovable locals make it work? We're about to find out. Welcome to the podcast, Dave and Marty.

Ebonnie Whan is someone we’d affectionately describe as a ‘doer’. She’s a wife, Mum-of-two, primary school teacher and has countless side-hustles from cocktail-making to podcasting. In fact, it’s pretty hard to keep up with all her hidden talents. She’s also delightful company and lots of fun. There’s not much this Narrabri girl can’t do (or won’t at least try)! If you ask Ebonnie, she’d say she’s ‘far from perfect' but we reckon she’s pretty bloody awesome, especially when you consider all the challenges, struggles and hurdles she’s had to face in the last 12 months.Ebonnie’s not only had to overcome her own health issues, she’s also had to deal with sadness and loss. Last year, Ebonnie’s best friend Dr Alexandra Tapp sadly died of a drug overdose. Alexandra has been described as a bright young vet with a promising career. We all know best friends are beyond special, and we really can’t imagine the pain of losing a best mate. But Ebonnie and Alexandra’s family have turned tragedy into a campaign for positive change. Alexandra’s sister Virginia has set-up an online support group for survivors of sexual abuse and assault. And Ebonnie has also somehow found the strength, and time, to start a podcast that shines a light on resilient Aussie bush women. The podcast is named after her bestie – it’s called Conversations for Ally.The podcast has started many tough, but important conversations about different battles country women endure and how they've conquered them.In this episode, we’d like to play you Ebonnie’s inspiring speech from the Narrabri Shire Council’s International Women’s Day breakfast so you can hear, in her own words, how she stepped out of her comfort zone and chose to challenge. We were lucky enough to MC the IWD event so thought we'd put this special episode together for you. We reckon Ebonnie totally wow-ed the crowd with her courage, shout-out to good husbands everywhere and messages of kindness, empathy and compassion.If you or someone you know needs help please call Lifeline 13 11 14 or 1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732.

Today the Bush Wanderlust podcast is off to gain a cheeky little insight into the Running Bare Nudist Retreat owned by Narrabri region locals Glennis and Laurie Godden. The retreat is located in the Pilliga scrub and it’s a little slice of paradise where tourists stroll around starkers, bushwalk in their birthday suits and really seem to be living their best life without a stitch of clothing on.Running Bare founders Glennis and Laurie Godden are high school sweethearts and once their children grew up and left home, it was their naked ambition that inspired the couple to create Running Bare, with their family’s support, in this wildly beautiful location. There’s definitely a trend at the nudist retreat of retirees and empty nesters seeking a simpler life. Ali and Katie chat to the Goddens about the nudist lifestyle, uncover their path to going to ‘the full monty’, discuss how COVID has people craving this back to basic lifestyle as well as talk about the mysteries and myths of the Pilliga forest including the Yowie.

Do you ever dream about quitting your day job and starting a more satisfying business venture from scratch? Well, that’s exactly what Narrabri’s Stephen Beale rustled up the courage to do a few years ago when he embarked on a new life as a distiller with his multi-talented partner Rosemary Smith. Together, the former mineworker and music teacher launched the Black Snake Distillery at the foothills of Mount Kaputar bringing a Mexican flavour to the Narrabri region with a unique agave spirit produced in the tradition of mezcal and tequila. Stephen and Rosemary join the Bush Wanderlust podcast this week to chat about their pioneering paddock-to-bottle experience and offer Katie and Ali a sample of their delicious drop that's made from the agave plants grown in their back paddock. Life as a distiller might sound romantic but a whole lot of blood sweat and tears have gone into establishing this sustainable craft distillery. So here's cheers to a good chat with an innovative Narrabri couple who are taking the boutique booze world by storm!

In today's episode, Ali and Katie are stopping by a shearing shed out the back of Boggabri to meet one of the Narrabri region's most colourful characters - shearer and epic fundraising legend Col 'Mad Dog' Gillham. Mad Dog's hometown of Boggabri is best-known as "the little town with the big heart", but there's no bigger heart than Mad Dog's. He's raised truckloads of money for charity in wild, wacky and wonderful ways, from conquering the challenge of a 40-HOUR-shear-a-thon to walking 40 kilometres wearing 74 bras to raise money for cancer sufferers and more! This laconic Aussie character has a heart of gold and is one of the many generous (and humble) volunteers in country Australia who go above and beyond to make the bush a better place to live and visit. Mad Dog's got a swag of cracking yarns from the popular Drovers' Campfire event, and plenty of shearing shed stories to share including what the delicacy of sheep's brains tastes like - if you dare to try! The locals don't call him 'Mad Dog' for nothing....hope you enjoy this chat!

On today’s episode, Katie and Ali are hitting the road and heading west to Wee Waa to meet one of the Narrabri region’s favourite couples – Helen and Bert Wenner. Their love story will make your heart skip a beat. Helen is a proud Gamilaraay woman and an inspiration to many students in her role as the Aboriginal Education Officer at Wee Waa High School. Growing up, Helen spent part of her childhood living at a place called Tulladunna Reserve, and today visitors are welcome to go there on organised knowledge sharing days.There’s also a bit of a foreign twist to the Wenner’s love story, Helen’s husband Bert is originally from Germany and like many others – his family moved to the district in search of work opportunities in our thriving agricultural sector. In fact, Bert’s worked on the same farm just outside the town of Wee Waa for more than 40 years now making our food and fibre. In some ways, Helen and Bert might seem likely an unlikely pair, but together they’ve got through the toughest of times and made a truly wonderful life.Thank you to the Wee Waa High School’s Indigenous songbirds for singing the beautiful Acknowledgement to Country played at the beginning of this podcast.And as per the warning at the start of this podcast interview - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this interview contains references to and names of deceased people.

Dr Michael Read (better known to most Narrabri locals as 'Ready') is a popular country vet, pink slug sleuth and orchid enthusiast. Ready is lucky enough to have the magnificent Mount Kaputar right in his backyard and in today's episode, Katie and Ali chat to Ready about the breathtakingly beautiful National Park. You'll hear all about Ready's bushwalking adventures, birdwatching tips, pink slug-hunting secrets and the flower named in his honour! Ready will inspire you to pull those hiking boots out from the back of the cupboard and discover all the natural wonders of the Narrabri region.

In today’s Bush Wanderlust podcast Katie and Ali are on the road to meet every country bride's dream wedding caterer - Narrabri’s Katrina White. Just the sound of Treen’s name will have tummies rumbling across the Narrabri region because here we know her cooking is just so scrumptiously good. However, it's not just brides from the bush who want a piece of this North West girl's pie - Treen even got the call up to cater for fabulous Channel 7 journalist Edwina Bartholomew’s big day. Born and bred on the dusty Cryon plains near Walgett, Treen grew up on a farm and is one of seven children. She trained in Ireland, at the world-famous Ballymaloe Cookery School and had the world at her feet when she completed the course and could’ve made it in the bright, city lights but Treen returned to her country roots and runs her catering business, Relish, from Narrabri where she employs a swag of locals who work with her at weddings across the countryside. Treen lives in town with her handsome husband Shane and two beautiful girls Willa and Bonnie.

Introducing the Bush Wanderlust Podcast, a new series hosted by Ali Smith and Katie Watson.Buckle in as these two birds from the bush take you on a road trip around the Narrabri region in North West New South Wales, Australia. Ali and Katie will share the amazing stories of the loveable locals who call the Narrabri region home.