Author: Columnist on Redcliffe Today

• The morning began with a call from north of Bourke, where Clem, a fencing contractor, was on day three of replacing six kilometres of boundary fence torn apart by floodwaters in February. He described in detail how the old star pickets had folded under debris—mostly timber and grass washed in from upstream—and how he’d begun spacing out new galvanised pickets and triple-running plain wire, using strainers reinforced with ironbark stays. He said he and his son were working from sun-up to sundown, trying to finish before cold mornings set in. When asked about ferals, Clem said wild pigs had torn through parts of the old fence, “like they owned the place,” but newer wiring and solar gates were holding them out for now. His matter-of-fact tone underscored just how routine big repairs have become across the floodplain.

• A call from Narrandera, NSW came from a citrus grower beginning the Valencia harvest after a warm, dry end to summer. She reported a better-than-expected yield, but noted that smaller fruit size and high freight costs were cutting into profits. She explained how they use handheld refractometers to check sugar levels and pick by hand to avoid bruising. She also mentioned the return of picker shortages, saying her family’s relying heavily on grey nomads and local teenagers. “We’re not fussy—we just need hands and hats,” she said. This brief but concrete update painted a clear picture of small-scale fruit farming in a challenging year.

• In a more unusual segment, a listener from Mount Barker, SA, described how he’d recently moved an upright piano from his grandmother’s house into a converted shearing shed on his property. He gave a precise account of how he and his brother constructed a timber sled using fence posts and a steel winch, then slid the piano down a ramp and loaded it onto a tandem trailer. The whole project took two afternoons and three fridge dollies. Now installed in the shed, the piano will be used for monthly folk nights with neighbours. “It’s a bit out of tune,” he said, “but no one here minds.”

• A farmer outside Deniliquin phoned in to report on a trial of mixed cover cropping in fallow paddocks. He had recently sown a mix of vetch, oats, tillage radish, and crimson clover, hoping to improve organic matter and suppress ryegrass. He explained how they’d rolled the seed mix in with a cultipacker behind a light disc and said early results were promising: good germination and less weed pressure than last year’s fallow. He added that his agronomist is planning to graze sheep on the stand in late winter before terminating it ahead of spring planting. This kind of rotational, multispecies grazing update—practical, dry and useful—was the type of call bush farmers tune in for.

• From Bunbury, WA, a retired brickie gave a quick run-through of how he uses leftover scaffolding planks and concrete bricks to build raised garden beds for mates on pensioner blocks. “Four bricks, one plank, repeat,” he said, adding that he’s built twelve beds across four homes in his neighbourhood. The caller said he sources soil from the local tip’s green waste recycling depot and gets seedlings cheap from the Lions Club markets. His motto: “No one should be too broke to grow.”

• One of the more entertaining calls came from a horse transport driver somewhere near Roma, QLD, who phoned in during a stopover to stretch his legs. He was on a four-day run carting six show horses from Tamworth to Mount Isa for a rodeo clinic. He explained how each horse was given its own feed bay, padded sides, and 3-hour rest intervals. “It’s not just a float—it’s a stable on wheels,” he said. He described how the horses react to traffic noise differently—some sleep standing, others sway with every corner. The transport rig runs a light spray system to keep dust down and a side fan system powered by an inverter. It was a rare insight into the logistics of long-distance animal transport done properly.

• A woman in Castlemaine, Victoria rang in to describe her firewood rotation system, which uses a combination of ironbark, box and redgum across three drying racks. She detailed how she stacks by species and burn time—ironbark for the coldest nights, box for regular use, and redgum for kindling or fast-start fires. Each load is dated with chalk. She mentioned that she processes most of her own wood with a hired log splitter, after a friendly tree lopper drops off clean cuts. “I’ve got firewood dated out to 2027,” she laughed.

@highcountrysnakecatcher Firewood, redgum for the win! #firewood #woodheat #eucalyptuscamaldulensis #redgum #stihl660 #stihl #warmth #coldweather #winter #highcountry #victoria #australia ♬ Something in the Orange (Z&E's Version) – Zach Bryan

• From Bridport, Tasmania, a call came in from a volunteer involved in restoring the town’s old surf club hall, recently repurposed as a community shed. She described how volunteers were using salvaged weatherboards from a nearby demolition site and had installed a new corrugated roof with donated insulation from a local builder. The building, which once hosted lifesaving classes, is now used weekly for men’s shed meetings, knife-making demonstrations, and ukulele practice. “We’ve kept the sea breeze but added power points,” she said.

• Later in the program, a call from Cunnamulla came from a bloke who’d just completed 20,000 km in a 1981 Toyota LandCruiser, circumnavigating Australia. He gave a short field report on tyre pressure, road conditions, and fuel pricing from Ceduna to Kununurra. He also mentioned his custom water tank setup, which held 70 litres under the tray and was refilled mostly via campgrounds and filtered creeks. “I did the whole thing solo—no trailer, no fridge. Just me, a swag, and the weather band on the radio,” he said. Macca asked where he slept most. “Gravel pits, mostly. And one tennis court.”

• The episode ended with a brief but rich update from a historian in Gundagai, who’s been compiling local letters from the 1891 shearers’ strike. He read from one account by a station cook describing a week of feeding 60 men on damper, mutton and cold black tea. The researcher said he’s working on a short publication that includes never-before-published union minutes and anecdotes from station hands who walked off the job. “It’s not textbook history—it’s muddy-boot stuff,” he said.

Listen to the podcast episode here.

Disclaimer: Brisbane Suburbs Online News has no affiliation with Ian McNamara or the “Australia All Over Show.” This weekly review is an attempt to share the wonderful stories that Ian broadcasts each week and add value to what is a smorgasbord of great insights.