My Outback Adventure (part two)

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continued.........

It was only after dismounting and thanking Tramp that I realised quite how dyhydrated I was (and rather sweaty!), being a Cowgirl is thirsty work. But back at the farm it was time to join the others and learn to rodeo.Yes rodeo! Learning to lasso is hard! There is nothing natural about swinging rope around your head. We praticed on skulls (and each other) until we were rudely interupted by the sound of thunder. I should inform you at this point that in Queensland, in the wet season, when it rains, IT RAINS! Thankfully it stopped at our Goat Rodeo could take place, however, only after it had turned the goat pen into a a swamp!

The Goat Rodeo was a timed competation. Three of you entre the pen which is holding about twenty adult male goats with large (and terrifying) horns. Two of the team have to lasso a goat. It took me about four gos, each time the rope had to be drived for in the mud before it could be re-flung at the goats! Finally, success, I had one! My team mate jumped into action getting the goat between her legs holding it still while Hannah grabbed the brander (thankfully not a hot one!) and held it on the struggling goats rear for three seconds. Then came the hard bit: Hannah opened the door of the pen (is anyone else noticing that someone is getting all the easy jobs!!) while the other girl and I grabbed a horn each (having taken the lasso of over his head, no small challenge in itself!) and, slipping and nearly falling in the swimming pool of goat poo and mud, attempted to drag the fighting animal outside. Goats are strong! It was a matter of seconds, but the battle seemed to last a lot longer, and suddenely he was running away into the outback. We were once again celebrating our achievements over the goat-kind and considering ourselfs, by this point, to be serious Cowgirls!

(look away now Mum becuase the ride back down to the farm was rather more dangerous that the fight with a goat) Andy-the-Cowboy invited us to jump in the back of his ute and so hanging on for dear life, while the speakers blared 'ya'll gotta some day' we slipped and slid uncontrollably all the way back down to the farm! Great fun!

Theres was no time to wash the goat poo off, instead we were sampling the 'mystery'bush meat which was delisiously tender and (the poor creatures were taking quite a bashing today!) turned out to be goat- YUM! Not long after there was a yell of 'soups ready'. Our outback dinner was to start with soup and damper. I'm pretty sure I was the only person among the group who had had damper before - but no like this. On camp we never had the paitence to wait for it to cook so my knowledge of dampers had aways been of doughy stuff on the end of a stick smothered in Jam (to Mrs Janes worried looks). But this damper was heaven. It smelled just like my Mum bread when it is just out of the oven. Truely wonderful!



to be continued..............

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