Jason Tuttle may run his trucking business Carpentaria Fuels out of Townsville but it is the western outback that is is true spiritual home.
“I spent most of my life in Cloncurry and about eight months ago I moved to Townsville,” Mr Tuttle said.
“I grew up at Devoncourt station with the McDonald family.”
These days, Mr Tuttle’s business is vital fuel delivery to the outback. “We deliver all kinds of fuel - diesel, unleaded, premium, Avgas – to all remote properties and communities and some retail sites,” he said.
Mr Tuttle is normally accustomed to lonely travel on the long stretches of road however when the North West Star caught up with him in Urandangi, 200km south west of Mount Isa, he had a film crew in tow.
“We’re filming for a series called Outback Truckers Five,” he said. “I just thought I’d bring them down and show them this part of the world, Urandangi and onto the Plenty (Highway).”
Mr Tuttle said this part of the world usually got forgotten about and there were top people here.
“I want to show the world Australia is not just all fairy floss and bells and whistles, there’s people out here who do it tough and actually work for a living,” he said.
Mr Tuttle said he and the crew left Townsville the day before and will film his trip for six days.
“We’ve done the Urandangi school today and the schoolhouse and the pub and then we’ll go out through Manners Creek, Tobermorey and those stations tomorrow and we’ll come back to Townsville empty to reload,” he said.
Mr Tuttle said he loved his job.
“I’m a bush boy and I still get to see the people I love dealing with,” he said.
Having done his deliveries for the day, Mr Tuttle relaxed for the evening at the Urandangi pub, but he was conscious of the importance of his work.
“At this time of year you only have a certain opportunity to get in and these guys rely on it – without fuel they’ve got no power.”
Outback Truckers Five will be shown later this year on Discovery Channel and Seven Mate.