For some, life on the land may be second nature. Wide open spaces, mustering cattle, bore runs and fixing fence posts were instilled from a young age.
For others, childhood upbringings may have looked vastly different.
As the agricultural industry looks to attract the next generation through the ranks, working on a station is often the first foot in the door.
From the streets of Sydney and Melbourne, the garden city, coastal bays and quiet dairy towns in western Victoria, five bright sparks decided to pack up their lives and give the often wild, adventurous and isolating ringing life a crack up north.
The North Queensland Register sat down with these formerly coined 'city kids' to share the highs, the lows and what prompted the ultimate decision to head out bush.
Chloe Ferris, 26, Barkly Downs Station
Chloe Ferris grew up on the outskirts of Melbourne in Point Cook; a 20-minute drive from the bustling city centre.
After graduating from high school, she went on to study equine business management at Marcus Oldham College where the idea of working as a ringer was first introduced.
"My best friend from ag college who was also a typical Melbourne girl - we were both vegetarian when we met - went to work on a station near Julia Creek," Chloe said.
"Hearing all the awesome experiences she was having and noticing the positive change in her level of confidence was what made me consider the idea.
"I then visited her for a week on the station and it was pretty well sold."
The process of applying for a role on a cattle station began without much luck for a couple of years after her first visit up north.
Chloe said she was working a seasonal role as an equine vet nurse in Western Australia when the job fell through and later landed a position on a property in central Queensland.
"I applied to every station I could find that was looking for staff just to get a foot in the door," she said.
"I'm currently contracting around North Queensland.
"The roles I've had on cattle stations have been as a station hand and Wagyu data technician."
She was now currently based at a large scale commercial cattle property on the Barkly Tablelands spanning three million acres averaging 39,000 head.
"I do a bit of everything; mustering on horseback, working cattle in the yards and bore running," she said.
"The property runs three crews."
With some experience now under her belt, Chloe said her overall reception to the industry had been positive.
"My first year I was "green as the grass" and so I was the bud of a few jokes and had a lot of stern talking to's," she said.
"I was fortunate to work for really good people who always had my best interests at heart and went out of their way to help me understand where I went wrong and what I could learn.
"I have loved the way it's shaped me as a person, I am much more confident in myself having done things I never thought I was capable of doing and I'm definitely more resilient as well.
"I also love the lifelong friendships I have made."
As for the challenges, Chloe said the biggest test was not getting discouraged through the learning process when mistakes were made.
"I would say to anyone interested in working on a property, be relentless in getting your foot in the door and keep pushing yourself outside your comfort zone," she said.
"Accept that you're going to have to admit that you are ignorant of certain things in order to learn.
"Also when choosing an employer, prioritise working for someone who is a good person and will invest in you over money or other perks."
As for the future? Chloe hoped to invest more in improving her practical skills in the beef industry.
"As a keen photographer, I also want to continue promoting the industry as a whole through my photography Outback Creative Co," she said.
"Later down the track, after a lot more study, providing support to young people on remote cattle properties through mobile counselling services."
Tayne McDonald, 23, Dunluce Station
Tayne McDonald grew up in the rural town of Koroit in western Victoria with a population of just over 2000 people.
After a solid stint working in the dairy industry, a dream of working on a North Queensland beef property was what prompted the young ringer to take the leap.
"It was always a bit daunting the thought of moving so far away from home, but I had my family and friends pushing me to go and do it as I had always talked about wanting to do it," he said.
"The timing was right for me to do so. I made the decision to pack everything up and venture up here."
As with many other youngsters working in the industry, Tayne said he found his current position on social media through station job advertisements such as the hugely popular 'Ringers From The Top End' Facebook group.
Now based in the Hughenden region, Tayne works for Jack and Kylie Stewart-Moore who operate a commercial breeding and fattening enterprise across 52,000 hectare Dunluce Station and 48,000 hectare Burlington Station.
Together the operations run an average head of 10,000 Droughmaster and Brahman cattle.
"My role is a station hand alongside two other girls," Tayne said.
"Everyday here is different, but our day can involve mustering, processing cattle, fencing and so much more.
"Jack and Kylie also have a Droughtmaster stud, which dates back to 1957 where John Stewart-Moore was one of a handful who founded the Droughtmaster breed."
As for the reception? Tayne said the opportunity was never wasted.
"I think station owners are just happy to get more people into the industry, so experience isn't a huge essential to them, they're willing to teach the people they employ," he said.
"Give it a crack you won't regret it. It's good work, you'll have the time of your life and it's an experience you will never forget."
With his feet firmly planted in the cattle industry, Tayne said he hoped to one day own his own property.
"I'm hoping to travel and do some cattle work overseas to explore the industry more," he said.
"I hope to one day own my own cattle property, whether it be up here in sunny North Queensland or back down at home in the wet cold Koroit."
Sarah Gray, 19, Kallala Station
Toowoomba girl Sarah Gray decided to head north after graduating high school in 2020 with a keen interest in cattle and livestock production.
"I guess you could say I was pretty lost with what career to pursue and found myself scrambling through different uni courses, gap year programs, trades and other pathways just for the sake of finding 'something'," she said.
"I looked more into the life of ringing and decided that it was something I wanted to have a crack at."
Now based in the north west as a first year ringer at Kallala Station, Sarah works as a station hand across the 350,000 acre commercial property.
Sarah said a typical day during stockwork involved checking over bikes and buggies before heading out mustering.
"Depending on where the cattle are, this can take up to two days to bring them back to the house yards," she said.
"Once yarded up, we begin drafting the cattle. Afterwards it's injecting cows and weaners, branding, tagging and castrating.
"This whole process can take up to a week, depending on the size of the mob.
"While we aren't doing stockwork, the crew and I head out for various jobs across the station, including checking and repairing fences, bore runs, fixing bores, servicing bikes, vehicle maintenance and other general jobs that come up."
A shared first year experience, Sarah said the opportunity to work up north had been a huge learning curve.
"I was lucky enough to have a great boss and crew who have taken me on and taught me heaps of new skills," she said.
"Each day has been an opportunity to learn different techniques, tips and tricks from each other that can make jobs run a lot easier.
"I think it's important to know what you can and can't do and be honest with your boss and crew about it.
"The last thing you want to do is end up with a task that's way beyond your skill set."
Whilst riding the highs, there are often the lows, and Sarah said being away from her loved ones had proved challenging.
"Homesickness is definitely one of the biggest challenges I've had since moving onto a station," she said.
"It was a big move away from home without knowing anyone up here so initially I had wanted to head home where everything was familiar.
Within my first few weeks, I had even considered packing up all my things and leaving because I didn't think I was cut out for it.
"I'm grateful I stuck it out though because I can't picture myself doing anything else."
So much so, the future remained open ended for the original Toowoomba girl.
"I'd love to continue working on stations for a while, possibly working my way up to a leadership position within the industry," she said.
"I think once you've actually lived and experienced the outback in its fullness it really gets under your skin.
"There aren't too many jobs out there where you can say you're "livin' the dream" and actually mean it."
Campbell McKenzie, 23, Monkira Station
Another Victorian local, Campbell McKenzie grew up in Apollo Bay down south on his family property.
"I grew up on a couple hundred acre block," he said.
"We have a few head of black Angus cattle."
After completing his plumbing apprenticeship, Campbell said he jumped at the opportunity to head north to work as a ringer.
"Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to be a cowboy," he said.
"I was at the stage of life where it just seemed like the right time to chase my dreams."
Now based at NAPCo's Monkira Station in the channel country, the Victorian cowboy is working as a first year ringer on the weaner block.
"A typical day could involve mustering, processing cattle, horse riding or fencing," Campbell said.
"One of my mates told me about this particular station, so I applied.
"With a plumbing background my manager was happy to have me onboard."
Campbell said the opportunity to meet new people, learn new skills, such as riding horses, and explore new places had been a highlight of his role so far.
But as a similar experience with other ringers, being away from family and friends for extended periods of time had been a challenge.
Campbell said he'd found a passion for the industry since kicking off his role.
"Give it a go, you might find you really like it," he said.
"I'll keep ringing for a couple years at this stage.
"I've always got my plumbing to drop back to if I want or need to."
Issy Mackey, 23, Wagga Wagga
Issy Mackey grew up in both Sydney and Geelong, and even spent time living abroad with her family in Singapore, before deciding to give the ringer life a crack.
A passionate horse rider and with a strong interest in the equine industry led her to study at Marcus Oldham College before deciding to undertake the challenge of becoming a veterinarian.
"A lot of my friends had worked on stations and it was something I had always wanted to do," she said.
"I went to ag college and I then decided that I wanted to be a vet. I went back to university for another year and got the grades, but I didn't get into vet.
"After that I thought, bugger it, I finally have got a year off that I'm not studying. I've got the grades that'll last me another seven years and I'll keep trying until I get in. For now I can pretty much do whatever I want."
That she did. Issy decided to pack up her life and travel the outback with her dog and a couple of horses in 2020.
After scrolling through social media and opting for the contractor route, she landed a role with Spur and Anvil Contract Mustering.
"I travelled to the Birdsville Track and worked with a contract crew on Clifton Hills Station," she said.
"I then went onto the Gulf with a different crew to Lorraine Station in Cloncurry and Inverleigh Station in Normanton before a motorbike incident cut my trip short."
After a four month stint, the incident saw her return down south to begin studying veterinary science at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga.
"I've had a little stint since back up in the Northern Territory for a university placement, which was with the first contract company I worked with," she said.
"My first day in the yards I was kicked by a cow and shattered my leg and had to be airlifted to Darwin.
"It's been a world of adventure that's for sure."
Whilst her journey may have looked a little different to others, Issy said the experience was well worth it.
"The whole idea of it all was just to see as much country as possible and meet as many different people as possible," she said.
"I wanted to learn everything I could and get my foot in the door. I definitely went from zero to 100.
"I would say to anyone looking into working as a ringer, 100 percent give it a crack. Go on your own, you'll reap so much benefit. Plan early and apply early."
Issy is now back completing her studies in Wagga Wagga with plans to run the Melbourne Marathon in October to raise funds for CareFlight who helped during her accident in the Territory.
She said she had an interest in pursuing large animal production and equine fields once she graduated.
Zoe Thomas
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
