Half a Million Acres – Australian Story ABC1 Monday the 5th of March 2012
Half a Million Acres tells the story of a young man from remote Western Australia, a young woman from the Melbourne suburbs and the battle to save an historic grazing property in one of the oldest landscapes on the planet.
Frances Jones and David Pollock
David Pollock was just twenty-seven when his father chose him over his older brother to take over the family’s pastoral lease in outback Western Australia. Originally the size of a small town, Wooleen station had fallen on hard times as over-grazing and drought decimated the landscape. David’s radical plans to remove the cattle from the half million acre property and regenerate the country shocked his neighbours. The project may well have failed but for the unexpected arrival of a young woman in her gap year from Melbourne.
The story starts when grazier’s son David Pollock unexpectedly finds himself in charge of the family pastoral lease at the remote Wooleen Station, on the southern rangelands, eight hours’ north of Perth. In an agonising decision, his father Brett bypassed David’s older brother and decided to support his youngest son in a radical plan to restore the land for future generations. Once highly productive, the rangelands had been devastated by years of over grazing and poor land management.
But David Pollock’s bold plan to destock the property and nurse the land back to health was proving too difficult – until an eighteen year old woman called Frances Jones turned up from Melbourne on an outback adventure.
To the horror of her parents, Frances Jones fell in love with both the property and David Pollock
The young couple joined forces and combined their talents.
Together they are implementing progressive new land management approaches that his once sceptical neighbours are now watching with interest.
It’s a race against time but they believe they are in with a chance of saving the property and restoring the degraded landscape.
28 Comments
28 Comments
-
on March 5, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Just finished watching the show. Three hearty chhers for you both I say.
Kim
-
on March 5, 2012 at 5:47 pm
Hi Guys,
Your land management plan is pretty inspiring.
I, and I suspect many others, would be happy to make a very very small financial contribution towards your initiative to regenerate the station.
If you have an account set up I’d be happy to deposit $100. Let us know the best way to proceed.
cheers
Ross
-
on March 5, 2012 at 5:53 pm
I loved the program about Wooleen on Aust Story. My wife and I love Central Aust but have yet to visit WA I hope to be able to rectify this and stay with you sometime in the future.
Cheers Nigel and DorothyPs we live 120 km south of Sydney, in another beautiful
place called Kangaroo Valley
-
on March 5, 2012 at 6:07 pm
We’ve just been watching Australian Story, and were delighted to see that it was about Wooleen. We camped at your place for 3 nights in August, and it was wonderful to see the more (and less) recent images of the vegetation recovery. My husband George worked for some years in land management around Canberra, and was particularly struck by the effectiveness of your approach to natural vegetation recolonisation.
Originally a hill-country girl from an area that gets around 1200mm annual rainfall, I did not expect to enjoy being in such a flat, dry place — but I found that I loved it. Comparing it to “home” would be like comparing a cruise ship with a bike – both transport, but simply totally different. You look for what’s there in the moment, not for what you’ve left behind.
Keep up the good work, and may many more learn to appreciate the Big Country with your assistance. I hope someday to come back and see the difference you’ve wrought.
Rosemary
-
on March 5, 2012 at 6:12 pm
Have just seen TV program featuring Wooleen station. Most impressed because your approach is exactly what I have long believed must be done for the semi-arid parts of Australia. When I was a boy the locals already knew the land had to be spelled for perhaps 25 years to restore it after the ravages left by sheep.This was in the 1930’s. The need to reduce watering places is essential and this you have done. The next thing is perhaps to start to harvest the kangaroos and not cloven-hoofed animals. Is selective burning a future possibility? Or harvesting hay. Shed fattening lambs using hay and green grass in season could be a possibility. Do not give up and keep flexible. Congratulations on your achievement to date.
-
on March 5, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Just saw the Australian story- you guys are doing a good thing- so brave of you both to take the road less travelled.
Best of luck
-
on March 5, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Gidday Frances, I just saw you on Australia Story tonight and you reminded me of Kim and Taffy at Mt Hart station. http://www.mthart.com.au/
Sadly they were told to leave by DEC after managing it for 20 years. But I love the idea of bringing the land back to life.
Anyway, if the boys are heading down to Ipswich in their fund raiser you can let them know they are most welcome to drop by here at Heartland , Durong Sth Qld. I have a small Droughtmaster Stud and Qld’s only private Dingo Sanctuary.
You work there reminds me of what Peter Andrew was doing in NSW and his book Back from the Brink. I just wish Govt would invest more freely in conservation work like yours. Hooroo, Simon
-
on March 5, 2012 at 7:05 pm
Have just watched Australian Story and was completely taken with the beauty of the property and what you both are trying to do. Congratulations for having achieved so much already. I have wanted for some time to get back into the Australian interior after a trip to the Centre several years ago, and will try to support you as a paying tourist. Will talk to my husband (who is away on business at present) about getting there later this year. All the best to you both, and I hope you are inundated with with requests to stay.
Carole
-
on March 5, 2012 at 7:40 pm
Just saw your Station on the ABC, Great to see it going so well, member of the 4WD Nissan Patrol Club of NSW & ACT, looking at running a club trip to WA to do the Canning and to Wave Rock, will have to put you guys down on the list now.
Get back to you a little later when planning starts.
-
on March 5, 2012 at 8:36 pm
A heart warming and inspiring story. Wooleen has now been included in my bucket list of must-see p
aces to visit.
-
on March 5, 2012 at 8:40 pm
Just watched australian story. Hopefully this means lots of others have watched it t
As well and you will be busy with lots of tourists as a result.Well done you two, I hope you continue to go from strength to strength.It is wonderful that the land is in such goodhands. We stayed with you a couple of years ago in the camp area with our two dogs, We loved the place and it was so nice to have a safe place to go with our dogs. We hope to getback there again and this time for longer.
-
on March 5, 2012 at 9:47 pm
I’ve also watched Australian story tonight on the ABC and certainly wish David & Frances success for the future. What you have achieved so far is amazing. I can appreciate the sacrifices made to take this new path, having a farming background and friends in the pastoral/rural industry. Wooleen has been on my “visiting list, one day?” for ages, but now I will definitely visit and hope that as a customer I can support their endeavours, looking forward to the wildflowers in spring as we drive up from Perth. I will also encourage other friends interested in station stays and rural travel to look at your website and travel to Wooleen.
-
on March 5, 2012 at 10:19 pm
As expected I couldn’t view or download via Iview from Europe. Is there a way go get me that file? Or will it be on YouTube?
Rob
-
on March 6, 2012 at 4:09 am
David & Frances,
It was so special that the ABC brought your story into our Australian lounge rooms last night. The images of your property were stunning and I can’t wait to visit you. As a light aircraft pilot and journo, my focus is the outback, and it’s wonderful there’s people about like you two who are trying to preserve it at its best. Would love to add some images of Woolleen to my website, http://www.flyingtheoutback.com.au, which is my way of trying to enthuse more city folk to get excited about our red dirt country out there. All the best.
-
on March 6, 2012 at 7:55 am
Viewed Australian Story last night. I love what you both have set out to achieve and the progress so far is absolutely wonderful. I definitely hope this will encourage many more pastoralists to follow in your footsteps. Even if they start with part of their properties it will make such significant differences. I do hope the number of goats have greatly declined. It was devastating to see so many on a recent trip of outback NSW and SA.
My husband and I hope to visit you sometime over the next year or so. Thanks you for being the pioneers our country needs so badly.
-
on March 6, 2012 at 9:02 am
We visited Woolin Station several years ago, can’t remember exactly when and we stayed a night at the campground. It was in September and we were out there for the wildflowers and to celebrate our anniversery. Very nice memories. Nobody was there that day but the dogs. – I am very pleased with the way David and Frances care for the land and I wonder if there is a way to financialy support this great project as already suggested by Ross (see comment). Please let me know how this could be done.
Eva
-
on March 7, 2012 at 12:34 pm
I have also watched Australian Story. Congratulations to your achievements and I also agree with Michele’s comment. We certainly need more people like you. Your story has so much inspired me to visit you hopefully sooner rather than later. Don’t give up !!!
-
on March 7, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Well done for taking the road less travelled. Without pioneers like yourselves we’d never move forward in natural resource management. Best wishes with the future of your property. I suspect the investment will be well worth it.
-
on March 8, 2012 at 3:40 pm
Watched this on Iview and am wanting to stay overnight someime in April, shall be booking soon.
-
on March 10, 2012 at 4:19 am
Dear Wooleen,
Congratulations on what you are doing over in the west country – sustainability is a hard road to travel but well worth it. My job is Sustainability Coordinator at TAFE NSW’s Western Institute, which covers about 65% of the state, including remote areas not dissimilar from where you are. I was reading about the difficulty of keeping this kind of work financed – having also worked in universities for 13 years, just wondering if you have had any luck approaching any of them for funding for Wooleen as a learning site for students? Not sure how this might work with your pastoral lease and the tourism business, but if workable it might help with securing some further funding on a steady basis for some years. Universities love these kinds of ‘living laboratories’, I remember time spent at Yarramundi on the outskirts of Sydney doing fire ecology work as a biologist. If I can help at all, drop me a line at the above email. Cheers, Lorne
-
on March 10, 2012 at 1:07 pm
As grey nomads with a 35 yoa son with disablities, Wooleen looks like a place to experience. We travelled around Oz in 2010 mainly via the coast but when head into the Bungle Bungles, Longreach and other inland destinations you really experience the best of the outback. However the extent of wildflowers in the Murchison River region in August and September were like no other place so we will return. The sharpness and contrast of colours were magnificent and just went on for kilometer after kilometer. As a recently retired builder I know the benefits of sustainable construction and together with my other son who installs solar power in remote locations we applaud your courage. If the roads can handle a 23foot caravan we’ll catch up one day. In the meantime keep smiling!
-
on March 10, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Hi from Murray and Julie in Darwin
Great story by the ABC and congratulations to the both of you. David, your mother would be so proud of you. I remember the first time I visited Wooleen many years ago, not long after it was acquired by your mum and dad. My first impressions of the country were depressing, as it was clear to me that the country had been over exploited for 100 yrs with no respite, even in drought times. At the time my comments were a bit hard to swallow by hardened pasturalists, but how times change. The degradation of the country is a common sight right across Australia. What you are doing now will hopefully point the way for others to follow. If managed correctly the country will become productive again, in its own way, but most of all will show others what can work and what can be achieved. All the best David and Francis uncle Murray
-
on March 11, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Hi you two,
Have just watched the Aust Story program and am enormously inspired by your vision and courage. I’m a west aussie originally from Kalgoorlie now living in Maleny Qld. After watching the rolling out of our richest mining entrepreneurs like Gina Reinhardt recently I have to wonder why they would not be putting themselves behind such a project as a way of giving back to the country. No doubt you have already thought of this funding possibility.
God bless you both and may your efforts be a beacon for others to follow. Hopefully I will be able to come and spend some time on Wooleen.
Jude Carlsson
-
on March 12, 2012 at 11:01 am
Hello to you both – I watched Australian Story, all I can say is bloody fantastic. What a great effort on both your parts. I am duly impressed. What a lovely way to spend your days. I can see numerous things that you must have to overcome each and every day … but not aware of all things, as I am not in your shoes. I encourage you both to not give up. Can you please let me know when is the wettest and coolest time to visit the station ?
Thank You
-
on March 13, 2012 at 9:52 am
Wow, you guys are incredibly inspirational – leading lights for the next generations of farmers. Good luck, will visit one day
-
on March 13, 2012 at 9:56 pm
What a fantastic job you are doing with the country. A great Australian Story, congratulations David and Francis for taking on the country and doing what others should do too. I am sure the power of Budara is behind you, giving you a helping hand to help the land. We will never forget sitting on that rock watching the sun go down. All the best to you both and to Brett on his A Model Journey.
We will be back!
Cheers Richard and Beverly House
-
on December 19, 2012 at 10:27 am
if you know of another prop that needs saving pls contact me, tq
-
on May 8, 2017 at 6:33 pm
So impressive and such dedication . It’s amazing what you have achieved with so much against you . You will go down in History . I want to visit
Just finished watching the show. Three hearty chhers for you both I say.
Kim
Hi Guys,
Your land management plan is pretty inspiring.
I, and I suspect many others, would be happy to make a very very small financial contribution towards your initiative to regenerate the station.
If you have an account set up I’d be happy to deposit $100. Let us know the best way to proceed.
cheers
Ross
I loved the program about Wooleen on Aust Story. My wife and I love Central Aust but have yet to visit WA I hope to be able to rectify this and stay with you sometime in the future.
Cheers Nigel and Dorothy
Ps we live 120 km south of Sydney, in another beautiful
place called Kangaroo Valley
We’ve just been watching Australian Story, and were delighted to see that it was about Wooleen. We camped at your place for 3 nights in August, and it was wonderful to see the more (and less) recent images of the vegetation recovery. My husband George worked for some years in land management around Canberra, and was particularly struck by the effectiveness of your approach to natural vegetation recolonisation.
Originally a hill-country girl from an area that gets around 1200mm annual rainfall, I did not expect to enjoy being in such a flat, dry place — but I found that I loved it. Comparing it to “home” would be like comparing a cruise ship with a bike – both transport, but simply totally different. You look for what’s there in the moment, not for what you’ve left behind.
Keep up the good work, and may many more learn to appreciate the Big Country with your assistance. I hope someday to come back and see the difference you’ve wrought.
Rosemary
Have just seen TV program featuring Wooleen station. Most impressed because your approach is exactly what I have long believed must be done for the semi-arid parts of Australia. When I was a boy the locals already knew the land had to be spelled for perhaps 25 years to restore it after the ravages left by sheep.This was in the 1930’s. The need to reduce watering places is essential and this you have done. The next thing is perhaps to start to harvest the kangaroos and not cloven-hoofed animals. Is selective burning a future possibility? Or harvesting hay. Shed fattening lambs using hay and green grass in season could be a possibility. Do not give up and keep flexible. Congratulations on your achievement to date.
Just saw the Australian story- you guys are doing a good thing- so brave of you both to take the road less travelled.
Best of luck
Gidday Frances, I just saw you on Australia Story tonight and you reminded me of Kim and Taffy at Mt Hart station. http://www.mthart.com.au/
Sadly they were told to leave by DEC after managing it for 20 years. But I love the idea of bringing the land back to life.
Anyway, if the boys are heading down to Ipswich in their fund raiser you can let them know they are most welcome to drop by here at Heartland , Durong Sth Qld. I have a small Droughtmaster Stud and Qld’s only private Dingo Sanctuary.
You work there reminds me of what Peter Andrew was doing in NSW and his book Back from the Brink. I just wish Govt would invest more freely in conservation work like yours. Hooroo, Simon
Have just watched Australian Story and was completely taken with the beauty of the property and what you both are trying to do. Congratulations for having achieved so much already. I have wanted for some time to get back into the Australian interior after a trip to the Centre several years ago, and will try to support you as a paying tourist. Will talk to my husband (who is away on business at present) about getting there later this year. All the best to you both, and I hope you are inundated with with requests to stay.
Carole
Just saw your Station on the ABC, Great to see it going so well, member of the 4WD Nissan Patrol Club of NSW & ACT, looking at running a club trip to WA to do the Canning and to Wave Rock, will have to put you guys down on the list now.
Get back to you a little later when planning starts.
A heart warming and inspiring story. Wooleen has now been included in my bucket list of must-see p
aces to visit.
Just watched australian story. Hopefully this means lots of others have watched it t
As well and you will be busy with lots of tourists as a result.Well done you two, I hope you continue to go from strength to strength.It is wonderful that the land is in such goodhands. We stayed with you a couple of years ago in the camp area with our two dogs, We loved the place and it was so nice to have a safe place to go with our dogs. We hope to getback there again and this time for longer.
I’ve also watched Australian story tonight on the ABC and certainly wish David & Frances success for the future. What you have achieved so far is amazing. I can appreciate the sacrifices made to take this new path, having a farming background and friends in the pastoral/rural industry. Wooleen has been on my “visiting list, one day?” for ages, but now I will definitely visit and hope that as a customer I can support their endeavours, looking forward to the wildflowers in spring as we drive up from Perth. I will also encourage other friends interested in station stays and rural travel to look at your website and travel to Wooleen.
As expected I couldn’t view or download via Iview from Europe. Is there a way go get me that file? Or will it be on YouTube?
Rob
David & Frances,
It was so special that the ABC brought your story into our Australian lounge rooms last night. The images of your property were stunning and I can’t wait to visit you. As a light aircraft pilot and journo, my focus is the outback, and it’s wonderful there’s people about like you two who are trying to preserve it at its best. Would love to add some images of Woolleen to my website, http://www.flyingtheoutback.com.au, which is my way of trying to enthuse more city folk to get excited about our red dirt country out there. All the best.
Viewed Australian Story last night. I love what you both have set out to achieve and the progress so far is absolutely wonderful. I definitely hope this will encourage many more pastoralists to follow in your footsteps. Even if they start with part of their properties it will make such significant differences. I do hope the number of goats have greatly declined. It was devastating to see so many on a recent trip of outback NSW and SA.
My husband and I hope to visit you sometime over the next year or so. Thanks you for being the pioneers our country needs so badly.
We visited Woolin Station several years ago, can’t remember exactly when and we stayed a night at the campground. It was in September and we were out there for the wildflowers and to celebrate our anniversery. Very nice memories. Nobody was there that day but the dogs. – I am very pleased with the way David and Frances care for the land and I wonder if there is a way to financialy support this great project as already suggested by Ross (see comment). Please let me know how this could be done.
Eva
I have also watched Australian Story. Congratulations to your achievements and I also agree with Michele’s comment. We certainly need more people like you. Your story has so much inspired me to visit you hopefully sooner rather than later. Don’t give up !!!
Well done for taking the road less travelled. Without pioneers like yourselves we’d never move forward in natural resource management. Best wishes with the future of your property. I suspect the investment will be well worth it.
Watched this on Iview and am wanting to stay overnight someime in April, shall be booking soon.
Dear Wooleen,
Congratulations on what you are doing over in the west country – sustainability is a hard road to travel but well worth it. My job is Sustainability Coordinator at TAFE NSW’s Western Institute, which covers about 65% of the state, including remote areas not dissimilar from where you are. I was reading about the difficulty of keeping this kind of work financed – having also worked in universities for 13 years, just wondering if you have had any luck approaching any of them for funding for Wooleen as a learning site for students? Not sure how this might work with your pastoral lease and the tourism business, but if workable it might help with securing some further funding on a steady basis for some years. Universities love these kinds of ‘living laboratories’, I remember time spent at Yarramundi on the outskirts of Sydney doing fire ecology work as a biologist. If I can help at all, drop me a line at the above email. Cheers, Lorne
As grey nomads with a 35 yoa son with disablities, Wooleen looks like a place to experience. We travelled around Oz in 2010 mainly via the coast but when head into the Bungle Bungles, Longreach and other inland destinations you really experience the best of the outback. However the extent of wildflowers in the Murchison River region in August and September were like no other place so we will return. The sharpness and contrast of colours were magnificent and just went on for kilometer after kilometer. As a recently retired builder I know the benefits of sustainable construction and together with my other son who installs solar power in remote locations we applaud your courage. If the roads can handle a 23foot caravan we’ll catch up one day. In the meantime keep smiling!
Hi from Murray and Julie in Darwin
Great story by the ABC and congratulations to the both of you. David, your mother would be so proud of you. I remember the first time I visited Wooleen many years ago, not long after it was acquired by your mum and dad. My first impressions of the country were depressing, as it was clear to me that the country had been over exploited for 100 yrs with no respite, even in drought times. At the time my comments were a bit hard to swallow by hardened pasturalists, but how times change. The degradation of the country is a common sight right across Australia. What you are doing now will hopefully point the way for others to follow. If managed correctly the country will become productive again, in its own way, but most of all will show others what can work and what can be achieved. All the best David and Francis uncle Murray
Hi you two,
Have just watched the Aust Story program and am enormously inspired by your vision and courage. I’m a west aussie originally from Kalgoorlie now living in Maleny Qld. After watching the rolling out of our richest mining entrepreneurs like Gina Reinhardt recently I have to wonder why they would not be putting themselves behind such a project as a way of giving back to the country. No doubt you have already thought of this funding possibility.
God bless you both and may your efforts be a beacon for others to follow. Hopefully I will be able to come and spend some time on Wooleen.
Jude Carlsson
Hello to you both – I watched Australian Story, all I can say is bloody fantastic. What a great effort on both your parts. I am duly impressed. What a lovely way to spend your days. I can see numerous things that you must have to overcome each and every day … but not aware of all things, as I am not in your shoes. I encourage you both to not give up. Can you please let me know when is the wettest and coolest time to visit the station ?
Thank You
Wow, you guys are incredibly inspirational – leading lights for the next generations of farmers. Good luck, will visit one day
What a fantastic job you are doing with the country. A great Australian Story, congratulations David and Francis for taking on the country and doing what others should do too. I am sure the power of Budara is behind you, giving you a helping hand to help the land. We will never forget sitting on that rock watching the sun go down. All the best to you both and to Brett on his A Model Journey.
We will be back!
Cheers Richard and Beverly House
if you know of another prop that needs saving pls contact me, tq
So impressive and such dedication . It’s amazing what you have achieved with so much against you . You will go down in History . I want to visit