Yes, you read it right and it does sound cool, I know. Especially if you're into helicopters, which I am.
How did I get this job? I was cooking on a cattle station last year, I met some of the pilots during the year when they came mustering at my station, asked them about their base and the company and decided 'I want to work for them next year' - and as so often happens in my life, the planets aligned and the cooks position became vacant - I was going to cook for Heli Muster.
Our season runs parallel to the Territory cattle season which makes sense, given the majority of our flying somehow involves a cattle station - from mustering (predominantly) to fire fighting and all the other jobs that come along the way. I don't always ask where a pilot is going or has been, or what they did - I don't often see them as they come and go but also, I appreciate just how many stations there are in the NT or just over the border into WA, they all sort of roll into one after a while.
My 2021 season started very early in March after a break in Darwin, then a house sit in Katherine followed by 6 weeks cooking at Manbulloo station just outside of Katherine. I flew out to HM in one of our fixed wings, landed and was like 'oh yeah, straight back to the heat and the flies. Here we go again!'
We're based at VRD station and as you enter the property you'll see helicopters and a hangar immediately on the left hand side. The runway is on the right hand side, there's a hangar on that also. The kitchen is right next to the main heli hangar, and that main hangar also has offices and workshop storage.
The bulk of us are housed on 'the back row' which, according to my apple watch, is 200 metres from the main kitchen. There was a few old bikes lying around that are free to use, so I resurrected myself a pretty decent mountain bike to use as my chosen mode of transport.
The majority of houses on the back row are identical 2 bedroom set ups, each with its own yard, kitchen, laundry and lounge room. Completely unheard of on a station but VRD itself, although I don't know all the history, has an old hospital on its grounds (and two or three cemeteries) and I believe our houses once accommodated workers for the local surrounds.
I have good wifi, kettle bells, yoga mats (plus all the props) which is all I need to feel at home. Christmas lights and the odd picture here and there and my house is complete. I have a good view from the kitchen windows too, of who is coming and going down this neck of the woods and what they may be up to.
There seems to be a growing trend on cattle stations to forego breakfast in favour of a decent smoko instead - which I think makes sense, and it's what happens at HM. My day starts whenever I need it to to get my smoko sorted for 9.30am, but pilots and engineers will start moving around between 5 and 6am. Not unlike myself. In winter I love an early morning decent walk, when its hotter I do more movement in my house, in the air con away from the flies.
My kitchens about the size of a shipping container - one end of it has a tv and 3 comfy chairs, the other end is working kitchen area. Its a good, user friendly space to work in, and I have a store room at my end of the kitchen. There is a sliding door at the television end and my end has a regular door, both of which open out onto a large deck space where the tables and seating are. On the left end of deck (the kitchen end) is a the cold room, the other end has the barbecue. It's a good set up with everything so close by.
Food deliveries come by road train once a fortnight which is fairly standard practice for the outback. The benefit of working for a helicopter company and with having an office in Katherine, and 3 fixed wing pilots is, if I ever need anything outside of an order, it doesn't take long for it to get delivered! It will wing its way out to be on first available flight.
So what do we eat? Similar to a cattle station, our predominant protein is beef - when we need a new animal (a killer) one or two choppers will go to get an animal and then reappear a couple of hours later laden with beef cuts. We hang it in the cool room and then process it after a week or so.
This time around, Im cooking differently - my smoko's are usually a choice of at least 5 different options, including smoothies, smoothie bowls, vegetarian options and always some form of egg dish - anything else can be the likes of quiches, spanakopita, crepes, wraps (done any which way) and pies. Lunches are left overs, or if we are low on those I will create something, it could be a pasta dish, sushi or steak sandwiches.. Generally with dinner, I will do two protein options - they might both be beef but I will have two different styles / flavours, always vegetable choices and one or two starches.
As the temperatures get up into the 40s again, people are eating less during the day, and when its cold (that term is almost laughable when winter stays in double digits in the NT) they'll eat lunch.
My weeks are regular - Monday to Friday, half a day Saturday and Sunday off. No way do i miss the cattle station days of weeks on at a time, 4-5am starts etc.. those can be some long days.
So, this is how my pandemic life is going! Big change for me to not be living out of a suitcase in some country Iv never been to. For now though, I am grateful to have a job, the job that I wanted, a roof over my head, to be working with nice people and to have my double vaxxed health.
Stay safe peeps!
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