Tobruk Sheep Station

    Last weekend we tore ourselves away from the coast for a few hours to visit a working sheep station about an hour north of Sydney.  Tobruk offers a 3-4 hour program in which you get to learn a bit about life on a sheep station, watch sheep dogs muster sheep, try shearing a sheep, throw boomerangs and crack a stockman's whip.  There was a group of Korean tourists there as well, but due to the language barrier and their brief visit, we virtually had the place to ourselves.  We were a bit skeptical on the drive up, wondering if it would be worth it, but we all thoroughly enjoyed our time there and learned a lot.

 Gorgeous property at the edge of the Blue Mountains

 Tom Turkey had a bit of an "anger management issue" and we were warned to keep our distance.

 Morning tea consisted of billy tea and damper (yeast-free bread cooked over coals).

We were all charmed by this Border Collie/Jack Russell mix.  Tilly amused us all herding chickens relentlessly. 

 We're told this dog was a domesticated dingo.  He was a very skilled herder, especially talented at rounding up the sheep.

 This dog, Yap, was also very energetic and had a special skill of her own!  Yap is very valuable because of her ability to push sheep forward, not just round them up.  

 Sam got to help separate the sheep as Yap drove them through the chute.

 Mia assists in shearing a merino sheep.  They get sheared once a year, usually before summer.

 I'm not the only one who can crack the whip!