Most pastoralists would have to agree, a good station cook is worth their weight in gold.
And with teams of hungry ringers to feed, the mustering season is one of their busiest times of the year.
On Kirkimbie Station, in the Victoria River District, former chef-turned-station cook Trisha Agarts says although her days are long, she enjoys the relaxed outback lifestyle.
You can just enjoy the day and have a one-on-one relationship with the people you feed
Trisha Agarts, Kirkimbie Station cook
“You don’t need to be a qualified chef to work out here, I just come out here because it’s beautiful, I love it,” she said.
“I had my own business for eight years, with nearly 40 staff and a lot of stress, lots of weddings and that kind of thing.
“But I choose to have the simpler life now, where you can just enjoy the day and have a one-on-one relationship with the people you feed.”
Ms Agarts says while the work is more enjoyable, cooking on a remote station comes with its own unique challenges.
“We kill our own meat here, so we have to use the whole beast obviously, and we do get in other things like chicken,” she said.
“Our food comes in once a month, the other dry good come in every three months from Darwin.
“You definitely have to be organised so you don’t run out of basic things like flour, sugar and potatoes.”
Further north at Newry Station, Lucy Cusack, from Young in New South Wales, is giving the job a go for the first time this year.
She says it can be difficult to tell if the ringers enjoy her cooking or not.
“They don’t say much, but if they’re hungry they’ll eat it,” she said.
Last Friday we went and got a killer, which was very interesting
Lucy Cusack, Newry Station cook
“But they got excited when we made lamingtons, we made those yesterday.
“I like cooking smoko because you have to make a sweet dish, cake or biscuits, and a hot meaty dish like pizza, scrolls or sausage rolls.
“Breakfast is the worst, it’s so early in the morning!”
Ms Cusack says one skill she’s keen to learn while working on the station is butchery.
“Last Friday we went and got a killer, which was very interesting,” she said.
“I just watched the boys do it, but hopefully I’ll learn how to do that soon.
“All the meat’s hanging in the cool room at the moment, and I have to cut it up when I need it.
“I’m from a sheep farm and we used to butcher our own sheep, so it wasn’t too bad. And I went to the butcher before I came up here, because mum thought I should.”
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