Country Retreat - 32. New Digs & Kalamazoo

I also sent messages to Koen in Canada and Hugh in New Zealand, as I had not been keeping in regular contact with them lately. “Hey Guys, sorry for the lack of communication with you both lately. I graduated from Uni in Perth with a Diploma in Agricultural Science. I am nearing the end of my trip across the country, where I will be attending Australian National University next week. Hope all is well for you both in Canada and New Zealand. Your Good Friend always, OQK.” Once I had sent the messages, I turned out the light and settled to get some sleep. Only to be interrupted by two messages, but I decided to read them in the morning.

I was having a cup of tea and a few slices of toast while chatting to my hosts the next morning when I heard a door open and close. “Mum, Dad, I am home for a day…” a voice said which was cut short when he entered and saw me there. “Hello dear, this is a nice surprise, have you had any breakfast?” Jean asked. “Our son, Jake,” Sam said quietly to me as he nodded his head in answer to his mother’s question.

“Morning son, do you remember us mentioning our friends in the west, Henry and Margaret Kingston? This is their eldest grandson – Oscar,” Sam said making the introductions, and we shook hands before he sat down at the table. What are you doing at this end of the country?” Jake asked me, who appeared to be a lot younger than my parents, so I was guessing that he was a late arrival for Sam and Jean.

“I'm starting ANU next week, studying for a degree in Environment and Sustainability, I already have a Diploma in Agriculture Science, which I finished last year,” I replied. “So, planning and big things in the farming and environment world then?” Jake asked, “Not sure to be exact yet, I will have to wait and see how life pans out for me,” I replied.

“Jake, is the spare cottage still vacant? Oscar here is still sorting out accommodation and was going to be staying at a B&B until he can find something more permanent,” Jean asked her son. “No, it’s vacant and needs a good cleanout from what I observed last week when I went in there. Do you have farming experience Oscar?” Jake replied, “I do, I come from a farming family, and my Dad who is also a diesel mechanic, taught me a bit about that too. Plus I have spent holidays working on pastoral stations up north recently.” I responded.

“Perfect. How about you keep an eye on my property on weekends and when I am away for work, in return, you can have the cottage to live in free of charge, but you will have to sort out your meals, laundry and stuff like that, and pay for any power and gas that you use,” Jake replied. “Sounds like my problems are all sorted. How far away is your place from the ANU?” I responded happily.

“It is 22 kilometres to the south, and the front gate is always kept locked because it is so close to a business and just off Monaro Highway,” Jake replied. “Well, I am so pleased that it has all worked out well for the both of you,” Jean said as she placed a cup of coffee in front of her son. “Thanks, Mum but I have gone off coffee, can I have tea instead please,” Jake asked before turning to face me.

“If you can hang around here for half a day and help me out with some machinery maintenance, then you can follow me back to the farm, and I will give you a spare key that I have there,” Jake said to me, and I nodded my head in agreement. “By the way, that is quite a nice vehicle you have there, apart from the trip over the Nullabour have you taken it offroad much?” Sam asked me.

“Yes, only on cattle station main access roads thou, and I did a bit of beach driving very recently, which it handled very well,” I replied. Once Jake and I had done the required maintenance on the farm, which was mostly doing vehicle servicing and changing one flat tyre, we had a quick lunch, and thanking my hosts for an enjoyable stay, we set off along the highway.

Less than an hour later, we turned right off the highway, where there was a sign – ‘Deltaforce Paintball’ which we drove past, and came to a stop at a barrier fence, where Jake stepped out to unlock and open, and after passing through, I closed and locked the gates, before following Jake down the driveway skirting around the edge of a pine plantation, and nearly two kilometres later we arrived at a Y junction and stopped at the gates on the right side.

Once again I closed the gates after passing through, but there were no padlocks this time. And just over two hundred metres later we pulled off the main driveway and stopped in front of an old-looking cottage. “She looks old, but it has been fully renovated inside, with all modern appliances, and with the thick stone walls, she is very cosy in winter and cool in the summer. My place is just sixty metres away, come over once you have settled in, and I will give you those keys, and tomorrow I will give you a tour of the farm, which is 239.17 hectares or 591 acres in area,” Jake said to me.

The cottage was not as bad as Jake stated, it just needed a good dusting down, sweep and mop, and all would be fine. After a quick look around the one-bedroom cottage, which has a laundry on the back verandah consisting of a double concrete trough and a fairly modern top-load washing machine and a dryer, a double cupboard and the hot water system, which looked fairly new, and there was also an extra outside toilet.

The cottage itself has a two-seater lounge, and a single chair, with the dining area having a retro-style dining table and two chairs to match. The kitchen is of the same era of furniture, with a kitchen dresser, and a Metta Stove, while next to it is a modern gas stove, next to the sink, with a modern fridge and a microwave on top and the cupboards looked old but had recently been renovated, and the kitchen floor looked like it has been recently retiled.

I soon found some cleaning gear in the laundry cupboard and got to work to do some cleaning, firstly the bedroom, before starting on the rest of the cottage, which took me a few hours to complete the task. Once I was happy with the result, I laid my sleeping bag out on the double bed, along with the pillows, and started to unpack all of my luggage, deciding for now, I would keep my laptop computer and portable printer packed up and stored in the cupboard.

I decided to do another search around the cottage, and this time, I found a linen cupboard with several sets of bedsheets, pillowcases, towels, hand towels, and tea towels, along with a doona, covers and spare blankets, so I packed up my sleeping bag, and made the bed with fresh sheets, a doona and pillowcases on my pillows. In the kitchen, I found that it was all set up with everything that I needed for cooking and eating, which was great to see.

Walking over to the main house, I knocked on the screen door, as the main door was open. “Come in Oscar, just leave your boots outside,” I heard Jake say to me, and I did that, and soon found Jake at the back of the house in the kitchen, where he was on his laptop computer. “Did you find everything that you need?” Jake asked me, “Yes thanks, a lot more than I expected actually, and the cottage didn’t need much to get it into order,” I replied.

“Good to hear, now here are the keys that you need, a set for the front gate, your cottage, and the padlock for the house gate when it is locked, which is only when I am away for extended times due to work. Here is also a map of the nearest shopping centre which is Callwell, just 2 ½ kilometres away, you will find all that you need there, including some takeaway restaurants, a tavern and a service station outside, plus a Woolworths, butchers, newsagents, post office and more takeaways, a bank and ATM’s, bakery, chemist, all in the shopping centre that is open 7 days from 7 am to 8 pm for most stores,” Jake informed me.

“That sounds perfect, thanks for all of this. Being in a strange new state or territory in this case, let alone a new city, it is a lot to take in,” I responded. “Well, I have work to get on with, so I will see you tomorrow at 8 am for a tour of the farm?” Jake asked, and I said that I would be ready. Back at the cottage, I added the extra set of keys to mine, and grabbing my wallet and the information that Jake gave me I headed out, stopping at the gate to enter the directions to Calwell Shopping Centre into my navigator.

Less than five minutes later I arrived at the shopping centre, and I decided to do some grocery shopping first and grab some takeaway for dinner at the end before heading back to my temporary home for the next few years. My first night at the cottage was great, although it was a little chilly in the morning, so I just added more clothing to get warm. After a quick breakfast, I headed out, locking the cottage and on hearing noises I followed it to a machinery shed close by.

“Morning Oscar, are you ready to go, I have a few sections of boundary fence that need fixing, so we can do that as well,” Jake said to me, as we climbed into the ute and set off. “This property has the Monarto Highway as its western boundary, and the rest is bound by the old railway line, which also happens to be the border between the ACT and New South Wales,” Jake informed me, which was a real surprise, as we came to a stop about two hundred metres north of the front gate of the house paddock.

It took me a few moments to realise that I was looking at the old railway line right in front of us, and I didn’t know what to say, as we both climbed out of the ute. “How much of this railway line is along your boundary?” I asked, Exactly 4.8 kilometres from this point here,” Jake replied, “Wow, that is amazing, and that over there is New South Wales,” I asked pointing over to the other side of the track. “Yep, you got it,” Jake replied.

“Hey, what is that thing over there?” I asked pointing to something on the track, and Jake chuckled at this question, “That my new friend is our ride. It is called a Rail Handcar or a Kalamazoo here in Australia,” Jake said as we walked in that direction, and what I saw in front of me was a strange-looking railcar, with a flat platform, and a centred see-saw device and what looked like a foot peddle on the side. “The peddle is the brake, and as you can see it is a self-powered railcar. I bought it a few months ago and had it transported up here, where I have managed to get it onto the tracks and give it a very short test run,” Jake informed me.