About the Collaboration
OBE Organic is proud to be Australia’s oldest and most trusted organic beef marketing company: a company established and owned by family farmers. Our family farmers are united by a shared respect for the environment and their animals, and a commitment to produce the best possible organic beef. Our business was founded in the late 1990’s in Australia’s heartland, the Channel Country and we are committed to showcasing the places and people who make our certified organic beef so unique.
We’re excited to launch our third collaboration. This time, we are featuring images from Adam Hague, a station hand who lives and works on Cordillo Downs Station in outback South Australia. Cordillo Downs Station is certified organic and an important supplier of livestock to OBE Organic.
This collaboration will feature images taken and edited by Adam. His images will provide a behind-the-scenes look at life on an outback cattle station.
About Adam Hague
My name is Adam. I’m from the United Kingdom (Norwich) and have been travelling and working in this part of the world for over five years. I’ve lived in New Zealand and Taiwan and have also visited many places in South-East Asia and South America. This is my second year staying in Australia, the first being in 2018-19. I was happy to return here in early 2022 when the borders opened and I soon started working with the Brook family on Cordillo Downs Station in March this year. I am a station hand here with a small team of three. There’s myself, Tannika and Olivia. We consider ourselves all-rounders; mustering, trucking, fencing, welding and fabricating, to cleaning or the occasional cooking at camp. We do it all with the support of Anthony and Janet Brook, who are our managers.
I studied at an Agricultural College in the UK after leaving school. Since then, I’ve worked in many different industries. I’ve been enjoying my time at Cordillo, using many skills from my past. They all seem to come together in this role.
I have always taken photos on my travels but the last two years I have made it more of a focus, learning to edit images and understand composition better. Although we are busy on Cordillo, I try to capture as much as I can with my camera. You can follow my journey on Instragram.
At Cordillo, Olivia has recently taken up the guitar, bringing music to station life. With only a small team around, her audience is limited, but always appreciative.
Built in the 1880s from local stone, the Cordillo Downs Woolshed once saw up to 85,000 sheep shorn at its peak. Though no longer used for sheep, it remains an iconic landmark, holding both practical value and memories of station life.
While checking a trough, Tannika was joined by a friendly gecko that climbed onto her hand to bask in the warmth. Far from empty, the Channel Country is alive with free-ranging cattle, horses, donkeys, reptiles, frogs, fish, and countless bird species, a thriving ecosystem hidden in the vast landscape.
Preparing for the Cordillo Downs Woolshed restoration meant hauling white sand from Montkeleary Creek for the stonemasons’ grout. What seemed like a quick job filling two utes soon turned into heavy work, as much of the load had to be shoveled back off again.
Poddies are part of life on the land, teaching lessons in care and resilience. Sandy Bauer shares her experiences of raising poddy calves in a blog published by Country to Canberra, an organisation empowering young rural women and non-binary people to reach their leadership potential.
Camping out for the muster on the eastern border is a team effort, with utes, trailers, and the Unimog hauling supplies from hay to fuel. A grader clears roads and the landing strip, while the Volvo body truck stands ready to cart cattle.
Riding station bikes over the sand dunes is both fun and essential for building the skills needed to round up cattle in the dune paddocks. The mix of Suzuki DRZ400s and smaller Honda 250/230s ensures the right bike for every task, from walking cattle to tackling steep dunes with ease.
Riding station bikes over the sand dunes is both fun and essential for building the skills needed to round up cattle in the dune paddocks. The mix of Suzuki DRZ400s and smaller Honda 250/230s ensures the right bike for every task, from walking cattle to tackling steep dunes with ease.
Poddy calves Stu, Kimi, and Friday wandered 30km from the homestead paddock before being found during a muster on the southern border. After joining the mob and walking to Bloodwood yard, they were trucked home, where Janet greeted them with treats and a warm welcome.
This calm and striking Santa Gertrudis bull turned up during a muster on the eastern border, likely lured by the Hereford cows. After a brief visit, Tannika and I escorted him home, wishing him well on his way.
Three poddy calves wandered 30km from the homestead paddock to the southern border before being found during a muster. In the Channel Country, cattle can travel vast distances when there’s rain about.
A road trip from Cordillo Downs to Birdsville takes about 3.5 to 4 hours, so it’s not a frequent journey. With music and laughter the drive flies by, and the reward is always the same, pub grub and friendly faces on arrival.