Tanya Heaslip

She'd use baking trays to cook cakes that would be devoured in one setting.

So mum's day was basically providing for all.

We had up to 30 people living there at any one time.

And then dad's was out with the cattle on horseback, mustering, drafting, trucking.

They were sort of like the classic...

Division of roles of people on the land.

Mum kept the homestead running.

Dad ran the property.

And then we kids did all the work.

Like what kind of work?

Well, mustering cattle.

We were the core of Dad's stock camp.

All bush kids are the core of their parents' stock camp.

Like for what age are you mustering cattle on horseback?

Six, seven.

The minute we could ride, we were out.

But even before we could ride, we were in the cattle yards, drafting cattle, watching cattle, feeding cattle, looking after the horses, fixing up fences, helping Dad with bores.

From as young as I can remember, we were in the back of the Land Rover off working cattle.

See, I think most people, I would imagine it's a life of isolation, but it sounds to me like you have like hordes of stockmen coming in and out of the house at all hours of the day.

Is that right?