Within the Australian context the words 'cattle station' conjure a very special image. It involves hot thirsty plains, teeming wildlife, strong bronzed rivers, a vast sky and dusty stock camps, where horses and stock skills are very much alive - and Bullo River Station fits like a glove. This is a Top End cattle station (ranch) from the classic mould. Half a million acres of grassy plains with 8,000 Brahman-cross cattle and many more wallabies, brown rivers were crocodiles lurk on the muddy banks, rugged hills inscribed with Aboriginal rock art, gushing streams and crystal clear swimming holes, termite mounds, boab trees, stock horses, wild buffalo, and a few great yarns to tell. Situated in the top north-western corner of the Northern Territory in what is referred to as the East Kimberley, there is no place better to experience a quintessential Australian Outback Station.
The Family
The Station is home to your hosts Marlee & Franz Ranacher and their two sons Ben (13 years) and Franzie (9 years). You will relish the opportunity to share their home and their daily lives with fascinating stories and great outback hospitality and will feel like family friends rather than tourists. Whilst Marlee and Franz's responsibilities may take them away from time to time, the entire Bullo team is on hand to ensure our guests can explore the magic of this part of Australia. Bullo River Station was made famous by top-selling Australian author Sara Henderson (Marlee's mother), whose American husband Charles Henderson developed Bullo River in the 1950's, with the story of station life vividly chronicled in Sara's books. Since 2001, Bullo River Station has belonged to Sara's eldest daughter Marlee and her Austrian-born husband Franz. Marlee and Franz are charming and entertaining hosts and meeting with them in the informal surroundings of the family home and hearing Marlee's own stories of growing up on the property adds a fascinating dimension to any visit. Marlee has since written her own account of growing up on Bullo and the book "Bullo - the Next Generation" makes for fascinating reading.
Please note that due to the nature of running a property of this size, it sometimes means that either Marlee or Franz may be personally unavailable during certain periods - especially during the mustering season. A small team of dedicated guides are on hand to ensure you are well looked after and will miss nothing of the Bullo River experience.
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint
When people think of Australia they think of wide open spaces, friendly people, amazing landscapes, wildlife and sunshine. It is without a doubt a win-win outcome to harness Australia's abundant sunshine to produce the power we as a race are now so dependent upon. It is one of the cleanest sources available and as of August 2009 has significantly reduced Bullo River Station's carbon foot print.
Bullo going green has been a project that owner Franz Ranacher has pursued with great passion. The power requirements of our tourism business are substantial and consequently we have installed one of the largest systems made on the market today. The AUD$550,000.00 solar set up delivers a 40kW system that comfortably supplies all of our power needs. Our solar power system reduces our diesel consumption by 30,000 litres which translates to a 70% reduction in fossil fuel burned per year.
In June 2009, Franz and his team laid the foundation and built the insulated/ventilated shed (that has since been named the 'solar temple') that houses 15 tons of batteries, an inverter and a new more efficient backup generator. Just outside of the temple are the constructed frames that carry the 120 solar panels that produce the property's 24 hour green power.
We are very proud of the fact that despite our extreme isolation we are at the forefront of the green change and are committed to more improvements in the future that will further reduce our carbon foot print.
