We came, we saw, we stayed - Bullara Station, WA

Days 87-113

After our incredible time on Ningaloo Reef, we headed inland to Bullara Station - a remote 250,000‑acre working cattle station about 90km south of Exmouth. We had heard great things about its relaxed community vibe (and its famous scones), so we booked two nights to see what the fuss was about.

From the moment we arrived, we knew this place was special.

We were greeted by a friendly camp host on a bike who personally escorted us to our site. All the staff were welcoming, relaxed and genuinely happy to have you there - a feeling that carried through the entire property.

At the heart of Bullara is the Woolshed, a constant hub of activity. There’s a café, bar, award‑winning restaurant, comfy lounges, an open campfire where dinner is cooked, daily ‘happy half hour, nightly station talks and live music. Add in their popular Burger Night on Fridays and a visiting pizza truck, and there’s always something going on.

The property itself is full of character — quirky art all around, a bottle tree (which you’re encouraged to contribute to), a bocce court, outdoor ‘lava tree’ showers with watering can for shower heads, walking trails, roaming cattle and horses, enormous goannas, sheep, a newborn lamb, a dachshund dog that wanders around and two mischievous goats with their own 4WD wreck.

There’s also a lot of red dirt - but it only adds to the sense of big country, especially set against the beautiful gum trees and cloudless blue sky. Oh….and those sunsets!!!!

We settled in quickly - walks, scones for breakfast (exceptional), animal photos and just enjoying the rhythm of the place.

One evening wrapped in blankets and sipping hot chocolate we enjoyed an astronomy session with Ningaloo Stars. We had originally booked this while in Cape Range, but it was the only night of cloud during our entire stay (of course), so it had been cancelled. We were lucky enough to catch it at Bullara instead.

With no light pollution, the night sky was extraordinary with a spectacular view of the Milky Way. Combined with strong telescopes and a knowledgeable guide who blended science with storytelling, it was a fascinating and informative evening.

It’s hard to believe that just six weeks earlier, Bullara had been devastated by Tropical Cyclone Narelle. Winds reached 250km/hr and flooding submerged much of the property. While some staff stayed, most were evacuated.

The fact that the station reopened just a month later is a credit to the team and the wider community. You can see a video of Bullara during the cyclone here and compare to some of our photos: Bullara and Cyclone Narelle

On our second night, while cooking in the camp kitchen, we noticed a sign asking for volunteers to help with the ongoing recovery - ideally staying 3–4 weeks.

We looked at each other.

We didn’t have to be anywhere until mid‑July… so why not? And it was National Volunteer Week.

We sent an email, had a quick chat with one of the owners, Edwina, the next morning - and instead of leaving, we moved campsites and stayed.

We were made to feel part of the team straight away, with complimentary accommodation and staff discounts at the café and bar - but more importantly, it gave us a real sense of purpose feeling we were contributing to the massive effort to get the property completely back on its feet.

The work was varied - often fun, mostly dirty, sometimes tedious, occasionally frustrating, very different — but always satisfying.

Here’s a snapshot of what we got up to:

• painting - a shipping container office, an old horse float (future bar/ice‑cream stand) and various signage around the campsite
• restoring the Tin Can Walk (most of the original cans had been blown away)
• laundry shifts (including mastering a new towel‑folding technique - future Maraylya guests, take note!)
• a scone shift in the café with 175 scones, jam and cream dispensed in one morning
• cleaning cabins, bathrooms, kitchens, fridges and cabinets affected by flooding – soooo much red dirt!
• cleaning and restoring furniture found 3km away after the cyclone
• revamping outdoor spaces for pizza night (including building shade cloth screens and cutting the frames with an axe)
• garden work and general clean‑up
• IT support (Stephen!) including the boss’s laptop and the café printers
• dismantling, cleaning and reassembling a drowned clothes dryer to work (it did!)

Most days included something that was physical and hands‑on.

The standout volunteer experience was Friday Burger Night.

All staff get involved - prepping, cooking, serving and managing hundreds of hungry guests. Most nights see 450+ burgers served. Across three burger nights, we:

• cooked patties
• served sides and sauces
• deployed our best teacher crowd‑control skills as ushers.

There’s live music, staff drinks, and a real sense of fun.

The peak of the evening is when the band plays Sweet Caroline and staff climb onto the bar (some in cow suits) to sing along. It has to be seen to be believed.

We worked more than the required 12 hours a week - but still found time for plenty of downtime.

We connected with friends Yass and Jai, who visited Bullara - perfectly timed for State of Origin – which the boys watched in the Sport Shed. They spent a morning fishing at Learmouth Jetty but none made it home. Yass and Jai made up for this when a few days later they returned from a fishing charter bearing and sharing loads of fresh fish.

We had a trip into Exmouth one day - groceries, flu shots, windy Town beach, and a brewery visit (there are two in town) - this time the Whalebone Brewery - where we ran into some of the Bullara crew and enjoyed getting to know them better over a few drinks.

Another lay day saw a return trip to Coral Bay with a hot tip about fishing just south of there at Five Fingers Reef. It was tyres down again to navigate soft sand and dunes. First stop was Turtle Cliffs where, true to name, dozens of turtles swam below - an incredible sight. Stephen threw in a line, and I had a swim here.

We kept going from here towards Five Fingers Reef but the sand kept getting softer and softer and the dunes kept getting steeper and longer. We decided to turn around and head back from where we came fully expecting to get bogged. Izzy however, had different ideas and just powered up the dunes and got us back without any dramas.

And speaking of visitors, just by pure fluke on our second‑last day at Bullara, we ran into Maurice - a former colleague from AISNSW - who happened to be visiting the station as part of a bus tour. We just happened to be sitting out the front of the café when he arrived. It was a lovely surprise and nice to catch up, even if only briefly.

Food is a big part of Bullara.

Alongside the famous scones, the café serves daily fresh pies and sausage rolls (mainly beef but I did get to have a cauliflower and cheese pie on one day), and you can buy fresh Bullara beef each morning - if you’re in line early enough. We only managed this once but Stephen said the sirloin and rump steaks were worth it.

We also experienced The Table, Bullara’s celebrated dining offering. Led by award‑winning chefs Toby and Maree Fisher, it’s a shared paddock‑to‑plate experience using locally sourced produce. The restaurant was recently awarded 1 Star by the WA Good Food Guide. It is booked out weeks in advance, so we were lucky to secure our spots.

Our meal was outstanding - from warm bread to mains (Bullara beef filet with a paddock mushroom and toasted peppercorn gravy for Stephen and a barbecued eggplant schnitzel with red capsicum and chickpeas for me) and dessert (dark chocolate mousse with vanilla whip and stewed bitter orange). We shared the experience with a couple from the UK, a single older Australian lady travelling alone and two German exchange students who had ended up in Exmouth. Such interesting conversations.

As always, it’s the people who make any experience and during our time we met some wonderful fellow travellers.

The Bullara crew, fellow volunteers, and passing travellers created a genuine sense of community. Special mention to:

• Stu & Nicola (camp managers)
• Sue & Dave (seasoned Bullara returnees)
• Judy and Dave (BlazeAid volunteers) and;
• fellow vollies John & Chris (and their epic cheese platter)

Once we’d settled into the groove of station life at Bullara, it would have been very easy to stay.

But the road was calling.

After almost a month, we packed up our site (W19), said our goodbyes, and headed off - grateful for the experience, the people, and the chance to give something back.