• 1 Cup of Caster Sugar
• 1 Cup of Brown Sugar
• 250g of Butter or Margarine
• 1 Tsp of Vanilla Essence
• 2 Eggs
• 3 ½ Cups of Self Raising Flour
• 1 Bag of Choc Chips

First things first, turn your oven to 180°C.

Mix Sugars, Butter or Margarine, and Vanilla Essence until the mixture turns into a nice cream.

Add in the Eggs and mix until combined.

Add in the flour, 1 cup at a time.

And finally add the bag of Choc Chips.

If the biscuit dough feels a little wet, just add a little more flour.

Spray the trays and place some baking paper on them.

Using a Tablespoon, place some dough on the spoon and place the dough on the tray.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes - depending if you want soft or hard biscuits with your cuppa!

And lastly.. Enjoy!

Baking a cake? You either have no time or plenty of time. 

You need smoko's for the camp? Station life can all get busy at times where you are running around doing multiple tasks, like feeding the camp breakfast at 5.30am, watering the garden, being called out to the yards or help move a vehicle. Time just gets away. 

So here is a recipe that can help you out!

This faithful basic cake can be eaten that day or put away in the freezer, doubled to feed more people

Put all the following indigents into a bowl;

            2 cups of self raising (SR) flour

            1 cup of sugar

            125gms of butter (melted)

            2 eggs

            1 tsp. of vanilla

            2/3 cup of milk

Use either electric beaters or mixer and beat for 3 minutes.

Put in an 8" round tin or spoonfuls into cupcake/muffin cases (cooking time will be less).

Cook in a moderate oven for about 30-35 minutes.

This basic cake can be made into many different combinations;

        Chocolate   1/2 cup of cocoa and 1 1/2 cup of SR flour

        Orange    1/2 cup of a juice of an orange, 2 tsp. of rind and 1 1/2 cups of SR flour

        Lemon/Coconut    same as above but with different fruit

        Tea Cake    spread top with sliced apple, sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and coconut then bake

        Marble    use three different colours

The old chocolate cake is a BIG time favourite I'm pretty sure at almost every house or station in Australia.

Give this recipe a try and I'm sure you will ENJOY!

Happy baking!

Australian Cattle Stations are by far the biggest in the world, with Anna Creek Station in South Australia the biggest in Australia and the World at 6,000,000 acres. Alexandria Station operates as a cattle station and is the largest in the Northern Territory and Davenport Downs is the largest cattle station in Queensland.

One of the things people may not realize about station life is how isolated it can be. In many cases, a plane will bring in mail and supplies. Any medical emergencies require the help of the Royal Flying Doctor Service as hospitals are hundreds of kilometers away, and kids don’t attend school. Some kids who grow up on stations receive schooling by School Of The Air which caters for primary and early secondary education of children in remote areas of Australia.

The Homestead is the centre of any cattle station. The Homestead is surrounded by sheds, machinery, cattle yards, staff quarters and much more. Basically like a little township.

The North of Australia, where most of the big cattle stations are found, have a wet and a dry season. The dry season is the time for mustering, which is done on horseback, motorbikes and most stations also use helicopters to help round up cattle. Most of the mustering takes place away from the homestead so workers move to a camp where the mustering is happening and sleep in swags for sometimes weeks at a time.

Everyone relies on each other heavily, works hard from sun up to sun down, and loves every minute of it!

- Regularly clean your boots with a damp cloth to get rid of mud and anything else they've picked up out on the station.

- Once fully dry, Ariat recommend that they are conditioned with leather conditioner and polished to help extend the life of your boot.

- Try to avoid wearing the same pair every day because the combination of humidity and bacteria from your feet can cause them to deteriorate faster.

- And lastly, avoid placing leather boots near direct heat as it could cause cracking.

R.M.Williams

- To maintain the colour of the leather and to remove scuffs and marks, they recommend using R.M.Williams polish on a regular basis.

- Try to wear them in dry conditions for the first few times wearing them, because fine leather boots can require a full day to dry out if they get wet.

- Same as Ariat, RM recommends using a damp cloth to remove dirt and dust, and to let your boots dry naturally if you get them wet.

- R.M.Williams Hi-Shine will give your boots a long lasting instant shine to keep them looking their best!

- Here is the link for the R.M.Williams boot polish we sell in store and online!

- http://wornoutwest.com.au/accessories-gifts/boot-care.html

To be honest, my boots have only been polished once, and that was when my Mum did it.

As much as I probably should have cleaned and polished them more often, I kinda like all the marks on them.

I got all those marks from working at home with Dad, and being 2,500 km's from home I'm glad I have a reminder every day!!

- Laura at Worn Out West

As you're wearing your hat out working its bound to get knocked around a bit! So if the brim becomes a bit out of shape, all you've gotta do is place the area over steam until it becomes moist, then re-shape it with your fingertips.

Always rest your hat upside down on its crown rather than on the brim. Or, even better, keep it on a hat rack!

If you're out and you get rained on, dont worry. Akubra hats include a water proofing solution. But just remember to never force dry, and try not to get the inside leather band wet as it will shrink and will be hard to stretch back to its original size.

Don't leave it in direct sunlight, like on your dash or somewhere similar as it will shrink.

When your hat gets dirty, brush in an anti-clockwise direction to remove the dust. Then lightly rub the area with a paint thinner or dry cleaning fluid. But be careful you don't use too much. Car upholstery cleaner can be used as well. Just spray on and leave for 15-20 seconds then wipe off with a damp cloth.

With all that in mind, a worn out Akubra covered in dirt and dust adds a whole heap of character to your hat!