Travel Australia Podcast by The Feel Good Family

Exploring Queensland: Outback Adventures, Mysterious Lights, and Heartwarming Encounters

• Paul & Katie Guerin • Season 9 • Episode 3

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What if a journey through the Aussie outback could redefine what "home" feels like? Join us as we, the Feel Good Family, return to our beloved Queensland after a year of adventure, with tales that are as heartwarming as they are thrilling. Picture the joy of crossing back into our home state, with our caravan in tow, and the challenges we faced on the Plenty Highway. Along the way, we learned the importance of planning meals ahead at Tobermorey Station, a lesson any avid traveler can appreciate.

Ever heard of the Min Min Lights? In the quaint town of Boulia, locals might pronounce it "Booyah," but the tales of these elusive lights are no less captivating. We share our own eerie encounter with a mysterious blue orb, adding a personal twist to this outback legend. Our travels also led us to Middleton, where we met the unforgettable Stoney Cain at the unique local pub. It's here that stories are shared and community ties are strengthened, reminding us of the beauty and mystery that make the outback an adventure like no other.

As we reminisce about the legacy of Steve Irwin at Australia Zoo, we also prepare for our next exciting chapter in Winton. We've got heartwarming stories, including a lighthearted encounter with the Dalai Lama, that highlight the deep connections formed through travel. Our experiences have shown us that stepping outside our comfort zones brings valuable life lessons and unforgettable friendships. So, buckle up for a journey through stories and landscapes that promise to leave a lasting impression, and a hint of what's to come in Winton that you won't want to miss.

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Speaker 1:

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Speaker 2:

Love it, Nakey. Relax wherever you go. Seriously, what are you waiting for? We love the Nakey products so much. We have so many of the Nakey products and they are all awesome. Look, if you want to get your hands on some Nakey products, jump on over to our website and take advantage of the awesome 15% Feel Good discount code that our good friends at Nike have provided for our awesome Feel Good Family audience.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Season 9, episode 3 of the Family Travel Australia podcast, where Paul Katie and Jasper from the Feel Good Family join us as we explore this great country Australia, its people, places and coaches.

Speaker 2:

Yes, welcome to the Family Travel Podcast, where we share the latest in RV industry news road trip travel, caravanning and camping, product reviews, where to go, what to do, and so much more. Thanks for joining us. Yes, katie.

Speaker 1:

This week we're free camping at the most isolated pub in the outback. We say goodbye to the Northern Territory and hello to our home state of Queensland. Woohoo, we're back. Baby Queenslander, gee we love it.

Speaker 2:

Oh look. There is always something super special about crossing any border back into Queensland. It's just a feeling that comes over us. We are Queenslanders through and through and to know that we are back on our home turf even if we're still hundreds or thousands of kilometres away from family, which right now we are, there's still something really special about knowing we're back home.

Speaker 1:

Which is strange because five years of full-time travel, our home is where we lay our hat, our caravan, so it is strange, we go home, to the place that we used to call home, the location. But really the only, I guess, real drawcard is the family and friends that are in those locations, because when we get out of the van, like we go stay in a hotel because we're speaking somewhere or we're, you know, traveling and doing bits and pieces, we can't wait to get home to our van. It's a strange concept.

Speaker 2:

It really is a strange concept and the van certainly is home. But let's just say we've always got a bit of Queensland in our hearts, I think, and to know that we're back, after not being in Queensland particularly with the caravan and touring Queensland for over a year now, it's pretty exciting to know. Okay, we've crossed the border, we're about to explore some places we've never been before, and I love that feeling of anticipation as well, there is something about it.

Speaker 1:

You can probably hear it in our podcast, Dulcet Tones. That element of that's right, Katie, unknown expectations, all of it. Yeah, so good, here we go. Okay, so we left you at the outback station of Tobermory.

Speaker 2:

Strange name. I actually should have asked them. You know where the name came from. In fact, all along this plenty highway journey, I mean, the first stop was Javois or Javoy.

Speaker 1:

I'm pretty sure, and maybe not in the case of these two stations, but the majority of stations and pastoral land that was allocated back in my day, back in the day stations and pastoral land that was allocated back in my day, back in the day were the names of these stations were taken from the properties or the family surnames of the settlement and settling pioneers from England Well, that would make sense, the motherland and they would come over and if they were from Lancaster or whatever, it was Windsor or Tobermore, sure, it was a family name maybe. Yeah, it's worth checking out, but a lot of times that we've seen they've been related to a location back in the UK or a family name.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that definitely makes sense.

Speaker 2:

I always conjure up in my head this I don't know this Italian scene when we talk about Tobe More, and I don't really know why.

Speaker 2:

I think maybe that's because of how you sing it like that that's Amore. Anyway, we weren't greeted by beautiful Italian fare, but we were invited to sit down at the long table with the staff and the owners of Tobermory Station the night that we camped there, which was a massive relief given how late it was when we got in. And, of course, if you've been listening to our podcast series or watching our YouTube series across the Plenty Highway, you'll know that we had a few delays traveling with Ben and Deanne and their three children, with their plenty of tire punctures, flat tires that needed addressing along the way, and so that did delay us. And look, it's all part of the adventure and we were all still smiling and all still happy to travel together, which is the main thing. But we did arrive into Tobermory quite late that night and had the opportunity to have our meals cooked for us, which is always a massive bonus when you're on the road and you get in late and you think, oh man, I don't know what we're doing for dinner.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, look, I think, just so you're listening out there. This wasn't a special thing they did for us. They do this for everyone as long as you have let them know. So the hot tip which we didn't do because we were unawares is to phone ahead or contact them and book ahead if you have any dietary requirements, that is, if you're a vego or a pescatarian, a pesky pescatarian, or you know you don't eat meat or you know whatever they can accommodate for most people's dietary needs if you let them know. But the cool thing is, I think you know you're looking at about 35 bucks a head. You know it might be a bit less for kids, I'm really not sure. But you go into this series of tables that is like one long table and you can start to, you know, interact and converse with the other staff and the management and the owners if they're there, and hear about the challenges of being a farmer and living out here, and just the day-to-day workings.

Speaker 1:

We found it very interesting.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I loved that insight because it's not something that you would normally see or have any idea about if you're not from you know this sort of industry if you've never been around these huge station properties out here in the middle of nowhere and what it's like to live remote and then to be able to come in and get a real grasp of well, actually, there's a whole community of people out here working on this station in various roles and then, of course, they have somebody who is the dedicated chef, who needs to cook all of the meals for the staff they come together for every meal.

Speaker 2:

I loved that they had very strict rules written up on the big blackboards within this communal dining area about you know, no phones at the dining table. There was very strict rules for all of the staff to follow to encourage that real sense of community and conversation over the meals that they come together for, and then just watching the workings of the pack down and the tidy up and how everybody got in and did their bit. I really loved that because it's easy to not see any of that when you pass through these places.

Speaker 1:

Yes, if you're not into sitting with lots of people at a long table and having a chat.

Speaker 2:

It's not for you.

Speaker 1:

Not for you. It reminds me a little bit of those epic hikes, those pilgrimage walks, where at the end of each day you know you've been on the trail and you may be, you know, in your own head, or you might, you know, converse with the person here and there as you go, but then you get to the end of the day and everybody is together.

Speaker 1:

It doesn't matter your walk of life or where you come from, or what your own or you know. None of that matters, because you're all the same sitting at one table.

Speaker 2:

Very cool? Yeah, it was. It was a really great experience and I'm so glad that we got to do it. We were in and out of Tobermory Station in one night, one night only. And then we were up bright and early the next morning a bit of a tyre check for us and our fellow neighbours and we were off headed towards the Queensland border.

Speaker 1:

And we are back on the bitumen in just a moment, which is a welcome relief, although the road has been very good as far as the condition A lot more sandy sections than we expected, as we mentioned, these really sharp rocky areas that we did expect, but not a lot of corrugations Very surprising. But to get back across that Queensland border, which is only about six kilometers up the road from Tobermory, Yep, and then we are on our way to Bullier I think it's the most outback western Queensland township that you'll find on the map, 128 kilometres away and to pull into Bullier on a picture-perfect day and we cross straight over the Bourke River and into the Bullier Caravan Park and an interesting greeting party, katie.

Speaker 2:

We did. I mean, we've seen a lot of things in our five years on the road when we've pulled into campgrounds and caravan parks, but never seen sheep just wandering around the caravan park before, have we Paul?

Speaker 1:

But very tame, almost like golden retrievers, you know. They kind of come over and oh, there's some new people, let's go check out what they've got. Yeah, they really were a welcoming committee.

Speaker 2:

They were, they were. It was quite interesting and fun for the kids, of course. And look, this is a sweet little spot, this Boulia Caravan Park. It gets great reviews on Wikicamps, which is awesome in these outback places to find somewhere that people say you know, they absolutely love this day. They felt extremely safe and we would totally agree with that. Again, we were only here one night, but grassy lawn areas, we didn't feel squeezed into a caravan park like you can in some locations around the country, into a caravan park like you can in some locations around the country the freedom to basically pull in, stay hitched up, set up, do whatever we wanted. The caretakers were lovely. I think from memory it was about $35 a night for us to rock into a powered site, hook up to water. So I mean honestly, it doesn't get any better than that.

Speaker 2:

No, it is interesting, it's not your traditional caravan park with, I guess, the facilities you know, set in cement and you know, oh yeah, you cement slabs and things like that.

Speaker 1:

No, what you're getting is a series of extension cords all just joined together, then looped through a fence and then sort of chucked over, and then the same with the hoses. Oh, hang on, mate, I'll just take the sprinkler off. Yeah, no, just use that extension cord, mate.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was a little bit reminiscent of some of those places we've travelled overseas where the wiring is a bit crazy and you're like, hmm, okay, Are we really sure we want to plug in here? But look honestly, it was fantastic here. But look honestly, it was fantastic. We've got no complaints about staying here at Boullier and it was a beautiful, quiet night's sleep. There were plenty of other travellers here as well, but certainly not a full caravan park when we came through, and I believe there are a couple of free camp options around Boullier on the banks of the river as well. But we really loved this location for its easy access into town, which is awesome because for one night, you know, we wanted to make sure that we got into town to check it out and we were able to walk from the van park.

Speaker 1:

Straight over the Bourke River, actually a beautiful bridge and quite picturesque walk with the kids and with Ben and Deanne and, as you're, I guess, entering into town, there's a large interpretive sign that talks about that ill-fated journey. The adventurers back there, burke and Wills, back in 1860. They left Melbourne, my birth town, actually left on my birthday, august 20, back there in 1860, not my official date of birth Jeez tell.

Speaker 1:

No, and they got up here about a year later and then they continued. They put water into their water bags and then they continued on up through to the Gulf and then came back again through the same area to grab some more water. They named it the Burke River. About eight kilometres further down the track, they named another river system, the Wills River, and unfortunately it didn't end too well. A little further down the track, but you can actually take part in an eight kilometre trail a walking trail if you like, between the two, which would be interesting. We didn't have the time to do that, but there is the opportunity to do this trail as well, so we headed straight into the pub in town which is one of the most isolated pubs I think you'll find in Australia, and it's called the Australian.

Speaker 2:

How Australian is that? Yeah, this was great. And it was called the Australian. How Australian is that? Yeah, this was great. And it was a Friday night, so they had their famous Fish Fridays happening, which was awesome. So in we went the meals were great.

Speaker 1:

I love it, the whole board. Actually there's a special on each night, but the Friday fish and chips was my favourite.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely, and the meals were awesome, everybody was happy, the kids were happy. It's always a big tick when you go out somewhere and if the kids are happy then you know you're going to have a really great night. And we got to have a yarn to some of the locals and quite a lot of laughs and, all in all, just a fantastic night. By the time we got home, the little sheep were waiting for us to say goodnight.

Speaker 1:

I love that this pub has your local bar flies. It really wasn't a traveller's kind of scene, like anyone who lived there was at the pub. So you're really in it. But you can also separate yourself from that if you like, because then as you kind of wander through this old sort of heritage building to an extension, out the back there's a beautiful restaurant area and then there's even an outdoor play space with a kid's area and you can sit out there as well. So plenty of options to be in it and amongst the locals having a yarn, or to sit out with the family and just have a peaceful dinner as well. Very cool.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely. And look, we love Booyah. This is our first time out here, or I should say Booyah, because you've got to get your Australian slang on and run all of those letters together. You certainly don't want to pronounce it as it's written. That would be far too proper.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and now you stand at the bar and you go oh, it's a very nice place here in booyah, yes, and they'd all laugh at you, I'm sure. Oh yeah, absolutely, but uh, no, we really liked exploring. The next morning we, we got up and we came back into town before we were due to set off, heading further east, but to check out what's on offer here and look, there is plenty here, of course, home to the famous, the infamous Min Min Lights. Now, look, if you have not heard about the Min Min Lights, we would encourage you to do a quick little Google, because it is very interesting Google because it is very interesting.

Speaker 1:

Look, there have been, I think, documented, over a thousand sightings, interactions Well, not exactly interactions, but encounters, encounters. Thank you, katie, that's the word that. I am looking for with the Min Min Lights, a light that has chased people in these outback regions for about 130 kilometres along the main stretch heading towards Winton and then up to 500 kilometres also each side of Boulia. There have been sightings with farmers, Indigenous people, God-fearing men and women Like any type of person.

Speaker 1:

Not just crazies, I guess, is what I'm trying to say. It's not just the people who are a bit woo-woo anyway, it's real-life people.

Speaker 2:

Or with a remarkably similar story and a similar explanation of what the lights look like and how they interacted with them out there in these really remote parts. And look, we met a couple, a lovely couple. They're actually a young family and we met them a few years ago in Winton at the Winton Festival, the Vision.

Speaker 1:

Splendour Outback Film Festival it was. That's right.

Speaker 2:

And they were just a beautiful, normal family.

Speaker 1:

Both educators. They were both teachers.

Speaker 2:

Yes, had two young children who Jasper loved playing with, and the husband had had an encounter with the Min Min Lights and as he was telling us his story, it was so real that I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.

Speaker 1:

I just thought, nah, this guy's not a wacko. This guy has encountered something that has made it embed in him to be able to express his emotion of that moment so clearly that it actually impacted us. I was like, wow, righto.

Speaker 2:

It's fascinating stuff, look. Part of me is a little bit sad that we didn't see a Min Min light for ourselves while we were out here in Booyah. But to be able to, I'm okay with it.

Speaker 1:

I don't need no Min-mins in my life.

Speaker 2:

Look, the accounts are very similar to our own personal experience out there, from Devil's Marbles Kalu Kalu Conservation Reserve, out there in the middle of Central Australia, in the Northern Territory, where we had the encounter with that incredible blue orb of light that was floating its way towards us, getting larger and larger in the middle of winter, you know nowhere.

Speaker 1:

Middle of Australia. That was, I guess, a moment that cemented for me that I need to be a little more open-minded and not just think crazy person here. Because now I am and you are one of those crazies, because we had that encounter with Jasper and with another lady, claire from the UK, who we'd invited in for dinner that night, and even she was just like, whoa, is that normal guys? And we're like, nah, that's definitely something out of this world as we know.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely and look definitely. We would suggest jump on and do some research on the Min Min Lights. There is an experience here in Booyah, the Min Min Experience Encounter that you can go in and learn all about the Min Min.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's an animatronic and laser light show that gets huge raps. It's an incredible piece of tech that's now 20-plus years old and still getting, you know, rave reviews. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to film inside there, but it is a way, I guess, to get the full experience of the Min Min's without you know having yourself abducted or impregnated by an alien life force. Katie.

Speaker 2:

Yes indeed.

Speaker 1:

Keep your organs, baby.

Speaker 2:

Anyway, what else is there in Booyah? Not a lot. There's a little supermarket that's really well stocked, a couple of sweet little stores antique-y kind of quirky store that has it all, and a couple of little cafes. So it is a sweet little town. There's fuel, of course. You can pick up all the supplies that you need before you push further east towards Winton.

Speaker 1:

But on the way. Okay, now, 203 kilometres later, you get to Middleton. Later you get to Middleton and we had been worded up through other travelers, other locals, even back there at Gemtree, said you have to stop an overnight in Middleton. We're like what's there? They're like nothing, just one pub. And besides the pub there's a publican named Stoney Stoney Kane. This guy will change your life. You've got to stop and see this guy. We were like, well, that's a pretty big call, but let's do it. So, 203 kilometers down the road at Middleton, there is the pub. There's a homestead for the family Stoney Cain and his wife and his kid, and then across the road is a big sign that says the Hilton Hotel and on the sign it says no air con, no TV, no pool, no charge, free camp.

Speaker 1:

Love it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, look, this goes down in the history books for us as one of the best pub stays we've ever had across the five years of our travel, definitely, look, driving from Bulli, we really didn't have any idea of what to expect or even where this Middleton pub was going to pop up. And then you know, you're just driving through like hundreds of kilometres of epic, incredible landscape, with these massive jump-ups, or messes as they're called. You feel like you're transported into. I mean, I feel like I was in a landscape you know from the Wild West in America, from what I've seen on the movies Utah and Arizona and Death Valley.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. It's hard to believe that this landscape is here in Australia.

Speaker 1:

Look, there is one outstanding stop. There's a lookout there. I believe it's called Lilydale Hills and it is that, katie. It's like you're waiting for that. You know, john Wayne moment.

Speaker 1:

There's Spaghetti West and all of the guys cowboys and Indians, and it is stunning, breathtakingly beautiful. It's such a surprise because you do not expect to see it out here, because there's vast land that goes as far as your eye can see, so you can see the curvature of the earth and there's nothing. I mean there's barely a scrub or a trip like there's nothing. And then you come across these jump-ups.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's remarkable. And the whole time I just kept saying to Paul look, I really don't know. I mean I guess we'll see the pub when we see the pub. And it's almost as if you just come up over this little rise after crossing a dry creek bed and oh, look, there's a pub. Okay, we'll pull in. So we pulled off to the right and into the free camp area which really, basically, is just this massive cleared area that look.

Speaker 2:

After talking to Stoney later in the day, he said to us you know, sometimes we can have a couple of vans in, like we've got tonight with you guys and Malcolm actually, who's another traveller, we met back there in Booyah. Other times, like after the Birdsville big events, the bash, the races, we can have hundreds of vans parked out there at the Hilton Hotel and the pub is absolutely heaving. So we set up camp, we decided we'd walk over it was probably about 4 o'clock in the afternoon by this stage We'll go and check out this pub and as we're crossing the road you know looking left and looking right to make sure that there was no traffic coming Trust us, there was no traffic coming the entire time we were out here we came across a gentleman standing on the balcony who was very friendly, gave us a really cheery welcome and, lo and behold, it's the man we've been looking for, stoney Cain, the publican.

Speaker 1:

And he said come in, can I get you a drink? And we're like absolutely and he probably asked that question another half dozen times we did go for one and we stayed for many.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's one of those moments. It was a bit of a shame that we all had kids that were hungry, because I think we could have stayed longer had the kids not been nagging us that they needed their dinner.

Speaker 1:

That is so true, this guy they refer to him a bit as a cat because he's had nine lives and he shares stories. There's only a true, authentic outback character like Stoney can of his adventures and mishaps and near death experiences. He's nine lives as a human cat on earth, with helicopter crashes. He's a helicopter pilot. He's he's just recently dodged cancer. He's remarkable interactions with other travelers and you are left wanting to stay longer and spend more time with Stoney. He definitely enriches your life through his charm, his authentic Aussie charisma and just him as a person. He's open with his emotions and we loved every part of our stay here. So we cannot highly recommend enough that you go and say hi to Stoney and stay out there at the Hilton Hotel.

Speaker 2:

Oh yes, so many laughs we shared that afternoon. And I've done a little bit of research on the Middleton pub since our stay just to get a bit more history on it. And originally owned by Stoney's parents and obviously he's spent many of his years out here before taking over the role of publican with his partner and their two children. I read this fantastic article online that basically said the population of Middleton doubled when Stoney and Clara took over the role of running the pub, so there is now an official population of four in Middleton, and this article was talking about the ebb and flow and it's actually interesting because we had a good conversation with Stoney about that.

Speaker 2:

There are times of the year when they'll be lucky to see a traveller come through once a week and then there's other times, like I mentioned, after major events like the big red bash out there at Birdsville, where they're so full. There's so many vanners there. The pub is literally heaving, bursting at the seams, and this article went on to say that one of the first years that Stoney and Clara had taken over the pub, they had all of these travellers come through, but the pub literally had about 16 plates and random cutlery enough to be able to feed maybe that many people as well. And how they scrambled through this particular evening of there being hundreds of patrons here at the pub and basically they were making meals and then washing the plates in the cutlery to be able to then serve another meal to another patron. And how they just scraped through and all of this craziness that takes place out here in this remote location.

Speaker 1:

Amazing, amazing people and you know, we say it all the time, but the people, they cement the memory in that moment, don't they? Yeah, you know, and they make those moments great and they're the stories that you share around the campfire later.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely. I love this man, all of his energy and what he gave to our group, and also Malcolm, who you know, who's a new travelling friend of ours, who was there as well. We all got something that we needed from our time with Stoney and whenever Paul and I talk about him, we both get this smile on our face and this really beautiful, joyous energy in our heart, recalling you know, oh my God, how's about when he told us this story. It was a really special moment. I think, if you feel like you're lacking a little bit of joy or connection in your life, go out and sit at the bar and have a good few drinks with Stoney and, yeah, you'll get your fill for sure, absolutely, and he'll get your fill for sure.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, and he'll match your drink for drink as well. He's pretty good at lifting the elbow. Now we had an outback cinema that night with the kids, so fortunately we had our own firewood. There ain't a lot of trees out here.

Speaker 2:

No, that's a good tip.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, bring your firewood. There is a couple of points of interest as well that, if you love your history, there's a Cobb Co stage car. This was one of the staging points for the Cobb Co and between actually Winton and Boullier there were nine stops and the Middleton pub was one of those stops for the travellers, and that distance between Winton and Boullier used to take four days.

Speaker 1:

Unbelievable it was incredibly rough, and so you know to be able to do it now in the Land Cruiser. It's a good reminder that we got it pretty bloody good.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely.

Speaker 1:

Now our takeaway for this week actually comes from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Oh yes, hhdl, yes, hhdl. Once a year, go somewhere you've never been before.

Speaker 2:

Isn't that fantastic. I love that.

Speaker 1:

If it was just one place that you could go on this next year, go to Middleton.

Speaker 2:

Oh, absolutely. Look. If you're in Australia and you're looking for something really unique where you can go and absolutely 100% leave Richard for the experience, we would encourage you get out here to the Middleton Pub. You know, I think it's. We always talk about the impact that is on us personally when we meet these amazing people or go to these incredible places as a traveller, you know, and how that leaves us richer for the experience. But knowing that people are going out there and leaving a lasting impact on Stoney and his family as well because, let's face it, they're so remote out here, you know, and so really the only connections that they're getting outside of each other are the people who are passing through the pub so we would 100% encourage you to go out there and be impacted by your time there, but also to leave a positive impact on Stoney and his family too.

Speaker 1:

Love that A little side story, a little bit of a walk down memory lane for you, Katie, and for me. We both met at Australia Zoo.

Speaker 2:

Yes, we did.

Speaker 1:

Katie was the Irwin family's executive assistant Very fancy title. She basically got told to run and get stuff and look after their travellers and all of their legals and stuff.

Speaker 1:

You were doing a lot back then and I was taken on. I was doing a show with Bindi and Steve at the time, but I was taken on as the entertainment director of Australia Zoo and that meant that we had major events. And one of those major events at Australia Zoo in the Crocosium the famous Crocosium was to have His Holiness the Dalai Lama HHDL Dalai that's what he was on our run sheets. That's right, he was HHDL. It was just much quicker for us to use the acronym for His Holiness and I had to introduce him. I was the emcee, I was also the production manager of these events and I had to introduce him. And just before we're about to go on stage, I get a call on my radio Entertainment Paul copy Entertainment One. And I'm like yeah, copy guys, what's going on there? We can't hear the Dalai Lama, his microphone isn't working. I'm like you're kidding, so, anyway. So I go over to him and I say, excuse me, mr Dalai Lama, your microphone isn't working and he goes oh, oh, he's so jovial and just beautiful.

Speaker 1:

He has this big booming laugh and, uh, he said, oh, what do we need to do? And I said, uh, where, where is it so? Anyway? Then he starts to undo his robes and I'm just thinking, holy holy delhi lama, holy what's going on here and um, yeah, so he undoes his first robe and then he does the next bit.

Speaker 1:

And there, pinned in, was the pack, you know the transmitter pack for his microphone. And I looked down at it and it's on mute and I said you're kidding, mate, you're on mute, the Dalai Lama's on mute. So I unmuted. The Dalai Lama radioed back up to the bio box to the audio guys and said hey, we're all good, I've just unmuted. The Dalai Lama radioed back up to the bio box to the audio guys and said hey, we're all good, I've just unmuted the Dalai Lama. Hhdl is good to roll, yep.

Speaker 1:

Re-robed and on stage he went Tied up the robe. Yeah, and that's right. The magic of entertainment and what a great experience that was.

Speaker 2:

Oh look, absolutely and certainly grateful for our time there at Australia Zoo, not only with Steve, the incredible human that he was, but also for the many incredible experiences we had with fascinating people all around the world who would come to the zoo for events or just to experience the amazing legacy that Steve has created there. So we've certainly got some good stories from that time of our life.

Speaker 1:

That could be a whole other podcast. I'll tell you what it could be. It seems you know a previous life in many ways, katie. Now next week we share our back Queensland adventure with Winton's Top Ten. We've done Winton many times, but you're going to love this. Some new experiences next week, so good. For now we'll say dream big, look after yourself and look after your family and happy trails.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Katie Guerin

Host
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Paul Guerin

Host