After toughing it out for more than two decades on their cattle station in Western Australia’s Pilbara, the Paull family is now reaping the rewards.
Story & photos by John Denman
Anne Paull is a woman of the outback in every sense of the phrase. Alongside husband Geoffrey, she runs 400,000-hectare Noreena Downs in Western Australia’s Pilbara with a calm persistence that belies the tough times she and Geoff have ridden through. Known to their friends as ‘Tex’ (Geoff) and ‘Tub’ (Anne), they have seen the best – and the worst – the bush has to offer. “Those nicknames go back a long way,” Anne says, not elaborating further. “We’ve been on this place for 22 years – in that time I suppose you pick up all sorts of things.”
Noreena Downs had to be built back up from scratch when the Paulls arrived. The homestead was derelict and all the outbuildings needed work. Stock numbers were almost non-existent. “Just a few scrubbers really,” Tex says.
This story excerpt is from Issue #47
Outback Magazine: June/July 2006
