With boundless enthusiasm for the local community, baking and family and friends, Hannah McKillop has thrown herself into a new life in the bush.
Hannah McKillop deftly manoeuvres a couple of loaves of sourdough into the pizza oven in the backyard at Avondale station, south of Cunnamulla in southwestern Queensland. She and her husband, Bill, had a few friends over for pizzas last night, so she’s taking advantage of the still warm oven to batch bake 12 loaves of bread to keep the family going for a while. Not just any old bread, mind you. As it turns out, Hannah has quite a baking pedigree, a fact that’s confirmed when she turns out a perfect batch of scones for smoko, as morning tea is called in the bush. Which is just as well, as it’s 90 kilometres on a mostly gravel road into town, so not very convenient if you run out of bread and need to make a few sandwiches.
“I learnt to cook with my grandmother,” she says. “I grew up on a cattle farm at Mandurama [in the NSW central west] and I loved baking with her. That and horse riding. My parents got me a pony and I’ve never grown out of either hobby.”
Then there was a period while she was studying a double degree in law and agribusiness at the University of New England, and baking seemed so much more appealing than books that she contemplated dropping out of uni and doing a pastry chef’s apprenticeship. “Just as well I didn’t,” she says. “I married a sheep farmer and there’s not much call for pastry chefs in Cunnamulla. Even though it drove me to baking a lot, I don’t regret studying law. I never intended to practise, but I’ve never considered it a waste of time as it opened doors for me career-wise.”
Hannah and Bill, who grew up at The Marra, where the Marra Creek runs out of the Macquarie Marshes, north of Nyngan, NSW, met at the Duck Creek Picnic Races in Nyngan in 2009. Bill went on to complete a builder’s apprenticeship in Toowoomba, while Hannah finished uni and worked in banking and broking in regional NSW, before they married in 2016. The following year, they moved to Avondale where, with other family members on an adjoining property, they have a collective 80,000 acres (32,375 hectares) running sheep, rangeland goats and a small herd of mixed breed cattle. They’ve since welcomed Edward, aged five years, and June, three, to the family, and are happily ensconced in the district.
“I didn’t know how I’d go,” Hannah confesses. “We said we’d give it five years and if we hated it, we’d leave. Turns out we love it and we’re still here.” Albeit with new challenges as Edward is doing e-kindy through the Charleville School of Distance Education and June will also join Edward in the classroom as he starts ‘big school’ this year.
“For the moment, I’m a bit of an overqualified station cook, musterer, home tutor and child wrangler,” Hannah says. “I’ve never been busier and I’m very happy in my diverse roles. One day, I may return to banking as I loved that work too and, if there was a positive side to COVID, it was that it opened up opportunities for working remotely.” Although Hannah and Bill only had a few acquaintances when they arrived, they’ve thrown themselves into the community. “We held a housewarming party when we arrived,” Hannah says. “Nearly 30 people turned up. Now we’ve made it a bit of a tradition with an annual Australia Day party, and this year about 100 people came. Out here, no one thinks twice about driving 100km for a barbecue and turns out it’s quite a social community, with lots of people in similar situations to us. There are lots of children in the district too, so we have quite a busy social life.”
The McKillops are also quick to put their hands up for community events and Bill is the president of the Noorama Picnic Race Club, while Hannah is treasurer of the associated sport and rec club, which holds monthly barbecues and tennis matches. Hannah plays polocrosse whenever she can and has recently joined a rowing team, which trains on the Warrego River in Cunnamulla and recently competed for the first time in outback regattas at Barcaldine and Longreach. In her “spare” time, she’s the president of the local branch of the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA), which lobbies for equal educational opportunities for children living in remote areas. Bill is no slouch when it comes to community involvement either, as he was a delegate for the region at last year’s ICPA state conference.
The homestead on Avondale was built in the 1950s at the height of the wool boom from hardwoods harvested and milled on the property. “It’s incredibly solid and would cost a fortune to build today,” Hannah says. “It was built to last by Felix and Zoe Schmidt and taken over by their son, Noel, and his wife, Jan. So, we inherited a much-loved and cared for homestead and good bones with the garden, which I’ve worked to make our own, by creating circular beds and introducing roses, which do well in this soil.” She’s also planted salvias, status and lavender, which do well in the climate and the gardens are dotted with sculptures made by her mother-in-law, wire artist Roshelle McKillop.
“The vegie garden and orchard could do with a bit more attention,” Hannah confesses. “I’m afraid I spend too much time with my horses during winter when I should be working in the garden.” Hannah adds that the family feel very fortunate to have settled in such a strong community and look forward to growing even deeper roots. “I have become adept at shopping online,” she says. “I use Homestead Pantry Box to source condiments, spice mixes, pastes and other ingredients that the local shops don’t stock. It’s more than an hour’s drive to town, but the only time I feel isolated is when we have an electricity blackout and there’s no Wi-Fi. On balance, that is a very small negative.”
