Extract from ABC News
Annemijn Oude Vrielink (left) says Petah Devine's farm is a whole different world to her home in the Netherlands. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)
In short:
International visitors are flocking to the outback to take jobs on farms and stations.
The open spaces and isolation are attractive for tourists from busy European cities.
What's next?
The outback city of Broken Hill typically sees a spike in international visitors in the Christmas and New Year period.
Working life on a remote farm is not for the faint-hearted, but for some visitors from abroad, it has started a love affair with the outback.
For travellers like German Peter Bodino and Annemijn Oude Vrielink from the Netherlands, the draw of far west New South Wales is in the red dirt, the animals and the people.
For Mr Bodino, mustering is a "must-do" experience.
The 61-year-old IT business owner spent a week with cousin Michelle Mannion and her husband, Paul, and their families, experiencing a slower pace of life.
Peter Bodino from Germany loved riding a motorbike in the outback. (Supplied: Peter Bodino)
"Not so fast, like in Hamburg and Germany — it was totally different days and a lot of different things on the same day," he said.
It was his first time visiting the outback stations of Nundora, Moorabie and Lake Wallace, which have a combined size of about 1,700 square kilometres.
Peter Bodino enjoyed helping out on an outback station. (Supplied: Peter Bodino)
"Doing there a lot of things I've never done before, starting [with] riding motorbike in the outback," he said.
"It's a great experience — mustering with helicopter … seeing the station from above and catching the sheep to the yards. Yes, was very nice experience."
Family ties
Ms Mannion's parents were both born in Germany but immigrated to Australia, where they met and subsequently gave birth to Ms Mannion.
Showing Mr Bodino outback life was an opportunity to return the favour after visiting Hamburg about seven years ago.
Peter Bodino travelled to spend time with Michelle Mannion and husband Paul and their family. (Supplied: Peter Bodino)
"He even got thrown in the deep end mustering," Ms Mannion said.
"Like we said, 'Don't come out until they're all together'. And by the end of the day, he was out first [to] muster. Like getting put behind sheep and putting them together."
Ms Mannion said it was nice to have someone who appreciated the outback.
Peter Bodino visited and stayed at Nundora Station in far-west New South Wales. (Supplied: Michelle Mannion)
"You don't appreciate sometimes what you've got, so when you've got someone there and you know he's going, 'This is so new and different and exciting', and it sort of puts a bit of a spark in it," she said.
Mr Bodino said he hoped his two daughters would visit the outback station next.
Captivated by the outback
Silverton Outback Camels owner Petah Devine is used to employing backpackers.
She said she kept an eye out for those who really wanted to be on the farm, which hosted more than just camels.
Petah Devine (left) says Annemijn Oude Vrielink is a hard worker who is fun to be around. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)
"If they generally want to work with animals and be in the outback, this is the spot to be," Ms Devine said.
She believed foreign workers were often the most reliable and open to "giving it a go".
"It's the experience for them as well, it's something totally different, totally outside their normal," she said.
Annemijn Oude Vrielink and Petah Devine work closely on the farm to look after all the different types of animals. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)
Dutch national Annemijn Oude Vrielink started running camel tours in November.
The 25-year-old found the job through an old Facebook post while searching for a spot to fill her visa requirements.
She quickly became enamoured by the landscape, brilliant night sky and the remoteness of Silverton, a stark contrast to her homeland.
"The Netherlands is like really packed, everybody lives really close to each other, you don't have much nature," Ms Oude Vrielink said.
Annemijn Oude Vrielink already feels at home in the outback. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren)
Ms Oude Vrielink said she loved the work so much, she had decided to stay on past the 88-day requirement to secure her visa.
Her family back home are in awe of her new life.
"They think it's absolutely crazy over here, but it feels already kind of normal for me now, after a few weeks," Ms Oude Vrielink said.
"So it's a good reminder for me that it's really special that I'm here."
High overseas visitation in summer
Broken Hill City Council visitor centre's Patrick Kreitner, another German who fell in love with the outback and made the permanent move, said the region usually had between 200,000 and 250,000 visitors a year.
"We're not a huge international destination — the visitation from overseas has been always around 3 and 4 per cent [of 250,000]," he said.
Peter Bodino enjoyed a ride on the helicopter at Nundora Station. (Supplied: Peter Bodino)
He said international visitors to the region were highest in January and February.
"So during those months, looking at the last couple of years, we get about 10 per cent of visitors through the centre internationally," he said.
"So, that's pretty high. Most of them are from Europe as well.
"There is a growing interest in really seeing how remote communities operate in station life, in remote travel, four-wheel drive travel, adventure travel and Aboriginal tours."
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