How far would you travel to catch up with your friends?

For women who live and work in outback Australia, travelling hundreds of kilometres for a social engagement comes with the territory.

For Lucy Morphett from Callanna Station in South Australia’s remote far north it’s an easy decision to make.

“[Isolation is] probably one of the biggest challenges that people who have lived there a long time or people who are new to the area face,” she said.

She was among a group of nearly 100 women who attended the Outback Ladies Muster at Hawker in the Flinders Ranges.

Some women travelled 900 kilometres to attend the event.

“We do a lot of kilometres for socialising,” Maeli Mengerson said.

She, her mother, and her sister travelled 300km from Depot Springs Station, 30km from Copley in SA’s far north, for the two-day networking event.

“That’s what you do when you live out here,” Ms Mengerson said.

‘Screaming for rain’

The muster gave the women a chance to participate in professional and personal development sessions but it was also an opportunity for those doing it tough to connect and reflect.

That is particularly important during dry conditions such as those being faced by many, including Ms Mengerson’s family on Depot Springs Station.

“We’re screaming for rain … if you could send it,” she said.

Ms Morphett, a key organiser, said there were plenty of attendees who felt that way. 

“Drought affects beyond property borders — it affects small communities, it affects local business,” she said.

“There are a lot of mums here who are not only mums — they’re business owners, they’re wives, they’re partners, they are doing all the things, [including being involved in] community groups.

“So [this is] an opportunity to have some fun, relax and recharge [the] batteries to go home and get back to it.”

Ladies on the land

For Anna Greenfield, who travelled from almost 500km away, the muster was a rare opportunity to connect with other women working in the male-dominated industry of agriculture.

In addition to working on her family’s station, Billa Kalina, 95km north-west of Roxby Downs, she is completing a master’s degree remotely.

“It’s really nice just being with all ladies who get the struggles of being a lady on the land,” Ms Greenfield said.

It’s why going to huge lengths for an event like the Muster is a no-brainer for organiser Ms Morphett.

“Connection is how we build relationships,” she said.

“[It’s] how we maintain relationships and it is how we stay happy and thriving in these remote areas.”