Bill Tapp wanted to be the next Cattle King of Australia, and for a time he was.

In this episode, Toni Tapp Coutts shares the story of a man who was a pioneer, a visionary, a dreamer. A man who turned Killarney Station from a bare block to one of several thriving cattle properties.

But, as his empire grew, so did Bill’s battle with alcoholism. While the empire he worked so hard to build would eventually crumble, his legacy remains strong.

Bill Tapp wanted to be the next Cattle King of Australia, and for a time he was.
In this episode, Toni Tapp Coutts shares the story of a man who was a pioneer, a visionary, a dreamer. A man who turned Killarney Station from a bare block to one of several thriving cattle properties.
But, as his empire grew, so did Bill’s battle with alcoholism. While the empire he worked so hard to build would eventually crumble, his legacy remains strong.

True stories from the Australian Outback, told by the people who live them.

Meet the men and women who live and work on some of Australia’s most remote cattle stations.

There are tales of mustering, stock camps, working dogs, rogue cattle and hard bloody yakka, but also the fun of a bush wedding or kicking back at a rodeo.

There’s the simple wonder of living in an amazing landscape, but also the downside: the ravages of flood, fire and drought.

And always there’s the inherent danger of isolation – times when the Flying Doctor came to the rescue, but also times when lives have been tragically cut short.

These compelling true-life stories show what outback life is really like – and why many wouldn’t live anywhere else.

Central Station - True Stories from Outback Australia

Toni Tapp Coutts - Bill Tapp, The Cattle King

Welcome back to our fourth episode with Garry Riggs from Lakefield Station in the Territory. When we last left Garry, he had just wrapped up his time in the stock camp at Blina Station. But the end of one chapter marked the beginning of another. Garry found himself working in mining exploration, and trust us, the adventures only got wilder from there.

In this episode, Garry takes us through another round of jaw-dropping stories from teaming up with a Dutch mercenary to the unexpected experience of accidentally smoking weed and being abandoned out bush. And if that’s not enough, he recounts the harrowing day he survived both a helicopter crash and a light aircraft engine failure.

Welcome back to our fourth episode with Garry Riggs from Lakefield Station in the Territory. When we last left Garry, he had just wrapped up his time in the stock camp at Blina Station. But the end of one chapter marked the beginning of another. Garry found himself working in mining exploration, and trust us, the adventures only got wilder from there.
In this episode, Garry takes us through another round of jaw-dropping stories from teaming up with a Dutch mercenary to the unexpected experience of accidentally smoking weed and being abandoned out bush. And if that’s not enough, he recounts the harrowing day he survived both a helicopter crash and a light aircraft engine failure.

Garry Riggs (Part 4) - Mercenaries and mid-air emergencies

Welcome back to our third episode with Garry Riggs from Lakefield Station in the Territory. In his first two episodes, Garry shared tales from his adventurous childhood, filled with close calls involving snakes, motorbikes, horses, motorcars, deadly fevers, UFOs, and even circus lions!

In this episode, we pick up right where we left off—at Calwynyardah Station in the West Kimberley. True to form, Garry has no shortage of unbelievable tales from this chapter of his life. From mishaps during cattle musters resulting in rear-end injuries to ghostly encounters, moonlit cattle musters, and catching his first wild scrub bull, gready for another round of extraordinary adventures with Garry.

Welcome back to our third episode with Garry Riggs from Lakefield Station in the Territory. In his first two episodes, Garry shared tales from his adventurous childhood, filled with close calls involving snakes, motorbikes, horses, motorcars, deadly fevers, UFOs, and even circus lions!
In this episode, we pick up right where we left off—at Calwynyardah Station in the West Kimberley. True to form, Garry has no shortage of unbelievable tales from this chapter of his life. From mishaps during cattle musters resulting in rear-end injuries to ghostly encounters, moonlit cattle musters, and catching his first wild scrub bull, gready for another round of extraordinary adventures with Garry.

Garry Riggs (Part 3) - Blina and Calwynyardah adventures

When Munro Hardy said he wanted to be a pilot, his year 11 careers advisor shut down the idea pretty quickly. So, Munro filed the idea in the back of his mind and started thinking about other options. Once he finished school, he set off on a gap year that would turn into the adventure of a lifetime, as he spent the next decade trying his hand at various roles in agriculture, mining and tourism. 

But, the dream of being a pilot was always there, lingering in back of his mind. And each time he saw helicopters used for mustering cattle, the dream got a little bigger. 

In the fourth and final part of our chat with Munro, he shares the story of how he finally got his pilots licence - or, as he says, a license to learn - and fulfilled his dream of flying choppers on cattle stations throughout the top end. 

When Munro Hardy said he wanted to be a pilot, his year 11 careers advisor shut down the idea pretty quickly. So, Munro filed the idea in the back of his mind and started thinking about other options. Once he finished school, he set off on a gap year that would turn into the adventure of a lifetime, as he spent the next decade trying his hand at various roles in agriculture, mining and tourism. 
But, the dream of being a pilot was always there, lingering in back of his mind. And each time he saw helicopters used for mustering cattle, the dream got a little bigger. 
In the fourth and final part of our chat with Munro, he shares the story of how he finally got his pilots licence - or, as he says, a license to learn - and fulfilled his dream of flying choppers on cattle stations throughout the top end.

Toni Tapp Coutts - Bill Tapp, The Cattle King

Central Station - True Stories from Outback Australia

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