Imagine living on a 20,000 hectare property by yourself where animals are your friends.
This is reality for Barbara Walker, who runs Roy's Retreat in the remote town of Kununurra in the Kimberley.
Her story features in Ageless, a new series that showcases the lives of remarkable people who happen to be over 50 and have a zest for life.
Roy's Retreat is about protecting flora and fauna. Barbara's late husband, Roy, had mustered for a pioneering family. Miriwoong elder Bulla Bilinggiin entrusted Roy to be a custodian of the land plus teach his children stockwork.
The terrain is rugged and filled with trees and grasses, and a waterhole can act as a bath. Among the animals are Frilled-neck lizards, finches, honeyeaters, agile wallabies and rock wallabies. The property is off-grid; water comes from petrol-powered firefighter pumps and power is solar, plus a small backup generator.
On the day The Senior called Barbara, aged 70, had fiddled with the spark plugs on a broken down water pump.
"No one can come in, I can't get out. If something does not work, I have to try to fix it myself," she said. If it doesn't work, she calls the mechanic for advice over the phone.
Volunteers help during the dry season but she's alone in the wet. Supplies come in with the help of friends and the occasional helicopter. She freezes a lot of food, but she's also learned techniques from the First Nations people, including how to make flour from the nuts of Baobab trees and tea from lemongrass.
"I just have a feeling that the universe put me here for a reason," she said.
"Sometimes I feel so tired that I can hardly walk. But then when I have relaxed, I think to myself, 'it doesn't matter, I have to do it'... A spirit or something is pushing me."
Barbara migrated to Australia from Switzerland in 1994, fascinated by the native wildlife her Australian friends showed her plus documentaries on overseas TV. Thinking she'd end up on a station or farm, Barbara met Roy through work and love blossomed.
The pair were soon married on the property and lived together in tranquil harmony, until he lost a battle with cancer in 2007.
"I was fascinated by what he knew about nature and the animals, plus how he respected the animals," she said.
"He was the toughest man ever and life was written in his face; you could see it. But he was a good man."
Despite continuing to run the property mostly on her own, Barbara felt the universe brought her to the Kimberley for a reason, so that is where she will stay.
Ageless premiers on Channel 9 on Saturday, March 23.
You can also watch the episode via streaming on www.gemlife.com.au/ageless/.
