Running cattle on the Nullarbor Plain, Mother Nature lays down the rules and Virginia station owner Russell Swann works with what he's given.
The vast and arid country is an environment of extremes and one that has tested Mr Swann's resilience over the past decade.
However after six consecutive dry seasons, followed by a couple of reasonable ones, the pastoralist started the new year with rainfall he had not seen in a long time.
In just 10 days, Virginia station averaged 70 millimetres across the property, which is almost more than half of last year's 144mm average.
"The last time I remember starting a year this well on the Nullarbor was when I was at Kanandah station, north of Rawlinna," Mr Swann said.
"It was 1992 and an amazing year coming on top of a bad dry period.
"Most of the '90s were pretty good years, but also quite a few fires which often followed a good season."
The heavens opened on January 2, as heavy and steady rain showered Virginia station and continued with regular showers in the four days that followed.
Recordings from rain gauges at the homestead and across watering points reached 50mm through to a hefty 94mm on a major dam.
Cattle have lapped up the conditions since, spread 30 to 40 kilometres away from regular watering points, where there is plenty of feed and full of claypans.
As such, Mr Swann has been forced to delay mustering, but he's not complaining.
"I have water security for pretty much the next year now and likely longer," Mr Swann said.
"I am loving it and I hope this year brings similar relief to all the places that are desperately needing it.
"I wish I could share it around."
Mr Swann said there was also significant rain north of his property into the south end of Kanandah and through to Rawlinna station's depot, with falls ranging from 40mm to over 90mm.
He said Fraser Range, west towards Norseman, recorded falls of about 70mm and there was also some reasonable rain east, as far as Madura.
However not all areas of the Nullarbor Plain have been as fortunate.
Despite a couple of recent patchy rain events, the transline north of Virginia was still waiting for a significant break.
"Virginia has had a couple of comfortable years through 2022 and 2023," Mr Swann said.
"The transition away from drought years slowly took effect towards the end of 2021, after a series of moderate rain events provided reliable water in dams again.
"While the seasons were sound, the rainfall across most dams was in the 100mm to 150mm range, being still below our past average of 200mm to 250mm for a year.
"The difference being in when and how the rain events occurred."
The country at Virginia was looking fresh from last year's falls in November and December until a plague of grasshoppers hit just before Christmas.
Mr Swann said what remained of them had a bigger challenge to decimate now.
"There are still some grasshopper swarms about since the rain," he said.
"Swarms are more isolated now and only about 100 metres through, as opposed to anything up to several kilometres previously.
"The fresh growth is booming away, so hopefully they will be overfaced this time and their cycle is nearly finished."
Mr Swann has kept the stocking rate at Virginia "very conservative" over the past few years, with breeder numbers only now returning to between 250 and 300-head, as heifers started to mature.
He runs predominantly Santa Gertrudis and a few Murray Grey bulls, with a reasonably strong Brahman influence in the cow breeder herd.
Given the good seasonal conditions and low cattle prices, he decided to carry through a larger group of young cattle, both steers and heifers, which normally would have been sold by now.
"With such an amazing start to 2024 from this rain event, we have been given further flexibility," Mr Swann said.
"That is aside from the regular fixed financial commitments, which have seen so many having to sell stock at a loss the past year, if not because of the seasonal conditions.
"We are definitely very fortunate."
