Words by Em Armstrong & Grace Cheatley
During the challenge, I wanted to continue to showcase some of our AMAZING Squad babes doing amazing things! The bush babes in this community – AKA babes just like you are reading this …you literally blow me away! I hope you love getting to know Grace and I hope we can all feel a little more “connected” after meeting another Squad babe out there in the community!
Grace has been a long-time supporter of all things Saltbush Stretch and has been in The Squad for a couple of years (I would say Grace is almost an OG Saltbush babe)! And Grace, I am so grateful for all your love and support!
And like Grace (and so many other Squad babes)…we haven’t actually ever met before, but I know one day when our paths cross, it will be like we have been friends for years! And that’s what The Squad and the Saltbush Stretch community is all about!
But enough about me…let’s get into meeting Grace.
I hope you love it!
Name, location, where you grew up: My name is Grace Cheatley and I live on a sheep and cattle property 7km southeast of Texas, just across the NSW/QLD border along the Dumaresq River. I grew up in the small seaside town of Barwon Heads, 25km or so south of Geelong in VIC.
How long have you been living in Texas? I’ve been living in Texas for around three years now. I first moved just after COVID hit and after losing my job in Melbourne, was excited at the prospect of moving rural.
What do you love the most about living in the bush? I love the freedom and calmness of the lifestyle that living in the bush can offer and the absence of the societal pressure that I felt living in the city. I find myself comparing less of my life to others and embracing the imperfections of living on the land. I think that rural living can quite often be put across as glamorous and while at times it can be, I actually love being and feeling completely unglamorous.
Hardest part of living in the bush? I know a lot of people living rurally feel the intensity and discomfort of isolation and loneliness, which at times I have struggled with too. The hardest thing though has probably been riding the waves of uncertainty and unpredictability of natural disasters, weather patterns, disease and markets and the crippling effect they have on farmers and those vulnerable to mother nature. We went through two major floods, 8 months apart in 2021 which saw an entire cotton crop and 40km of fences wiped out. That certainly wasn’t easy!
You purchased a PUB? Tell me more! And what’s your drink of choice? MASSIVE change that I didn’t see coming! My mum-in-law has been the publican at the Stockman Hotel for the past 17 years and made huge positive change to the venue over her time. She was ready to let go so Dennis and I thought we would take on the challenge! I’ve worked for her on and off in there over the last three years, so I was already familiar with the great staff and pub locals! We have nearly finished painting and refurbishing. My drink of choice often leans towards a nice glass of red or rosé, but I’m definitely not fussy…
When you aren’t pouring beers and like to find the mat what’s your favourite – yoga or Pilates or both? And what’s your favourite activewear brand? I loveee yoga! I started hot yoga while I was living in Geelong and never looked back! I’ve really appreciated Saltbush Stretch since I’ve been in Texas due to the lack of exercise classes in town. My favourite activewear brand is definitely Lululemon, can’t go past their tights!!
Do you have a different job or is it full-time pub now? I’ve worked full-time on the farm since 2021 as a business manager and often find myself in the sheep or cattle yards, on the tractor, out mustering or holding team meetings for the boys with Den. So moving forward I’ll be balancing both!
Moving to a bush community can be daunting at times, what advice would you give another bush babe moving to another community? I think the best advice I have is to throw yourself into your local community as best as you can. Creating connections with people that are your own helps to establish friendships and networks away from the people that your partner may already know. You get back what you’re willing to contribute. Having an open mind is super important. Open to opportunities that you may not have ever considered or to relationships with people you may never have met. For me, working at the school, the pool and the pub really helped from the start.
And you also love swimming? Where did the love of this come from? What swimming can you do locally in Texas and who’s your swimming idol? I do love swimming! Swimming is a big thing in my family, my 82-year-old grandma swims in the ocean every day, as does my dad. We have competed in many open-water swims in Victoria over the years as a family. My grandma still entering just this season gone in the Torquay Danger 1000 and completed the 1km course in under 45 minutes! She is definitely my swimming idol and has encouraged me to embrace swimming as a physical and mental activity. The local pool in Texas is great, so I swim and work in there over the summer. The river is also super close to us, so we often jump in there!
Supporting Aussie bush business is SUPER important – what are your top three Aussie bush businesses you love on Insta? Obviously, @saltbushstretch! I love the @buyfromthebush Instagram that features heaps of great bush businesses that I have bought from over the years! @cloverandco_official in Inverell is my favourite boutique to shop nearby and online!
Lastly, what’s your favourite quote? ‘Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind’.
OMG Grace! You are a bloody go-getter, superstar! Seriously inspirational to so many other bush babes out there and also for people who are still on the fence in terms of making the move out to the bush! No fluff, real, raw and so relatable!
Thank you so much for opening up to me and the rest of the Saltbush community! I know they would have LOVED it! And I can’t wait for a yoga flow on that big deck of yours followed by a nice cold beer at the Texas pub one day (hopefully soon)!
Big love. Em xx
"*" indicates required fields
Copyright © 2025 Saltbush Stretch
