What were you doing at 21 years old?
Most likely, not managing 60 employees and handling hundreds of thousands of tonnes of grain at one of the busiest receival sites in the country.
But that's how 21-year-old Ellie Murden spends her days as site manager at Nhill GrainCorp, in western Victoria.
Ms Murden started with GrainCorp as a harvest casual in 2021, and only two years later she finds herself in charge at Nhill, which is expected to receive more than 200,000 tonnes of grain this summer.
I got encouraged to apply by a permanent employee at the Nhill site, so I did, and I loved it straightaway," the Nhill local said.
"I learnt a lot very, very quickly and loved what I learnt."
When ABC Rural stopped by early one morning for a chat, Ms Murden was working through emails while her phone ran hot.
But it's no office job — soon she's off on her rounds of the site, checking in on the bunker crews, the testing stand team, and the weighbridge attendant.
While everything seems to be running like a well-oiled machine, every day is different and presents challenges Ms Murden relishes.
"That's what I love about it, some days can be predictable, and some can be quite the opposite, dealing with breakdowns, quality issues, staffing, and weather conditions," she said.
A big team to manage
It's a big and diverse workforce to be in charge of — locals and backpackers, new staff, and seasoned veterans.
"At the moment we have around 60 people onsite throughout the two shifts, roughly 20 to 30 in the morning and 20 and 30 again at night-time," Ms Murden said.
"It's definitely a good work environment and all of us get along."
And what's it like calling the shots as a 21-year-old, when some of her workers and most of the farmers delivering grain are much older than her?
"It can be challenging being 21. I've got farmers and workers who are twice my age or three times my age," Ms Murden said.
"You have to earn their respect but also put your foot down when you need to, but they've definitely helped me along the way and I've learnt a lot from them."
Season's end in sight
Harvest will soon wind down in western Victoria and, for Ms Murden, a hard-earned holiday is "in the works". But not just yet.
"There's still a lot of grain to come onto site, so at least another 10 busy days before we wrap most of it up," she said.
"I'll get Christmas Day off. That's all I'm aiming for at the moment.
"At the end of harvest, it's so satisfying to see how the site has grown and reached its full potential and see all the work you've put in."