Stockmen and steamers

The late 19th century saw great herds of sheep and cattle being driven many miles from the outback to the harbours of Australia such as Brisbane and Darwin for export all over the world. Although nowadays those long journeys on the hoof are a thing of the past, there is still a need for stockmen to muster cattle and sheep, mainly by motorbike and four wheel drive, but  some of it is still done on horseback.The old timers and the modern day men and women are honoured in the 'Stockman's Hall Of Fame' in Longreach, where we have spent some of today.


Many montages and video displays show how the pioneers lived in those early days, and historic films show the drovers en-route. Other videos show the modern day drover in his road train, and tell the story of the development of the outback over the past two hundred years.
One of the most interesting exhibits was the hawkers wagon,  a horse drawn covered cart containing wares that the settlers in the outback couldn't easily buy nearby. He travelled from homestead to homestead, and his arrival was the source of great excitement in the area.








He would carry things like trinkets and fancy ware, cheap novels, cutlery and china, corsets and other clothing, anything that would make the isolation of the bush more bearable for the early settlers. They would be on the road for many months at a time, and their wagons also served as their homes. They were the source of news to the settlers, and often carried letters from door to door.






The skill of the stockman was demonstrated in an hour long show, riding, rounding up, camping out, as well as the use of dogs and horses in the outback. We found the rodeo better, but we did learn a little more.









He involved his family of four girls in the show, with whip cracking and small animal handling, which made it a little more interesting, and his horse handling was really very expert.








Where there was no convenient river or billabong on a station many thousands of windmills were used to draw water from under the ground. This 12 mtrs high type would pump water from 30 mtrs down, and fill huge drums or pipe the water to convenient areas  to water the stock. This one is metal, but many were made of wood, some by the stockmen themselves.
Nowadays many of the pumps are powered by solar energy, more reliable than the wind, but Australia could not have been developed as well without this invention.





In the evening we were taken to the Thomson River. This river and many others in the region feed Cooper's Creek, which in turn runs towards Lake Eyre some 1800 kms away, but most of the time disappears before it reaches there through evaporation.







We boarded the paddleboat Thompson Belle for a cruise up river, spotting many birds like pelicans, whistling kites and eagles before turning to see the sunset ahead.






After a delicious stew of beef and beans round the campfire, we were treated to a recital of bush poetry and old jokes by a guy who was very good, then taken to an open air sound and light show on the banks of the river. We were lucky there were no insects around, so the evening was very comfortable. Afterwards we were treated to billy tea and damper, which is a sort of unleavened bread made in the campfire.

We had a great time once again, a few more pics below for you.