The right characters are all there. ..you have at centre stage the
BOSS DROVER.....then you have
A very large amount of ....
CATTLE
Then the great Aussie
PASTORALIST
taking a risk only a mad man would take
And lastly you have
THE DREAM
....which to my mind is the most important ingredient.
The photo above is of the Boss Drover Bill Little who is probably a legend already in the Western parts of this great state of Queensland.
I'm not sure when he took on his first job of walking cattle from A to B. Thinking back it was probably around the mid 1980's
When ever you are driving the highways of the west and come across a drover it is usually Bill.
He is very noticeable by the way he sit in his saddle.
A big man who is not to be messed with.....just the right ingredient for his ...I was going to say 'job' but I think 'passion' is a better word.
Droving is HARD you are out in the weather day after day night after night in all conditions.
You spend your days in the saddle and your nights in a swag.
There is no such thing as a day off.
You make discussions regarding your stock on an hour to hour basis and you and you alone are responsible for the safe arrival of these animals at their destination.
In this case this mob is worth in excess of $7 million
If you've had an inch of rain or 5 inches and your horse and the cattle are knee deep in mud......if it is freezing with winds that will cut you in half....
It doesn't matter
The cattle still have to walk their 10klms a day ...this is the law imposed by the shire councils that the stock routes run through.
A stiff fine is the result of not keeping the mob on the move.
But Bill is a master of his trade and if this outback legionary cattle drive is going to go down in history as the last great mass movement of cattle .....then having this man at the helm is the first ingredient for success.
The cattle have been purchased from the largest cattle company in Australia the Australian Agricultural Company know far and wide simple as the AA Company.
The cattle have come from the great cattle stations of the far north....places like the famed
'Brunette Downs'
It is situated on the Barkley Tableland of the Northern Territory.
It runs 110,000 cattle and is 660 klms north west of Mt Isa.
Then there's 'Anthony's Lagoon '
Another of the A.A. Company's major cattle factories.
It is also on the Barkley and is 440 klms north east of Tennant Creek.
And last but not at all least is
'Camobie' which is in the far north west of Queensland and 180 klms from Julia Creek.
The cattle will be trucked to shires around the central western parts of Queensland ...like
Winton
Aramac and
Ilfracombe.
Each mob numbering 2000 head will be unloaded into the capable hand of drovers hand picked by the the boss drover.
They will follow each other leaving up to a week between mobs.
.
Bill will take the last mob.
In all 18,000 head of young female cattle will begin their journey south to Hay in New South Wales.
A journey of almost 3000 klms.
Bill has said he thinks it will take 3 months.
He is not concerned about the amount of feed for the cattle as they travel..but water he says will be the biggest thing on his mind as 18,000 head drink a lot and the stock route dams and troughs are not used to catering to this amount of cattle.
But of this he says that the cattle are all young and strong and if they have to go for a few 'dry spells' then this will not hurt them especially with winter in full force.
He says he is looking forward to the challenge and also feels that history is in the making...
Then we have the real risk taker enter South Australian Pastoralist Tom Brinkworth pictured above.
Don't let looks deceive you....
This humble looking 76- year- old has a net worth of $200 million and controls 1 million hectares of agricultural land spread over 99 properties in his home state of South Australia and recently after purchasing the famous Merino Stud 'Uardry' has extended his interests into New South Wales.
As yet he doesn't own any land in Queensland.
He also owns 350,000 sheep and 80,000 head of cattle....at last count!!
In an interview which he rarely gives, he is quoted as saying he has always been a fan of another days-gone-by great Australian Pastoralist Sir Sidney Kidman and says there is a lot to learn from this man achievements.
When asked if he considers himself a wealthy man he says he is 'comfortable'.....
" Wealth is related to the smallness of wants" he says.
He also says "I've got an awful determination"
.......... and a dream I'd say.
Well at last reports these 9 different mobs with their 9 different drovers and their men were all on the road and the 'Great Drive' has commenced.
I will try my best to keep you informed as this unfolds
Until next time.
Take a look at my paintings and drawings on my website
http://www.theoutbackartist.com.au
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