CORRYONG VIC WORDS & PICS BY JAMES CAREY
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he wild stallion’s eyes bulge, desperately seeking an escape route from the chute. The gate opens. Dust flies as the heaving mass lurches one way then pitches the next, trying to remove the whip-cracking cowboy from its back. Eight seconds doesn’t seem long but it only takes a split second for the cowboy to be tossed into the air and come crashing to earth… This is the scene from a great weekend away at Corryong, a small town in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains halfway between Albury and Cooma.
Most Australians can recite the famous lines “There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around that the colt from old Regret had got away.” Yet not many know the story about Jack Riley who was the head stockman at Tom Groggin Station, a pastoral run of 8000 ha on the upper Murray. He is said to have recounted the story of his pursuit of the colt that escaped, of which “Banjo” Paterson later penned the now famous poem ‘The Man from Snowy River’. What started out as a poem, and later a classic Australian movie, has now become an annual challenge between stockmen who compete to be crowned the best horseman of the snowies. This involves six demanding events that test the best of both horse and man. It culminates in the top 10 riders competing in the ‘Paterson’s Brumby Catch’ and ‘Kosciusko Stocksaddle Buckjump!’ to determine the winner.
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The Man from Snowy River Bush Festival is three days of horse and rodeo riding, poetry, art, utes and general High Country life. Nights are filled with country music as a sea of Akubras and RM Williams boots dance in the dust. One of the most popular events is the re-enactment of the poem and a celebration of the life of Jack Riley, with the echoes of horses’ hooves filling the mountain valley. We have stayed in some amazing campsites over the years but this is definitely the first time we’ve camped on a golf course on the 13th fairway. The township opens its doors to visitors, which includes allowing the thousands of campers who descend on the town to set up on the adjacent course. If you wish to stay further afield, there are numerous great campsites dotted along the striking Murray River. For those who want to explore further afield, Corryong is also a great starting
point to explore both the nearby Snowy Mountains and Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park. The Park is known for its impressive Bluff Waterfalls which cascade in to the valley, as well as Pine Mountain which is a single large rock said to be one and a half times the size of Uluru. It also has a network of 4WD tracks throughout the park. Alternatively, take a rod and try your luck catching one of the brown trout or elusive Murray Cod that call this part of the world home. Many of us have Craig’s Hut – which was built as a set for The Man From Snowy River film – on our list of must-do weekend escapes. However, if you want a true High Country experience make some time to go to the Man from Snowy River Bush Festival at Corryong and marvel at the skills of these stockman whose lives are so intertwined with the land. And while you’re there you could even try your luck at riding a bucking horse.
TRAVEL
Clockwise from middle left: You can almost smell the freshness; camping on the 13th hole; a stockman’s stock in trade; plus all sorts of horses for all sorts of courses.
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TRAVEL
Above: The sons of Banjo Paterson live on. Far left: The colt from old Regret. Left: Where eight seconds is an eternity.
FAST FACTS
Melbourne
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LOCATION: Near the upper reaches of the mighty Murray, Corryong sits in northeast Victoria and is 300km from Canberra and 400km from Melbourne. The air is as clear as you will ever find in this air-conditioned valley of the gods, that sits at the base of the Australian Alps. CAMPING: Camping and driving permits can be found for the nearby Snowy River and Burrowa-Pine National Parks at www. parkweb.vic.gov.au, yet if you want to saddle up for the festival in Corryong each April then book your campsite at bushfestival.com.au PETROL: Can be found in Corryong & Albury. MORE INFO: On other hotspots in the area can be found at murrayriver.com.au