h g u o r h t e v i r d Take a
My Australia
Rural Australia as I see it... Have you ever wondered what those big steel things are on the side of the road near the railway line ? Or why there is a huge train sitting seemingly in the middle of nowhere- in actual fact it is just out of Hermidale. And just what is the story behind that whopping great mob of cattle you passed just out of a little town that looked like it consisted of a Pub and a silo. Can you even begin to imagine what is going on at the Nyngan Racecourse when it has been bucketing rain for a week? Flick through a few more pages, and you will find the answers to these and many more questions you may have, and probably the answers to a few questions you hadn’t even thought about. Take a quick peek at the sports of camp drafting and working dog trials. In the process, gain an understanding of how working conditions and the tyranny of distance have developed into competitions for up to one thousand competitors, gathered at the Coonamble Showground in the middle of winter. See how the family business becomes the family holiday in the company of a truckload of stud bulls, attending one of the National Shows and Sales held at the Dubbo Showground. So why take the time to pull together a book like this ? I have been lucky enough to live and work in regional Australia for most of my life. For much of the last 15 years, my work has involved huge amounts of driving, but also meeting great people and animals in some very unusual situations.
A parade of wild camels walking down the road- I kid you not, making me wonder if I was delirious and thinking that I was more ill than I thought. The bloke who stopped to help me change a tyre, just as I was putting the jack away. Seeing the fire at the cotton gin where locals watched 12 months’ work go up in smoke. Watching the hawks, circling a mob of ewes and lambs, looking for a weak lamb to have as takeaway. Dodging calves, running hell for leather around the paddock, just because they could. These are some of the realities of living in the bush, and we wouldn’t change it for the world, but like many country people, I get frustrated at the lack of understanding by many in our cities as to what exactly is involved in producing food for both our domestic population and the world in general. Australian farmers as a rule are efficient, resourceful and innovative businessmen and women, however, they have struggled to have the majority of our population understand how well they manage their landscape and the environmental challenges that come their way.
This collection of photos is just the briefest, and a slightly off centre look at some of our traditional agricultural and resource industries; some history, some current practices and a few interesting innovations to ensure our regional communities have a future. I hope that in flicking through the images, you begin to appreciate the beauty, and the harshness of rural Australia. If this book brings back memories, helps you understand what you have seen on the side of the road, or encourages you to drive a little further, then my work is done‌ There are many things not included in this book that really should be; and for that I apologise in advance, but it is what it is, so grab a cuppa and a biscuit and enjoy a look around My Australia.
Cheers
Noni McCarthy
Tonderbrine Homestead, Gulargambone
Cereal Cropping - Wheat, Oats, Barley Cereal cropping, predominantly wheat, is the single most valuable agricultural commodity produced in the Orana and Far Western regions of New South Wales. Due to its’ adaptability and over 100 years of plant breeding, wheat can be successfully grown as far east as the Blue Mountains and as far west as Bourke. In the past, stubble from the previous crop would be burned over summer, and paddocks cultivated multiple times to prepare a fine seedbed for seedlings and to remove weeds that use valuable soil moisture. With the development of herbicides and new planting equipment, farmers are now able to retain much of their stubble, which acts to preserve soil structure and protect it from erosion. It is now quite common for farmers to plant their crops straight into last years’ stubble, or use only one pass of cultivation. Cereal crops are generally planted from late February, through to late June, depending on the variety being sown, the availability of soil moisture and the regions’ normal growing season. Sometimes fertiliser will be applied to the soil “pre-plant”, and other times it may be applied at the same time as planting, or even a short while later, depending on weather conditions.
Grain Sorghum, Carinda
Other crops commonly seen - Canola, Lupins, Sorghum, Corn From June to August, large paddocks of yellow flowers may be seen throughout the entire region. This is Canola; the next most important winter crop for the region, after cereals. Canola is an important crop for many farmers for a number of reasons; its’ high value output, diversification of enterprises, and it’s usefulness as a disease break crop. Because canola is a different plant family to wheat, oats and barley, it does not suffer from the same diseases. By planting a ‘break crop’ of canola between wheat crops, there are no host plants left growing in the paddock, and the disease does not survive to infect the next cereal crop. Where most crops dry off while standing in the paddock, and are then harvested, canola is generally “winrowed”, ie cut off just above ground level and left to dry. The dry matter is then harvested and the dark grey seed separated and trucked off. Other crops that may be grown in winter if weather conditions are good enough include; chickpeas (purple flowers) and lupins (white flowers). Sorghum (rust coloured flowers) and corn are also common in summer when adequate rain falls early enough in the season.
Wheat Stubble, Narromine
Harvest Once the standing crop dries to a desired moisture content, harvesting begins. The first crops will be harvested as early as October in the west of the state, or as late as January in more easterly areas. Some larger scales farmers have their own harvesting equipment, however, a large portion of the regions’ crops are harvested by contractors. A header cuts the top off the plant, and then separates the grain from the chopped straw. The chopped up straw gets thrown out the back of the header onto the ground. The grain is then transferred into a “chaser bin” in the paddock, a “field bin” at the edge of the paddock or directly into a truck to be taken elsewhere for storage. Big white “sausages” or Silo Bags are now becoming more common for short term, in-paddock storage. Because of the large amount of crop dust that is produced, the operating heat of equipment and the low humidity during harvest, header fires and subsequent crop fires can result in a little more excitement than needed.
Talbragar Silo, Brocklehurst
Grain Storage - Silos NSW produces up to 12 million tonnes of grain in any given year, and up to 40% of this is exported. Dotted along train lines throughout the state there are roughly 350 grain storage sites, known as silos, of various constructions. Many of these rail sidings are no longer used, even though the structures still stand. The oldest of these large concrete structures dates back to 1918 (Peak Hill. The silo in the image featured here, at Talbragar, was constructed in 1935. The large galvanised steel sheds were a popular build in the 1960’s, and who knows when the steel silos at Gunningbland were built. Grain ‘bunkers’ are now a common feature in areas such as Nyngan, Trangie and Narromine. Not nearly as interesting to look at as silos, they consist of movable concrete sides, and are covered with heavy duty tarps when in use. Until the early 1960’s, trucks could queue for a full day, waiting to offload bagged wheat at the rail terminal. Undoing each bag was a very slow process compared with bulk handling today. There may still be substantial waits at silos, however, the time to unload 28 tonne of grain is now about 15 minutes, depending on the capacity of the facility.
Cotton harvest, Rawsonville
Growing Cotton for the world Cotton production in the Orana and Far West Regions centres around the towns of Narromine, Trangie and Warren on the Macquarie River and Bourke on the Darling River. Cotton production is essential to the prosperity of this region, with the smaller towns relying heavily on this industry, either through direct or indirect employment. The area of irrigated cotton planted varies from 10,000 ha up to 60,000 ha, depending on the storage level of Burrendong Dam, which regulates the flow of the Macquarie River, and the availability of unregulated flows in the Darling River near Bourke. Cotton is planted in late September or early October as the soil temperature warms, and grows through until April. The rate of growth is directly related to “day degrees”, so hotter summers result in more cotton. ‘Bug checkers’ inspect crops every few days for pest and beneficial insects to determine if potential damage requires attention. With the development of genetically modified cotton, the number of sprays needed could be as low as two, a huge reduction from past practices.
Cotton bales ready for transport, Trangie
Cotton Harvest and Processing Cotton harvest normally starts in April and continues through May. Mechanical cotton pickers strip the white ‘bolls’ from the dried off plants, and these are then handled one of two ways; The red cotton pickers feed the cotton into ‘boll buggies’, which in turn feed into module builders at each end of the field. These module builders compress the bolls into a 40’ long ‘modules’, which are tarped, and sit at the end of the fields until they are transported to the cotton gin for processing. The newer, green cotton pickers compress and roll the cotton bolls into large round modules within the cotton picker itself, which is then wrapped in a yellow plastic. These modules sit in the paddock until they are picked up and carried to the end of the rows, ready for transport. Each module has its’ own RFID code, which corresponds to an individual field on a farm. This bar code stays with the cotton throughout its processing, and enables all parties to monitor yield and quality, right down to separate areas of a field. Availability and cost of staff through the busy picking season has meant that the older red cotton pickers have been almost completely phased out in favour of the green pickers. The red pickers do have the advantage in wet weather though, being much lighter and less likely to bog in the field.
Angus cows and calves, Cumnock
Breeding and Grazing Cattle Beef cattle breeding and grazing is the most widespread agricultural industry in western NSW, and the most diverse in terms of the number and size of the farms involved, and the diversity of breeds, suited to specific regions and purposes. Cattle properties can be as small as 20 hectares, through to tens of thousands of hectares. The Brahman type breeds are more common, and more suited to areas where ticks are prevalent or in hard, dry country. The European beef breeds such as Angus (black), Hereford and shorthorn (red and white) and Charolais (creamy) are more common in the cooler areas. Beef cattle enterprises are mostly family owned and managed operations, quite often involving two or three generations, with children actively involved from a very young age. Cattle are mustered and moved by stockmen on horses or motorbikes, sometimes in conjunction with light aircraft. The horse/motorbike debate can be quite polarising, with some farmers having very strong views as to the best way to move stock. Most operations will use dogs to help, as a well-trained dog is able to undertake as much work in a day as two or three riders on horseback.
Drover, Bill Little, Trangie
Droving - Still a way of life for some... There has always been great romance attached to tales of drovers moving large mobs of cattle throughout Australia to greener pastures, however in more recent times, with the advent of larger and larger trucks, the drover has become an endangered species. Drovers are a unique breed - self sufficient, adaptable and will often spend months away from home. Drovers’ camps these days will consist of a number of horses, dogs and motor bikes, a decent horse truck, sometimes a water cart, and a caravan. With the extreme dry weather in western Queensland and parts of NSW there has been a resurgence in activity along the travelling stock routes in eastern Australia. Billed as the biggest movement of cattle since the days of Sir Sidney Kidman, in 2014 18,000 head of brahman cattle belonging to Tom Brinkworth were moved from northern Queensland to Hay in western NSW. The drovers moving these cattle realised they were a part of something special, and the ones I met were happy to chat about their trip. As he headed off to get his ute serviced, one boss drover warned that the guy working with him could talk the leg off a table, but he didn’t tell me it was an iron table! This guy was a real character, the skinny bandy legs, the weather beaten face and the bashed hat ( and glasses and a laptop and modem). He’s a bush poet, horsebreaker and wants to build a website containing articles for novice horse owners!
Brinkworth Drover, northwest of Narromine
The logistics of moving 18,000 head... Originally starting out from north Queensland in mobs of about 2,000 head, they were further split into mobs of between 500 and 1,000 head as they moved into NSW. Each mob was accompanied by a team of drovers with horses, motorbikes and working dogs. Each mob travelled a slightly different path of Travelling Stock Reserves (TSR’s) to make sure they maintained their condition as well as possible without overgrazing reserves or roadsides. Each mob travelled between 10 and 20 km per day and camped overnight in large reserve paddocks. The lead mobs of cattle were the younger stock. They were in light condition but improved as the drive progressed, especially on the good pastures and heavy country north of Narromine. They were beautifully handled prior to this exercise and were quite happy with cars and bikes moving through the mob but not so keen on humans on foot. They weren’t the least bit concerned about me on a 4 wheeler driving about taking photos. The bridge photos on the previous page were the first mob crossing the Macquarie River near Narromine. Apparently, over 2,000km into the trip, this was their first bridge, and they weren’t so keen on the sound or the feel underfoot. Once they started over it though, all good.
Stud Manager - Cam Munro, Egelabra, Warren
Local Shows Local Ag Shows have always been an important part of rural Australia for a multitude of different reasons. In the past, they were how local studs showed off their stock to potential buyers. While this function is still important, they are now a really important way to educate and showcase our rural industries to people who may not be quite so connected to the land. Smaller shows struggle to remain viable, and those that are succeeding are relying less on traditional competitions and incorporating competitions that are more interactive with their audiences, such as rodeo, sheep shearing competitions and dog trials. Many of these smaller shows have also embraced school competitions - utilising some pretty intense school rivalry in an off-the-field way. Sheep and cattle handling competitions are now considered “gold medal� events at many shows.
Working dog trials A rapidly growing farm based sport, working dog trials, require well trained dogs to move either sheep or cattle through a series of obstacles that mimic common working situations. Sheep trials may be paddock trials, three sheep trials or yard dog trials. Quite often, due to breeding, personality or training, a dog will be a better yard or paddock dog. Yard and shed dogs need to be more confident working in close proximity, where paddock dogs need to stay back, and just guide sheep in the right direction. Blue and red heelers are the most commonly used paddock dogs on cattle properties. They are aggressive, but not generally known for their stamina. Most of the dogs used for cattle trials are sheep working breeds rather than traditional cattle working dogs. This is due to the fact that when working in small yards, the dogs need to be able to work the nose to turn the cattle. Straight cattle dogs tend to work the heels, so just chase in this situation, rather than being able to turn the beasts through set obstacles.
Picnic Race Meetings
Picnic Race meetings are in many ways like Ag shows for communities. The Picnics are a great excuse to get together with friends and neighbours or maybe past and present school buddies for the younger set. Generally, not just a race meeting, Picnics often involve live music after the races, and in the case of the Marthaguy Picnics, held in October, live screening of the NRL final, in the middle of a paddock. Contrary to popular belief, picnic race meetings do not actually require horses to be a raging success. Held in winter, in a winter dominant rainfall area, the Duck Creek Picnics at Nyngan are regularly rained out, however the party continues anyway. In stark contrast, the Macquarie Picnics, held in Trangie between Christmas and New Year, are a study in providing shade and liquid to large numbers of people, and the entire crowd moves to the two local pubs after the races finish for meals, music and mayhem.
Campdrafting, the quintessential sport Campdraft is a uniquely Australian sport, which started out as station hands comparing their cattle handling skills in a loosely organised sport. It now involves individual divisions with up to 650 entries and prize money up to $250,000 over a weekend. Entries to a competition often close on the same day they open. Even so, it is a true family sport, with several generations competing in the same event. A rider and a horse start out in a small yard (the camp) with between one and ten cattle (depending on the level of competition). The rider must pick out a single beast, and show how well they and the horse can control it in the camp. They then head out into a large yard, and guide the beast around a set course of three pegs. It is really important to select a beast that does not travel too fast for your horse to keep up, but at the same time, travels fast enough to get through the course within the 40 seconds allowed. Top campdraft horses are purpose bred for agility, brains and bravery, as they need to be able to out-manoeuvre a beast, and campdrafting does at times get quite physical when a beast has a different idea to a rider.
Thank you....to those who pushed. Books like this don’t happen by themselves. So while the images and text are all my own work, thanks need to go to all the people I asked to help with this project; and to a couple of people who weren’t asked to help, but still managed to put their ‘Two Bobs’ worth in - you know who you are. In true country form, some very important help and advice came form a friend of a friend, someone I had never met before. Be brave... and back yourself. With these words in mind, I have started planning the next photographic journey. All of the images in this book are available for purchase, as prints, electronic files, canvases and calendars, and there are hundreds more on my website, www.sixtybytwenty.com.au, or send me an email on sixtybytwenty@bigpond.com
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