Archive for January, 2008

Congratulations Lee!

I was thrilled when Lee Kernaghan was chosen as Australian of the Year during the Australia Day celebrations.

John and I have met him a couple of times and he is a lovely, lovely bloke.

He and sister, Tania have been very supportive of my novels, each giving cover quotes and allowing me to use their song lyrics within my books, free of charge.

They are generous and humble and it’s such a wonderful thing that a rural ambassador like Lee has been selected as Australian of the Year.

It’s not just the plight of farmers that’s at stake with droughts and failed crops … it’s the plight of us all. If we want good clean food and healthy environments, we need to start by supporting local farmers and paying a bit more for produce that is grown in a sustainable way.

At last!

This is the welcome view Marigold and I enjoyed as I rode into Junction Plain on Cobungra Station, near Omeo, Vic for the 2008 Mountain Cattlemen’s Get-together.

For those of you who haven’t been, it’s a laid-back affair with plenty of entertainment!

Read more…

Steep!

It took us a good couple of hours to ride up out of Mayford onto Cobungra Station.

We all had to laugh at this sign! But it proved to be accurate, having had to let the horses stop for a breather every couple of metres!

The scrabble up the smooth rocky track was a long one and we were very glad of the views back down to Mayford when we reached the top.

Shade please!

On our climb up the other side of Mayford, John thought Marigold needed the shade of his hat.

She was such a champ as she climbed out of that gully and seemed to enjoy the challenge as much as I did. 

Mayford Magic

This is the valley where John’s great grandparents used to move down to in the winter time, to avoid the heavy snowfalls up on the Dargo High Plains.

These days, following grazing bans, only campers come here, not cattlemen.

A boost in funding for Parks Victoria has meant their crews have done a good job in controlling the weeds here. It was great to see the land and the riverside being looked after. Kangaroo grasses were thriving and the blackberries and wort were being kept in check.

Let’s hope the government sees the light and invites us back to help with costly management of such isolated areas that are only accessible by 4WD (and of course, horse!).

In Tassie, legislation exists where cattlemen are invited by Parks Tasmania to assist in managing land by using grazing as a tool. One can only hope common sense for the good of the land will prevail.

Yee-Ha!

After a 4 am start in the saddle, we couldn’t resist a bit of skylarking to wake us up by mid-morning once we hit our first river crossing. John and I decided to do a ‘Man from Snowy River’ through the river at Mayford, complete with theme songs.

The horse watching doesn’t seem impressed. 

Home sweet home

Our dogs, Connie and Diamond and horse, Marigold, enjoyed a rest at the Broadgully Hut on the final day of our ride.

This Mountain Cattlemen’s hut was built by John’s granddad and is now used by Parks Victoria staff, bush walkers and deer hunters.

It’s a very remote, but extremely peaceful part of the world that holds so much history for John’s family who settled in the area.

Some of the amazing stories of the strong women who lived here will be woven into my next novel. 

High on my Horse

Here we are at daybreak up on the Kings’ Spur over looking the ski-villages of Dinner Plain and Hotham.

Since fires in 2003 devastated thousands of hectares below, the insects moved in on the trees up on the Dargo High Plains.

The increased populations have made skeletons out of the trees and they have really struggled. But slowly, the land is recovering.

We’re looking forward to the day when Parks Victoria invite our family back onto this spur to help them control weeds in areas their vehicles can’t access, and our horses can.

Very few people know the bridle tracks on these spurs as well as the Treasure family, so I’m hopeful we can teach our children and others the lay of the land, so that the traditions of High Country management aren’t lost forever.

Treasure’s front fence

Here’s the front fence on Treasure Station.

This type of view will be the setting for my forthcoming novel — which I will write over the next two years.

I’m so blessed to have access to such beautiful bushland on the Dargo High Plains. I’ll look forward to sharing it with you through my writing. 

High Country Beauty

New growth gum leaves after the bush fires almost glowed green in the morning sun. Colourful wildflowers also added to the show.