By Jessica Crabtree

Imagine if you will, being in the saddle, atop a horse, behind cattle, in the dust and heat for nine months. That’s 39 weeks, 273 days and 6,570 hours. That is just the logistics behind the Brinkworth Cattle Drove of 2013 that took place from Winton, Queensland to Hay, New South Wales, in Australia, traveling various stock routes. Between Queensland and New South Wales are 3.2 million hectares (7,907,372 acres) of stock routes.

It is an authorized thoroughfare for farmers to walk domestic livestock from one location to another. Most commonly the stock route is known as “The Long Paddock.” A huge undertaking, the drovers navigated the stock routes through advisement from the local shire council on which were passable, had good grazing and were with or without water. Permits were written weekly to the “mobs” or herds so that they could keep traveling. The stock routes were put in place years before roads were made and trucks were used to haul cattle. When made, the water was put in place every six miles or so. Modernization proved the demise of the routes.

Australian farmer and agriculture tycoon Tom Brinkworth purchased 18,000 head of cattle in 2013 in the midst of a staggering drought. That totaled $8 million. This was the largest transaction ever in the world from a seller to a buyer in cattle. Brinkworth was challenged with moving his cattle more than 1,600 miles to his station, also known as his ranch. When adding up the cost of freight to truck the massive amount of cattle, it was nearly the same amount of money to simply walk the cattle down. The purchased cattle were eight months to two-year-old breeding heifers. Their breeding was a mix of Brahman crosses, short horn crosses and Santa Gertrudis.

To read more of “The Drover” pick up a copy of the 2017 June NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.

(Photos by Alice Mabin)

Alice Mabin, photogrpagher and publisher of “The Drover.”
(Photo courtesy of Alice Mabin)