“It’s All About The Experience – Yours and Ours ” Volume 11 Issue 4 Telephone : 08 8356 1874 September 2009 and become the "Burke and Wills ugust 15th saw the final and refuge for wildlife and a popular Way ". A Birdsville departure in our bus tourist destination . vehicle. On to Birdsville, and after a look at With thoughts of Harry Redford The bus will still be used for our many the Race Track we went to find John (Captain Starlight), we travelled the trips until 30th June next year, after at the Birdsville Working Museum. Old Strzelecki Track (sandy in parts which time we will offer a range of What a difference 3 weeks can but preferable to the Moomba Road) itineraries in a 4WD vehicle. to Merty Merty and the “Roller make! Birdsville has always had a special The road out to Big Red had been Coaster” to Cameron Corner. The significance, as it was the destination of recently graded—a very pleasant Middle Road through Sturt National our very first trip—14 years ago! change to the deep corrugations we Park to Olive Downs was the better - it is Since that time we have taken over 30 experienced on the July trip. choice to reach Tibooburra more scenic and has a good deal trips to the “little town burning in the sun more wildlife. between two deserts”, and each has been Beer can collectors After a detour to Depot Glen and different in its own way. will be out of luck this year as an James Poole’s grave near Milparinka, Our final trip was with a great group of oversight at we continued along the Silver City people, and perfect weather. As with the Castlemaine Highway to Broken Hill. July trip, “In flight service” - (freshly Brewery has prepared lunch packs) enabled a number resulted in no recently came across a copy of of passengers to take the opportunity of a XXXX Birdsville the " Story of Pioneer John plane flight over Lake Eyre during our I Races 2009 beer Conrick as told by himself". stop in Marree. cans being Whilst our passengers were in the air, produced. It is a series of articles published in Jenny was busy on the ground preparing the Adelaide News 1923-4. Once again we took the Cordillo lunch to pre-ordered choices. Downs road to travel from Birdsville John describes This enabled us to leave for Mungerannie to Innamincka. his pioneering without too much delay after the hour The Qld and SA roads were about trip from Nappa and a half plane flight. Merrie Station the same condition (rough), and the Reaching the Derwent River near SA option is about 100km shorter. closely Mungerannie, we were surprised to find Of the two roads, the SA side has following the very little more historical interest as it passes route of cattle water, and Cadelga Ruins and Cordillo Downs thief "Captain learned woolshed. Starlight" (Harry later Again, a surprise as the road from Redford) in the much of it Arrabury turnoff to Innamincka had famous novel is being been recently graded! "Robbery Under Arms" by Rolfe Boldrewood, who took this country used for The Adventure Way was planned to as the scene of the cattle stealing Station take tourists from Brisbane to episode. requirements. The Mungerannie wetland Adelaide. A section of this from the was created by artesian flow from a bore Queensland border and just south of Photo: John Conrick with some of his employ- sunk on the Mungerannie Station in the the Burke and Wills Bridge to the ees after the group had successfully driven the first mob of fat cattle to Adelaide in 1878. early 1900's. The wetland extends along Dig Tree turnoff is now bitumen, and Derwent Creek with the main body makes for a pleasant change from the The man who stole these cattle was approximately 600 metres in length. corrugations on the South Australian named Collins, whom I knew well in side of the border. Roadworks The wetland is of high environmental later Years", Conrick says. and social value as an established habitat continue on this road, and at some Continued over point it will be sealed to Innamincka DESERT SKY TOURS……….. 1998 Finalist – Small Business Award Finalist …….. 2002 Winner – Northern SA Business Awards Desert Sky News Page 2 Story of John Conrick as told by himself Destruction in the Outback (continued from page 1 ) amels were "It was an assumed name of course. He travelled down the C introduced Cooper with 1,000 head and sold them at Blanchewater into Aus- Station South Australia. Mr Mules buying them on behalf of tralia in the 1840’s Mr John Baker. Before the cattle thief came to to help explorers Blanchewater, he passed Mr Waurkes camp on the Strzelecki travel through the Creek and sold him an imported bull. There was nothing in Australian desert but either transaction to arouse suspicion, as Collins was the now there are over one million of the damn things roaming supposed owner. around the outback, and apparently the population doubles every nine years. Some time after Collins, whom we will call Starlight, has stolen these cattle off Bowen Downs Station, an overseer, The average camel can grow to 7 feet (2.1 metres) tall and Lumley Hill, was appointed to follow them up. He followed can weigh up to 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms), and the tracks right on until he came to Waurke's camp, where he although the impact of camels is probably less per beast recognised the imported bull and claimed him . He went on to than cattle, cattle numbers are managed whereas feral Blanchewater and recognised the LC brand (Landsborough camels aren’t and they are causing untold damage to the Company) on the cattle sold by Starlight. The rightful owner outback landscape. took action against Collins, who was one of the finest According to Nicholas Rothwell of The Australian bushmen in Australia and a Hawkesbury NSW native, for the newspaper, Camels maraud Aboriginal communities; they theft of the bull, which appears to be the only animal which trample fence lines, attack standpipes and destroy water could be sworn to, as the owners of Bowen Downs had sold tanks. several lots of cattle with their brand to purchasers in South They roam unchecked across the plateaus of central and Australia and could not prove that the Blanchewater cattle northern Australia; they fan out from creeks and riverbeds, were not amongst those sold. when they are in large numbers they create a wasteland The bull was travelled to Adelaide, shipped to Brisbane and inside the wilderness, and they are eradicating native travelled to Roma, a journey of 2,500 miles. Starlight was plants which seriously affects our environment and native tried at Roma and the jury brought in a verdict of "not wildlife. guilty". Judge Blakeney, dashing his pen on the table and Camels compete with cattle for food in the outback, but in exclaiming "Thank God, gentlemen, that is your verdict, not the process, they are trampling the vegetation into mine". Starlight was acquitted. The case ruined Waurke, but nothingness, they are ripping up water pipes and rotting the buyer of the cattle , who had paid 5,000 pounds in good carcasses of drowned camels have caused problems to vital faith, was not affected, as it was impossible to prove that waterholes. these were the stolen cattle." Sadly, efforts to develop a large-scale, well-managed Conrick left old Innamincka Station Boxing Day 1874, and camel industry, for live export or human or pet-meat arrived at Blanchewater Station January 6th 1875 - just in consumption have been no more than spasmodic, as has time for Christmas dinner, their teams with Christmas state-run camel controlled initiatives. luxuries having just come in from Port Augusta. Environment Minister Peter Garret said the introduced "George Marzetti, the storekeeper, met us with liquid species is currently causing an estimated $14 million refreshments, but nearly dropped them when I told him we dollars in damage per annum, not to mention the has just come through from Queensland. Mr Pat Long was devastating damage to the environment and wildlife. manager and he had with him Jerry Darmody and several Last month’s announcement to set aside $19 million dol- other stockmen. They were all amazed to hear of our trip." lars for a well managed program to help slash the camel population will be fantastic news to some, but no-doubt not Things are now a lot quieter at Blanchewater Station. such good news for others. But Glen Edwards, who is working on the draft for the Australian Government’s camel reduction program, said the population needs to be slashed by two thirds to reduce catastrophic damage. Statue in main street We all have the responsibility of protecting the environ- Roma, Queensland ment, native fauna and flora around us and it’s an obvious of the white bull responsibility of any government to do the same . Desert Sky News Page 3 Birdsville Working Museum New Book Release ere’s another beauty” Birdsville: My Year in the Back Of Beyond John bellows. Evan McHugh H ISBN/ Catalogue Number: 9780670072712 “Just add water to the canister containing calcium carbide, strike a or a town with match to the port at the top and an F seventy residents incandescent light is formed from the (on a good day), acetylene flame. Often used as a light in Birdsville is remarkably well the early 1900’s but now we use a torch known – the Birdsville Track, with batteries at three times the cost.