Photographers fun raises funds in Birdsville for RFDS

In late October 2012 an intrepid group of 11 photographers met at the Birdsville Hotel after a jaunt out into the Simpson for sunset. After a round of drinks they launched into an auction for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) and raised an incredible $1,200.00.
 

The group were on an Outback Odyssey Photography Tour led by Danielle Lancaster from Bluedog Photography and Alan Smith of Outback Aussie Tours. Items for sale included a signed print from Birdsville artist Wolfgang John, limited edition signs, a recipe book and bottle of liquor from the Mackay region and a copy of Danielle's Out Around the Bulloo and prints from the Birdsville region.

'What a great effort, it really blew me away,' said Alan Smith who shared the auctioneering with Russell Jordan a participant of the tour. 'We launched the Outback Desert Odyssey Tour last year and it is now one of our signature events as those who join us not only see the amazing landscape but experience meeting the people who have become friends of Danielle's through her long association with the region. It's more than a usual tour'.

The auction followed some fun and frivolity for the tours outback sunset shoot where many dressed up in theme for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert which was first released to in 1994. And yes, all did go into the bar for a drink in full dress. What a great way to have fun and raise funds for such a worthy cause. Again a huge thank you to all involved.

For more information please visit
Outback Aussie Tours at www.outbackaussietours.com.au and
Bluedog Photography at www.blue-dog.com.au

Images courtesy Glenda Riley

"A big thank you to you and the Blue Dog Team for putting together such a fantastic tour.

I have done quite a bit of travel of recent years and this one has be in the top few.

This was my first visit to the outback and I am so pleased to have been part of your tour and to learn so much about both photography and the outback experience.

I will be keeping an eye open for other tours you offer in the future." from Anne V.

Who is the Cunnamulla Fella?

Stan Coster was ‘ringing’ (working as a sheep-shearing “ringer”) around Cunnamulla in the 1950’s when he wrote the words of the ‘Cunnamulla Fella’.  Slim Dusty later recorded the words as a song.

So who is he? Well locals in Cunnamulla say he is the larrikin in all Australian’s. When Stan was in the region working on stations during the 1950’s and 1960’s Cunnamulla was enjoying steady prosperity due to high wool prices and increased demand for the fine merino clip produced from the Mulga country. It was the days, they claimed, when Australia was riding on the sheep’s back. Wool was fetching a pound for a pound and cattle were worth their weight in gold.

Friday and Saturday nights saw the young ringers and shearers hit Cunnamulla for a weekend of ‘drinkin, lovin and fightin’. After a week of working hard – 15 or 16 hour days were not unheard of - they also played hard. 

Mike Nicholas, an artist, was based in Cunnamulla as a policeman in the 1960’s and these young men inspired his drawing of the ‘Cunnamulla Fella’. A young man with pannikin in one hand, sitting on his rolled up swag having a yarn at the end of the day. He later recalled seeing boys as young as 14 sitting on their swag waiting for the grazier or mail truck to pick them up for another jaunt on one of the huge stations.

Since then the character The Cunnamulla Fella has grown into the legend it is today. So when you next venture west into the mulga country with its orange tinted soils and friendly outback folk check out the huge bronze statue sculptured by Archie St. Claire. He sits on the green lawn in front of the Paroo Shire Council gazing down the main street. 

There may not be as many ringers, shearers or even pubs for that matter that once overflowed with these men cashing in the weekly cheques as back when Stan was amongst them but one thing is for sure, there are still the larrikins, the yarns and the colourful characters out there.

‘Well I’m a scrubber, runner and a breaker too,

I live on damper and wallaby stew,

I’ve got a big cattle dog with a staghound’s cross,

I never saw the scrubber we couldn’t toss,

Cause I’m the Fella from Cunnamulla

Yes I’m the Cunnamulla Fella”

Fast Facts about Charleville

Today we leave Charleville and head home. We’ve had an awesome few days here so we thought we’d share a few fast facts about this generous outback town.

Fast Facts about Charleville

The wide streets of Charleville allowed for a full turning circle of a bullock team. Imagine 12 bullocks and one long dray doing a ‘uey’.

There were between 500 and 600 bullock teams registered with the Charleville Carrying Association in 1903.

From Dalby to Charleville, goods went by bullock wagon, taking six months if the roads were dry or twelve if wet. Sometimes graziers were shearing again before their previous wool clip had reached the market.

The first school in Charleville was a private school and the pupils were charged one shilling a week, a lot of money in the 1800’s. The school closed when the state school opened in 1884. The School of the Air commenced in Charleville in 1966.

Charleville water comes from the Great Artesian Basin. Five bores pump more than three mega litres per day. The first bore was completed in 1890. This bore was drilled to a depth of 1,371 feet, with a flow of three million gallons a day at a temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit at the bore head.

Charleville was named in 1868 by surveyor W.A. Tully after his hometown in Ireland.

Charleville is 298m above sea level and the Murweh Shire covers 43,905 square kilometres.

Charleville once had 10 hotels. Many were grand timber structures and sadly many burnt down due to the drying out of the timber on the hot dry climate. Many publicans in the early days were women.

 The Corones Hotel

In 1896 Garry Owen was prosecuted for selling ice-creams on Sunday!

Warrego is an Aboriginal word for ‘River of Sand’. The Warrego River runs for 900km from its source in the Carnarvon Range and is the most northerly point of the Murray-Darling Basin. The catchment covers a total area of some 78,400 square kilometres of which 84% lies in Queensland.

Native yabbies are known as ‘blue claw’ and introduced yabbies as ‘red claw’....both are delicious.

Did you know there are 88 official constellations in the sky?

Rain comes across the Mulga.

Snippets from the local newspapers over the years:

1874: BABY BOOM – Nearly every married woman, including Mrs. Parry Okeden was expecting a baby.

1870: A maid in a railway pub was given a room without a bedroom door.

A wife sale at Adavale was alleged.

A squatter dismissed a parlour maid who wanted to practice the piano.

 

Around the camp fire at Evening Star

Country hospitality overflows in Charleville. We have been fed the best homemade goodies, taking home a beanie for our fire burning activities and made some wonderful new friends. Thank you Charleville!

 Miss Anita checks out the wide roads. What is that in her hands?

More:

www.murweh.qld.gov.au

The Bilby fund

www.savetheblilbyfund.org

Cosmos Centre

www.cosmoscentre.com

We stay at either:
Evening Star Tourist Park

www.eveningstar.com.au

Mulga Country Motor Inn

Tel: 07 4654 3255