Hauling The Loads

Malcolm J. Kennedy. A history of Australia’s working horses and bullocks. 222 pp.

Written by Bobbie Buchanan about her great grandfather, Nat Buchanan from many of her family records. Contains photos, sketches & maps. 

Old Bluey’s great grand-daughter has produced a magnificent record of his life. A well researched, historical and descriptive narrative about this outback legend.

The book describes in great detail his many exploration and droving feats beginning with his trip in Queensland with William Landsborough in 1860, and ending in 1899, including his epic 1896 journey across unknown country between Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory and the Sturt Creek region in W.A accompanied by one reluctant Aborigine.

Old Bluey was a master of Bushcraft with an extraordinary gift of direction. Stockman Jimmy Cullen was fond of telling of the time when he and Nat, with horses & packhorse, were seeking water in semi desert country SE of Wave Hill station. Darkness caught up with them and Nat, travelling as straight as a dart through the featureless country, pulled up, lit a match and consulted his fob watch and said they would be at a rockhole in l and a half hours. They were!

Unlike many early pioneers he had an enlightened outlook concerning Aborigines. He recognised their inherent bush skills and superior knowledge of the land. As you will read in the book some of them made valuable contributions to many of his missions and developed a great loyalty and respect for him.

Come & join us as Bobbie Buchanan invites you to follow in the tracks of "Old Bluey"  S/c 180p

This is not a book I had thought about reviewing as we turnover very large quantities of this book. (If it sells well let’s leave it alone!) I also thought that because it is written by John Maddock, past editor of Truck and Bus magazine it would be too technical for me. It wasn’t. It was very easy to read and not just about the Birdsville Track mail run but about all the mail runs in the corner country and about Harry Ding’s trucking empire and his contribution to those living in isolated areas. A very well researched book with black and white photos giving a graphic look at the trials and tribulations of getting the mail to outback stations and the life line it provided. S/C 160 pages.

14.50