Drovers
Waler Data Base @ Facebook. Image: A mob of cattle under the control of a woman drover on their way to Darwin in the Northern Territory. c. 1923. Searcy Collection, State Library S.A.
Some iconic images (and stories) of Australia: including rare photos of women drovers.
Territory Stories.
National Archives of Australia
Sisters Edna and Kathleen Zigenbine droving 1,400 head of cattle from Bedford Downs station in the Hall’s Creek area of Western Australia, across the Northern Territory to Dajarra, Queensland. Edna and Kathleen had ridden over from Queensland to get the cattle.
Images 1943, State Library of Victoria
Their father Harry was a drover, however he was too ill for the whole trip. They had several other stockmen with them, however Edna was boss drover. It was a 1,400 mile journey. The horse plant was from Hall’s Creek. Harry Zigenbine is on the left in the 3rd photo.
In NT they came upon an Australian army camp at a stock watering bore; the men were very pleased to meet them; a news reporter was there who took the photos and wrote it up in the news, reporting they wore a face scarf and motorcycle goggles when it was dusty; and large Mexican spurs.
Note: information from Archives (news reports) varies re number of cattle
Photo and some details: The Australian Women’s Weekly, Saturday 9th of October 1948.
Lilian Bunyan of Thargomindah, drover.
Her husband was also a drover, however each ran their own plant separately. Lilian had several men working for her as well as a cook and horse tailer. Her plant was thirty horses.
After many years droving, she’d never had a serious accident to horse or human. Most stock was taken to the Bourke railhead. Tancreds of Bourke meat works had a high opinion of Lilian.
Only one part of the country was impossible to cross without help and that was the Bourke Bridge over the Darling River – cattle refused to cross it – a tame cow had to be hired to give them a lead over. Owned by a Bourke storekeeper, the trained cow was a nice little earner!
In the 1947 Census Lilian was the only woman to list “Drover’ as her occupation. Occasionally sheep but mostly cattle were her living. Her twelve children were brought up doing stockwork.
She first married Thomas Ambrose Bunyan, then his brother John Harold Bunyan.
Image: Monty O’Sullivan, married to Grace O’Sullivan (nee Sing) who lived in Richmond, Queensland. O’Sullivan served with distinction in World War I, was a rodeo rider, horse-breaker and drover. He had a pin through one knee after being shot in the war. He was also a prospector and one time head stockman at Mataranka Station. 1931. Territory Stories
Monty was a well known drover. He took 1,000 cattle from Mataranka 1,000 miles to Dalhousie Springs in 1932 which was his worst trip – it was very dry and most wells on the North Central stock route were dry, some brackish, and one of his men died of malaria, another blinded by cattle blight. Quite a few cattle perished and several had to be shot.
On one stretch, Barrow Creek to Connor’s Well, they did 64 miles without water. Interviewed after the trip he said he wasn’t sure whether to go on and visit Adelaide, as he hadn’t been to a city in 21 years, or go back for another 1,000 cattle.
He’d also been head stockman on Elsey Station. In later life he went mining and built a house at Maranboy and in his spare time liked to go to the races. Good tough man.
Image: Dan Thorn, with his horse Barley, Croydon, State Library Qld
Dan Thorn was a drover in the late 1800’s – early 1900’s.
He took mobs of cattle to and from stations and saleyards in the Gulf country, always getting them to their destination in better condition that collected.
He once took several thousand sheep through a long drought stretch – the owner expecting a quarter or more to be lost en route – Dan lost only 6. He also droved mobs of horses to market including from Normanton. He moved lot of stock for Curr Bros. of Inkerman station, and for Iffley Station (Browns).
Dan bred thoroughbreds and raced some, his Robin Leon winning several races for him. He was still at Croydon in the Gulf country in the 1930’s, breeding horses into his old age.
Can’t find mention of the horse in the photo but it’s a beauty. looks Suffolk Punch, probably a stallion. Possibly for Iffley which bred good draughts and crossed them with TB’s, most sold at the Emerald and McKay sales.
Territory Stories
Drover Col Bremner’s companions. The dog is named Vincent and the horse is Wrinkles. This photo is taken on the Barkly Tableland in the Northern Territory c.1960. Col Bremner was taking 160 horses from Larrimah in the Northern Territory to Biloela in Queensland.
Robin Smith photo, Territory Stories
![Drover Len Cant gives his horse a drink from his hat on the Birdsville Track, .... 1963 [picture] / Jeff Carter.' National Library Australia.](https://walerdatabase.online/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Len-Cant.png)
Image: front cover of Walkabout magazine, Vol. 28 No. 6 (1 June 1962).
Caption inside reads “Boss Drover Rube Stevenson, and one of his men photographed by Jeff Carter while droving sheep to Bourke N.S.W. via Milparinka and Tibooburra, a 700-mile journey which took them over four months to complete.”
Jim Kirkwood and Smoky.
A couple of lovely photos given to Angela by her elderly neighbour, Graham. They live in rural Victoria and Graham likes to see Angela’s Walers and her riding them out and about with friends. Angela runs our website in all her spare time (ha); Graham also enjoys reading it (it’s tops, fresh content constantly and great search function)
The photos are of Jim Kirkwood from Glen Innes NSW, taken circa 1968. Jim was about 70. He was a drover and his family bred horses, some of which went to WW1.
These are Graham’s words, which would be of interest to ASH people as the horse looks the type (although they weren’t known by name at that stage it’s all a bit of history) and he’d be a useful work horse and what we’d call a light or officer’s type. whatever, ha.
“My father in law Jim was working stock in the saddle at 5 yrs of age apparently. Literally born in the saddle. However somebody also taught him some things correctly. His horse I remember was Smoky, a one man horse. He was an Australian stock horse with Arab. Not a pretty horse but work any stock with the 2 dogs. Jim always said all he had to do was sit on him. I can remember him riding into town on this white horse, dead straight back, a huge stetson hat, with 2 working dogs right at either side of the horses rear legs. He was the ranger in the town in his latter years. It always reminded me of God riding into town. Almost stately.”
Love that last part! Thanks Graham and Angela! More recollections from Graham:
“Jim drove cattle or sheep from the middle of Queensland to northern Victoria in his time. No alcohol in those days, so round the camp fire, they recited Australian poetry. The pecking order was who knew more poems all from memory, obviously no books as all they carried was saddle, became pillow at night, and swag which was a sheet of canvas and a blanket. If a team of drovers, they would nominate who were to stoke up the fire during the night. Dogs camped against the swag to keep warm, which in turn kept the drover warm. For years, a sleeping bag was referred to as a one, two, or three dog sleeping bag, indicating warmth. They lived off the stock they were droving, of which the owner knew a percentage would not get to saleyards. From extreme heat during the day to sometimes as low as minus 10 degrees at night. It was a hard job.”
