Australia’s corporate cattle stations – management standards

June 12th, 2019

I began photographing Australia’s largest cattle stations in northern Australia – above the Tropic of Capricorn – in 1984.  Many of which just happen to be owned by companies rather than families. I’ve since visited more than seventy cattle stations spread between Cape York Peninsula, Central Australia and the West Kimberley.  There isn’t anyone else […]

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The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations & Royal Horses

June 6th, 2012

Queen Elizabeth has clearly been a life-long horse fanatic.  She appears to love horses of all breeds – the mark of a true horse lover, as distinct from those who favour just one breed or just one type.  The sight of the horses from the royal stables included in the Diamond Jubilee Tattoo was a […]

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Beef Australia Expo (Rocky’s Beef Week) 2012

May 14th, 2012

Beef Week is over for another 3 years. This year a record crowd attended of almost 85,000 people, over 5 days.  Many Beef Australia visitors travelled from interstate and remote areas, and other countries.  Though the tradefair keeps me flat out for the duration, it’s immensely enjoyable.  I’m already looking forward to Beef Week in […]

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Rockhampton’s Beef Week, to be held every 2 years

September 30th, 2011

The Beef Australia committee is surveying the public to gauge opinions on whether the Rockhampton Beef Week event should become biennial (every second year) rather than triennial (every 3 years). Attending Beef Week at Rockhampton costs me more than $5,000 to attend as an exhibitor:  not much short of $1,000 in accommodation (6 nights, scalper rates in a caravan […]

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Australia’s live export ban lifted

July 6th, 2011

At last some sense has prevailed and Agricultural minister Joe Ludwig announced this evening that the live export ban has been lifted.  Cattle that are completely traceable will be allowed to be exported to ‘independently audited’ abattoir facilities. However many regional small businesses will have lost huge amounts of money, many cattle that a month […]

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Equitana Sydney 10 – 13 November 2011

December 11th, 2010

Equitana Australia has been held nearly every year since it began in Victoria in 1999.  It was held in Melbourne in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2010; and in Brisbane in 2002.  (2007 Equitana Melbourne was cancelled due to the Equine Influenza outbreak.) It has just been announced that Equitana will be held in Sydney for the […]

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Lorenzo ‘The Flying Frenchman’

September 26th, 2010

Like most Australians I can only speak English but I’ve come across a lot of European horselovers via customers and now have Facebook links to quite a few.  Their fabulous horse photos do the talking.   It’s amazing how many amazingly talented horsemen and women there are – great trainers and trick riders – and it looks like […]

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Horsepower with Martin Clunes

September 23rd, 2010

Great to see Martin Clunes (Men Behaving Badly, Doc Martin) doing a lap around the world featuring different types of horses, horse history, horse training etc.  Horselover heaven with the ideal host – funny, humble & sensitive.  The only pity was that such great material was squeezed into just two episodes – it could have easily been expanded into […]

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Plants that poison horses

November 11th, 2009

There are a number of native plants that can poison horses in remote areas. Horses born and bred in the area are less likely to have problems with poisonous plants than animals that are new, presumably because old hands are more likely to know what to steer clear of (those that scoffed into it didn’t […]

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Australian Brumbies

July 11th, 2008

Many stations in remote areas have a brumby mob or two. So long as numbers don’t get out of control, they’re usually left alone, although sometimes they’ll be yarded and some of the best types broken in to work. Station brumbies are descendants of working horses or pensioners that escaped into larger paddocks — most […]

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