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The Drovers
Stories behind the heroes of our stock routes
From the High Country to the Outback, there are extraordinary stories of the men and women who have travelled across Australia behind mobs of cattle, sheep and horses. These quiet achievers, of every race and creed, forged an Australian legend.
Evan McHugh brings alive the hapless convicts attempting to round up the First Fleet's escaped cattle on foot; overlanders blazing through trackless wilderness to supply the vast stations carved from the bush; stockmen who risked blizzards to bring cattle to alpine pastures; and drovers who crossed the continent behind the largest mobs of cattle the world has ever seen.
These stories overflow with colourful characters: cattle-duffers like Harry Redford, renowned boss drovers like Nat Buchanan and strong women like Edna Zigenbine and Red Jack, who could measure up to any man. They lived a life most of us only dream about and came to love the beauty of Australia's most famous and infamous stock routes, including the Birdsville, Murranji and Strzelecki tracks, and the Canning stock route.
McHugh's meticulous research and vivid eye for detail is the closest you'll get to saddling up your moke and poking a mob of cattle off camp.
From the High Country to the Outback, there are extraordinary stories of the men and women who have travelled across Australia behind mobs of cattle, sheep and horses. These quiet achievers, of every race and creed, forged an Australian legend.
Evan McHugh brings alive the hapless convicts attempting to round up the First Fleet's escaped cattle on foot; overlanders blazing through trackless wilderness to supply the vast stations carved from the bush; stockmen who risked blizzards to bring cattle to alpine pastures; and drovers who crossed the continent behind the largest mobs of cattle the world has ever seen.
These stories overflow with colourful characters: cattle-duffers like Harry Redford, renowned boss drovers like Nat Buchanan and strong women like Edna Zigenbine and Red Jack, who could measure up to any man. They lived a life most of us only dream about and came to love the beauty of Australia's most famous and infamous stock routes, including the Birdsville, Murranji and Strzelecki tracks, and the Canning stock route.
McHugh's meticulous research and vivid eye for detail is the closest you'll get to saddling up your moke and poking a mob of cattle off camp.
253 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 13, 2026
I live in Australia and know many of the places written about in this terrific book. A wonderful eye-opener into the social history of our great country. Many of the roads I know are actually old stock routes!
I thoroughly enjoyed the different take on our very early Australian history. Usually, it is all about politics and good old England and the prisoners. This gave light to the early days of pioneering and the need to feed people.
Told with a dry sense of humour, a dig at the whites at times, and a wonderful narrative of the true characters of the droving days.
I did find it bogged a bit half-way through, tedious in the telling, but I guess it is difficult to write anything of an era when numbers where very important to the cattle drovers livelihoods.
COntains several photos and drawings of the people, and places. Includes a map of Australia showing the stock routes and names of places. Great to help visualise where the places are.
All in all, I wish this was a documentary on ABC or SBS!!! (Australian television free to air stations).
I thoroughly enjoyed the different take on our very early Australian history. Usually, it is all about politics and good old England and the prisoners. This gave light to the early days of pioneering and the need to feed people.
Told with a dry sense of humour, a dig at the whites at times, and a wonderful narrative of the true characters of the droving days.
I did find it bogged a bit half-way through, tedious in the telling, but I guess it is difficult to write anything of an era when numbers where very important to the cattle drovers livelihoods.
COntains several photos and drawings of the people, and places. Includes a map of Australia showing the stock routes and names of places. Great to help visualise where the places are.
All in all, I wish this was a documentary on ABC or SBS!!! (Australian television free to air stations).
March 9, 2013
Very interesting book.I wasn't expecting to like it so much.
August 18, 2021
A fantastic book about droving in days gone by. Will be looking for more books by this author.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews