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The Man from Coolibah: The extraordinary outback life of a Northern Territory cattleman
In the tradition of Mailman of the Birdsville Track, THE MAN FROM COOLIBAH details the life of outback cattle property owner, helicopter muster operator and knockabout bloke Milton Jones.
The youngest in a family of five, Milton Jones grew up on large properties in the outback. His father was a farm manager and so his early life was a world away from that of city kids. Milton left school in Queensland in his mid teens and moved back to the Northern Territory. Mustering was in his blood and so his first job was as a bullcatcher.
Milton Jones is a man of his environment; tough and hardworking with a firm opinion on most things that he isn t afraid to share. The story of how he bought Coolibah Station in 1988 in cash and the way he has built up his country empire is just one element of this book. For him, wrangling crocs, mustering cattle, fighting bush fires and riding rodeo are the norm. Over 500 km away from nearest city, Darwin, his life is lived on horseback, his days ruled by the sunlight. With the help of a seasonal workforce, plus his 42 choppers and a dozen or so horses, his business musters cattle from across the territory.
THE MAN FROM COOLIBAH shows us what it is like to live in the never never and brings the Outback to life. For the men and women who live in Milton s world, things are changing but the harshness and beauty of the outback stays the same.
The youngest in a family of five, Milton Jones grew up on large properties in the outback. His father was a farm manager and so his early life was a world away from that of city kids. Milton left school in Queensland in his mid teens and moved back to the Northern Territory. Mustering was in his blood and so his first job was as a bullcatcher.
Milton Jones is a man of his environment; tough and hardworking with a firm opinion on most things that he isn t afraid to share. The story of how he bought Coolibah Station in 1988 in cash and the way he has built up his country empire is just one element of this book. For him, wrangling crocs, mustering cattle, fighting bush fires and riding rodeo are the norm. Over 500 km away from nearest city, Darwin, his life is lived on horseback, his days ruled by the sunlight. With the help of a seasonal workforce, plus his 42 choppers and a dozen or so horses, his business musters cattle from across the territory.
THE MAN FROM COOLIBAH shows us what it is like to live in the never never and brings the Outback to life. For the men and women who live in Milton s world, things are changing but the harshness and beauty of the outback stays the same.
- GenresAustralia
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 15, 2023
In the introduction, Milton Jones was described as “the authentic Australian bush character”. That sentence might have made me laugh due to its ambiguity of being either a compliment or a mockery. But it didn’t take me long to realise how much of a compliment that was, and how accurate, considering Milton Jones’ big personalities and achievements in life. A life devoted to the bush.
Milton Jones was born in the 60s in a family whose work revolved around outback cattle stations. Growing up in remote areas, attending school through correspondences (School of the Air), Milton distinctively knew what he wanted to do in life and what he was good at from a very young age. As if it was meant to be, Milton followed his dreams and ambition to become the owner of multiple cattle stations including the 5,000-kilometre-squares Coolibah Station, a helicopter business which focused on helicopter mustering and many more to come.
Depicted as someone who never have a plan or organise his life as such, Milton was great when it came to seize the opportunities and create his own luck. Fearless to the point of being reckless, liberal and unprejudiced, street smart, Milton Jones has all it takes to be an iconic Australian bush man, yet at the same time achieve enormous success as an entrepreneur. While some might argue that his success was the result of fate and mere luck, I believe not many people can or willing to do what he does with such determination and passion.
The stories told by Milton Jones were fascinating and unbelievable. You don’t hear those very often in the big city: crocodile wrestling, bull chasing, cattle mustering. Some of them were uncanny hilarious: the hygiene situation in the outback, the encounters with law enforcement, the pranks. And while the stories are not thought-provoking or entails profound philosophy, I find them all to be mesmerising and … different. If anything, the book has changed my perspective about life and road to success, about passion and the sense of purpose. And of course, about the importance of having fun in life too!
Milton Jones was born in the 60s in a family whose work revolved around outback cattle stations. Growing up in remote areas, attending school through correspondences (School of the Air), Milton distinctively knew what he wanted to do in life and what he was good at from a very young age. As if it was meant to be, Milton followed his dreams and ambition to become the owner of multiple cattle stations including the 5,000-kilometre-squares Coolibah Station, a helicopter business which focused on helicopter mustering and many more to come.
Depicted as someone who never have a plan or organise his life as such, Milton was great when it came to seize the opportunities and create his own luck. Fearless to the point of being reckless, liberal and unprejudiced, street smart, Milton Jones has all it takes to be an iconic Australian bush man, yet at the same time achieve enormous success as an entrepreneur. While some might argue that his success was the result of fate and mere luck, I believe not many people can or willing to do what he does with such determination and passion.
The stories told by Milton Jones were fascinating and unbelievable. You don’t hear those very often in the big city: crocodile wrestling, bull chasing, cattle mustering. Some of them were uncanny hilarious: the hygiene situation in the outback, the encounters with law enforcement, the pranks. And while the stories are not thought-provoking or entails profound philosophy, I find them all to be mesmerising and … different. If anything, the book has changed my perspective about life and road to success, about passion and the sense of purpose. And of course, about the importance of having fun in life too!
September 5, 2018
Fascinating
I love this family and their lifestyle from the show Keeping Up With The Joneses, so I was happy to find this book. I read the sample and knew I had to get it for the writing. The author is a true wordsmith and I devoured this book.
I love this family and their lifestyle from the show Keeping Up With The Joneses, so I was happy to find this book. I read the sample and knew I had to get it for the writing. The author is a true wordsmith and I devoured this book.
February 22, 2023
Excellent book proving that you do not need a high education to achieve through hard work, and determination, you can achieve your dream.
February 19, 2025
Loved this read. A wonderful insight to a world and lifestyle very few have privilege to know or experience. Milton Jones is the exact definition of a hard worker and seizing his opportunities.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews