A solitary figure etched against an unforgiving landscape, the Stockman is a deep-rooted part of what it means to be Australian.
In The Stockmen, one of Australia’s foremost chroniclers of the outback and the bush, Evan McHugh, presents the fascinating history of our stockmen and women in words and images.
Working in some of the world’s most challenging natural landscapes with beasts from tame to totally wild, generations of Australia’s stockmen have carved a living from the rugged ranges of the high country and the vast arid heart of the outback.
Richly illustrated with over 100 archival images and documents, historical artefacts and ephemera, as well as stunning contemporary photographs, The Stockmen takes us back in time and along legendary stock routes such as the Murranji and Birdsville Track. The roles of not only stockmen but those of stockwomen and Aboriginal workers are explored in detail, as are the trials and triumphs of life in the stock camp.
In The Stockmen the voices of stockmen throughout the ages are woven together to capture the epic scale of the famous cattle stations, how the industry has shaped the country and the unique pleasures of the stockman’s life. It is a compelling tale that starts with the hapless convicts of the First Fleet and takes us to the celebration of the stockmen at the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony.
The Stockmen is the definitive story of an Australian icon, one that mixes triumph and tragedy, blood, sweat and tears.
The Stockmen is out now through Penguin Australia, RRP $49.99.