Australia's last cowboys fight to keep their profession alive

Wielding her stockman's whip from astride a horse in the outback, Kylie McElligott nimbly hustles some cows into line but admits she still has much to learn in the Australian art of droving.

The 24-year-old, who grew up on a ranch in Oregon, US, hopes to pick up the trade, which involves steering cattle - or occasionally sheep - for vast distances across the country.

McElligott said she was discovering how to handle the whip and the horses, which are more lively than those in the US.

"It's so nice to be on horseback every day," she said.

Asked if she enjoyed the work, she looked across at the dusty track filled with cattle and said: "I've fallen in love."

There are now just a handful of professional drovers in Australia and their future is uncertain.

In recent decades, as the hiring of drovers dwindled due to the use of trains and trucks, swathes of stock routes have been lost, either sold off or leased to farmers for private grazing.

McElligott has been at the side of Bill Little, a 59-year-old who is one of the last drovers and is trying to pass on his skills to a new generation.

With his spurs, high boots, Stetson-style hat and long-legged frame, Little comes well-equipped for his occupation. From atop his horse while steering 1,500 beef cattle worth about R14-million across Queensland, he said he did not miss people, but could do without the snakes, mosquitoes and saddle sores.

He planned to keep droving, he said, despite a lingering ankle injury. "I grew up on a cattle station - I could ride before I could walk," he said. "It's a pretty good life. I run my own show."

On his trips, which can last up to seven months, Little is accompanied by several "ringers" as well as extra horses and a pack of cattle dogs.

The father of two young children admitted that it was an unusual life and "not for everyone". Yes, he said, there were hazards, but there were rewards such as occasionally slaughtering a stray cow - a "drover's kill" - which provides fresh meat.

It is a profession that started in the 1830s and - due to the nation's vast interior - became known for its arduous treks between remote inland stations.

But the profession is under threat from plans that could open up the vast network of stock routes to grazing and leave them without feed.

Queensland has Australia's last fully functioning historic stock route, which stretches 72,000km and covers 2.6 million hectares. Drovers pay a fee to use the track - 2 Australian cents (about 19c) per kilometre for each 20 head of cattle - and must travel at least 10km a day, to keep up grass supplies.

But the state government is considering handing greater control of the route to local councils, which drovers fear will affect their access. The change follows calls by farmers who say many routes have not been used for 50 years and should be used for grazing. But such a move could dry the track of its grass and make it useless as a route for herding large numbers of cattle.

Little believes the laws should be changed to ensure that routes remain open and are not overgrazed. "For us, this is not about keeping an old profession alive," he said.

Droving was thought to be a dying profession as road and rail services improved. In 1988 the country held its "last great cattle drive" - a 19,000km trek involving 1,200 head of cattle that was thought to be a symbolic send-off for the nation's drovers.

But the occupation survived, prompted partly by drought which made it cost-effective to move cattle to greener pastures. It also helped deal with an oversupply of cattle.

The drovers' pleas have been supported by conservation groups who say the routes protect vegetation and provide safe corridors for native animals. The government says it is simplifying use of the route and will ensure "first priority is given to travelling stock".

A parliamentary committee found this month that the law was flawed and should be redrafted and based on greater consultation.

Tightening his horse's reins as he led the cows to a creek, Little nodded towards the route and said: "This is not my land. It's your land, it's our land, it's everybody's land."

- ©The Daily Telegraph