Your monthly Jerrems Journal
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In this edition, Ray takes us back to the pre-tractor days in the Australian hinterlands.
Enjoy.
Donald Jerrems
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Introduction
Shown above a postcard photo of a long bullock team pulling a wool dray in 1909.
Unlike the United States, where mules were used, bullocks played an important part in Australia’s colonial history.
While carrying out research for the Timbergetting article in the Jerrems Journal of May 2015 I realised that bullocks had been used extensively for timbergetting, however I did not realise how suited they were to this type of work as well as other rural work.
Finally I was able to observe bullocks at work when my wife and I were on holidays in Tasmania several years ago, at Sheffield in that State’s north west.
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The Sheffield bullock team
This is a photo of an old dray (see later for explanation).
When we arrived in Sheffield we discovered that the town was holding an Agricultural Equipment Show. In the afternoon there was a session where a team of bullocks were put through their paces (using this term metaphorically because bullocks are not known for their pace).
The display started off rather predictably with the team of six bullocks towing a large log along the ground in a straight line. I was surprised that they did this so effortlessly, they just seemed to amble along.
Then the bullock driver (called a “bullocky” in the old days) turned the team at right angles, which it did immediately, so that the log was pulled at right angles. He capped this off by having the team double back on itself, so that the log was spun around and pulled in the opposite direction.
To double back safely the rear pair of bullocks (known as” polers”) had to neatly step over the hauling chain as it swung across underneath them, a vital manoeuvre they had been taught so that they did not get broken legs.
Finally, the bullocks rolled the log onto a wagon by pulling it up a ramp placed against the side of the wagon. This had to be done very slowly and evenly.
Although I did not realise it at the time, these manoeuvres were exactly what bullocks had done in the old days for logging. Their manoeuvrability was particularly useful in heavily timbered areas.
The bullocky told me that he would be working the bullocks the next morning if I wanted to watch.
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The next morning
Here is a photo of a long team hauling a log at Bellingen, in the mountains in northern New South Wales.
Returning to Sheffield, early the next morning I found the team ploughing a paddock near the showground. The team were pulling a scarifier, consisting of a large sheet of heavy mesh with protruding spikes. The council had agreed to this.
As we walked along next to the team the bullocky told me that he had assembled the team (one of only a few in Tasmania) as a retirement project to show people a team in operation.
Maintenance of the bullocks compared with horses
The bullocky told me that bullocks were less excitable and more dependable than horses when faced with difficulties. Furthermore, bullocks were cheaper to purchase, equip and feed. Horses also required complex, expensive leather harness that frequently needed repair. On the other hand bullock gear was simple and the yokes (see later) were simple to make from local timber.
Bullocks are very easy to feed, the main reason being that, unlike horses, they are ruminants and can live on a diet of grass. On the days when they were on the road the bullocky would merely turn the bullocks out onto a grassy area for the night and come back the next morning to collect them. Also they do not require shoeing or grooming.
However working bullocks do require exercise to keep fit. The bullocky said that once a week he hitches them up to a large log or a large rock on his farm and they tow it around for several hours.
His bullocks seem to enjoy this because when he first arrives at the paddock gate they come over to him and stand in line in the correct order.
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Use of yokes
Here is a postcard photo of a long bullock team pulling a wool dray in 1909.
Unlike the United States, where mules were used, bullocks played an important part in Australia’s colonial history.
While carrying out research for the Timbergetting article in the Jerrems Journal of May 2015 I realised that bullocks had been used extensively for timbergetting, however I did not realise how suited they were to this type of work as well as other rural work.
Finally I was able to observe bullocks at work when my wife and I were on holidays in Tasmania several years ago, at Sheffield in that State’s north west.
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I
nstalling a yoke
Here is a novel photo of a bullocky installing a yoke on two bullocks, ingeniously using a fence to hold up the far end of the yoke. He probably did this to prevent the bullock on the fence side from ducking down. Also, it is possible that more mature bullocks would obey orders to stay still.
Types of bullocks
Bullockies often chose Devon cattle because they were plentiful, hardy, tractable and readily matched up the team in terms of size and colour, which was often a source of pride to the owners.
Large bullocks could each haul a ton/tonne if necessary. The team shown hauling a wool waggon at the top of this article had more bullocks
than necessary, but it provided a more interesting photo. The later photo showing four bullocks hauling a large log gives a more accurate indication of the strength of bullocks.
In the case of the team at Sheffield the bullocky had replaced two of his old huge bullocks with two very photogenic (but much smaller) Jersey bullocks. Jerseys are a dairy cow, creamy-brown in colour, with dark eyes and they specialise in looking very cute. Whenever I saw the Jersey bullocks tucked in behind the huge front bullocks I could hardly stop laughing.
The reason the bullocky was downsizing his bullocks was the difficulty in transporting the big bullocks. They were too bulky to fit two abreast on a standard truck. He hoped to reduce the number of trucks (and volunteer drivers) needed to carry his team by gradually introducing pairs of smaller bullocks.
Intelligence
The bullocky told me that bullocks are more intelligent than people give them credit for. The polers at the back, in particular, are selected for their intelligence. One of their roles was to hold back the load on descents.
Each bullock knew its name and would follow a number of instructions given by the bullocky.
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Uses for bullocks
Here is a photo of a bullock team hauling a shed mounted on log wheels, demonstrating the versatility of bullock teams. The pole over the bullocky’s shoulder is in fact the long handle of his whip.
Bullock teams were in use in Sydney, New South Wales as far back as 1795 when they were used for hauling building materials. The early explorers, Hume and Hovell in 1824 and Charles Sturt, later in 1828-9, also used bullock teams during their extensive explorations.
Prior to the gold rushes in Australia, in the mid 19th century, bullock drays carried essential food and station supplies to isolated country areas. On return trips they transported wheat, wool, sugar cane and timber by dray.
Bullocks were also useful in boggy country where horses could not be used.
They were particularly in demand in times of protracted rain on the black soil plains of north western New South Wales when the horse wagons became bogged.
I remember particularly that in the old days the huge horse-drawn drilling rigs operated by the Department I worked for would get bogged and bullock teams would be called in to extricate the rigs.
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Drays and jinkers
This is a photo of a very old timber jinker at Echuca on the Murray River.
Drays (see earlier photograph) were like large carts, with a rigid bed or platform on which the load was placed. The wheels were fixed to the platform.
However in the case of jinkers, the load took the place of the platform, and the wheels were connected crossways by a pole. This meant that the placement of the wheels could be adjusted to suit the length and width of the load.
The jinker shown in the above photo is very old because its wheels are made of slices of logs. This was popular in Australia in the early days, the timber often being from the yellow box tree, which had a round trunk and was very durable. They also cost nothing. In later years wheels were made by wheelwrights and blacksmiths with spokes and steel tyres.
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Use of whips
This is a photo of four bullocks hauling a log, guided by a bullocky wielding a long whip.
A bullock whip had a long stick handle which was approximately six or seven feet long. The long-handled whip permitted the bullocky to control his bullocks. The thong, often made of plaited greenhide, was 8 to 10 feet long and attached to the long handle by a leather loop.
When there was a long team the bullocky walked on the near side (left) of the bullocks for added control of the team. The long whip would enable the bullocky to flick a bullock on the opposite side.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Bullocks are of course very slow moving, so this needs to be balanced against the work they could carry out. For instance they could haul a much heavier load than horses but probably travelled at a third the speed.
Bullockies were famous for their colourful language and whip-cracking, however I often wonder whether bullockies did this to relieve boredom, rather than to induce the stolid bullocks to speed up!
Conclusion
This is a longer article than usual. I hope it helped you to understand a significant item in Australia’s colonial history. But was it a load of bull?
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