9. ANECDOTES. SOME OBSERVATIONS & RECOLLECTIONS OF THE MOUNTAIN CATTLEMEN
9.1 Changes in Mountain Areas - Keith Rogers.
(Keith Rogers (1896-1978) was a mountain cattleman and naturalist from Wulgulmerang. This article appeared first in The Clematis Vol 15 (1976), the Journal of the Bairnsdale Field Naturalists Club. It is reproduced from the mountain cattlemen's annual journal Voice of the Mountains No. 11 of 1988 with the kind permission of Mrs Beryl Rogers.
Having as a cattleman, had a close acquaintance with the tableland and valleys surrounding the Black Mountain settlement over the past 70 years, it is interesting to note what changes may have occurred to the environment over that period and before.
Black Mountain was first permanently settled by the O'Rourke family about 1838, and it was John O'Rourke, of the next generation, whom we knew as children in the early 1900's. From him, we heard accounts of earlier days; of their usually quiet friendly contacts with the aborigines; and we also gained a slight idea of the condition of the bush before white people had made much impact with their introduced plants and animals.
From the O'Rourke story and that of various other "old hands" it is evident that a large part of both tableland and valley was quite open forest, with much less undergrowth than one sees today, and that condition persisted until well on into last century.
The area under consideration is roughly the territory that lies between the Snowy River on the east, and Dividing Range on the west and extending from the State border on the north-east to the vicinity of Gelantipy in the south. Naturally, similar conditions also applied to other areas outside these limits.
Most of the tableland in this region lies at an altitude ranging from under 3,000 feet in the settled country, to over 45oo feet on the higher parts to the west, while some peaks reach from over 5000 feet elevation, to 6000 feet on the Cobberas mountains.
The deep valleys of the Snowy and Suggan Buggan Rivers, on the other hand, are as low as 600 feet at McKillops Bridge, and 1200 feet at Suggan Buggan. The Buchan River, to the west is also in a deep valley, with very steep sides.
With this sort of terrain, there is naturally a considerable variation in rainfall. At Black Mountain, the yearly average is 28 inches, and around Gelantipy 32 inches, while along the Divide it would be more. By contrast, the precipitation in Suggan Buggan is in the low 20s and usually the drier appearance of the ground is accentuated by the granitic soil, and the much hotter summers.
Undoubtedly, man's greatest impact on the flora of the whole region under discussion has been the introduction of the rabbit. The rabbit plague alone did more damage to the country than the total of all activities of the white man, and the other animals for which he is responsible. This applied not only to the fenced areas, but to the surrounding bush as well.
The near total destruction of the sweeter herbage in many parts of the Snowy and Suggan Buggan valleys was entirely due to the depredations of this pest. There, the open forest of White Box (Eucalyptus albens) on the richer soils of the wide gullies and gentler slopes once sheltered a good sward of excellent grasses, which the rabbits eventually killed out. Such places became nothing but beds of leaves and twigs under the trees, and remained in that condition for many years. Also, lack of grass cover started erosion in some of the steeper gullies in the loose granitic soils.
On the tableland, the effect of the rabbit plague was much less spectacular outside the paddocks, but there damage was widespread. As the rabbit tends to eat out the sweetest and most nutritious species, leaving the coarser grasses, the quality of the pasture deteriorated. This was particularly noticeable after bushfires, as rabbits often prevented the natural regrowth.
Only for the introduction of myxomatosis, which has not largely decimated the rabbit population in most areas, the bush would have continued to deteriorate. It is over the past few years that one has been able to notice a general improvement in the grass throughout the region, and more particularly in the lower areas. Today, the grass cover in the Snowy and Suggan Buggan valleys has completely recovered, even where it had been killed out for so long. Indeed, the story of the large herd of cattle that the O'Rourkes ran in Suggan Buggan a hundred years ago was hard for us to picture, until this transformation set in on that low rainfall country. Now it is easily understandable.
Unfortunately, the rabbit did further damage besides eating out the grass. Many bare places became a good seed bed for scrub of various species, such as Dogwood (Cassinia longifolia) and (C. aculeata) and Burgan (Leptospermum phylicoides) and other species that rabbits do not touch. Still, we have a great deal to thank Dame McNamara and her co-workers for in making possible a reduction of a pest that was fast ruining our mountain country. The situation must still be watched, however.
Incidentally, while referring to the rabbit, when my father came to Black Mountain in 1902 that pest had only then become serious. As well as rabbits, there were also many hares, but they soon became sick, or starved out, and as children we would try to run and catch them as they could barely get out of our way. Apparently they could not live with the rabbits.
It is generally realised that a serious upset to the native fauna has been caused by the introduction of the fox and feral cat. Not only has bird population been affected, partly through their depredations, but so have some of the smaller marsupials, such as Rat Kangaroos and Bandicoots. Around the turn of the century there was a huge mortality amongst some of the marsupials, including koala, the possum, and probably rock wallaby, apparently from disease brought by man, as well as by ruthless hunting. However, of late years the possum has entirely replenished its numbers. We even have a possum family that lives in a space that once housed a hot water tank behind our kitchen stove. The koala has long been extinct in the district, and likewise the native cat, although a tiger cat is seen from time to time.
It is a different story with the kangaroos, which have always been plentiful throughout the region, whether on the high tablelands or down in the valleys. Also plentiful are both the red necked wallaby and the black wallaby, but unfortunately the attractive brush tailed rock wallaby appears to be barely holding its own, and then only in very inaccessible places. As children we used to see them on almost any rock outcrop, and they must have been in great numbers. Another member of the wallaby tribe, the paddy-melon, has entirely disappeared. Wombats are of course, as numerous as ever they were.
As already mentioned, bird life does appear to have suffered to some extent over the years, particularly the smaller birds around the settled areas. One feels that the fox, and to a lesser extent the cat, must be a major cause of this. Foxes hunt everywhere, even in the roughest country, as evidenced by their tracks. Indeed, they are more numerous in the bush than many people realise. Of course, the destruction of habitat through land clearing is another important factor that upsets bird life, but that may not apply so much in a district such as this, where the proportion of land is small in comparison with the vast extent of the surrounding bush.
A bird that was once common here, but disappeared many years ago, is the Stone Curlew. One used to hear their mournful call frequently on moonlight nights, often in conjunction with the startled cries of the Spurwing Plovers. An entirely different bird which left the district many years ago, is that often common honeyeater, the Noisy Miner. On the other hand, there has been a gain of one very noticeable bird, and that is the Galah. Two or three of these came to stay only a few years ago, and then there were seven for another couple of years. Now, they live and breed here, and a flock of thirty or forty is usually around each house in the vicinity, although they are never, as yet, seen in the large numbers that frequent the inland plains. As a matter of interest, I did record one lone Galah here on October 12, 1929, and a few odd strays in later years, but they never stayed long.
With plant life, the greatest change over the years is probably the extent to which some of the bush has gone to scrub, particularly the rougher parts. However, quite an extent of open forest still remains in most areas. There is a reason for the scrubby areas, and probably an important cause has been the practice in former years of burning the bush in the heat of summer. Usually, the rougher and steeper the locality, the fiercer the fire. Then, the rabbit was there to eat out the young grass as it came up and so the normal balance was upset and scrub sprang up instead of grass.
The practice of summer burning has long ceased, and rightly so, but there is still a place for spring or autumn fuel reduction firing, which tends to reduce the scrub, and is a necessary safety precaution.
Weeds are in many parts a further upset to the balance of the native flora and particularly along the streams. By far the most serious in this region is the blackberry, that has completely taken over much of the river system, and many streams at lower elevations are now almost inaccessible for most of their course. Unless some biological control can be found, it is certain all the beautiful mountain streams will be entirely unapproachable in a few years.
The two large animals that graze the bush today are, of course, cattle and the brumby, and both fortunately fit happily into the environment without being destructive. The brumby will often make use of the shallow water pans, which are so common on the high country flats, to use as rolling places when they dry out, but when the rains come these depressions are soon filled, and they have never really altered in extent over the years. The brumby never causes erosion and is an animal that adds interest to the mountain areas.
Having worked cattle in the bush for a lifetime, one knows their habits and the country they graze over, and it is abundantly clear that they are in complete harmony with their surroundings. In the whole of this area I have never known cattle to be in any way detrimental to the bush, either on the summer pastures of the high country, or wintering down in the valleys. In fact, under proper management, cattle are an advantage, as they help to keep the grass from growing too rank without reducing the ground cover. In his own interest, the cattleman does not overstock his lease, and they are used for a portion of the year only.
To my knowledge, cattle have been wrongly blamed in the past for interfering with moss beds and puddling up creeks and eating out some areas. The fact of the matter is that it was the rabbit, coupled with severe summer burning of bygone years, that caused the damage.
Today the whole area, both high country and low, has completely recovered, and never have we seen it with a better grass cover. As to the native plant species, there has been no noticeable change in distribution through the years, apart from areas gone to scrub, as already mentioned. One has only to visit the snow plains in summer to appreciate the wealth of flowers and the perfect conditions in which they thrive, with the cattle keeping the rough grass in check.
An illustration of how plants are recovering after the rabbit damage can be seen in the pine country in Suggan Buggan where young pine seedlings are in abundance, whereas before the rabbit numbers were reduced, the seedlings were eaten as they came up. No doubt the same must have been the case with countless other species of plants everywhere, so that should be a good indication for further improvement in the future.
In conclusion, it would be fair to say that the bush, in this mountainous part of the State is, except for the blackberry disaster, in better shape than it was 20 years ago. This is notwithstanding the mistakes made in previous years, and the various changes that resulted.
May the whole of this area of bush continue to be wisely used, and cared for, by those who know it and love it, and may the charm and beauty of our mountains never be spoilt.
9.2 An interesting point.
Rusty Connley, Benambra.
This article is reproduced from the mountain cattlemen's annual journal Voice of the Mountains No. 7 of 1982.
Over the years there has been a lot of controversy about mossbeds and how cattle grazing the mountains damage these mossbeds and reduce their water productivity.
The relationship between cattle and mossbed damage is grossly exaggerated according to the observation I have maintained over a period of 30 years. The example is on our property at Beloka, north of Benambra.
This mossbed of approximately 40 square yards has been subject to several severe droughts, dry periods and cattle have been run in this paddock 12 months of the year every year. The stocking rate has been steadily increased in that 30 year period without damage or change in the area of mossbed or its capacity to store and release water.
In that 30 year period there has been some very dry period 1967-68 and 1972 being severe drought. The years 1967-1968 the creeks all dried up and we were forced to dig holes near the springs for stock water. A large hole was dug in the edge of this mossbed for water. Today there is no sign of that waterhole. As time went by it gradually silted up and grew over with moss and weed. That same mossbed would be trampled and broken up if cattle did the damage as some critics claim they do. Even with the heavier stocking rate the cattle don't penetrate into the mossbeds any more than 30 years ago. In my judgement this mossbed is in similar condition as it was when we bought the property in 1951.
The problem with a lot of studies done on aspects of the mountains and mountain grazing, logging etc. is that they are done on a short term basis (for example three to five years) and it tends to become an opinion instead of a fact, whereas a long term study produces a more accurate assessment simply because nature is the long term controller of the environment.
9.3 The Disaster of the Trial Plot - Percy Weston.
Mr Percy Weston is a member of a mountain cattleman family, and is in his nineties. His remarkable memory holds a wealth of first hand knowledge of grazing on Mount Buffalo and the Bogongs. This article is reproduced from the mountain cattlemen's annual journal Voice of the Mountains No. 17 of 1994.
When the first big mob of cattle were being taken to Mount Buffalo in early December 1912, I was sent home by my father when Mackays Lookout was reached as he thought the trip to the top would be too hard and long for me.
However, the muster on our home run had been poor, and I found myself some two weeks later being allowed to accompany my father in taking some 25 head to the top of the plateau.
After arriving at McKinnons Turntable, the cattle were taken over rough tracks to Crystal Brook, reaching there just below the Devil's Couch. When I asked my father how this huge pile of granite rocks got such a peculiar name, he told me that some 35 years before, as the group of doctors who were the pioneer tourists on Buffalo, were returning from the North End, they were surprised to see, as twilight was falling, what appeared to be a huge black body (like a devil) wriggling about on the big top rock. As the group approached closer they could see that the black mass on top was a large number of migrant crows busily engaged in snatching down Bogong Moths that were hovering close to the rock in their mating flight. That was my first lesson into the ecology of the mountains.
We drove along to the Five Acre Plain, where we decided to leave them and have lunch. There I received my second lesson. On either side of the small stream of cold clear water was a strip of "Wait-a-bit" scrub, as cattlemen called it, that followed the stream across the plain on which green grass was appearing. As we sat on a grassy bank having lunch beside the stream, I noticed that while a large number of crows were hunting around the plain for grasshoppers, none would venture close to the scrub on either side. Soon I noticed that a swarm of mountain grasshoppers of every size, shape and colour were clinging motionless to the scrub to which they had travelled for protection and hiding. As I scrambled along the banks of the creek to see if there were any trout in the pools, a fox, which had been feasting on the hoppers and was ready to pounce on any unwary crow, sped away to a rocky fringe, scattering any crows on the plain in its getaway. In many trips to Mount Buffalo over the next decade, it was always noticeable that flocks of either crows or ibis would only alight and land for insects on those areas where the grass had been grazed short by cattle. In 1923, the lease to graze cattle on Buffalo was cancelled and a run was obtained on the Bogong High Plains.
In the decades of the thirties and forties, the same bird patterns were noticeable in the Ovens Valley beside Buffalo. In those years, swarms of small brown grasshoppers would ravage pastures until flocks of migrant crows, ibis, and starlings came to the rescue to make a fabulous clean-up of the insects on paddocks where grazing had kept pastures short or they had been cut for hay. But, they never ventured down into paddocks of long grass where they could be ambushed by fox or feral cat.
In the early fifties, conservationists, urban politicians and others, started a crusade to show cattlemen the error of their ways and eliminate grazing from the alpine areas. They agreed to secure an area that could be securely fenced on the Bogong High Plains. A small catchment of some 30 acres was selected on the far side of the Rocky Valley Dam and suitably fenced at some expense to prevent grazing.
Over the years, field days were held at various times and reports on the condition of the plot and its contrast with the grazed country alongside were made available to the media. It was my view that the reports or propaganda that followed only reflected on the wishful thinking of its sponsors. Usually I made personal visits to see what was happening but I was also there when the field day was held in 1957. Yes, the group of some 50 persons stood beside the fence of the trial plot and they could see the contrast between the short grazed growth outside and the profusion of growth inside. Nobody made an effort to examine what was going on inside.
This is what I saw happen after a careful study over the three years and it will illustrate that changes in the ecology take place. Although free from grazing in the first summer, there was only a thin growth of seed head of native grasses. In the second summer, the seed heads were thick and over two feet high.
While large numbers of crows could be seen roaming about on the grazed plains, never could one be seen alighting in the high cover of the plot area, where a slow ominous change was taking place. At first, some eggs of mountain grasshoppers, which had lain dormant for some years or laid by survivors that had escaped crows, were encouraged to hatch out by the moist warm cover. From year to year, they soon bred up to plague numbers and when I entered the plot in 1957, they were in swarms in all shapes, colours and sizes as I had seen them on Buffalo. While there, I watched several small flocks of crows fly over the plot but not one dared alight in the area through fear of ambush by foxes.
In the years that followed, as the mountain grasses would attempt to make growth and seed cover, the hoppers would slowly desiccate all leaf and stems of the grasses, sucking out the sap rather than eating the growth. This dead material then formed a damp, warm mulch that encouraged the seeds of the shrubs and snow gum which remained dormant for many years, to strike. With the growth of grass restricted by hoppers, these shrubs and trees grew and flourished, and in a span of twenty to twenty five years, you have the transformation from grassy plain to wilderness area that makes travel difficult.
Had a fire started there, possibly as a result of lightning, the heat would have been so great that the plot would have been a scar enduring for years. If cattle are removed from the alpine areas, that transition to wilderness areas will become general and sooner or later there will be the greatest conflagration in our history. Even in my boyhood days, crows and ibis would visit the alpine areas to control insect life; but before that, the scientist, William Howitt, gave a great description of the exodus of thousands of those birds down the Mitta as winter storms came in 1854.
The dramatic pattern of change from clean pasture to acute fire hazard, as happened to the trial plot, has long been duplicated by events since the end of grazing on Buffalo in 1923. Since my grandfather, James Fitzgerald, began to run cattle there in 1858, I have only heard of two fires that gained access to the plateau, in the summers of 1914 and 1918. Both fires were easily controlled by two men as there was little long grass to carry fire.
My father ran cattle on Buffalo from 1888 to 1923 and his policy of management ensured easy control of fire. Sensible grazing and a burning that singed any dry grass was all that was necessary, when mustering took place in April or May as weather allowed.
Since the end of grazing on Buffalo in 1925, there has been a slower but identical change similar to that at the little patch plot. But by January 1926, there was so much long grass that a hot fire raged across the plateau until quenched by rain. Apart from the hideous sight of fire killed Snow Gum and Woolly Butt, even the plain areas have a bedraggled appearance.
While they present enough fox cover to frighten off the wary crows, the grasses are under dual attack from hoppers and grubs of the Bogong moth. These grubs are identical to the cutworm grubs that damage our garden plants. By day, they hide by burrowing up to an inch under the soil beside the host plant.
On a visit to the high plains, I noticed a group of crows busy on some short grazed pasture where there was not likely to be any hoppers for food. Curious of the reason, I found they were locating grubs from loose patches of soil beside tufts and relishing the grub just as much as the Aborigine enjoyed the moths which used to swarm around such formations in countless millions.
So, slowly but surely, since grazing ceased, grubs take over the plains of Buffalo and it will take an army of rangers to safely maintain the mount as cattle did.
The trial plot clearly showed that the policy of conservationists must surely lead to the ruination of the alpine regions. In the massive report on the proposed management plan for the national parks, there is no mention of the mediums - foxes, hoppers, grubs, fungi and frosts - that now govern the ecology there.
10. THE HISTORY OF GRAZING IN THE HIGH COUNTRY OF VICTORIA.
10.1 Grazing the High Country 1835-1935
The discovery of the high country of Victoria and its suitability as grazing land happened by chance. Graziers, in their attempts to traverse the mountains, and during expeditions to find suitable grazing land for their stock, discovered the grassy plains of the Victorian Alps. The first glimpse of high country in Victoria was made by Edmund Buckley from the Monaro district of New South Wales. Buckley discovered a treeless plain in the Omeo district, and although it was not strictly a high plain but rather an elevated basin 600m above sea, the discovery led the way for other graziers to explore surrounding high country.
Early graziers, wanting to avoid competition, kept quiet about the grassy plains. Hence, grazing and exploration of the high country were kept to a minimum until Gippsland was discovered in the 1850's. Between 1835 and 1837 George McKillop and Janus McFarlane, who had followed Edmund Buckley from the Monaro district, were the sole graziers of cattle around Omeo. Although attempts were being made to establish routes through the mountains, most were unsuccessful due to geographical constraints. In 1854 von Mueller observed no signs of either stock or humans in the Feathertop, Hotham and Cobungra regions. Yet, in the same year the Cobungra plains were discovered. Whilst Buffalo, Mt Buller and Mt Wellington were explored early, Bogong, Nunniong and Baw Baw, like the Cobungra plains, were not explored until the 1850's. Clearly, grazing was either very limited or absent over much of the high country in Victoria during the first twenty-five years after the initial discovery of the Omeo plains.
Government policy and management of grazing in the high country of Victoria has undergone many changes. Between the 1830's and the 1860's squatters could lay claim to large areas of the high country, and be granted guaranteed licences of fourteen years. In the period around 1860 to 1870 the larger runs were subdivided, and at the same time, some land was withdrawn from grazing due to selection for cultivation as outlined in the Land Act of 1869. The Land Act of 1884 then revoked all licences and enabled people to apply, or reapply, for grazing licences. Although there had been public concern regarding the majority hold of grazing licences by squatters, which contributed to the government's reassessment of the landholder, squatters continued to be the main applicants. During the years up to and including the early to mid-1900's, there was little control of periodic increases in stock numbers despite the licensing laws. The increases in stock numbers (including thousands of both sheep and cattle), came both from home properties and outside regions. Exploration and multiple-use of the high country and periodic increases in stock numbers have been due to factors such as the discovery of gold throughout the high country during the 1850's and 1860's, and periods of drought.
Gold discoveries within the high country of Victoria during the 1850's and 60's were the impetus for a surge of people to the high country and enhanced the expansion of grazing. There was an increase in the demand for meat to feed the mining population, and although the mining industry gradually declined, squatters began applying for grazing licences to supplement their incomes. The practice of mining within the high country forced graziers to move stock to higher plains, subsequently expanding the distribution of grazing. By the mid-1870's most of the accessible high country was licensed for grazing.
Periods of drought have also indirectly contributed to increased grazing on the high country in Victoria. During each of the drought events of 1884-85, 1902-3, and 1908 between 20,000 to 40,000 sheep were grazed on the Bogong and Mt Hotham High Plains. Private records of F.E. Whitehead from New South Wales detail the movement of 18,500 sheep, 80 horses and several hundred cattle during these three drought years.
There are few records of stock numbers grazed on the High Plains during the first century of grazing. However, it is known that stock numbers and the duration of grazing varied from year to year. T.M. Hamilton, a grazier from Ensay station, was licensed to graze stock on the Bogong High Plains. During the summer of 1885-86 Hamilton grazed 15% of his total stock (302 of his total stock of 2,000) from early December to late May. However, in the summer of 1895-96 Hamilton grazed only 10% of his total stock (380 out of his total stock of 3,800) for a limited period between February to late April.
Cattle were the primary grazers of the high country of Victoria until the 1900's. Whilst there is speculation that sheep from Ensay station were grazed on the High Plains during the 1870's, the earliest records of sheep grazing are on the Bogong High Plains during drought relief in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Sheep had not been grazed on the high country as the land was considered unsuitable for them. Sheep perished in early snow and after becoming caught in dense scrub. Regular grazing of sheep in the high country started in the early 1900's but was discontinued on the western high country by the early 1920's and on Bogong by 1945.
Horses have also been grazed on the high country of Victoria. Apart from the horses used by squatters for stock-work, horses were bred in the high country from the mid 1880's until the early 1900's to meet the demand for horses in India during World War 1. Osborne Young, a horse breeder, is known to have run between 300 to 600 horses on the Bogong High Plains. Like sheep, horses are not well suited to the unpredictable weather of the high country. Unlike cattle, horses move into higher country during bad weather, which inevitably leads them to their death. Horse breeding of the early years is no doubt responsible for the wild brumbies which live in the high country of Victoria today. (J. Commins, Ensay grazier. pers. comm).
10.2 Grazing the High Country 1935 - 1995
During the 1950's the government began withdrawing grazing from sections of the high country which they considered to be sensitive to the effects of cattle grazing. The highest peaks of Bogong were the first to be excluded. Since the 1950's, in conjunction with legislation of national parks, there has been further withdrawal of grazing from the high country. In 1949 the concept of establishing National Parks within the Victorian Alps was proposed by the Town and Country Planning Associations. The concept was legislated in 1979 following recommendations by the Land Conservation Council (LLC) to establish a number of National Parks and Reserves. Grazing has since been withdrawn from Mount Howitt in the early 1980's, from Howitt Plains and Wonnangatta Station in 1989, from the Avon Wilderness, Wabonga Plateau, Bluff areas, and an additional area north of Middle Creek and Rocky Valley Storage within the Bogong National park in 1991.
10.3 The 1980's
The Mountain Cattlemens Association of Victoria entered the 1980's as a small and dedicated group of cattlemen with a low public profile and a relatively small group of Associate members who had supported them over a number of years. The LCC report on the Alpine Study Area had been released the previous year, along with preliminary recommendations that threatened alpine grazing, and in the cattlemen's view, the future well-being of the Alps.
1980 - In January the Liberal Government accepted, with minor modifications, the final recommendations of the LCC report on the Alpine area. This heralded a decision to revoke 11 grazing licences by 1990, and was roundly condemned by the cattlemen.
In February the annual Get Together of the Association was held at Holme's Plain, north of Licola. Veteran cattleman, Norm Chester of Heyfield spoke, and it was obvious that extremist conservationists would not rest until cattlemen had been completely driven from the mountains.
This was also the year that the two hallmark books on the cattlemen Cattlemen and Huts of the High Plains by Harry Stephenson and Cattlemen of the High Country by Tor Holth were published. Both were immensely successful.
1981 - The annual Get Together was held at Shannonvale, and filming of "The Man from Snowy River" commenced.
1982 - Pretty Valley was the site of the annual Get Together, and in New South Wales drought-stricken farmers drove their stock into the Kosciusko National Park, overgrown since grazing had been ended there.
In May the newly-elected Labor government directed the LCC to again examine their recommendations for the alpine area, given the party's policy of creating a large Alpine National Park.
1983 - The annual Get Together at Sheepyard Flat, hosted by the Mansfield Branch of the Association, saw the beginning of new, high profile campaign by the cattlemen, aware that the recommendations of the LCC Special Enquiry were hardly likely to be favourable. The MCAV logo, of three riders on a precipice, was launched, along with the slogan "Mountain Cattlemen care for the High Country". This was also the occasion of the first Cattlemen's Cup, sponsored by the film group involved in the making of "The Man from Snowy River".
In April Harm van Rees of the University of Melbourne announced the results of his three year study of the behaviour and diet of free-ranging cattle on the Bogong High Plains. This contained a number of positive findings for the cattlemen.
In June the proposed recommendations of the Alpine Area Special Investigation were released. They included phasing-out of alpine grazing in a number of areas, and the incorporation of large areas in a massive Alpine National Park. This was vigorously criticised by cattlemen concerned for the future of the Alps, and they invited the Minister then responsible - Rod McKenzie, to tour the Alps with them.
In August the government signalled its intentions of enquiring into lease rentals. In September a report recommended the removal of many huts on Crown Lands, a number of them built by cattlemen.
In November the final recommendations of the LCC Special Investigation were made available and despite 70.3% of the submissions being against the further extension of National Parks, a large Alpine Park was recommended. In December the MCAV conducted a large party of parliamentarians and officials on a tour of the Alps.
1984 - This was the year that our Olympians represented Australia wearing the oilskins and Akubras symbolic of the cattlemen.
In July the Liberal and National parties announced they would support a group of sixteen Shires that covered the alpine area in lobbying for no further extension to the Alpine National Parks. Despite this it was announced that the legislation would be introduced into parliament in the autumn session. Cattlemen then announced they would ride to Parliament House.
In September the MCAV and its supporters rode to Parliament in the largest mounted display on the streets of Melbourne since the Light Horse had left in World War 1. The number of supporters along the route expressed support for the cattlemen and in the following month a large meeting of supporters voted to support the MCAV as a lobby group.
1985 - The annual Get Together was held at Cobungra and the following month cattlemen rode through Melbourne again as part of the Moomba Parade. The Victorian State elections resulted in a tie in the Upper House. The Liberal party would hold the balance of power if it won the re-run of the by election for Nunawading Province.
In July the Minister for Conservation, Forests and Lands, the Hon Joan Kirner, travelled to Bennison Lookout north of Licola, to announce that the legislation for the new National Park would be introduced to Parliament that day, and that she expected to return to Bennison on the 1st December to proclaim the new Park. A small but effective protest by cattlemen put the opposing point of view.
The MCAV then made the decision to fight the proposed park, which became the main issue of the re-run election in Nunawading. This took the form of a letter box drop of the electorate, a mounted ride through the suburb reminiscent of the ride to Parliament House, and the handing out of "How to Vote" cards on election day. The election resulted in a win for the Liberal candidate, Rosemary Varty, and the balance of power in the Upper House going to the Liberal Party. Allegations of impropriety against the Labor party and another "How to Vote" card led to a determined campaign against the cattlemen in an attempt to throw up a smoke screen to hide the actions of certain members of the Labor Party. Graeme Stoney, the Executive Officer of MCAV was summonsed to the Bar of the Upper House to explain the activities of the cattlemen, but on the day a motion to have him speak failed, when the necessary numbers could not be found as division bells rang. The Parks bill was not brought on for debate, and remained on the Notice Paper - waiting.
1986 - February saw two Australian greats - Slim Dusty and R.M. Williams, together on stage in support of the cattlemen at the Get Together at Catherine Station. In Tasmania a version of the MCAV was formed to fight high country evictions proposed for that State.
In April the Alpine National Parks Bill was debated in the Upper House and defeated along party lines. It remained on the Notice Paper, waiting for re-submission.
In September the cattlemen were asked to take part in the Royal Show Parade through Melboune. A number of cattlemen drove a mob of cattle through the City earning the blue ribbon for the best animal exhibit and providing a delightful sight for the thousands who will long remember the sight of a mob of Hereford cattle in front of Flinders Street Station.
1987 - At the annual Get Together at Sheepyard Flat Movement at the Station, the Revolt of the Mountain Cattlemen by Bryan Jameson, the story of the enduring fight to keep grazing in the Alps, was launched by Professor Geoffrey Blainey.
In the middle of the year planning proposals for the Alpine Area were launched, as the government began to further regulate the area in an attempt to establish a de facto National Park by regulation. An Alpine Area Advisory Committee was formed to advise government on matters pertaining to the Alpine Park.
MCAV President Jim Commins represented the Association on this Committee.
1988 - Historic cattle property, Wonnangatta Station was purchased by the Government after advising a private purchaser that the high country leases which formed part of the Station, would not be renewed.
In August the MCAV received the inaugural R.M. Williams Outback Heritage Award in recognition of their contribution to the maintenance of the heritage of Australia.
1989 - In February a spectacular and emotional rally on the Bogong High Plains focussed the plight of eleven families due for eviction from their leases.
The Alpine National Park was proclaimed after certain concessions such as seven year licences were gained.
During the 1980's the Mountain Cattlemen became a household name in Victoria and around Australia.
1990's - One issue needing to be addressed is the maintenance, use and values of the huts within the alpine region. If some were to have their way, some of the huts would have been burned down some time ago. It is interesting to note that in the Kosciusko National Park it has been seen to be necessary for a separate organisation of volunteers, known as the Kosciusko Huts Association to maintain, restore and care for the huts within that Park.
Kosciusko National Park is, of course, cared for by the Victorian equivalent of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Some may say that this is obvious by the number of blackberry plants allowed to proliferate within the park which are spreading to the neighbouring farm land. With all this care it was found necessary for the formation of the Kosciusko Huts Association. It is unfortunate to see that the Victorian huts may be doomed unless a similar organisation is established here.
At the present time, Cattlemen engaged in their grazing endeavours, are entitled to first call on the hut they have traditionally used, and usually built. A problem is that with increased leisure time, and the increasing sophistication of 4WD vehicles, many inexperienced people are travelling far into the bush. A lack of knowledge of the traditions and heritage of the Mountain Cattlemen often leads to the huts being vandalised. Huts are often left in a filthy condition, and the log books kept in the huts for safety reasons (search and rescue) are often covered in graffiti.
Currently, the alpine region of Victoria is divided into four units (Wonnangatta/Moroka, Bogong, Dartmouth and Cobberas/Tingaringy) each with a separate management plan. The planning units comprise 90.2% National Park, 5.6% Wilderness Park, 2.7% Crown Land Reserve (Classified Historic Areas) 1.3% State Forest (to be added to the park on completion of timber harvesting) and 0.2% Crown Grant (to be added to the park after transfer from the former State Electricity Commission of Victoria). The Alpine National Park is the largest in the State with a total of 636,704 hectares. The four management plans, devised by the then Department of Conservation and Environment (now the Department of Natural Resources and Environment) were legislated in September 1992. The brief account given below of the events contributing to the current status of grazing in the high country of Victoria is taken from these management plans.
Mountain cattlemen of Victoria lease less than 2.4% of the total area within the alpine planning units. However, MCAV estimates that only 26% of the land leased is actually grazed by cattle, and therefore only 0.9% of the total area within the management planning units is was grazed by cattle in 1988. Since 1988 there have been further withdrawals of the land available for grazing, and hence the same calculations for 1996 would be reduced.
The number of cattle grazed on the high country of Victoria has changed considerably over time. Mountain cattlemen in Victoria have much tighter restrictions imposed upon them today when compared with earlier times. The maximum number of cattle permitted on the Bogong High Plains has been reduced from 9000 in 1949 to 3160 in 1996. It is important to note that despite the maximum stocking level of 9000 in 1949 and 1951, it is estimated that only 7030 and 7110 head of cattle were grazed in 1949 and 1951 respectively. These figures show that irrespective of more lenient controls in the past, the mountain cattlemen did not take full advantage of quotas specified by the government. The maximum number of cattle grazed within the Wonnangatta/Moroka management unit is 3600 head, in the Cobberas/Tingaringy management unit 1700 head and in the Dartmouth management unit 230 head.
11. THE MECHANICS OF ALPINE GRAZING - THE EXPERIENCE OF A BOGONG HIGH PLAINS CATTLEMAN.
Mountain cattlemen have been grazing their cattle on the Bogong High Plains since the mid 1800's, the traditions and skills have been passed down through the families and are still used today.
For the last fifty years, grazing here has been controlled and managed by successive Departments of Conservation under various names. The management of the country involves determining the dates when the cattle may enter the Plains, and the date by which they must be gone, the number of cattle able to be grazed, and the areas which are available for grazing. We work in with the Department to determine all these factors.
This year (1994) my family took 240 head of cattle to our run on the Plains. Like all Mountain cattlemens grazing operations, our cattle graze on our licensed area for only about 16 weeks during the summer. During the time the cattle are on the Plains, we inspect them regularly. We come up every 14 days, and ride around inspecting all our cattle.
I would like to make it clear that our High Plains licence area is only used for our breeding cattle, it is not used as a fattening paddock.
Our main objective in our 14 day inspections is to check on the health of our cattle, and to make sure that they remain as much as possible on our licensed area. One of the techniques designed to control the cattle is by 'salting' them. Alpine pastures and streams are deficient in salt and this means the cattle look forward to it. We carry our salt - 100 kilos each time, on our pack horses, and choose a rocky outcrop to deposit the salt so that it will not have any detrimental effect on the grassland. We have three predetermined salt camps, and always return to these areas. We then call the cattle up, and within an hour 85-90% of the cattle have gathered at the salt camp. Within three hours every scrap of salt has been eaten by the cattle.
If we find a sick beast, or a cow with calving difficulties we will take it to our yards nearby, and if it cannot be treated on the spot, we will take it back to our home property. This is normal good farming practice.
The use of pack horses not only keeps the old tradition alive, it is actually a practical method of getting around our licence area, and is more sensitive from a conservation point of view to that of using 4WD vehicles.
There are benefits to be gained by operating a grazing licence up here on the Bogong Plains. It enables us to rest our home paddocks during the summer months. Alpine grazing also produces the best and most sought-after breeding and store cattle in Eastern Australia. Native pasture is important here, it grows better cattle because they are forced to move around significantly more to graze than they would do in a lush home paddock. The cattle are widely dispersed and the extra exercise they get reduces possible difficulties with calving later on. The clean native pasture also means that the cattle fatten better when they are returned to the home paddock. If we did not have our alpine leases we would need to put our pregnant cows onto rough pasture for the last three months of their pregnancies.
I believe that grazing also has benefits for the land. We strongly believe that grazing reduces fire frequency and intensity. Fire intensity is directly related to fuel loads, and this reduction of fuel load is a positive value of grazing, particularly in the snowgum woodlands.
Recent studies have shown that grazing has a positive impact on the reduction of fuel loads, and this, combined with proper fuel reduction burning at appropriate times, would have substantially lessened much of the intensity of the bushfires which occurred in New South Wales in 1994, and certainly would have reduced the appalling costs to property owners and the public services involved.
Alpine grazing also ensures a continuous and visible presence on the Plains, and Mountain cattlemens' contribution to search and rescue is well known and documented.
It is interesting to note that the cultural and heritage aspects of the Mountain cattlemen and their way of life are now being recognised by a wider community. We are very proud of our pioneering links and our traditions. Mountain grazing and Mountain cattlemen are of interest to tourists, and film makers have made many films dealing with our history and way of life.
Grazing does not impact on other users of the Alpine National Park, such as bushwalking, skiing, trail riding, and the water yield for dams. We believe that there is room for all of us within the Alpine Park.
A survey conducted in 1992 and using a method of contingent valuation which I believe is much used overseas, was conducted by the Charles Sturt University in Albury. This being the most up to date survey, I would like to tell you the results in more detail.
While most of the people surveyed considered conservation on the Bogong High Plains as important, 71% of respondents indicated support for cattle grazing there. The reasons considered most important for retaining grazing were:
These were the major reasons given by a random sample of Victorians for their support of Alpine grazing on the Bogong High Plains.
Our seven year grazing licences refer to the need to maintain conservation values. We know the importance of conservation in maintaining the country that we use and respect. We agree that it is important to maintain plant diversity, protect the native birds and animals, and avoid erosion. We believe that all these are being achieved within the current management structure. Our scientific advice is that long term measurements show a stable composition in the snow grassland of the High Plains, and that all species are still abundant.
Long term measurements of mossbeds show no long-term change. If there are specific problems we would welcome discussion on ways of solving them. We hear a good deal about the effects of cattle trampling, but we have observed human monitors of mossbeds walking backwards and forwards through them in order to take measurements and samples.
Cattle rarely enter the mossbeds to drink - the only research we know of on this subject, by Dr Van Rees, refers to cattle entering the mossbeds only 5% of the time they are on the Plains. This seems to be quite insignificant. It should also be noted that brumbies enter the mossbeds to drink. Cattle generally do not, as they are naturally suspicious of wet and boggy conditions. Provision of alternative watering points could be an issue for discussion in the future.
We dispute that cattle cause erosion. Erosion patches attributable to cattle are extremely small and minor in comparison with erosion arising from roads and ski slope grooming. The small bare patches you see between tussocks are not a source of real erosion, and occur naturally across the plains.
Grazing cattle in the alpine area is important to my family, and to all mountain cattlemen. We believe it is also important nationally. Apart from the traditional values, there has been no research into the flow-on effect of our breeding stock and the economic benefits down the line.
We believe that grazing can be maintained without impact on conservation values and other uses. Unfortunately we are rarely consulted on management issues and would like to be involved at a much earlier stage whenever new developments or problems arise. We also firmly believe that land managers would benefit from our wealth of personal knowledge and observation - we may not hold university degrees, but we are very close to the land and have generations of experience which we can draw on. We would genuinely like to share this experience and to see land managers acting on our advice.
The above was taken from an address given by Mr Jack Hicks in March 1994 on the Bogong High Plains to a group of international Parks managers.
12. THE MOUNTAIN CATTLEMENS ASSOCIATION OF VICTORIA INC.
As stated in the logo of the MCAV, mountain cattlemen have been caring for the high country since 1835. For well over 100 years, the cattlemen's organisation did not need to extend beyond informal meetings, usually around campfires on the high plains, where they discussed their problems and shared solutions.
From the late 1800's many of the cattlemen would have become members of the fledgling State-wide farmer organisations but there was still no need for a formal organisation to represent the specific interest of alpine grazing and the mountain cattlemen.
By the 1960's however, the cattlemen were recognising that proposals for National Parks could threaten their cultural heritage and way of life and agreed that there was now a need for a formal organisation. In 1969 they met around a campfire in the Dargo High Plains and formed the Mountain District Cattlemens Association. One of those who called the meeting, Jack Treasure of Dargo, became the Association's first President.
In 1984, the name was changed to the Mountain Cattlemens Association and the Association was incorporated.
Today, the Association consists of four Branches. It has a Central Council which consists of the Association's President, Vice Presidents, Secretary and Special Projects Officers together with three delegates from each Branch. The Central Council is responsible for operating the Association.
The aims of the Association are:
There are two membership categories:
The Association is affiliated with the Victorian Farmers Federation.
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