OUTBACK STORY
The
outback is as broad and varied as the vast distances between towns, stations
or remote communities. But despite the remoteness, there are many aspects
of outback life that impact on people across the nation - in both rural and
metropolitan areas. Accordingly, each issue of OUTBACK highlights an important topic or issue that deserves acknowledgement or
exposure and, as such, represent a vital 'outback story'.
One big family farm
Issue 37 Oct/Nov 2004
In the past 30 years, Clyde
Agriculture has grown from a virtual ‘toe in the water’ for UK-based John
Swire & Sons to Australia’s largest diversified pastoral company, one that is among
the nation’s major producers of cotton, cattle, wool and dryland crops.
In
Kidman’s Footsteps
Issue 36 Aug/Sept 2004
Along the Oodnadatta Track in the heart of South Australia, the legacy
of Sir Sidney Kidman lives on in the day-to-day struggles and rewards
of those who choose
a life on its vast outback stations.
Hunting
for survival
Issue 35 June/July 2004
Once deemed a predatory pest, the crocodile is now a valued species in the
Northern Territory where “use it before you lose it” conservation measures
have ensured its survival. The next step in the species’ protection could
be safari-style hunts, if a NT Government crocodile management plan is given
Federal Government approval.
Back
in the saddle
Issue 34 April/May 2004
For the first time since the equal pay ruling of the 1960s - which virtually
wiped out the jobs of Aboriginal stockmen on properties in the north - there
are serious moves to bring Aboriginals back into the pastoral industry.
Songs
of the Bush
Issue 33 Feb/Mar 2004
Australian bush poetry is currently undergoing a genuine resurgence in popularity,
however the roots of this rebirth are sunk deep within our national psyche.
Life
on the track
Issue 32 Dec 2003/Jan 2004
The Birdsville Track is one of Australia's most famous roads, its history
steeped in the myths of the Kidman droving days, the Afghan cameleers and
the unstoppable mailman Tom Kruse. The families and characters that live
there today continue the legend.
Rapt
in the Ranges
Issue 31 Oct/Nov 2003
Shaped by titanic natural forces - and ancestral creation figures - Wilpena
Pound is the scenic heart of Flinders Range National Park.
Outback
Education
Issue 30 Aug/Sept 2003
For many people living in Australia, education is not a simple matter of
trotting down to the local school.
Those
wily Colonial boys
Issue 29 June/July 2003
Around the meal tables, machinery sheds and stock camps of the nation's cattle
stations, all the talk is of the imminent sale of AMP's Stanbroke cattle
empire. Its 27 stations are on the market, and one of the likely bidders
for at least part of the group is the little-known, but fast-expanding, Colonial
Agricultural Company.
My
kingdom for a horse
Issue 28 April/May 2003
Half the horses, double the impact.
Water
under pressure
Issue 27 Feb/Mar 2003
The crippling drought of 2002 has pushed water, and the lack of it, to the
forefront of public debate. Some want to divert rivers, build more dams and
'drought-proof' Australia. Others oppose spending on grand schemes, arguing
that people should learn to live with Australia's natural environment. In
this special feature, we examine some of the schemes and ideas put forward
to prevent a re-occurrence of the effects of the 2002-03 drought - as well
as the counter view.
Campdrafting:
Time to take stock
Issue 26 Dec 2002/Jan 2003
After thoroughbred racing, campdrafting is Australia's second largest major
horse sport. But while the boom that began in the early 1990s shows no signs
of waning, campdrafting may be a victim of its own success. There is no single
controlling body, no major sponsors, top riders compete against amateurs
and issues such as insurance liability hang threateningly over breeders,
competitors and organisers.
