Thu 27 April 2006 - The truth behind cattlemen?
According to a sticker left on the glass partition of a now dis-used office at work, “Mountain cattlemen care for the high country.”
The other week I was chatting to a friend about the issue of the Victorian Government banning livestock grazing from the Alpine National Park.
Apparently the image of the mountain cattlemen — all Akubras, Drizabones and horses — doesn’t quite match up to the reality. In actual fact they tend to arrive with trucks of cattle, unload them all, let them eat all the grass in the area, load up and drive off again.
It’s a long way from the Man From Snowy River image they promote when they ride through the cities hoping to influence the populace.
Admittedly, this view comes from national park advocates. But it leaves one thinking that often things are not what they seem.