Brumbies!!!

The Snowy Mountains, Australia

It was 1982 when I first saw the movie The Man from Snowy River. The film’s cinematography was stunning. The story line touched me.  A seed was planted.  

The movie was based on a poem of the same name written by the famous Australian poet Banjo Paterson and first published in 1890.  It has been touted as a tale of “courage, tenacity, endurance, and the Australian notions of mateship and ‘fair go.’  It is the tale of the underdog who rises to the occasion and triumphs.”  

In essence, it is a story that captured my heart.  I was not yet thirty years old when the movie came out. I dared to dream that one day, I, too, would visit the Snowy River Country and perhaps even capture a wild brumbie.  

Today that dream came true. I stood in the Snowy Mountains, in front of a mob of brumbies (Australian for feral horses), and captured my own black stallion on digital film.  It is a rare and true gift to have a dream come true.  Thank you, my Dear and most Gracious Lord.

We had decided to camp in the Snowy River Valley.  Our new friend Anne (from our camp at Oxley) told us she had seen brumbies on this road outside Tumut.  We re-provisioned in Tumut and found a great campground near the lake. 

Because we arrived to the area early, however, we decided to take a portion of the drive between Tumut towards Khanoban, hoping to see wild brumbies.  We were not disappointed.  We rounded a bend, and I shouted, “Horses!”

 I pulled over.  A black stallion stood on a ridge, overlooking the road.  I walked to the base of the hill where the stallion stood.  It was exhilarating to see him.  He had a small band with several mares.  One had a foal.  I snapped a few photos.  David motioned to me.  He had found a way to broach the hill.  I followed.

We began taking photos until the stallion lowered his ears and came towards us.  We have photographed enough wild horses in the past to recognize signs of discontent.  Discretion being the better part of valor, we backtracked to the van and drove further into the Snowies.

We found a perfect campground along the road not far from my stallion.  We determined to camp there the following night.  Right now, however, we wanted to gas up the campervan to optimize our distance.  We returned to our campsite next to the lake in the Snowy Valley.  

This site proved to be special also.  We found a mob of kangaroos resting under the shade of a gum tree not far from our site when we arrived.  As evening settled in, they moved closer towards us.  

We saw two young kangaroos sparing.  

A mother kangaroo with a joey in her pouch ventured near.  How wonderful and blessed a day was this?

The next morning, we ventured back into brumbie country.  We pulled into the campground we had planned to stay in, only to find my wild stallion with his nose in someone’s vehicle. The occupant inside was caressing him… not exactly what I had envisioned the night before.

 We pulled in about twenty yards from the other vehicle.  My stallion abandoned them and walked right up to us.  As he nibbled my jacket sleeve and camera strap, I was able to take some longed-for close-up shots.  As soon as we ventured near his band to photograph his foal, however, he began to show signs of discontent, so we ventured on…

We found nearly a dozen bands of wild brumbies along this section of road.  The other horses were quite cautious of us… most bolted as soon as we slowed our van.  

The wind was picking up, and by 2:30 in the afternoon, the temperatures plummeted down to 7degreesC. We knew we weren’t prepared for such cold weather, so we drove back to our Snowy Valley campsite for the evening. The Roos were still there, but the temperatures continued to drop.  Clouds began to gather, and the light was not with us for photographs.

The following morning, we found a several emus near our campsite.  After a few photographs, we returned to the Snowy Mountains.  

Emus in the Snowy River Valley

We found several more bands, but few willing to pose for photos. The closest band gathered around their watering hole.

I must state here that I have no illusions about these wild brumbies… I have photographed and studied wild horses in the States for much too long.  The brumbies in Australia have the exact same issues as those in the U.S. Many consider them to be vermin, consuming grasses and injuring sensitive ecosystems, denying local wildlife their ability to thrive.  It is true: Wild horses are prolific.  They have few predators.  Without intervention, their numbers outgrow their environment. 

Others, however, consider these horses to be symbols of the spirit of our respective countries… bold, with savage grace, and an admirable resilience to whatever is thrown at them.  As for me… having stood in the shadow of a wild horse… these majestic animals have offered me a glimpse of strength, beauty, and meekness (strength under control) unsurpassed by any other creature.  I have been forever changed and fortified by their presence in my life.  And, today, I am truly blessed.  I stand in full circle of a young woman’s dream come true.

We continued our trek through the Snowies, meandering and weaving through these majestic mountains. Occasionally we would get a peek at the vastness and beauty of our surroundings.  

We found a campground deep within the mountains.  It was a free campground in an open area with kangaroos and wallabies all around.  The temperatures dropped drastically that evening, and we huddled in our heater-less camper.  

Our bones ached when we awoke because of the cold.  The van’s external temperature registered zero degrees C when we cranked it up the following morning.  We just weren’t prepared for this kind of weather.  Our sleeping bags are only good to 30degreesF, and we were at their limit.  We quickly broke camp, turned on the heater in the cab, and drove south to the coast.  Surely temps would be warmer there.  We planned to camp at the mouth of the Snowy River.  

Some dreams come true. While some dreams may change the world, this one certainly didn’t.  In my case, this dream coming true was simply affirmation that a glorious God truly shines His Unending Love upon each of us… even when we don’t deserve it.  Tonight, I feel humbled and blessed and sing praise to the One who gave the horse his strength and clothed his neck with thunder (Job 39:19).  To tell you the truth… I just can’t stop smiling.

Canberra and Crowds

We decided to push on to Canberra, Australia's capital city.  We drove by the Australian War Memorial and saw hundreds of white folding chairs set up.  Obviously, it was in preparation for a major event.  When we spoke to the very helpful lady at the Visitors Center, she told us that on Thursday the city would celebrate ANZAC day, in tribute to the Australia New Zealand Army Corp (roughly the equivalent to our Memorial Day service).  It was Monday afternoon.  She told us that the city would begin closing off streets Wednesday.

Canberra, Australia's Capital City

When we got back to the rig, David began calling campgrounds to find an opening.  Everything was booked.  He finally was able to secure a site for us about thirty minutes outside the Australian Capital Territorial (equivalent to our District of Columbia).

We figured we only had Monday afternoon and Tuesday to explore the capitol and decided to take in the War Memorial first.

Australia's War Memorial

The Memorial was a moving experience.  When war erupted in August of 1914, Australia and New Zealand responded.  We learned that over 60,000 of their troops lost their lives in World War I.

Memorial to John Simpson Kirkpatrick

The Memorial held countless tributes.  There was the statue to John Simpson Kirkpatrick, known for his bravery and compassion, carried the wounded by donkey to safety.  After four weeks, he was fatally wounded but embodied for Australians "the spirit of self-sacrifice in war."  A nurse, wounded by shrapnel, continued caring for the soldiers in spite of her own wounds.

Tomb to the Unknown Soldier

We visited the tomb of their unknown soldier and saw thousands of poppies adorning their list of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

The Names of Thousands of Australians who Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice

I saw a young girl with a handful of poppies walking among the names.  "This one doesn't have anyone to love him," she said as she placed a poppy by a man's name.  "He does now," her mother responded.

Canberra is an interesting city with beautiful architect and design.  It is also a fairly new city.  Canberra became Australia's capital in 1911.  King O'Malley launched a design competition for architects to develop an architectural plan for the entire area.  American Walter Burley Griffen and his wife, Marion Mahony Griffin, won the design competition.  The documentary we saw indicated the couple won because they worked with the landscape, using its best features to enhance the beauty of their design.

That evening we set up our campsite overlooking the bouncy, air-filled mounds that the kids play on in these parks.  It was more fun than a football game!

The following morning, we drove back to the visitor's center to park the rig (free of charge).  We then hiked across the bridge to visit Australia's capital buildings.

Bridge to Canberra's Capitol Buildings

We visited the old parliament building, now the museum of Australian Democracy.  One of the volunteers helped David and I understand a bit more about the Australian parliament and their form of democracy.

Australia's Old Parliament Building

Of course, we also saw signs of discontent, including an Aboriginal protest.  We were surprised to learn in the museum that the Aboriginal people did not gain citizenship until the mid 1960s.

Aboriginal protest on Capital Grounds in Canberra

The Australian Coat-of-Arms has a kangaroo and emu on it.  Our friend Mike explained that these animals hold a place of honor on the coat-of-arms because neither animal can take a step backward.

Australian Coat-of-Arms with a Kangaroo and Emu

We walked back across the bridge and drove to the national museum.  It was quite interesting to learn about the first Europeans who came to this country.  As an example, there were records and bottles of animals preserved in formaldehyde, collected by the first European scientists who tried to understand Australia's native wildlife.  As an example, when Europeans first learned about platypus, they thought it was a hoax.  When they finally agreed they were real and the Aboriginal people told them that platypus were egg-laying mammals, they didn't believe them.  One scientist dissected hundreds of platypus before he opened one female with an unlaid egg.

We also saw one of Australian's finest examples of car camping... the FJ Holden Special Sedan, Australia's first mass-produced car.

FJ Holden Special Sedan

It was nearing three o'clock in the afternoon.  All the campgrounds in the area were full.  ANZAC Day was fast approaching.  Roads would soon be blocked.  It was time for us to leave.  We decided to go to the Snowy Mountain region.  Perhaps there we would find less crowds throughout this final holiday weekend... and most importantly, wild brumbies (Australian for wild horses)!

Sydney and Surfing Kangaroos

We hoped that traffic would be light in Sydney over the long Easter weekend, so we headed that direction, planning to make an Easter church service there.  It was Good Friday.  Every single store we passed was closed.  Thank heavens we were able to find a few gas (petrol) stations open.

We had intended to travel to Wiseman’s Ferry to camp the night but made the turn and discovered we had to travel there on a gravel road.  Since we can only take our campervan 12 kilometers up a gravel road, we had to change direction.  We ended up at a Mogo Creek Campground, a small, free camp in the Yengo National Park. It, too, was full of holiday campers. 

A kind gentleman, Greg, let us squeeze our van in next to his spot.  Greg was a wealth of knowledge about the area and its wildlife.  He showed us our first koala in the wild. The koala had climbed up a eucalyptus tree not more than 15 feet from our site.  

Koala high in a eucalyptus tree

 Later, Greg showed us a wombat burrow.  It was much bigger than I expected.  The entrance was easily 18-inches in diameter.  We took a stroll on one of the nearby hiking trails and found another wombat hole.  Unfortunately, with the crowded and noisy campers, the koala left in the middle of the night and the wombats stayed hidden.

Wombat burrow

David had tried to find RV park reservations for us in Camden but everything in the area was booked. He finally found a vacancy at Lone Pine Cove on the north side of town.  While we were setting up camp, a kookaburra landed in a tree right above us.

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree...

We encountered a first at this campground… one I will never forget.  The folks who were setting up camp next to us brought a leaf blower and vacuum cleaner with them.  They blew the entire area, set up their tents, then vacuumed every inch.  The noise was intolerable.  I felt so sorry for the mother behind us who was trying to put her baby down for a nap.  The blowing and vacuuming went on for nearly an hour before David hiked back to the office to ask for another site.  Thankfully, they had a cancellation in with the larger rigs, and we were able to move.

Easter morning, we went to the Ryde Presbyterian Church and greatly enjoyed their Easter service.  We planned to take a drive into downtown Sydney to see the skyscape.  One of the parishioners, however, suggested we take the high-speed passenger ferry into the city.  She told us that the ferry landing was at the end of the road from the church.  

It sounded like a grand idea, so we parked the van and walked to the ferry landing.  We bought tickets for Circular Quay, a major stop in downtown Sydney near their famed Opera House.

Sydney's high-speed ferry

We were so glad that we did! What a shock it was to see so very many people… on the ferries, at the wharfs, in the restaurants and stores, and on the streets.  What we had thought would be a leisurely stroll through downtown became a mad house. We found a semi-quiet restaurant, had breakfast, walked about an hour downtown, then headed back to our quiet ferry landing.  Wow!

Downtown Sydney near wharf

Downtown Sydney near Wharf

The good news is that we didn’t drive downtown.  I can’t imagine trying to maneuver The Beast (our semi-affectionate name for the campervan) through all that traffic.  Even better, the ferry was the best opportunity for us to photograph the Opera House.  The high-speed ferry was fast and easy.  And Sydney is an exceptionally beautiful city.  How I wish we could have toured it on a less busy day!

Sydney's famed Opera House

With the campground we were staying at booked the rest of the week, we left the following morning. Our new-found-friends in Oxely had suggested we go to Pebbly Beach, known for its surfing kangaroos.  We just had to see for ourselves.

The holiday traffic continued to plague us.  We learned that Queensland children were out of school the two weeks prior to Easter, ending Easter Monday.  The New South Wales children, however, had their holiday the week before and after Easter. While it was great to see so many families camping together, it seemed like everyone was on the move.  Traffic coming out of Sydney was terribly heavy. It was even worse for those traveling into the city.

David called for reservations at Pebbly Beach only to discover that every single campsite in the entire national park was reserved.  We didn’t know what we would do for camping, but we drove on to Pebbly Beach anyway. 

When we arrived, we found a group of folks feeding apples to a delightful array of parrots.  Unfortunately it was right in front of the “do not feed the wildlife” sign.  

King parrot

King parrot

Ring-necked parrot

Crimson Rosella

As we entered the beach, we found people photographing, feeding, petting, and even hugging the kangaroos.  We didn’t find any kangaroos swimming, but it was fun to watch them so close to the beach. 

Kangaroo at Pebbly Beach

Kangaroos lounging at Pebbly Beach

Perhaps had we been able to camp nearby, we would have seen the kangaroos in the surf.  Instead, we needed to find a place to stay the night.

Pebbly Beach, NSW, Australia

Thankfully, we had learned from an Aussie trucker that we could camp free at any state park.  We had seen one just up the road from the turn to Pebbly Beach.  We spent a most quiet and peaceful night there, nestled in the trees.

The Difference Between Kangaroos and Wallabies

There are five different kinds of kangaroos in Australia.  It is said that there are more kangaroos here than people.  There are over 30 kinds of wallabies, however, four of those species are already extinct, several are endangered, and some are threatened.

The major difference between kangaroos and wallabies is their size.  Red kangaroos can grow over six feet tall and weigh over 200 pounds. Grey kangaroos are only slightly smaller. Wallabies are rarely more than five-foot-tall and weigh no more than 50 pounds.  Wallabies have larger ears than kangaroos, thicker fur, and are more multi-colored.

One of the greatest differences between wallabies and kangaroos is their tail.  A wallaby tail lies flat, like a dog’s tail, allowing it to sit on its rump.  A kangaroo’s tail is bent near its rump.  They must lie down because their tail construction makes it impossible for them to sit.  Each, however, use their tails for balance and their powerful legs for kicks.

Wallaby with its long tail

Kangaroo with its bent tail

Lounging kangaroos

Both kangaroos and wallabies are herbivores.  We have seen a wallaby pick up a mushroom in his hands to eat.  We have only seen kangaroos graze, bending over, and eating much like cattle.  Both are social animals and tend to run in mobs of varying sizes from several to over one hundred.

Kangaroo grazing

Wallaby holding and eating a large mushroom

Both kangaroos and wallabies are marsupials.  Joeys are born about the size of a jelly bean.  Wallaby joeys stay in the pouch until weaned at about seven months. Kangaroo joeys are weaned at about nine months.  Kangaroos live about 20 to 25 years, while wallabies tend to live much shorter lives, rarely living past 15 years of age.

Kangaroo with joey

Mother kangaroo nursing older joey

Wallabies and kangaroos can hop on average three times their height.  As an example, red kangaroos can jump nearly 10 feet high and 25 feet long. They can outpace a racehorse, reaching speeds of 40 miles per hour.  

They are all amazing creatures... I think I'm in love!  :)

Platypus and Wallabies

We push onward, trying to outfox holiday campers.  We drove through Tamworth, thinking we would spend a day.  Alas, it, too, was full.  David discovered on his maps a free camp about thirty kilometers from town.  Risking a late night if they, too, were full, we drove to the Showgrounds and found it empty.  It was a lovely park with several resident horses.  We pulled up next to the river and set up camp.  In the middle of the night, I heard a horse blowing.  I raised up on an elbow to see him. He must have been surprised at my movement and trotted off under the light of a full moon.

Cockatoo near Tamworth, Australia

Again, the cockatoos awakened us with their screeching.  Because it was so early and nobody was around, we had a slow morning with lots of coffee and a hot breakfast.  As I was brushing out my hair, looking at the river, I saw a creature roll in the water.  I quickly called to David.  He was able to confirm... it was a platypus!

We pulled our chairs to the ridge that overlooked the river and waited.  It took nearly a half hour or more before our friend surfaced again.  Although the photos were not great... highly zoomed and cropped, we felt truly blessed.  So many folks have told us we would probably never see a platypus in the wild.  And here he is...

Platypus near Tamworth, Australia

The platypus is one of only two egg-laying mammals in the world.  They are semi-aquatic, mostly nocturnal creature. They can be seen at dawn and dusk, feeding.  A platypus will eat approximately 20 percent of its body weight each day, preferring worms, insects, and fresh-water shrimp.  A male platypus can be up to 20 inches in length.  The female platypus lays between two and four eggs about the size of a bean deep in her burrow.  She nestles around the eggs, keeping them warm between her rump and tail.  After about ten days, the eggs hatch.  She nurses them for three to four months before the babies, called puggles, are able to swim.

The platypus we saw was easily twice the size of the ones in their habitat at the Koala Sanctuary.  He surfaced several other times before he finally disappeared under the willows.  Wow!

We reluctantly left our platypus.  One of our brochures mentioned Oxley National Park as a good wildlife opportunity.  As a bonus, it had first-come-first-serve campsites.  We hoped that if we rolled in early, we might be able to find an empty one.  We were fortunate, indeed, finding a site right on the rim of the gorge.

Oxley was a wonderful launching point for day trips.  The nearby town of Walcha had everything we needed for provisions, and the ladies at the visitor center were most helpful.  As an added blessing, we met Maurie and Anne, neighbor campers.  It was wonderful to get to know them, and we hope to be able to keep in touch.

The following days, we visited several sites in and near Oxley.  We visited Apsley Falls and hiked the  gorge circuit.  With the drought, Apsley was a mere trickle rather than the "thunderous" falls Lt. Oxley had recorded in 1818.  But they were lovely, nonetheless.

Apsley Falls, Oxley National Park

Apsley suspension bridge, Oxley National Park

We hiked to Tia Falls and its lovely gorge.

Tia Falls Gorge

We visited the historic Gostwyck Chapel, built in 1921 as a tribute to the land-owner's grandson who died during WWI.

Gostwyck Chapel

Mostly, we enjoyed the wildlife.  As dusk approached, we would hike the road into the campground.  We saw kangaroos, including this mother with a joey in her pouch.

Mother kangaroo with her joey

We saw an echidna crossing the road.  This creature and the platypus are the only other egg-laying mammals on the planet.  Echidnas grow to be 30-inches long and up to 22 pounds.  Their spines are about two-inches long.  They only eat ants, termites, and other soil invertebrates.  An echidna's sticky tongue can reach up to seven inches.

The female echidna lays a single egg into a reverse-facing pouch she develops while pregnant.  When the puggle is born, it is only about a half-inch long.  It will stay in his mother's pouch for six to eight weeks.  The baby will continue to nurse for about seven months.

Echidna

In the next photo, David is standing next to a termite mound.  Echidnas dig into these termite mounds with their powerful, sharp claws.  They use their sticky tongues to capture the termites.  Lizards and birds also use the termite mounds for food and as nests.

David standing next to a termite mound

While at Oxley, we were also blessed to see the endangered brushy tail rock wallaby.  This wallaby was kind enough to pose for us while eating an enormous mushroom.

Brushy Tail Rock Wallaby

The crowds are getting heavier in the area.  Most of the stores are closing for the long Easter weekend.  We move on...