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.