The Brunette Races have been a major social event for station people in the top end for the last one hundred years with attendance figures around the seven hundred to one thousand mark. This year being the one hundredth anniversary some three thousand people turned up most of whom had some connection with Brunette Downs in the past. The regular attenders from Lake Nash, Alroy Downs, Alexandria Downs, Avon and Eva Downs, Mallapunya Station, Anthony Lagoon, Wallhallow Station along with many more returned to Brunette for this special occasion. Each of these stations have permanent camps set up for use not only on race week but for camp drafts and other functions held there during the year. Some camps are modest affairs...
The "no fixed address tour" Just three years ago my twenty year stint manufacturing leather luggage, hand bags and accessories came to an end. It was time for the younger generation to take the reins. I was turned out to the long paddock to spell for an indefinite period of time. It seems I became too grumpy and finally lacked the ability to sew a straight line. My thoughts were to travel so I purchased a small camper and headed off into the bush. .I was in the Goondiwindi area and heard that the local show was on so I rang Jock at the factory and ask that he send a small range of our products so I could set up a display and see how they went. I...
Before Birdsville Fieldy and I attended the Camooweal drovers Festival. It was there we met a handful of our last drovers who individually but collectively along with those past walked hundreds of thousands of cattle from the Kimberly's, the NT and the Gulf country down to Dajarra from where they were loaded on rail trucks destined for southern Queensland fattening stations and eventually to the nations dinner plates of meat hungry Australians. Wonderful stories of tough times, of fights, of wild cattle, rough horses and shocking cooks flowed freely as the rum did its work. During the late sixties both Fieldy and I worked in separate stock camps on the well known Victoria River Downs before the introduction of helicopter...
G'day from the team at Rugged Luxury in Byron Bay. Myself, Jock Craigie and my father Steve will be posting interesting blogs on news about our business and more importantly Steve's travels around Australia on the 'Rugged Luxury Tour'. Coming up to three years now Steve has been travelling around Australia attending country shows, festivals and field days displaying our wide range of leather goods and accessories, all proudly handmade in Australia. In his travels he has met countless interesting people from all walks of life that highlight the soul and spirit of this great land. You can view our website at www.ruggedluxury.com Feel free to respond to any of the blogs we post. All the best Jock Craigie
