On my fathers side of the family there is a long history of “bush” Australia. My great grandfather was the owner of one of Australia's largest cattle properties, Brunett Downs, which has long since been broken up into much smaller properties. My Dad spent most of his young life - from age 15 to the time he met Mum, working out west around Longreach and Cloncurry and so on, working with cattle or on huge cattle stations. The bottom picture here is him, aged around 20. He was the real deal. A working cowboy, able to roll his own ciggies with one hand while the other held the reins.

My cousin Andrew fancies himself a bit of a bushie (due to the family history, no doubt), despite the fact that he lives in a little cottage in Ascot (ok, ok so his folks own a small farm, too).... he likes to head out to the bush where some of his mates are real bushies, and today he sent the family these pictures from his latest trip. They are such great photos that I thought I'd share them with you all. Australia. An amazing, drought-stricken country. Such a different life.

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