A world first – four bullocks, two camels and two horses, harnessed together and pulling a wagon, was the result of a few beers around a campfire by the nation’s leading teamsters at the Good Old Days Festival.
Aleks Berzins, Marlie Draught Horse Stud, Exeter, dreamt up the idea and brought it to fruition with the help of his mates, bullock driver Phil Thomson, Numinbah Valley, Qld, and cameleer Rodney Sansom, Oakfield Ranch, Anna Bay, NSW.
The combination not only surprised their fellow teamsters but also the large crowd at the Good Old Days Festival at Barellan, on October 5-6.
“Aleks talked about it when we were at Surat for the centenary of Cobb & Co and Rodney agreed it would be good if we could achieve it, and yes, we have done it,” Phil Thomson said.
‘The Barellan Special is unique and it’s another feather in the cap for Barellan.
“We could increase the number of horses and camels – the possibilities are endless now.”
Mr Thomson paraded a team of 22 bullocks pulling a giant Mallee roller at Barellan – one of the largest bullock teams recorded in modern Australia.
His log wagon was used in the first demonstration at the festival of retyring using the traditional method of heating the iron tyre or rim in a fire to white hot heat.
The tyre was slightly smaller than the wagon wheel but expanded when heated. It was then transferred and fitted to the prepared wagon wheel with plenty of water added to quickly cook and shrink it to a tight fight.
“I used the wagon in a display at Sydney Royal and brought it out to Barellan, but the dry air made the wheel shrink. We had to cut and shut the wheel to tighten it,” Mr Thomson said.
“The whole wagon is over 100 years old. It originally started in the Kyolgle district of northern NSW, and I’ve had the wagon for about 20 years.
“We did use it to pull a big ironbark log about 8km to home. It was sawed up, then taken down to the local hall and used to construct a new kiosk. This was an Australian record of the biggest log on a log wagon from stump to sawmill.”
The log was 20 feet in length and contained almost 1500 super feet of timber. A super foot is defined as the volume of timber in a board 12 inches wide.
Mr Thomson said the wagon was made from ironbark bolsters with wheels of ironbark, spotted gum and blue gum with the timber sourced from the NSW coastal area.
Fully loaded, the wagon required from 14 to 18 bullocks to pull it.
“In the coastal areas there is a lot of hills and tight areas in the timber for the teams to negotiate,” Mr Thomson said.
Phil was recognised in June in the King’s Birthday honours with an Order of Australia medal for outstanding community achievement.
This included community, Landcare and 50 years in the local rural fire brigade. He is a former president, vice president, a member since 1992 and committee member since 1998 of the Australian Bullock Drivers League.
“The Bullock Drivers League is quite active with members from around the nation and New Zealand, with a few younger members coming through.
“Quite a few of our members have come to Barellan for the festival and we are planning our 2025 annual get together in Corryong.
“It is such a privilege to be at Barellan – it is the teamster’s capital of Australia with the biggest collection of mixed species draft animal you will find in the world.
“For me coming here it is the ultimate feeling with people of the same species and we all speak the same language. There is the cream of the crop when it comes to having all the different teamsters here.”
Ends
Caption:
1. Bullock driver Phil Thomson OAM with his team of 22 bullocks pulling a Mallee roller in the Good Old Days Festival at Barellan. Images Kim Woods
2. A world first – bullocks, camels and horses harnessed in the one team at the Good Old Days Festival with Phil Thomson, Rodney Sansom and Aleks Berzins.
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