PHOTOS: Eidsvold Cattle Drive 2024
Despite a boggy start to the 2024 Eidsvold Cattle Drive, volunteers and attendees were all smiles on day four of the major fundraising event that drives 400 head from Culcraige Station to Euroka Station. See the photos, video.
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Despite wet weather delaying the start of the 2024 Eidsvold Cattle Drive, blue skies and sunshine greeted drovers and volunteers alike on day four of the celebrated Burnett event.
The week long trip across historic stations in the Eidsvold region has given attendees the chance to see the landscape in a whole new way, following a mob of more than 400 cattle.
The biannual event, is a major fundraiser for three initiatives close to locals’ hearts: the Royal Flying Doctor Service – Queensland Section, LifeFlight and Burnett Rotary Lodge Bundaberg.
On Thursday, April 11, the 20-plus attendees, volunteers and head drovers set out making the trip from Culcraige Station to Euroka Station, averaging more than 15km on horseback.
Despite intense daily logistics, committee member and sponsor Rob Watt said everything had been going (mostly) according to plan.
“It was an extremely interesting start,” he laughed.
“There was a fair bit of rain and we had to change all of our plans on the slide, but anyway, we now have perfect weather, perfect skies and cattle are going well.”
Speaking to Mr Watt in the back of a gently rocking dray ride, as the Manager of the Mundubbera Bendigo Bank he said it was important to him, his business and his family to support events with such life saving fundraising initiatives.
“We’re a community bank, everything we do is raising money for the community,” he said.
Like many of those backing the event, Mr Watt did more than throw some money towards fundraising, and rarely spent a spare moment not helping the team in one way or another, such as unhooking the dray horses after a demanding journey through several ridges and gullies along the trip.
Kara Knudsen is another volunteer, and despite her family donating a portion of the cattle, which were driven during the event, she followed the mob, offering guidance and wisdom to the less experienced attendees.
Like Mr Watt, Ms Knudsen said such fundraising initiatives were vital, and that she and her family would continue to back the event in years to come, in one way or another.
“Our family has been involved with the cattle drive from the very first event,” she said.
“We love raising money for a good cause, and we don’t live out here without the RFDS and the Rotary Lodge, they are really important to our area.
“It’s also about sharing our story, particularly with participants who are from all over and not necessarily off the land and giving them an experience to understand our industry, and the Eidsvold community.”
Many of the participants said they had driven several hours to be there, sourcing horses and gear to make the week-long experience happen.
Melinda Green of Redland Bay said it was impossible to narrow down a standout moment from the journey so far, after joining the event following a close friend’s attendance in 2022.
She did however, speak on the moment she was first encouraged to lead the cattle and after settling into the spot feeling a sense on power at commanding such a massive mob.
“My horse had never seen cows before this event, and I was just out there by myself, and it was great,” she said.
Head drover Bruce Tye said while the event was a gentler version of the reality of cattle droving, he encouraged anyone interested in events such as the Eidsvold Cattle Drive to attend if given the chance.
“You want it to be fun, but you can’t make it authentic droving or you wouldn’t get anyone to come,” he joked.
As the former president of the committee, he said the friendship forged during the planning and commencement of the major event kept him coming back year after year.
SEE THE PHOTOS FROM DAY FOUR OF THE EIDSVOLD CATTLE DRIVE 2024:
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