Why you 'paint' cattle in pens, what the EU signs on certain pens mean, and how liveweight scales fit into the whole selling operation - these were some of the questions Stewart Benson was able to answer at the Blackall Saleyards during the last weaner sale.
While the informal gathering of tourists he led was not the start of an official schedule, Mr Benson, a local legend in both droving and tourism circles, said it had been really well received.
"They are doing it at Roma - so can we," he said.
It was well received by participants such as Rhonda Huggins and Graham Jarmin from Echuca, Victoria, who said the organisation was "magnificent".
"It's about everything working as a team, and the way the stock was looked after was impressive too," Graham said, while Rhonda commented that everyone obviously knew what they were doing.
The pair were impressed with the standard of the stock and the hands-off handling.
Mr Benson, the 2019 recipient of outback tourism's Vince Evert Award and a well-known raconteur, said close to 30 people from around Queensland and Victoria had taken part in the tagalong tour.
They couldn't have had a better host - Mr Benson remembers when they sold cattle at the town's pound yards and showgrounds before the first purpose-built timber yards were constructed in 1968.
"At one stage we were having two sales a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays," he said, noting that the facilities were considerably smaller than the present yards, which put through 5100 head for the monthly weaner sale.
"I remember when you could have bought a big bullock for $20 in the crash," he said.
On the day of the tour, prices up to $2000 a head were being paid.
Blackall-Tambo Regional Council CEO Des Howard said the council, which owns the yards, may have been further down the track with plans for a formal tour schedule except for ongoing COVID-19 concerns, but that pre-arranged tours were happening when there was a demand for them.
"There's no set time, no open slather - every now and then we get enquiries and are able to organise something," he said. "We just don't want crowds in the way of buyers, and it's a big working complex."
Mr Howard said the free visits so far arranged had gone a long way towards giving people an alternate understanding of how cattle were handled to the message they were getting through a lot of channels.
Further tours are planned as part of the upcoming Better in Blackall festival.
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Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
