Recently Della and I circumnavigated the Snowy River in our Defender and and camper (http://www.fourwheelcampers.com/). The area up around McKillops Bridge remains today an isolated place to live. It must have been much moreso eg when the Ambon Settlement was founded as a soldier settlement scheme after WW1 (there remains an interesting historic suspension bridge constructed so that the poor farmers there could get their produce to market – though it certainly could not have been fresh produce) and one wonders how they coped when a child was sick. Even today education is a major difficulty with the only school in the district (at Tubbutt) having only Two students but otherwise obviating many hours’ travel per day. I could not help but sorrow at the dreadful effect that the ‘latte set’ is having on people’s lives there. Successive ‘green’ policies have stolen their grazing, logging and farming neighbours and converted their land into ill-managed (and seldom visited – especially by the chattering classes) ‘National’ Parks from which periodically they are attacked by dreadful, unnecessary unstoppable wildfires. (Not to mention introduced animals, vermin and weeds). One can see the successive waves of regrowth from the more recent fires along their hillsides as their pastures have been overtaken by a profusion of native weeds (aka gums/wattles etc) which they have had neither time nor money to remove. Again ‘green’ policies mean they cannot re-clear them or even plough fields which once shipped wheat to Sydney or Melbourne if they have lain fallow for a scant ten years. The struggle to make a living in such an unforgiving place means they are slowly slipping away, leaving the burden of enormous work to fewer and fewer, abandoning the work of their parents and grandparents without a penny to show for it, leaving abandoned farmhouses and fences leaning and weathering away into the landscape. I have often thought (and said) that there should be an open season on ‘Greens’. When I visit these wild places and see what a dreadful impact ‘green’ policies are having on them, I am moved to recommend May as a good time – being after the Duck, Hog deer and Red deer seasons. There should be no size or bag limits! and no exceptions!
McKillops Bridge:
wow, I had no idea Steve. My colleagues have been talking about hunting up there for weeks. we hadnt bothered to check. I was intent on going alone. many thanks for your response, Ill seek “greener legal pastures
keep safe, once again many thanks
cheers
Geoff
Hi Again Geoff, I did wonder when I saw your question whether you were trying to entrap me! Curiously these other guys have been posting a Youtube recently about canoe hunting the Snowy showing lots of dead deer taken. They invite some problems for themselves. We walked down to look at a really big rapid on the river a few tears ago and witnessed a stag fight overnight which was also attended by a large pack of wild dogs. Walking along the bottom of the river there were certainly really lots of deer but the government would rather they were shot from helicopters or poisoned than open up the area for ethical hunters. The river is edged with giant cliffs for a lot of its course so it is extraordinarily difficult to get to the bottom. Once you do there are stretches where you can walk along the river for miles though (and camp). The fishing (and solitude) is good. I suspect it is illegal (technically) to walk anywhere in the Alpine National Park which is not a designated trail or camp site, but I wouldn’t worry a lot about that. Carrying a rifle might be more of a problem though. Cheers, Steve.
many thanks for your posting, Im seriously considering a deer hunting trip the Mckillops Bridge area, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Geoff, I wold have thought you would have been aware that even though there are many deer along the Snowy River practically the whole river valley is closed to deer hunting. There is nowhere within many miles of McKillops Bridge where it is legal. Canoe, fish for trout, photograph deer…but leave your rifle at home, alas. Cheers, Steve.