Mungerannie Hotel

Airport (MNE) Latitude: -28.0 ( South 28° 0' 0" )   Longitude: 138.6 ( East 138° 36' 0" )

Road Distances 301km South of Birdsville Qld 210km North of Maree, Sth Australia

on the Birdsville Track

Eric Oldfield

Stockwhip draped over his arm and fellow stockmen at the ready Eric Oldfield called "Let 'em go", to release a 350 head mob of cattle from the yards. Eric was droving again and it seemed like he had never been away from it.

Since selling Mungerannie station on the Birdsville Track in 1972 Eric  Oldfield, 67 has lived most of his life in Marree. He owns the Caravan  and Campers Park there as well as leases the General Store.

"The outback has is life, its all I live for. I've tried other places, but they are not home." He said.

They were camped near Koocherie Waterhole, about 2 hours from the nearest homestead. It is a short distance from where Eric lived with his family in bush huts on Mona Downs station in the Simpson Desert.

"My father sold a saddle for 5 pounds to get enough money to come here from Quorn in 1938 and take up a bit of Crown land." Eric informed.

"No one ever seemed to how big the station was and we called it the Mona Downs because mum was always moaning. O remember the women had to
tie kerosene soaked rags around their ankles to stop the ants from crawling up their legs."

"I was only six when we arrived and we lived here for 5 years before buying Cowarie station and moving into a proper house."

Eric like his brothers worked as a drover in the 50'ies and 60'ies bringing mobs around 600 head from Birdsville down Track to the rail head at Marree. He was "boss drover" on one of the last great cattle drives down the Birdsville Track in 1972.

"Spending 6 weeks droving next year will give me a lot of satisfaction because my father was a drover for many years", proclaimed Eric. The Cattle Drive is the feature event of the Year of the Outback celebrations in SA, in 2002.

(Article courtesy of the Advertiser, p26 31-8-01)