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Last Great Cattle Drive, The

This film pays tribute to the last of Australia's drovers, as 1200 head of cattle are driven from the Northern Territory to Queensland on a journey covering 2000 kms and taking four months.
Year : 1988 | Total Duration : 57.5 Minutes | Producer : Don Murray
Director : Paul Hawker |
Silhouette cattle against sunset/sunrise sky. Stockmen cracking bull whips. GVs drovers and herd of cattle. Opening titles. Cattle and stockman to camera, cattle in dust. Road train with much dust to camera. Line of parked road trains. truck along road. Drover and herd of cattle. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126589 | 2 mins 20 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Bus, utility vans (utes) and vehicles along dusty road to camera. Press representatives carrying cameras and tripods. Pic Willetts, boss drover, on horseback with cattle. Country people greeting one another. People looking at list of names of drovers. Willetts posing for cameras. Interview regarding last cattle drive. People talking to camera about Willetts being the best. Willets poses for cameras. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126590 | 3 mins 19 secs | 1980s | Newcastle Waters, NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Cattle being sorted in cattle yard. Boss drover Pic Willetts and family relaxing under trees. Horses tied up next to tree. Making preparations for cattle drive, loading supplies, chatting to families including Willetts aboriginal wife Beryl. Silhouette drover against sunset sky. Night shot sitting around camp fire. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126591 | 1 min 34 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Map of Australia showing route from Newcastle Water in Northern Territory to Longreach in New South Wales. In New castle Waters, many people gathered including press. Local woman to camera saying this is best celebration of the bicentennary. County music band Bloodwood singing. Cattle drive heads off led by boss drover Pic Willetts. Willetts aboriginal wife Beryl looks on. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126592 | 2 mins 6 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Aerials herd of cattle being driven in outback by drovers on horse back. Truck carrying mobile kitchen along dirt track. Line of cattle on horizon. Horse drawn wagon replica driven by Will Banks and young son, Joel. CU man picking nails with penknife. Cook Rodney Watson to camera talking about boss drover Pic Willetts being good at doing what he says he can do. Banks to camera saying he is good at what he does. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126593 | 3 mins 4 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Boss drover Pic Willetts talking to men. Line of cattle along dirt. Willetts on horse talking to camera about cattle listening to his voice. Aboriginal stockman with bull whip around herd. Willetts to camera with handkerchief over face talking about stockmen positioning around herd. High aerial over herd. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126594 | 1 min 30 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
CU's cattle grazing dry grass. Boss drover Pic Willetts on horseback amongst cattle. Cattle at water trough. Small numbers of cattle allowed to drink at a time. Stockmen eating and drinking at camp including Willetts' two sons. One of horses carefully saddling horse that hasn't been ridden for some time. Other son fixing up sore on his leg. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126595 | 2 mins 43 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Head drover Pic Willetts' son splashing water on his chaps to help him ride a horse that has not been ridden for some time. Mounts and canters horse around camp while it bucks. Old aboriginal stockman watches whilst lighting cigarette. Willetts around cattle waving bull whip. Cattle past camera. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126596 | 1 min 33 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
VS Young aboriginal stockman on horse. Boss drover Pic Willetts around cattle. VS drovers and cattle along flat red earth. Stop by river, VS Willetts' son Dennis washing in water, CU's Willetts on horse, Dennis washes, drinks water and relaxes. Willetts on ground with cattle and watering horses. Dennis on horse, silhouette against sunset. Night shot men eating by campfire. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126597 | 4 mins 16 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Bush artist Arthur Hamblin sketching scenes of men and horses at camp. Horses with bells around necks or hobbles on legs grazing. Boss drover Pic Willetts watching Hamblin painting. Hamblin talking to camera about drovers being professional. Cook setting out meal at camp. Willetts with cattle. Wagon and man setting up camp fire next to it, tethered horse.Bicentenary
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Access No. 126598 | 1 min 54 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Two stockmen in dusk riding away from camera to full moon. Silhouette stockmen at dusk eating and tying up horse. Night watch over herd, men ride around singing. Other men asleep in swags. Dawn, red sky and silhouette of stockmen on horses. Day - line of cattle across land. Boss stockman Pic Willetts on motorbike scouting ahead of herd for best grass. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126599 | 2 mins 33 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Good pan vast barren outback landscape, vehicle in some of shot. Boss drover Pic Willetts instructing mobile kitchen which direction is best. Cook sets up camp. Artist Arthur Hamblin taking shower under bucket with holes in. Horses splashing in water hole. Ernie McCarthy, former drover, talking to cook Rodney Watson as he washes clothes in bucket. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126600 | 2 mins 23 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Ernie McCarthy, former drover, greet boss drover Pic Willetts, they chat then Willetts gets back on horse. McCarthy talks to camera about returning to land after spending 20 years in city, emotional he turns and walks away. Camp. CU pan painting by artist Arthur Hamblin. Another man marks on ground illustrating the shape of the herd and talks about how it makes him feel as though he's done something. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126601 | 2 mins 24 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
High aerial cattle herd in barren landscape. Artist Arthur Hamblin to camera talking about beauty of outback. Cook Rodney Watson pointing to double rainbow in stormy sky. Pan horizon with cattle and rainbow. Sunset sky. Silhouette man shaking blankets. Hamblin to camera talking about harsh environment of the bush and obeying rules. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126602 | 1 min 42 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Boss drover Willetts cracking whip at death adder coiled amongst stones. Stockmen controlling herd . Willetts talking to camera about looking after cattle. Camp, Willetts slicing bread and meat. CU cattle licking each other. Willetts amongst cattle aiming rifle, CU's faces of cattle. Willetts shoots one, cook Rodney Watson and others cutting up carcass, artist Arthur Hamblin helps. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126603 | 3 mins 32 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Horse being shod by Will Banks who drives wagon. Talks to camera about how it is different driving a wagon in this environment. Cook Rodney Watson talks, as he works on cutting up carcass, about driving a wagon. Banks to camera talking about difficulty in fitting in with droving team. Wagon through bush, VS Banks and son Joel in wagon. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126604 | 3 mins 9 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Artist Arthur Hamblin to camera talking about difficulty with wagon driver Will Banks fitting in and reasons for his exclusion. VS cook Rodney Watson at camp. Banks walking over to Watson trying to resolve situation, Butler draws fists and refuses to talk it over. Banks walks away. Watson talks to boss drover Pic Willetts and Willetts talks to Banks, Banks decides to leave. Talks to camera and is upset. Explains situation to his son. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126605 | 4 mins 48 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Wagon driver Will Banks packing up camp in morning. VS herd of cattle and stockmen. Herd split so that sections can water. American Ken Close and daughter Kerry in cowboy clothing talking to artist Arthur Hamblin by vehicle. Close talking about how he heard about the drive in the USA from fellow American Christine Berry. Three join drovers, cook Ron Butler, all chat around camp. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126606 | 5 mins 2 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
Three Americans mount horse and join cattle drive. VS around herd of cattle. Silhouette stockman at sunset leading horse. Day shot, American Ken Close herding and talking to cattle. Chats to stockman at camp looking at penknife, drinking tea from tin mugs, joke together. Stockman riding bucking horse in cattle yard, others watch as he settles horse, American cheer. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126607 | 4 mins 56 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
American Ken Close having difficulty mounting horse. Boss drover Pic Willetts talking to camera about how he admires Close's ability to admit lack of skill. Kerry Close to camera talking about the skill of the Australian stockmen over American cowboys. Ken Close to camera talking about having a good time. Close and Willetts riding and chatting together. Willetts on stool saying after drive he'll probably go on the dole, wry smile. Bicentenary
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Access No. 126608 | 1 min 30 secs | 1980s | NT, Australia | © NFSA | Colour |
National Film and Sound Archive - Australia