LONELY AUSTRALIA : THE UNIQUE CONTINENT 



533 



physical comfort and social companion- 

 ship the battle with the bush is lost at the 

 outset. The struggle demands self-con- 

 fidence, a dogged refusal to be discour- 

 aged, a faith in the future of the country, 

 and a profound belief that a man's life 

 sacrificed for the good of coming genera- 

 tions is well spent. 



A TYPICAL SHEEP STATION 



Yalata, South Australia, is a typical 

 sheep station of the better class. Parts 

 of this ranch, which was formerly about 

 the size of Connecticut, and still retains 

 the generous proportions of 300,000 acres, 

 are inclosed by dog-and-rabbit-proof 

 fences and subdivided into grazing pad- 

 docks. The all-essential water is obtained 

 from wells of uncertain yield, from 

 storm-water "tanks," and from the roofs 

 of buildings. 



The ranch is a community in itself. 

 There is a blacksmith shop, a carpenter 

 shop, and a laundry, in addition to the 

 familiar sheep pens and wool sheds. Be- 

 sides the station-house — a roomy struc- 

 ture of stone and galvanized iron — there 

 are outlying houses for workmen and 

 huts for the families of "blackfellows" — 

 docile dependents who are fed, cared for 

 like children, and render a little inefficient 

 service. Teams of camels bring in fuel 

 and haul wool to the port at Fowler Bay 

 (see map, pages 480-481) and pack-cam- 

 els carry water to distant points. 



There is not the bustle and long hours 

 of labor common to American ranches, 

 for the Australian employee has clearly 

 defined working days. But the employer 

 and his family are not restricted and their 

 work is varied and arduous. The owner 

 is incessantly busy with repairs, with 

 examination of fences and water supplies, 

 and keeps a cheerful and generous spirit 

 in spite of the fact that hopes of financial 

 independence, which had come within 

 reach after years of isolation and 

 struggle, were shattered by the drought 

 of the previous year. 



The women of the family, refined, 

 educated and broadened by travel, are 

 bearing the household burdens, running 

 the store, post-office, and telegraph 

 station, acting as nurse and medical ad- 

 viser to women and children of the 



"blacks," and making life more endurable 

 for the small ranchmen of the neighbor- 

 hood, who had lost much through failure 

 of crops and starvation of their meager 

 flocks. 



The ever-present temptation to "let 

 things slide'' is courageously resisted. 

 Culture is shown in a collection of good 

 books and musical instruments, in the 

 appearance of the table, the leisurely 

 ordering of meals, and the discarding 

 from conversation of the cares of a busy 

 day. Time is arranged for reading, for 

 quiet gossip, and for interchange of ideas 

 on a wide range of subjects. The dirt 

 and annoyances incident to ranch life are 

 kept outside of the home. 



When a traveler comes along he is 

 accepted on terms of equality, receives 

 what the station has to offer, and is 

 expected to give from his store of ex- 

 periences. The bushman looking for work 

 is passed along from station to station, 

 hospitably entertained and supplied with 

 provisions for the road. 



For us hospitality was begun by the 

 owner, who sent a cordial invitation 130 

 miles inland to our desert camp, and was 

 ended by his daughter, who guided us on 

 the 400-mile "track" to the boat at Port 

 Lincoln. 



THE LANDS OP COTTON AND WOOL 



What America is for cotton, Australia 

 is for wool. The Australian has no seri- 

 ous rival as a producer of Merino wool. 

 In this favorable climate sheep multiply 

 rapidly and produce the heaviest known 

 fleece of the finest known quality. The 

 fiber is fine, of great length, unusual 

 strength, and therefore holds first place 

 in the manufacture of high-grade cloths 

 in England, Germany, and America. 



With a satisfactory market assured for 

 every pound of wool Australia can raise, 

 it is natural to find all sorts of people 

 trying their hand at sheep-raising. Law- 

 yers, physicians, clerks, teachers, titled 

 aristocracy, as well as farmers and stock- 

 men, are enrolled as wool-raisers, and 

 while the actual work on the run requires 

 few men, the number indirectly connected 

 with the wool and mutton business prob- 

 ably includes one-third of the population. 



During a series of good seasons his 

 returns are very great, but he must fight 



