These Stock routes are also known as "The Long Paddock". Stock was required to cover a certain mileage (kilometres) per day, in order the country did not become over grazed.

FEES, LEASES OR LICENCES

Farmers pay a lease or agistment fee to drove a certain number of head (stock) along these areas within and or for a specified time.

The time that Moonman speaks, is before and for a few years after World War 2. This is a time before the truck transports took over the movement of stock between towns or districts.

Modern and Global markets require stock and other produce be brought to market speedily and in prime condition.

PEG-DOGS

In order to control the stock, drovers carried dogs, called peg dogs. Attributes of these dogs was their lack of fear, ability to bark and make plenty of noise when stock came near them. Timid dogs, generally, would be useless for the purpose.

Droving, using peg dogs, is still carried on in some of the outback areas.

Drovers did not normally use their working dogs for this task, preferring that these remain fit and in good condition for the movement and control of the stock.

Some drovers had so many peg dogs that they and their needs were carried on a separate wagonette. It was a noisy assembly, with the dogs barking and yapping in full voice.

Added to that was the noise of the fights between the dogs seeking to establish their position or fighting over food.

Where this was the arrangement, drovers carried the working dogs in slings swung under the base wagonette.

STOCK CONTROL

Peg dogs would be pegged (hence the name) and chained a certain distance apart.

This would be at the head of, and behind the mob, thus creating an active, barking, live fence to stop the stock from moving forward or backward.

It also stopped them from drifting too far away,  or from spreading out onto the adjoining properties.  

Alternatively, if the adjoining properties were fenced and the fences in good condition, the dogs might be placed in and along gullies, rivers or creek beds to stop them from getting around the fence-lines.

Sometimes, where appropriate, they might just be chained near bridge approaches or other natural obstacles to restrict the movement of stock or to stop the stock from wandering past a certain point.

The owner of the stock would employ the drover to look after the stock, ensuring they were delivered safely, in good condition and with the minimum loss to their destination.

ROAD TRANSPORT

Road transport became more efficient and capable of hauling larger numbers of stock rapidly. It was important to get stock to market quickly to gain market advantage or to meet overseas demand.

Trucks eliminated the need to be weeks, or even months on the road. It also eliminated the requirement for peg dogs.

DIEING TRADITIONS

No longer required, few drovers kept such dogs for that purpose anymore.

Now, the only time they might be required, might be in times of drought, when stock are moved to follow available feed sources, keeping stock alive until the rains came.

THE GREAT BOOMERANG

A part of inland Australia, commencing in Queensland, through parts of NSW and Central Australia down to Lake Eyre in South Australia forms part of a region called the Great Boomerang.

It sweeps like a boomerang, with the Western rivers and creeks flowing down through it, eventually finishing up in South Australia's Lake Eyre.

In most years it is a very flat dry area. Rivers on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, running inland into what was once a great inland sea.  In the "dry", these rivers are dry and can be dry for many years, but become raging floods when the rains come.

This was before or when early man first migrated down to this island continent, we call Australia.

INLAND SEA

As the land is so flat, in the very wet years when the rains come it can still form a great sea, flooding vast areas of land before emptying into South Australia's Lake Eyre.

Once the floods recede the land blooms and there is plenty of feed. The higher parts will also benefit and grow feed that stock may utilise.

it is also a time when the desert and dry areas are a mass and an immense variety of flowering plants and shrubs, such is not seen elsewhere in the world, other than Australia.

This is also a time when peg dogs can be of use, moving stock over stock routes that are not flooded until the properties recover from the floods.