I live at Deniliquin in the Riverina district of New South
Wales and spend
most of my time working as a contract stockman on local sheep stations
and on properties
in Central Queensland. In the winter months I also work as a leader on
commercial
camel expeditions in the Australian deserts.When I was traveling in Morocco in 1991, I found myself near the town of Zagora on the edge of the Sahara Desert. I went for a walk and was soon sitting on a rocky outcrop with a marvellous view of the surrounding valley and oasis. As I was looking out across the plains, a young boy appeared, shepherding some camels back towards the village. Watching the camels lope seemingly effortlessly over the flat stones, I decided then & there to learn more about these marvellous animals and one day walk across Australia with my own.
The sheep station I worked on as a jackeroo near Longreach was dissected by the Tropic of Capricorn and I sometimes wondered "where it came from, where it went to, and what lay along it." So, as I began to work on commercial camel expeditions, the logical conclusion was to follow the Tropic of Capricorn with camels. So, in 1994, I began planing the journey.
I first handled camels in 1995 and since then have crossed the Simpson Desert on three occasions plus traversed the southern fringe of the Simpson, north of Lake Eyre.
In 1997, I led a 40 day 700 kilometre expedition across the Gibson Desert plus another 43 day 600 kilometre combined trek around the Great Victoria Desert and the Nullarbor.
Capricorn Expedition will be my biggest solo trek.
Because I am traveling by myself, there is certainly a real element of danger and risk. I feel that my experience with camels combined with my bush skills and pre-departure planning, make those risks acceptable.