Search for a Silver Brumby

Three am, alarm rings but i’m already awake with anticipation. Lou flicks the light on and she hands me a freshly brewed coffee. I wipe the sleep from my eyes as the coffee kicks in. We pack a few things and tell the dog to stay and look after the place as we leave and head over the mountains toward Tumut.

The temperature is a warm six degrees and gets colder as we travel West past Adaminaby with a light frost coating the surrounding hills. We are hoping to reach way past Wagga Wagga by around 10:30am to experience the Old Time Clydesdale Show at Barellan.

On the way across the high country I express a wish (out aloud) to Lou that maybe, just maybe, we can catch a glimpse of the illusive and notorious Australian Silver Brumby in its natural habitat?

We have travelled this way before on many occasions, I have seen the sign before. The road sign icon is in the shape of a horse with “next 25km” under it in black on a bright yellow background. It always provokes a reaction in Lou as she passes on stories from others that have caught a glimpse of a brumby as they passed this way. She also becomes sceptical of this provocative sign post.

The sky is becoming lighter and the sun sends its first ray over the Yarrangobilly hills. OMG!! a shriek of delight rings out. “What!?” I returned. Lou continues with “There, There” and an assertive gesture of a pointed finger. “Well i’ll be!”….. I dim the high-beam and there before us, in the shadow of the mountains….. a silver brumby.

I pulled over and scrambled around to the back-door for my camera and fasten my telephoto lens. This was a chance of a lifetime to capture a vision that eludes most hopeful camera buffs. I try a few shots and keep the camera zipping away adjusting various settings on the run and hope that the available light will be enough to record some favourable moments. A series of shots below tells of the main stallion giving the hurry-on to the herd (some in foal) until they disappear into the woods behind.