Giving a CooEE to All the Aussies Where are Ya Mate?

Hi, just thought it would be good to get to know all my fello QLD, NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, WA, & NT'rs on this site.
So Hoping you'll share where you're from, where you're working or worked previously. It'd be great to see photos of where you're working and any rippa Jokes or Yarns.
I'm soon to be back in Emerald Central Queensland and most of my experience grader driving has been in and around that area as well as Lorraine Station and Century Zinc North West of Cloncurry. Cheers Adrian.

P.S The first Grader I learnt to drive was a 140G. However I never operated this particular machine , seen here on a property near Belyando Crossing between Clermont and Charters Towers QLD.

These photos are from my very first grading job when I was 21yrs old on Woodhouse Station, south west of Ayr QLD. I knew absolutely nothing except what I had been shown when I was 16. An old bloke gave me a crash course on his 140G, when he saw I was interested. I would ride my pushbike out to see all the machinery working on a job they were doing to widen the corridor to duplicate the train tracks near Coppabella. He took pity on me and offered to take me for a ride and showed me the basics. These photos of a very amatuer attempt to build up 10kms of road.

A good grader man always has fencing wire. It's not just handy for fixing fences lol.!

G’day Adrian,
If you have a look on a map, we are about half way between Taroom and Mundubbera, on the Auburn River.
We are surrounded by five towns, all about 120km away by road.
Closest pub, at 115km, is at Cracow but it would be a bit of a stretch to call it a town.
We have cattle places here but as a sideline we also have a little road maintenance business servicing two local govt. areas, other cockies and the like.
I’ve always had an unhealthy interest in machinery...my first paying job, at age 11, was ploughing for a neighbour on a Chamberlain 306 for $5/day.
Will you be on coal trains in CQ?

Queenslander said:

G’day Adrian,
If you have a look on a map, we are about half way between Taroom and Mundubbera, on the Auburn River.
We are surrounded by five towns, all about 120km away by road.
Closest pub, at 115km, is at Cracow but it would be a bit of a stretch to call it a town.
We have cattle places here but as a sideline we also have a little road maintenance business servicing two local govt. areas, other cockies and the like.
I’ve always had an unhealthy interest in machinery...my first paying job, at age 11, was ploughing for a neighbour on a Chamberlain 306 for $5/day.
Will you be on coal trains in CQ?

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Hi Qld'r thanks for sharing. To answer your question. In a word, No. At this stage Im going back to Emerald to work the passanger train, The Spirit of the Outback as far as Longreach and back to Rocky. 2 x a week if that. I used to work the minerva Coal trains when I was in Emerald, before Anna Bligh sold us off. So that's why I'm keen to pursue any grader driving I can on my other days off. I have an ABN and have been doing some part time work near Capella. If it interests you I have a Youtube channel. Just put Adrian Nettlefold in the search and you can see what I have been up to. I will definitely have a look to see if I can find your general location.
P.S. always on the lookout for new work contacts, so if you need a hand one day, just send a message. Cheers Adrian.

I hope the photo was taken recently. What's all the green stuff Queenslander? moss!!!

We’re pretty keen on trains ourselves.
Did the Spirit of the Outback a couple of years ago.
Will be spending this New Year’s Eve on the Great Southern from Brisbane to Adelaide.
Tones, that photo was taken twelve months ago ... wasn’t real flash then but lush compared to now.

Queenslander said:

We’re pretty keen on trains ourselves.
Did the Spirit of the Outback a couple of years ago.
Will be spending this New Year’s Eve on the Great Southern from Brisbane to Adelaide.
Tones, that photo was taken twelve months ago ... wasn’t real flash then but lush compared to now.

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Qld'r I followed my Grandfather into Earthmoving, he was Grader driver in the Widgee Shire Council in Gympie. And then I took after my Dad into QR in 2000, he was a Train Driver Gympie,Cloncurry, Coppabella and Nambour, then finally Wickham in WA for Rio Tinto til he passed away 18months ago from stomach and esophageal cancer. The only thing I will miss about Brisbane is Working Steam Locomotives. I got to work the 100yrs of ANZAC Troop Train out to Longreach and back in 2015. (See my youtube channel)

Apart from a small stint on a 140G leveling out piles of top soil towards the end of our job on the Haughton River development in 1995, and a day trying to learn how to use BladePro on the 140H that J.J McDonald & Sons had at Century Zinc Mine when we were building the airstrip during the startup construction stage. Was on Lorraine Station in the Gulf of Carpentaria North West of Cloncurry. I was there to drive their D9H and was later put on the old 12E Cat doing more fence lines and a quick fix (blade the bull dust to the side due to no water) on one of the gazetted roads that tourists used as a short cut to Lawn Hill National park. The 12E was originally the pride and joy of the resident grader driver, an old Aboriginal man by the name of Jack Stacey. Jack 64yr had a very much younger wife 27yr Louise and when knock of came to shut the machines down at 5pm, Jack was already at the front gate to the house they had. He had a healthy distrust of us single fellas hahahaha. Jack always refered to himself in the 3rd person. and some of the conversations about his black relatives made me think he was whiter than myself. He hated bludgers almost as much as he hated thunder and would literally hide under the bed when a thunder storm was about. He worked hard and he knew a lot. He also Loved his Steak, which was amazing to watch when you considered he was toothless... Not a tooth to be seen. He'd gum that meat til it broke apart, but by the 3rd day of steak sandwiches, he was back to white bread butter and honey. He also has emphasyma and couldn't walk 10 paces without running out of puff, but yet he wouldn't give that old open cab Cat up for anyone. By the time I got to use her, Jack was gone and it had be abused by the newbies who had come and gone when I returned for a few days work in 2001.

Good stuff. Really enjoying the pics and the stories!!!!

An old blade man that was a good friend to me stayed in the seat so long that his wife would help him up into the back of the pickup using a step ladder, then back the pickup to the grader door and help him up in the cab. He was also legally blind and didn't have a driver's license. One visit with him I said Howard how do you control the blade with your sight problem? He said oh I just lower it until the machine starts to struggle then lift it a pinch.

I was embarrassed for him. I've always told my Township Board to not let me stay that long.

Howard was running the Township Grader when they bought this one. They gave it to him when they got a motorized Cat. I bought it at his Estate sale.




My Son had never ran a grader. So I hitched my tractor to this one and he ran it for a couple hours. He came away with a whole new respect for those oldtimers!!!

ovrszd said:

Good stuff. Really enjoying the pics and the stories!!!!

An old blade man that was a good friend to me stayed in the seat so long that his wife would help him up into the back of the pickup using a step ladder, then back the pickup to the grader door and help him up in the cab. He was also legally blind and didn't have a driver's license. One visit with him I said Howard how do you control the blade with your sight problem? He said oh I just lower it until the machine starts to struggle then lift it a pinch.

I was embarrassed for him. I've always told my Township Board to not let me stay that long.

Howard was running the Township Grader when they bought this one. They gave it to him when they got a motorized Cat. I bought it at his Estate sale.

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My Son had never ran a grader. So I hitched my tractor to this one and he ran it for a couple hours. He came away with a whole new respect for those oldtimers!!!


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WOW!!! That's Awesome. I know a bloke here that has a whole paddock full of vintage machinery, but I'm not sure he has one of these old horse/crawler drawn types. My Grandfather told me that he had driven trucks with wheel ratchets to hoist the tipper when he first started working. I have to say, I had a dear friend that taught me a lot about driving trains in particular Steam and Air Brake, and it was his passion for the subject that helped me retain what I needed to know for my exams. I never got to go any clearing sale, but he had made sure I got his Driver's fob watch, Books and diagrams and things of sentimental value, will he was still alive. I was a bit embarrassed and humbled that he thought enough of me as his last student, to give them to me. I miss his stories and being able to sit down and share with him what is the current work situation more than anything.

Thanks for sharing OVRSZD

Howard was a mentor to me in regards to my "growing up education". He fixed me up with my first cigar. He was also a school bus driver. He hauled a bus load of FFA (Future Farmers of America) boys to Kansas City for the Annual FFA National Meeting. As we were unloading he said "Hey Rich I gotta go gas up the bus in about an hour, you and a couple of your friends need to go with me". I said sure. Later we got back on the bus with Howard and he headed for downtown Kansas City which was about a mile away. We drove into the heart of downtown on 12th Street. It was lined with bars and Houses of Ill Repute. He stopped in front of one where there were three scantily dressed young women standing by the front door. He opened the door and said you boys be back down to the FFA Center parking lot by 3 p.m. We got off the bus. Those girls were all over us and led us inside. I was 13. My life was forever changed. When we got back to the parking lot and got on the bus Howard had a huge grin on his face. He said "You boys have fun"? From that point on Howard was a "god" to me!!!!!

And I thought I was having fun ploughing on the Chamberlain at 11yo.

I,m thinking you guys will liven the"joint" up!

I knew it wouldn't be long before the conversation would lead to the pleasures of the flesh Don't knoe any earthmover that isn't facinated by the finer "points" of the feminine form. I blame the vibrations through the seat on the prostrate... and the fact they constantly have a lever if some discription or another in hand .
I worked with a short nuggety bloke that had thick black hear on his head and probably all over is round body... he also had a nasilely voice and sounded like he was whinging while being half cut when he spoke normally. Anyway, he was too long in the saddle driving side tippers at Canington and on his days off headed off to Townsville to blow off some steam. He decided he'd thumb through the classifieds for someone offering their wares for a reasonable price. On arrival at his motel room, said "Lady" enters the room and in a european accent announces "I vont more money." Old mate says "MORE MONEY???!!!" We haven't even started. She Turns to him with a glint in "Her" eye and says " I av a whatsy" Old mate with a puzzled look says " What the F' is a Whatsy?!" "She" proceeds to lift away the skirt and panties to expose a Largish Mr Whatsy Johnson. By this time a fearless friend was out of his depth and says " YOU Better Take Yourself and Your F'n Whatsy outa here before I flog the Sh#t outa ya!!!" He was telling a stunned work crew this story at smoko.. needless to say I had to get on the 2way afterwoods and Say" Hey Gav, "Yeeeaarh Moses, what the F' you Want??" "I got a Whatsy but I ain't gonna show ya"

Sorry for the long break away folks. Just sitting down now after getting back from my last adventure in God's Country "Central Queensland". Here are some photos of my attempts to reshape and build contour banks. The owner wants them formed in such a way as to be able to plant on them. It was great experience... I even gained an audience for a bit.

I believe that the Emu go back to the age of the dinosaurs.
Don’t know how they managed that...surely the dumbest animal on earth, big bird with tiny brain, more likely to run into you than vice versa.
Just a wild guess, but are those hills around Springsure, or thereabouts?

Queenslander said:

I believe that the Emu go back to the age of the dinosaurs.
Don’t know how they managed that...surely the dumbest animal on earth, big bird with tiny brain, more likely to run into you than vice versa.
Just a wild guess, but are those hills around Springsure, or thereabouts?

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A bit further North Ol mate. Near Capella, Peak Downs Ranges. The Emu's were pretty funny to watch, as I would back up, they'd come running after me.. then I'd start off forward for another pass and they'd leg it ahead of me til I backed up again. I came down your way on my way home. Stayed the night in Bilo and got talking to a bloke named John from Taroom. It's Dry out there isn't it!

I realise that I probably have the saddle too far out, but it was for practice sake more than anything. I'm using a "Self Directed Learning Package" Lol.!!

Brown is Beatiful, but you can have too much of a good thing. They need rain. As can be seen I didn't lack for anything while out on the paddock.