News
The Barmah Muster weekend has taken on a whole new look with the emphasis being on a weekend for the Family, gates open on Friday 12 Noon. A horsemanship display on Friday afternoon starts proceedings for a fun filled and action packed weekend. Check the Program of Events page for the weekends activities.
Jasmine Rae (nominated for an ARIA award) & "A Bit on the Side" will entertain Saturday night.
Saturday sees the heats of the Barmah Muster Team Penning Competition. See the entry form section for details. Finals held on Sunday will award the winner $500, with $300 for second and $200 for third place up for grabs.
Prices
Gates open 12 Noon Friday 30th April
Family Pass $120.00 (2 Adults, Children under 18)
Weekend Pass $50.00
(Includes Camp oven Tea Friday Night; Entry to Dance Saturday Night and Trail Rides Saturday and Sunday)
Friday Camp Oven Tea $15.00
Saturday 1st May
Family Pass $100.00
Adult Pass $40.00
Junior Pass (under 17) $10.00
Includes entry to Dance & Trail Rides Saturday and Sunday
Sunday 2nd May
Trail Ride $10.00
About the Muster
Originally the roundup of cattle from the Barmah Forest, the Barmah muster in recent years has become a three day weekend event (kicking off on Friday 30th April) set in and around the yards at the edge of the Barmah Forest.
The Muster has something for everybody...
Trail rides, horse training demonstrations, team penning, whip cracking, timber cutting, tent pegging, camp oven tea, yarn spinning, bar operating throughout the weekend, and much more.
See the Program of Events for details.
Camping
This year camping will be in the Muster Paddock in designated areas. You MUST follow the Camping Guidelines set down by the D.S.E. Please take all rubbish home. NO GLASS PLEASE.
Horses
Must be cared for and contained by their owners as yards are not available. Please use clean horse feed.
History of the Muster
The first muster would possibly have commenced soon after selection, with some of the earliest selectors being William Schier Snr and Henry Lubke Snr. in late 1874. Ormond’s Hugh Snr. and Jnr. both selected around 1876, along with many others.
Not only were cattle put out in the bush but also horses were put out on the Common after harvest and during dry times. Sheep were put out to graze as well as milking cows that were milked by Adelaide Pearce. That location is still known today as Pearce’s Point. The separator was set up beside the river band and the cream cans would have been loaded onto paddle steamers and taken up the Murray River. Other families to milk cows in the forest were Trickey's, Peter Vale and Moor's.
Sam Baxter (Allan’s father) agisted his horses and cattle out in the forest as did the Ormond family. Ormond’s Gully became one part of the forest, named after our family and a place where horses were often seen.
Source: J Ormond (2008)
Caring for the Forest
Over the 156 year history of the Barmah Muster the people involved have been the eyes and ears of the forest, with their intimate knowledge of the workings of the bush, the seasonal changes and the flow of the flood waters, and the many changes that have taken place over time.
The constant monitoring that takes place when running stock on the Barmah Forest and the need to get off the tracks and access all parts of the bush the cattlemen and timber workers have a unique insight into how the forest works.
If anything needs to be known about these changes or something that is happening in the forest these local graziers or timber workers are the people that are usually called upon, there role in monitoring bird nesting’s or weed invasion or blockages in waterways, the best access to control of bush fires or what gullies in the forest have water in them are all part of the knowledge carried by these people of the forest.
The involvement of the Barmah forest community in all the submissions, land management, flood control, feral animal, weed, fire, resource use, recreation, sustainability is all part of the privilege that we see as our responsibility in guaranteeing the future of the magnificent Barmah Forest.
Getting to Barmah
Barmah is located approximately 230km North of Melbourne on the Murray River, see our "Entry_Forms_Maps_and_Downloads" page for directions from Barmah township to the Muster Yards.
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