We have another great verse from well know writer and poet John Terrell:-
Trees of gold: How it was done around 1900. As time progressed, sandalwood pullers shifted from camels to trucks to cart their “hard-earned” to market.
In the rugged goldfields scrub
he pulls sandalwood for a living
Beyond all bitumen roads
in conditions unforgiving
He’s a different type of bloke,
a recluse some might say
But spot a big ‘un in the bush
and he’ll holler, hip-hoorah!
His go-anywhere Bedford truck,
a long way from high-tech
Dented, one headlight missing;
it’s the next thing to a wreck
Hard to find, this sandalwood;
so sparsely does it grow
Across the Western Woodlands
and other places that we know
If you can pull a ton or two,
a rare feat that would be
A fortune for the taking
from this scarce native tree
A straggly parasitic kind,
its heartwood full of scent
Burnt mainly for its aroma,
to the orient it will be sent
Perfumes of many a joss stick,
linger in temples all over Asia
Its oil also prized for medicine,
this rare wood of Australia
John Terrell
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Moya Sharp
Interested in Sandalwood cutting industry and movements in the Yalgoo Shire.
We started farming on the Mellenbye Station boundary in 1960 – area previously only visited by explorers and Sandalwood Pullers other than original inhabitants
Hi Tony
I see you are a photographer, are there any photos of the station you would share with the readers? Have you seen the Yalgoo Book?