In Times of severe drought in Australia farmers often take herds of cattle or mobs of sheep out onto the roads in an attempt to get feed. Often on back roads you will encounter several herds, out in the long paddock. ie grazing along the road.

The Long Paddock.

The drought is biting deeper across the dustyr plains,
Time to round up all the mob and go droving once again
Out into the long paddock where there is no end in site,
All you'll see is a cloud of dust we'll be on the road tonight,

Hitch the horses to the wagon, throw in the swags and gear,
We' ll be on the road for months now , until the rains are here,
There's no feed left in the paddocks , no hay left in the shed,
This is the time to hit the road, a time the farmers dread

The dogs are barking loudly as the herd movees through the gate,
We' ll make a mile or two today before it gets too late,,
For there's rules when out a droving, some of which we hate,
We can't hold up the traffic, they've got right of way,
.
The stock must keep on moving, at least three mile a day,
With signs to tell all others, there's stock along the way,
At night we string up fences to keep them bunched up tight
It helps to keep them settled and stops wandering at night

Droving is not easy, especially when there's drought,
It gives the farmer a small chance of working trubles out,
You'll find the herds just travelling on, to find what feed they can,
Thats a method of survival, in a harsh and barren land.

John W 01/11/03