A pair of bullocks are holding the second wagon for the rest of the bullocks to come back and pull it through the water and up the hill. A group of young ladies are sitting on top of the bales of wool.

One early Bathurst journalist noted that the tracks around Bathurst were only pairs of tracks marked by the occasional trampled-down trees made by passing wagons and drays. Roadways tended to follow the land nearer the waterways.

Bullock teams moved more slowly than the much more brisk draught horse teams, but the former could carry heavier loads over longer distances. It was particularly hot work in summer and with the perspiration and dust, the men working their teams would have smeared, dirty faces.

Many carriers gave customers the choice of draught horses or bullock teams, but would give advice if asked.

Which they employed depended on the time required, the load, the terrain and possibly the feed and water available on the route. The draught horses were certainly quicker, but weren’t ideal for steeper grades and their feed was more specific.

Bullocks gave a steady pull on steeper grades. Horses took longer to get harnessed up, each having to be harnessed up individually. The bullocks were yoked in pairs with much less rigmarole. The bullocks had to be mustered up with the bullocky listening out for each bell to locate his bullocks.

Away from Bathurst, most men lived on the track, sleeping under their wagons.

The old bullockies would tell you that bullocks had a different temperament to horses. They pulled a load differently and were slower – at an average of three kilometres per day. A horse team moved faster – around five kilometres per day.

Bullocks were not as strong: a team of 18 bullocks equalled 12 horses. Scottish Clydesdales were popular. The horses used stuffed leather collars.

Teamsters had to carry extra fodder and grain in hessian bags often strung under the wagon – usually chaff and oats.

Bullocks needed plenty of water but rarely needed extra feed, except in dry times. Each bullock responded to its name and was guided by voice rather than reins. Certain bullocks were “leaders”, so they went at the front and better understood commands.

They had names such as Gee Blackie, Gee Ned and Gee Bounder. Wagoners talked to the bullocks and used their name.

Jersey crossbreds were popular and were harnessed up in pairs of the same weight and height. When travelling, bullockies would camp at regular spots, such as inns or hotels on the edge of town or camping spots on stock routes.

Another observation was that bullocks lower their head when pulling a heavy load and push their neck against the yoke – usually made of river oak. Horses, on the other hand, raise their heads when pulling.

Residents and Bathurst Municipal Council weren’t that keen on having wagons drive around the streets.

While it was dry, it was reasonably okay. But in the wet, that was another thing.

A bullock team got bogged opposite Mr McSorley’s Hotel in Howick Street in December 1887. The driver of the team, innocent of the excavation going on in connection with the Corporation gas pipes being laid, drove around the corner and allowed the off wheel to pass over a comparatively soft surface near the edge of the gutter and it sank.

The dray was heavily laden with wire and every movement sent the wheels deeper into the mud until the axle was sitting on the ground.