Bushrangers littered the whole area back then and for the next sixty-odd years. The most infamous were probably Jimmy and Joe Governor, as they were the last of the colonial-era bushrangers. The area wouldn't be haunted by another bushranger for more than 100 years with the next having a name most will know, Malcolm Naden, who after becoming notorious for rape and murder, virtually followed in the steps of Jimmy Governor and Captain Thunderbolt.

Naden reportedly became the first person since Ned Kelly to be subject to a bounty rather than a standard reward for a conviction. Here's an interesting thing too - Captain Thunderbolt even got a highway named after him. It runs from Walcha to Gloucester and cuts through the region where all these famous or infamous people got their head down for the night during most of their time on the run.

Any station or farm that did not have men with guns were ripe for the picking from bushrangers as they stored food, money, guns, ammunition and sometimes even gold on site. The people living there wouldn't have always got a good night's sleep I would imagine, thinking that every bump they heard out the window was either a kangaroo or a criminal.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/chinese-billionaire-xingfa-ma-buys-47m-worth-of-australian-cattle-stations-20150716-gidp1u.html

Hmmm...

An even bigger back yard (Pluto and New Horizons pictures worked into space art):

They showed a photo taken from Voyager some years ago after it passed Pluto, it showed Earth about the size of one of the stars in that picture.

Some rare good news came out of this battle today - the Commonwealth Government has formally blocked the sale of the Kidman empire to Chinese interests. Some say it is because of the upcoming election though the reasons why don't interest me, I am just glad that this pastoral empire will remain in Australian hands, at least for the short term.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/s-kidman--co-cattle-empire-sale-to-chinese-blocked/news-story/3335ef48a6573f9ffc7ba188af74f4ed

Note: The Australian website has a paywall but this article appears open to all visitors.

As a follow-up to my last post, it was revealed today that the country's richest woman, Gina Rinehart has offered $365m for the Kidman empire. She will make the offer with a Chinese investor though Ms Rinehart's stake will mean the group of cattle stations will remain in majority Australian ownership and control.

Small change for her. Can't see the need for a Chinese partnership, but that's politics.

I can't see the need either, since she's now one of the biggest owners of cattle in Australia even before this transaction. Unless she sees it as a gateway to shifting exports of beef.