THERE would be few scenes more rustic and reminiscent of the earliest days of Australian exploration and opening up vast agricultural areas: slowly picking their way along the banks of the Murray, a small group of horsemen and women trailing a string of pack mules loaded with everything from tents to tucker (human and horse).
It could just as easily have been captured in oil by von Guerard or McCubbin, the classic pioneer scene against the bush backdrop of towering river redgums, low bush and land – stretching to the horizon and beyond – to be explored.
Except this was the 21st century, and while the riders might well have passed muster as bushies at first, the mobile phones and sunglasses would have quickly and accurately dated them.
But none of this stopped plenty of people doing a double-take as this historic little caravan passed them by.
When North West Farmer finally caught up with the travellers, they had reached as far upstream as Koondrook-Barham and were still planning to keep going eastwards.
It was as if you were caught in some kind of time warp, but this romantic echo of our pioneering days was not a figment of the imagination; it was a group from Pack Saddling Australia simply having a few days of equine R&R at a very sedate pace in a very bucolic setting on the banks of Australia’s equally historic waterway.
But as the group pitched their tents on the riverbank outside Koondrook they were still attracting plenty of second glances.
Which is nothing new for PSA’s Joanne Kasch.
Joanne has been leading troupes on these equine experiences for more than 30 years – from riverbanks such as the Murray to the high country in NSW and Victoria.
And she is planning to keep going as long as she can stay in the saddle.
“We started out in no particular hurry,” Joanne says.
“This trip isn’t a business one Riding right out of the pages of history it’s just a group of friends having a get-together in the way we love best.
“We are based at Narbethong/
“A friend, Mark Nails from Axedale, organised this trip and other riders came from as far afield as Colac/
“We have been having a ball.”
It’s a far cry from when Joanne and her husband John first became interested in pack-saddling all those years ago and quickly discovered they were on their own because there was literally nothing out there to tell them anything about everything.
“When we started there was simply no information available: no-one seemed to know anything,” Joanne says.
“So we found ourselves learning the whole thing, from the ground up, and it has been a fantastic journey – in more ways than one.
“In fact, we have been at it so long John and I call ourselves grey nomads now as we saddle up the horses, pack the mules and head into the bush.
“When you go pack-saddling you really have to be self-sufficient.
“Everything you need goes on a horse or mule: food; drink, including wine if you want to be really sociable; horse feed; camping gear – the lot.”
Today the couple run their pack-saddling enterprise from their Narbethong base – along with a glamping business.
From time to time, they even combine them.
And they will teach you the complete ABCs of the pastime, starting with classes for beginners that then range up to ones for better-than-beginners and beyond for the serious graduate.
They also stage workshops on an annual basis (sometimes more often) that attract as many as 140 people bursting at the seams with enthusiasm and energy.
“They are very hands-on, and we also get other experienced riders involved to help us,” Joanne says.
“Most people use quarterhorses for pack-saddling but we love doing it with mules – I was riding one on this trip and had three carrying all the packs,” she says.
“We also work closely with Parks Victoria.
“We try to help them where we can and vice versa, as it is our goal to have the absolute minimum impact wherever we ride.
“For example, when we camped at Koondrook, we bucketed the water up to the horses as the river is so low we did not want to take them down to the riverbank and do any damage.
“Even overnight we corral the horses (and mules) behind portable electric fences, away from trees, so they don’t leave any imprint.”
Then they saddle up again in the morning and, at a steady walk, head for the hills.
