ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Naracoorte Nonsense.

Two tiny steam engines following along
both of them singing their sweet little song,
sucking up dust, spreading to air,
the farmer must feel downhearted despair.

But no !
He is just - clover seed harvesting.
Collecting seeds, expelling some dust,
think him a little deranged if you must.

Five bags to the acre, not measured in tonnes,
compared to other grains, then it’s bag up or bust.

Sixteen harvesters working all day
filling one silo wont bring in much pay.

©. Rimeriter 5/1/12.
NOTE : one of those rare bush sightings by a city dweller.

'On a quick glimpse as you speed pass the paddock it looks like someone is trailing home made steam engines behind a tractor.
If you slow down to take a closer look, the sound makes it appear that someone is vacuuming dust from the paddock and then shooting it high into the air.
Though bewildering this thought might be, it isn't that far from the truth.'
(Timothy Marshall – ABC Rural)

...g'day Jim,
We used to call them clover sweeps, because the harvesting of clover seed was referred to as 'sweeping clover'...sort of makes you wonder why we didn't call them brooms really.... ...or more correctly it should have been called vacuuming clover I suppose! I can certainly see why a city bloke would be a bit dumbfounded by the process if they didn't know anything about it though. If you get to Coober Pedy you can see a similar dusty machine called a blower, which is also a big vacuum cleaner for sucking rocks and mullock out of the mines.

Thanks Ross, for all these details.
Last time I was in your neck of the woods was 2005.
Alice had been the girl of my dreams. Unfortunately my stay had to be curtailed.
Had to bustle about for a visit to Ayres Rock/Uluru then back for a drive home along the Plenty Highway.
But that's another story for a later telling.
"ooroo" for now.
Jim.

I grew up down south on a wheat and sheep farm, that is how I am familiar with the clover sweeps. The Plenty highway, sorta makes you wonder who named it a highway hey? I work out as far as Harts Range community on the Plenty, but have worked over on the border at Tobermory and I have also crossed the plenty a few years ago on a holiday, she can be a pretty rough old bit of road at times.

Yeah mate, I suspect she has changed little.
I've been sayin' since, aptly named. Plenty of it, about 800 from the Stuart to the border.
But who selected highway ? Course, highway she is not.
But a bloody marvellous experience.
Jim.