AUSTRALIA'S ORIGINAL AND BEST CAMP OVEN AND OUTDOOR COOKING AND CAMPING FORUM

Reply #10 - Sep 8^th, 2006 at 8:17pm

mikel Offline
COCIA Hall Of Fame
Joined: Oct 30^th, 2005 at 8:26pm
Last online: Jul 10^th, 2021 at 8:54am

new england area nsw au, New South Wales, Australia

Gender:
Zodiac sign:
Posts: 803

Sorry PD for diverting from the original, but then again I spose if the camp oven is nicely settled and that sweet caramel aroma of roasting meat is wafting around then the yarn topics can swing around like the evening breeze before the moon rises.

I am enjoying the diverse input to this forum, after all a camp oven is but a camp oven. Cooking in one (for me anyway) is a great way to complete the day, time for contemplation, and when it comes to it, whether from the el cheapo or most expensive, its a good camp oven meal with always a few yarns to follow (washed down with a chateau red of course)

Think I will order waffles for dessert (with ice cream, but could be dreaming)

cheers mikel

life is a bed of gidgee coals and a camp oven

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #11 - Sep 8^th, 2006 at 8:26pm

Furphyslinger Offline
COCIA Hall Of Fame
Camp Oven Cooking is Real
Cooking
Joined: Jul 14^th, 2006 at 7:14pm
Last online: Jul 15^th, 2008 at 2:33pm

Gender:
Zodiac sign:
Posts: 806

Hey PD
It was people like you who made it possible for people like us to get to where we were going on those long - rough and dusty dirt roads and I bet you have a story or two to tell us as well spending day after day on your own camping in the middle of nowhere I could'nt have been always easy living and I bet if you think back you can come up with a yarn or two Mike that wine sounds nice and I hope to share a glass around a fire one night under some of the stars that you can nearly reach out and touch at night during winter.

Good lord here I go again Yadda Yadda Yadda
Cheers Furphy

If you don't know the bush then you have never lived life to the full

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #12 - Sep 9^th, 2006 at 10:01am

mikel Offline
COCIA Hall Of Fame
Joined: Oct 30^th, 2005 at 8:26pm
Last online: Jul 10^th, 2021 at 8:54am

Gender:
Zodiac sign:
Posts: 803

L_K
Re your remark about not using too much salt in foods, until you have seen a shearer at the table you have never seen salt eaten!

Whether its because they perspire so much I dont know, but a baked dinner ends up looking like it has a frost over it. Possibly this is the reason many shearers end up arthritic. I recall one shearer (admittedly nearly 70) who would come into the kitchen after knock off bent over like a half open pocket knife. Bloody hell, cooky, he would say, give us a spoon. He would get a large spoon full of salt and pour on it as much black sauce (Worcester) as it would take then swallow in one gulp. A bit of writhing around and he would be standing back up straight as a broomstick. Known as "the judge" he was a tough old bugger too, could keep his tally up with the best of them.

Bringing back a few old memories, so whats this got to do with cooking galahs?
mikel

life is a bed of gidgee coals and a camp oven

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #13 - Sep 9^th, 2006 at 11:42am

Furphyslinger Offline
COCIA Hall Of Fame
Camp Oven Cooking is Real
Cooking
Joined: Jul 14^th, 2006 at 7:14pm
Last online: Jul 15^th, 2008 at 2:33pm

Gender:
Zodiac sign:
Posts: 806

Hey Mike

I have seen that salt and black sauce used in the past and it would make a peewee fight and emu I dont know what chemical reaction it has but if used right it would nearly heal a hole in the sole of and old boot. Bloody hell did I say That?
Oh well more yadda yadda
Cheers Furphy

If you don't know the bush then you have never lived life to the full

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #14 - Sep 9^th, 2006 at 1:23pm

poddy dodger Offline
COCIA Diamond Member
Joined: Jun 3^rd, 2006 at 8:03am
Last online: Apr 13^th, 2026 at 8:47pm

Gender:
Zodiac sign:
Posts: 2932

mikel mentioned earlier that he did a stint as a babbling brook, I remember some beauts we had when I was working for a mob out back doing land clearing. " One Spoon Jimmy" he used the same spoon to dish everything out, sweets included, if you were down the end of the queue by the time you got served every thing looked the same, all intermixed.

Another cook we had was as queer as a $3 note, a fight blew up in the cookhouse one day and he flattened two of the biggest blokes in the camp, he got treated with respect after that.

In these camps the cook was on contract to the men in the camp so everyone put in ten pounds a week I think, out of that the cook bought the rations and took his wages. It was reasonably successful, you would'nt want to serve poor meals to some of those blokes.
Enough reminiscing. Rob

When I die I hope my missus doesn't sell my camp ovens for what I told her I paid for them. pd

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #15 - Sep 9^th, 2006 at 5:52pm

Little_Kopit Offline
COCIA Hall Of Fame
& I, I took the road less
traveled by.
Joined: Dec 19^th, 2005 at 2:05pm
Last online: Apr 13^th, 2020 at 2:27am

Zodiac sign:
Posts: 2254

Quote:

Enough reminiscing. Rob

Nah, not near enough keep going guys.!

My Photo Album, featuring Labrador 2006

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #16 - Sep 10^th, 2006 at 10:19am

Furphyslinger Offline
COCIA Hall Of Fame
Camp Oven Cooking is Real
Cooking
Joined: Jul 14^th, 2006 at 7:14pm
Last online: Jul 15^th, 2008 at 2:33pm

Gender:
Zodiac sign:
Posts: 806

It would amaze people today just how wide spread and the different areas that camp ovens were used in the past and without blowing my own trumpet I still believe you can tell when someone has learnt to cook in a camp oven people are generally found standing around the food that has been cooked by these bush cooks.
Did a stint in a timber camp where cooking was done with camp ovens and some of the best feeds ive ever had came out of that camp.
The babling brook was a pretty well known chef from overseas and had never cooked with ovens before but it didnt take him long to get the hang of it and when he left he said that it was the most interesting cooking period of his life and he would never forget the experience. We didnt either when we went back to plain bush tucker with the new cook.

We used to snig (tow) logs back in those days into a central loading area where the old Mack trucks etc could carry the logs to the mill and we used to use draught horses to pull the logs out of the scrub into these central areas. I can remember how cunning these horses became when they wanted a blow they would pull the log up against a tree and stand there taking it easy while you struggled to clear the mess that they had created.
Most times you would have to move up to the bridle and guide them away from the tree to clear the log and there was one particular baldy faced horse that had a hoof about 18" across who persisted in accidently standing on your foot and leaning up against you so that you could'nt get away and I swear you could see the mongrel grinning while he did it

Anyway enough for now
Cheers Furphy

If you don't know the bush then you have never lived life to the full

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #17 - Sep 10^th, 2006 at 11:13am

mikel Offline
COCIA Hall Of Fame
Joined: Oct 30^th, 2005 at 8:26pm
Last online: Jul 10^th, 2021 at 8:54am

Gender:
Zodiac sign:
Posts: 803

That one brought a few more recollections. Did similar sort of work as a young bloke in the Gippsland rough country.Because of the terrain the shoes had to be cleated and cogged.

Agree too about the horses developing a fair bit of cunning but the show I was with snigged with a logging arch, ratchet winch to lift the butt off the ground, wooden spoked wheels about 5' 6"diam. with about an 8" steel tread. Every morning had to jack each side up, (trewalla jack) take the cotter out, ease the wheel sideways and grease up with tallow. Made the job considerably easier.
This was in the mid/late 50's.

cheers mikel

life is a bed of gidgee coals and a camp oven

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #18 - Sep 10^th, 2006 at 11:36am

poddy dodger Offline
COCIA Diamond Member
Joined: Jun 3^rd, 2006 at 8:03am
Last online: Apr 13^th, 2026 at 8:47pm

Gender:
Zodiac sign:
Posts: 2932

Hey Kel, I must be younger than you as we used 'dozers instead of horses. LOL. I was engaged in land clearing for soldier resettlement farms in the late 50's. Our accomodation was just a corrugated shed on skids big enough for two beds. Every month or so we'd move camp closer to where we were working by dragging these "early model caravans" several miles cross country behind a dozer. Pretty rough and ready but the money was good for a young bloke.

We got paid for the hours shown on the hour meter of the dozer (Caterpillar D7, D8 and D9's) so as soon as the truck dropped you off of a morning you started your machine, cranked up the revs and let it run at full throttle all day including lunch time until the truck picked you up at dusk. Work by yourself all day and would'nt see another soul. Workcover and the Unions would have a fit if you did it today.

Rob.

When I die I hope my missus doesn't sell my camp ovens for what I told her I paid for them. pd

Back to top

IP Logged

Reply #19 - Sep 10^th, 2006 at 1:13pm

Furphyslinger Offline
COCIA Hall Of Fame
Camp Oven Cooking is Real
Cooking
Joined: Jul 14^th, 2006 at 7:14pm
Last online: Jul 15^th, 2008 at 2:33pm

Gender:
Zodiac sign:
Posts: 806

PD
You are right about the workcover issue but I recon we had a great life living in the bush and the reason we used horses to snig timber was the terrain was to rough for machinery way back in the hardrock area of "The Dungeon" as its known its in the area between Ashford and the Qld border country out near a place called Texas beautiful unspoilt country still running brumbies today. We had hells own trouble holding onto our horses with the brumby stallion trying to add any mares to his mob.

I have used dozers to snig timber and if you have spent any time on them I am sure that like me you have back problems today because they were as rough as guts in heavy timbered or rock coutry and putting in a full days work pulling timber had getting to bed early a favorite past time you would be that buggered.

Mike I have to say that I have never seen timber moved that way and would like to see any pics unfortunatly I have non of the old days "just didnt think to do any and I didnt even own a box brownie back then" and anyway lost a lot of memorabilia in a house fire back in the late seventies.

I carry a good quality digital work camera in my car now and will begin to get a few photos of the western parts of Qld and post any of interest on here.

I was travelling between Tambo and Augathella last year and came upon a bloke driving an old done up Cobb and Co coach with a 4 horse team and when I saw it I thoght that someone had laced my morning coffee but had a yarn and this bloke was travelling all over aust and he actually did saddle repairs to make a living and was doing alright
I got some photos and will try to find them to show you guys

I have just thought of another funny incident that I was involved in when staying overnight at Hughenden I had gone down to the local service station to fuel up and while doing so an old bloke came up and started going through a rubbish bin not far from where I was fueling up "The bins in Hughenden are shaped like a dinosaurs foot" and I thought he was looking for cans but bugger me if he didnt pull out a hamburger someone had thrown away and he strolled of eating it with the service station owner roaring at him. I went back to my motel and I just couldnt leave it at that so I grabbed a few bucks change and went looking for this bloke and found him in a shelter shed in a park on the western side of Hughenden and realised that he was from overseas and he had got hold of an old woolworths shopping trolly and it seems he was walking towards MtIsa Hughenden is about 350km west of Townsville and he was about 600km from MtIsa

I was leaving Brisbane heading to Toowoomba months later and saw him walking towards Brisbane still pushing that bloody shopping trolly anyway the upshot was I gave him enough for a feed and told him to stop eating out of bins "Not sure if I got through to him as he didnt seem to speak much english"

Bloody hell Ive gone on and on again you guys
Catchya
Furphy

If you don't know the bush then you have never lived life to the full

Back to top

IP Logged

	am pm	Welcome, Guest. If this is your first visit to COCIA, be sure to check out the many references on the Help Board. You will have to Login or Register, before you can post. Click the register TAB below to proceed or to start viewing messages, simply select the Board that you want to visit.