Interesting lid, however I find it difficult to understand why such a large camp oven would be required, even for a sizeable stock camp. For instance, I’m not sure it would be more efficient to cook with, than using a larger number of smaller camp ovens. For example, a camp oven of this size would require two men to safely manipulate it during the cooking process, whereas  one man using a larger number of smaller camp ovens could potentially cook the same amount more reliably and with the labour savings of one person.
There would also be a heightened risk of damaging a pot of this size and weight, particularly during  transportation on rough bush tracks.

Ive often wondered about the same thing Stumpy. Im thinking ovens of this size might have been used in big camps on projects that took a while to complete. Camps of a size that employed more than one cook and didn't shift location often.

Derek wrote on Nov 7^th, 2012 at 7:59pm:


It may have been a mistake Derek, however I find it difficult to believe that a foundry would proceed with the expense of designing and fabricating a ‘one off’ monster camp oven mold, for an order to cast only a few camp ovens, without first checking with the purchaser that they were prepared to pay the horrendously expensive premium for this work.

They get bigger. 

Imagine the stew you could cook up in that one 

When I was a kid we used to see head hunter cartoons with big cauldrons like that 

Yah never know what ya might find when liftin the lid on a big cookin pot.