Dray teamsters from around the nation brought out the biggest horse, camel and bullock teams ever seen in modern Australia to surpass many records at the 2024 Good Old Days Festival at Barellan on October 5-6.

The festival is recognised as the greatest gathering of harness draught animals in the world and is organised by the Barellan Working Clydesdales Committee.

Draught animals included horses, bullocks, camels, donkeys, mules and goats.

The teamsters also excelled themselves with creating a world first — four bullocks, two camels and two horses harnessed together and pulling a wagon.

New highlights this year included a demonstration of re-tyring wagon wheels using traditional methods, a display from Sydney’s 18th Battalion Living History Group, Lachie Cossor from Longreach and his Outback Stockman Show, a teamster’s Q&A session on the stage and lettering and scrollwork demonstrations

A life-size bronze statue of a Clydesdale was revealed on the first day in homage to the role the Clydesdale played in pioneering the nation.

The famous Barellan team, comprising Clydesdales, draught and heavy horses, broke its own record of 32 draught animals in harnessing 35 horses to pull a wagon loaded with 5.6 tonnes of wool bales.

The team was driven by Barellan Working Clydesdales president Bruce Bandy, with Steve Johnson, Aleks Berzins and Shane Carroll.

Emily Parrott received the perpetual Little Teamsters Trophy for her donkey team and was proud to be part of three generations exhibiting teams, with her father, Rodney Sansom, and daughter Abbey, 9, with her goat and donkey teams.

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Friday, 23rd May 2025

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