By Geoff Lacey:
(See Geoff's weekly report here.)

We were fly fishing the Cobungra river during a spell of very hot weather, just one client and myself, and doing pretty good too.

"The client" was an old good friend, really. An accomplished angler, this was his third time out with me in as many seasons. These days he only needed access to my local knowledge and 4WD vehicle, which suited me.

While we went upstream to try his luck I stayed behind, mucking about in camp. The Cobungra River is really a mountain stream and, as such, is quite small in places. It is best fished by just one angler covering any section of it.

Anyway, as I said, I was just mucking about, dropping a fly into this likely spot and that. Hooking a few and releasing then again. I'm a sportsman, I am.

Suddenly, an enormous steer confronted me!

Oh, my God, he's going to charge! I'm dead!

This huge and very agitated had obviously been running wild for some time, probably years, having eluded previous cattle round ups in the area. When I saw him I made the mistake of looking him in the eye. Never, never, eyeball wild cattle, it can prove fatal.

Well, this mountain of angry beef looked me directly in the eye and I could see sheer terror reflecting back. Mine. Lord, help! He shook his large woolly head which caused those massive horns, looking so prominent and sharp, to catch the sunlight as he pawed he ground. I remember thinking it was just like a scene from a bull-fighting movie or something. Then he lowered his head and snorted dust into the air. Run!

But where? Where could I run to? Looking around, the trees were thin and stunted. No good climbing them. The river! Of course. I would leap into the river if he charged. I would have about 30 seconds, which was enough. Just drop my fishing gear and jump! No, hang on to it. The river looked only about chest deep here, but with such clear water, who can tell? Still, that was better than getting gored and trampled on.

Then he was gone!

Just like that. Gone. Without warning the steer simply wheeled about and beat it back into the bush and disappeared, never to be seen again. I've returned to that very spot many times since then quite safely, thank you.

(3 November 2001)


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