I’m joining Becky in her October Square Photo Challenge over at The Life of B. The rules of the challenge are simple: most photos must be square and fit the theme word Past. Look for #PastSquares. This month we’re travelling back in time in the western Queensland town of Miles and surrounds. We’ll explore the local area and join in the festivities at the Miles Back to the Bush Festival.
Condamine
In 1867 a Condamine blacksmith, Samuel William Jones, created a new version of a cow bell suitable for the conditions of outback Queensland. Made from pit saw blades, the bell had a unique sound which carried up to 11 kilometres. Stockmen droving cattle or teamsters with bullock teams could easily locate beasts set free to graze in the bush overnight.
An oversized replica bell in the park in Condamine honours Samuel William Jones.
Two more plaques tell the history of this small western town.
A collection of original Condamine bells is displayed at Dogwood Crossing@Miles.
The Eternal Traveller 
absolutely fascinating – I had always assumed they had been designed by the Austrians and Swiss for use in the mountains
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I did some research. Cow bells date back to ancient times. This type is unique because of the way it is constructed and the unusual sound it makes.
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ahhh!
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Like Becky, I always associate cow bells with the mountains of Europe. 😀
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Yes, me too. The Condamine bell is a particular type.
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A really interesting post. I love the sound of proper cow bells and heard them a lot when on holidays in Austria and the Dolomites – the Condomine ones must have been quite something if they could be heard from such a distance.
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Apparently the sound resembles a bull frog.
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Remember when international travel was a thing we could do? I loved being transported from one terminal to another in Zurich. The sound effects on the little train included yodelling, cows mooing and cow bells. All the tired travelers smiled.
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That sounds like fun, especially after a long haul flight.
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Wow that is a long distance that the sound carries! 😮
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Yes, it must be loud.
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The poor cattle probably suffered from industrial loss of hearing!
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😁
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That’s quite a collection! Moooooove it! 🙂
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I’ve never seen these bells anywhere else. It was tricky photographing them through the glass cabinet.
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You did a great job, though. Glass always makes it difficult.
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