The coaching era left behind thousands of voices — grooms, drivers, passengers, and pioneers who lived it firsthand. This page shares some of their stories, drawn from historical records and newspapers of the time, and preserved in the Along the tracks of Cobb and Co. book series.
🐎 A Funny (and shocking!) racing story from 1912 … ⚡
Suspicion once arose about a jockey, with whispers that he might have been using an unusual advantage. The rumour? That he had "an electric battery inside his jacket when he rode." At the time, this seemed almost unbelievable — indeed, it was noted that "this is perhaps the first time… anyone suggested that a rider used an electric battery when riding."
There was, however, a case in Western Australia. "One day a boy was riding in a race, and in pulling his horse up the animal fell and the boy was killed. When carried in to the hospital his jacket was removed, and a small electric battery was discovered. How this is employed may be pointed out. The battery is fastened to the waist, and a wire is run down the leg of the jockey and connected with his spur. Then there is another wire passed from the jockey's waist and along the arm to about the elbow. To this is attached a piece of elastic, and the latter has a loop at the end of it. The rider takes this loop into his hand, and as he strains on it the battery is set in motion and connects with the spur. Well, towards the end of the race, when the horse is running home from the distance, the jockey pricks his mount with his heel, and of course gives the horse an electric shock. This is supposed to be an aid to making the horse put in a fast run to wind up with ..."
Not everyone believed such tactics were ever truly used. "An old Melbourne trainer gave it as his opinion that a battery had never been used in a race at Flemington." (A Funny Story, 8 Jun 1912, p.21)
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There was, however, a case in Western Australia. "One day a boy was riding in a race, and in pulling his horse up the animal fell and the boy was killed. When carried in to the hospital his jacket was removed, and a small electric battery was discovered. How this is employed may be pointed out. The battery is fastened to the waist, and a wire is run down the leg of the jockey and connected with his spur. Then there is another wire passed from the jockey's waist and along the arm to about the elbow. To this is attached a piece of elastic, and the latter has a loop at the end of it. The rider takes this loop into his hand, and as he strains on it the battery is set in motion and connects with the spur. Well, towards the end of the race, when the horse is running home from the distance, the jockey pricks his mount with his heel, and of course gives the horse an electric shock. This is supposed to be an aid to making the horse put in a fast run to wind up with ..."
Not everyone believed such tactics were ever truly used. "An old Melbourne trainer gave it as his opinion that a battery had never been used in a race at Flemington." (A Funny Story, 8 Jun 1912, p.21)
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A Drowning Accident
"He sang out for help, and then sank almost immediately."
Queensland, 1900. A flooded creek. A cropped mane. And a man who didn't make it home.
Benjamin Bjorsten was a Cobb & Co. groom — one of the thousands of ordinary men whose lives were woven into the coaching era. When the creek ran high after heavy rain, he attempted the crossing on horseback. His horse panicked. He lost his grip. A neighbour dived in again and again. Too late.
Three hours later, ropes and hooks recovered his body.
This is the history that rarely makes the headlines — but it shaped a nation. The Along the tracks of Cobb and Co. series preserves these stories, these names, and these lives.
📖 For more stories ...
Source: A Drowning Accident, 27 Nov 1900, p.9
Queensland, 1900. A flooded creek. A cropped mane. And a man who didn't make it home.
Benjamin Bjorsten was a Cobb & Co. groom — one of the thousands of ordinary men whose lives were woven into the coaching era. When the creek ran high after heavy rain, he attempted the crossing on horseback. His horse panicked. He lost his grip. A neighbour dived in again and again. Too late.
Three hours later, ropes and hooks recovered his body.
This is the history that rarely makes the headlines — but it shaped a nation. The Along the tracks of Cobb and Co. series preserves these stories, these names, and these lives.
📖 For more stories ...
Source: A Drowning Accident, 27 Nov 1900, p.9
Red as a Lobster
Early morning starts in the dark. Waterbags. Sunburn that left you as red as a lobster by the time you arrived.
And yet — Mr May remembered the coaching days fondly.
"In those good old days we had no rationing, there was plenty of beer, plenty of butter and there was no need to worry about petrol."
Not desiring to spend Christmas out in the Never Never, he once hired a horse at Muttaburra and rode 78 miles home to Rockhampton. Cobb & Co. charged him 25 shillings for the use of the horse.
When asked whether it was true he'd bought up every jar of vaseline in Longreach after that ride, Mr May confirmed that "it took considerable applications before his flesh was back to normal."
Some things don't need embellishing.
The Along the tracks of Cobb and Co. series captures these voices exactly as they spoke them — the hardship, the humour, and the unmistakable character of the people who lived it. 📖 For more stories ...
Source: Reminiscences of Coaching Days, 23 Mar 1950, p.9
And yet — Mr May remembered the coaching days fondly.
"In those good old days we had no rationing, there was plenty of beer, plenty of butter and there was no need to worry about petrol."
Not desiring to spend Christmas out in the Never Never, he once hired a horse at Muttaburra and rode 78 miles home to Rockhampton. Cobb & Co. charged him 25 shillings for the use of the horse.
When asked whether it was true he'd bought up every jar of vaseline in Longreach after that ride, Mr May confirmed that "it took considerable applications before his flesh was back to normal."
Some things don't need embellishing.
The Along the tracks of Cobb and Co. series captures these voices exactly as they spoke them — the hardship, the humour, and the unmistakable character of the people who lived it. 📖 For more stories ...
Source: Reminiscences of Coaching Days, 23 Mar 1950, p.9
And the Dingoes Howled
Alone in a tent. Listening to dingoes howl in the dark.
This was the life of a Cobb & Co. groom in outback Australia.
S.C. Coleman began his working life at Dunbar mail change — responsible for grooming the coach horses and having them ready the moment the coach arrived. His wages? £5 10s a month. Out of that, he had to feed himself.
No family. No neighbours. Just the horses, the tent, and the night sounds of the Australian bush.
"This 6 months was the loneliest period of my life."
He was twelve.
These are the stories that built Australia — the forgotten ones, the young ones, the ones who showed up and did the work long before anyone called it courage. The Along the tracks of Cobb and Co. series preserves these voices exactly as they were written, so they are never lost again. 📖 Meet the people behind the coaches ...
Source: Death of Mr. S.C. Coleman, 16 Jan 1953, p.6
This was the life of a Cobb & Co. groom in outback Australia.
S.C. Coleman began his working life at Dunbar mail change — responsible for grooming the coach horses and having them ready the moment the coach arrived. His wages? £5 10s a month. Out of that, he had to feed himself.
No family. No neighbours. Just the horses, the tent, and the night sounds of the Australian bush.
"This 6 months was the loneliest period of my life."
He was twelve.
These are the stories that built Australia — the forgotten ones, the young ones, the ones who showed up and did the work long before anyone called it courage. The Along the tracks of Cobb and Co. series preserves these voices exactly as they were written, so they are never lost again. 📖 Meet the people behind the coaches ...
Source: Death of Mr. S.C. Coleman, 16 Jan 1953, p.6