Peter Cochran, now 80, leads riders each year on a challenging and somewhat personal journey through the Snowy Mountains to the Man from Snowy River Festival which started this week. Photo: Peter Cochran.
This week in the rough and rugged heart of the Snowy Mountains, a group of riders is midway through an adventure that’s more than just a challenging trek – it’s a journey through time, culture and personal history.
Led by Peter Cochran, a man whose roots in these mountains run as deep as the valleys they’ll traverse, this annual ride is a living tribute to the region’s heritage and an extraordinary tale of maternal courage.
Nearly 78 years ago, Peter’s mother Beryl embarked on an impulsive, solitary horseback journey through these same mountains from her parents’ home at Yaouk to Khancoban, a distance of 83 km as the crow flies.
What makes her feat truly remarkable is that she wasn’t alone – perched on the pommel of her saddle was her young son Peter, then just a toddler.
“It was an amazing amount of courage,” Peter reflects, recounting how his mother packed a horse, placed him on the saddle and set off across the mountains by herself.
This daring journey, born of personal circumstances and the harsh realities of life in the high country, has become a cornerstone of family lore and the inspiration for Peter’s annual trek.
Today, Peter, now 80, leads 25 riders along a route that closely mirrors his mother’s route, taking in Wares Yards, Denison near Lake Eucumbene, across to Bradley’s Hut, then onward to Jagumba, Yellow Bog and, finally, Khancoban.
The seven-day trek isn’t a walk in the park. You can’t even map it.
But Peter, like his mother did, knows this country backward and forward as he and his group follow fading trails through the high and the low – farmland, alpine meadows, steep wooded ascents and river crossings – which take them from the headwaters of the Murrumbidgee River overland to the mighty Murray.
The days in the saddle – one alone covering 42 km of high range country from Lake Eucumbene to Bradley’s Hut, between Cabramurra and Khancoban – are long and gruelling.
“It’s probably the longest tourist track in Australia, certainly the most rugged, the most challenging,” Peter says.
Beryl Cochran died on 31 March 1971 at the age of 49. She’s pictured here with her son Peter, masquerading as Hopalong Cassidy. Photo: Peter Cochran.
But that’s what they’re there for; from the frost-hollowed valley floors to the high plains offering 360-degree views, participants experience the full spectrum of high country terrain.
This isn’t just a scenic tour. It’s a carefully orchestrated expedition involving a support team of guides and staff.
Gourmet camp meals, including roasts prepared in camp ovens, offer a soothing balm for the trail-worn souls with camp chairs standing ready, promising sweet relief for saddle-sore posteriors. Here, the day’s arduous journey fades away, replaced by the simple pleasures of comfort food and a well-deserved rest.
The logistics of moving camp, food, and horse supplies across remote areas is a feat in itself, one that Peter credits his military background for helping manage.
The trek’s success hinges as much on Mother Nature’s cooperation as it does on the riders’ mettle. This time it’s been double-digit sunny days dropping into single digit nights but the best advice is “come prepared for anything” because on the eve of departure Peter was grading roads thanks to some ill-timed but always welcome rain.
Peter, who has been conducting treks in the area for 21 years, says the biggest shift in that time has been to the landscape.
“Places that I used to ride through 20-odd years ago, you can hardly get through now,” he says.
“A lot of it’s got to do with the fact that there’s not as much stock in the high country as there used to be. The stock used to keep a lot of that undergrowth down. But now, without them, it’s just gone berserk. In some areas, you wouldn’t even recognize where you are because the vegetation’s so thick. It’s quite amazing how much it’s changed.”
Recent bushfires and changes in land management practices have also left their mark on the high country.
These changes reflect broader shifts that have sometimes put traditional mountain culture at odds with modern conservation approaches.
It’s a tension that Peter, and many in the high-country communities, feel deeply.
The trek serves as a prelude to the Man from Snowy River Festival, an annual event that draws nearly 30,000 people to Corryong, Victoria.
Named after AB (Banjo) Paterson’s famous poem, the four-day festival which starts this Thursday (10 April), is a celebration of high country heritage, horsemanship and folklore.
“It’s based around the rich cultural image of the Man from Snowy River and all that represents,” Peter says, “and it unites people through a shared love for the land, its history and traditions.”
The festival is structured around events that showcase traditional mountain skills – from cross country, bronc and bareback riding to stock work, packing horses, horseshoeing and whip cracking to sheepdog trials, equine education and a reenactment of Banjo’s famous poem.
It’s a vibrant display of the culture that Peter’s trek and the bush festival’s own four-day Riley’s Ride helps to keep alive.
Peter says the riders often form deep bonds with their horses.
“It’s actually a testament to the transformative power of this immersive journey through the high country but also talks to just how significant horses are to the culture of the mountains,” he says.
The controversial aerial culling of brumbies – wild horses that many see as integral to the region’s heritage – has profoundly affected local residents.
“People here feel a deep connection to the brumbies and what they represent and the emotional and mental health impact on the community has been huge,” Peter says. “They’ve underestimated the psychological toll on our people.”
Despite these challenges, he says he and his family remain committed to sharing the beauty and history of the high country.
“Each trek is an opportunity to pass on knowledge, create new connections and ensure that the spirit of the mountains – embodied in stories like that of my mother’s brave journey – continue to inspire,” he says.
