This year the bush camp was a new arrival at the NFF.

In the days before road-trains drovers moved cattle overland to market. The camp is a replica of a typical droving camp. Old droving songs were sung and bush tucker consumed.

The drovers lived on damper and tea. When a stray sheep wandered by then meat was also on the menu. I include below a recipe for damper for your experimentation.

Damper

Damper can be baked on the open fire or in a regular oven although you are not going to get the authentic smoky bush taste from a regular oven. As is typical of hand-me-down recipes, there are as many versions as there are bush babies. As kids we used to wrap the dough around a stick and cook over an open fire guaranteeing a damper that was black on the outside and raw in the middle. I have tried it again in later years with more caution and it makes a passable way of cooking it.

2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk

Mix the flour, salt and sugar together in a bowl. Cut in the butter until fine crumbs form. Add milk to make a soft dough. Knead lightly on floured board until smooth. Shape into round loaf, brush with milk, and bake at 375 degrees F. for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the loaf makes a hollow sound when tapped.

Usually served hot with butter and either jam or honey.

Sheep

Find stray sheep, kill, skin and gut it.
Place on steel pole over a pit fire for 4-5 hours turning occasionally
Carve and eat.