Squatter - The Board Game

Spurred on by recent requests, I got out the camera again. I was determined to take some more photos and try again to post them on the blog. On Monday, I played tennis at the University of Queensland. It is such a lovely setting. After a few rains, the sky seemed so blue and the trees were out in beautiful pink flowers. However, I didn't realize till now, the camera was set in Black and White. I am destined to take lousy pictures! Anyway, I'm sure it wouldn't capture the lovely tropical greenery along the river. There is a new bridge going across the Brisbane River. That really could be the subject of another blog- how few bridges there are in the city and how the river divides the city geographically and also psychologically. But another day perhaps...

While I was playing tennis, an Australian lady said something like "Well, it's not like we are playing for sheep stations is it?" This expression comes from a classic board game called Squatter. This game was created in 1952 and seems like an Aussie version of Monopoly, except instead of buying property, you are buying sheep.

You start out with a bit of money and a few sheep. The idea is to improve your pastures and buy more sheep. Ulitimately, you end up with all your many sheep in irrigated pastures. However, we have never seen a more depressing game in all our lives! As you go around the board, you land on squares such as: Sheep Dipping, Drench Sheep for Worms, Footrot Treatment, Shearing Costs, Taxes, Vaccinate for Pulpey Kidney. And those are just the standard ones...You really want to avoid Local Drought and Bore Dries Up. Even the Tucker Bag (Community Chest) is full of tales of woe: Fire destroys Haystack and Outbuildings, Injured by Tractor and Blowfly Attack. A family decision was taken - we had to eliminate the card that said Stud Ram Dies. It was just too sad to allow that; we decided our stud ram would just be incapacited for 1 round of the board instead.

It would be funny if it weren't so sad! I just finished a book called "The Road from Coorain" written by Jill Ker Conway. She grew up on a sheep station during a fierce drought in the 1940s or so. The book is extremely well written, but incredibly depressing. By the end of the tale, she leaves Australia to study in America. I believe she goes on to become the president of Smith College. The book is worth a read. Between that book and the board game Squatter, I feel I have a better understanding of the Australian psyche! No wonder why people are so hard. You have to be here to survive!

We are off for the weekend to a National Park for some bird watching. This time I hope to have some guides to point out what it is we are seeing - and of course more photos.