Hello everyone, todays story is almost as a realistic step back in time as possible into the cowboys and Indians era , i hope you enjoy my explanation of the experience I had as much as I enjoyed the invitation to visit .

The story starts like this , sometime back and  im guessing ten or so years ago , I was working as a barman at the KIlly pub and one day while driving to work going up the Powlett River hill , I saw an incredible image through my windscreen.
I saw a silhouette of a man in a ten gallon hat riding a big horse on the side of the road towards Dalyston.
It cut for an imposing figure , as it was something quite odd these days , on the hwy  and he looked to me just like he was straight out of a western movie.

So I went to the pub and did my shift as normal and then I sort of forgot about the man , until a few weeks later when i went to the general store to get the pub news papers and there was the man with his horse just standing there ,
his horse was as calm as a cucumber even with all the kids all wanting to pat him.

I struck up a conversation with the man and we introduced ourselves his name was Coll, but lots of locals call him Tex or Cowboy .
He was happy to chat and answer my questions, his horses manner  was impeccable, he was a quarter horse from Skipton and he was  purchased by Coll from Ron Marchison in Berrick  as a 4 year old gelding and he was all ready partialy tamed .
He stood at an impressive 15 hands .

Coll purchased his property in 2008 and he and Lippy rode into Kilcunda and Wonthaggi regularly, so they became quite well known around the traps .

It was then that Coll started his passion and he  and his girlfriend set about building a western style old school town on his property.

He built everything himself and decorated each building as authenticity as he could.
He ended up splitting up with his girlfriend and to keep himself occupied then he set about making a second street in his town .

So while we were chatting I asked him about his place hoping for an invite to go and look , but its not actually that easy,
As its a private place and property , I knew you have to have a direct invitation from Coll to be able to look.
I got a blank look from him with my hint , so it was a no .

I know other people that had been there and I was still mad keen for  a look .
I would run into Coll on the odd occasion hinting for an invite but not getting one .
But about a year ago I saw him doing an old school sign writing job on a shopfront . We had a chat and i nearly fell over when he smiled and invited me out to the ranch.

I was really keen so I went to his place a number of times but I mistakenly thought he wasn’t home as the front gates were shut tight.

But today that all changed when I rang him about doing me some drawing artwork.
I organised to meet him at his place, the front gates were shut tight lol I then guessed they are always closed .
Driving up to the house took my imagination away and into overdrive.
I drive through  the town on my way to the house , and then we walked down to the town  chatting about the place with me snapping so many pictures and bagging a few videos,

It was mind boggling , it had everything needed , it had an undertakers ,
a barbers a jail a lollie shop and even a chapple,

so I’ll apologise now for  too many photos and a few videos to go with it .

We talked about all of the old signs that he hand painted and how lots of them are now faded but how that makes them look  even more authentic.
What a place .

Unfortunately though and sadly for everyone Lippy died three years ago ,
Coll was obviously devastated  .
He has since now got two new horses in his stable but its not the same as Lippy  but they are both good prospects.
One is called Night Linger the other is El Guapo , the handsome one.
He is a bigger horse at 16 hands .

My tour was now over , Coll hopes to have my artwork back in a few days .
So thats all cool see how it goes
It was an awesome day as the pics and videos will show

Enjoy

I hope the horse ones are at the top

Cheers xxx
Curlyg