The Corowa Commons has been around since 1867 and the not-for-profit organisation donates to local charities each year.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
Corowa Commons donated $14,000 to local charities last financial year from the proceeds of their operations and since 1867 have given locals a little taste of farming life without having to fork out big dollars for rural pastures.
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Corowa has one of the last remaining commons in Australia, a practice of sharing designated ‘waste’ land, or land not in use, set aside for community ‘common’ use that stems from Europe and England and practiced in Australia since 1804.
Corowa is one of less than 200 still active in NSW, the only state in Australia that still has them.
Commons differ from Crown reserves and other public land in that they were created for the use of local residents, and those still active are managed under the Commons Management Act 1989.
Corowa Common Trust committee member Kerryn Alexander said anyone who lives within the township can apply to become a ‘commoner’ and there are many benefits.
“It’s based on the feudal system, where you have a common piece of land and the people in town use it to graze their cattle, milk cows, grow veggies and other things,” Kerryn said.
“Each household can keep one cow on the commons, and we introduce a bull each year.
“After the cows give birth, the calves can be kept for 12 months and then must either be sold to market or used as meat.”
Kerryn Alexander feeding her calf ‘Chopper’, who was separated from his mother and needs to be hand reared.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
The Common Trust owns a bull and has an arrangement with another farmer to rotate between bulls, selling and buying new bulls every few years.
Individual owners keep the proceeds of the sale of their calves, and any money made from selling bulls goes back into the trust.
Rotating bulls through the herd protects the gene pool and prevents defective births.
Every three months they hold a muster, where they bring all the cows back for a health check and to drench if needed.
“We're not professional farmers, but we do what we believe is right by the animals,” Kerryn said.
“We’ve got 20 to 30 commoners who help with the musters and working bees, and we have a herdsman who checks on the cattle throughout the year.
“I'm a town girl, I've never been on the farm, but this is what it's supposed to be about; it’s a great family environment where you can experience a little bit of farm life.”
Camping on the Commons is popular and affordable with spectacular Murray River views and sandy beaches.
Photo by
Ian Johnson
Set on 48 hectares (120 acres), the Commons sits between the Corowa Golf Course and the Murray River and is a mixture of dedicated pastures and sprawling bushland that spills onto sandy beaches.
It’s a popular camping spot open to the public with its river vistas and affordable camping fees at $11 per family per night.
Registration for camping is via QR code available at the entry gate and campers must have all their own facilities and take all their rubbish with them when they leave.
The Corowa Commons Trust is a not-for-profit organisation with all proceeds from sales and camping donated to local charities.
