["Drought Prospects", The Northern Times (Carnarvon, WA), Saturday 04 January 1913, page 2]
Drought Prospects.
Doorawarrah.
Interview with Mr. Munro.
...
Speaking of the
Dry Season,
Mr. Munro said that he had something like 26 years' experience of the Gascoyne district, and could say that no season to his knowledge had had such severe effect as the present one. Pastoralists were handicapped by the fact that this dry spell was begun without any grass, only herbage having to be depended upon. In the much-talked-of 1891-92 drought, they had the advantage that the previous season was one of the best on record, and there was abundance of grass everywhere, and though it was dry it was there, and the stock got on pretty well. He had not to buy one bag of chaff for his horses right through the drought. It might be remembered by those who went through that experience that the wind grass was not lost at any time; in fact, that during the seven years from 1888 to 1895 the wind grass was with them throughout. The drought began after three years of splendid seasons, in the winter of 1891 and lasted for 21 months, with practically no rain up the Gascoyne to do any good. It broke up by monsoonal rains right down the coast, when pastoralists had given up all hope of summer rains, and had been putting their sheep in the open country and otherwise preparing for a continuance of the drought. And it was followed by a splendid season. The chief consolation at this time, continued Mr Munro, was in the fact that they were
Nearer the Break-up
of the drought than they were twelve months ago. As they left Doorawarrah, heavy clouds and lightning could be seen away east, in the direction of Lyons River, which might rain. Whether or not, the drought could not last for ever, and he was confident from experience that there would soon come a succession of excellent seasons that would help to amends for the losses of the past two years.
...
