The old black billy

[taswegian]

bush tea

With my swag all on my shoulder
Black billy in my hand
I travelled the bush of Australia
(With my Swag upon my Shoulder)

The old black billy has, for many years been part of my life, both at work and play.
We'd brew the tea for lunch when working out in the bush and often accompanied by wife and kids. Great stuff.

And bushwalks weren't 'bushwalks' without the billy.

my trusted billy(s)

Billies were and still are messy things when used on the good old camp fire, and yet there's nothing quite like a cup of billy tea. (Not 'smokey old fire tea' though.)

When I married, our honeymoon was spread about the highlands of Tassie.
My wife reminded me when I started writing this, of her toils as a brand new wife of just a few days, of making billy bags for our escape to that vast interior of Tasmania.
It was on the floor of our newly acquired house, no table, sewing machine straight on the floor! Oops!! I'd forgotten that event!
Tales of Billy Life probably really started there.

I'd go bush for a weekend or so and return with all my gear in various states of cleanliness.
I always tried to clean the billies in the scrub, gravel, sandy riverbeds make great cleansers but probably unacceptable in today’s ways.
But there were times when it would be the laundry sink and I guess that often left a residue that guess who would clean up!

The billy is a great container for putting food in with a hefty log or stones at night to protect it from the marauding devils, quolls etc.
They provide a means to collect water from difficult locations. Lowered or swung on a rope suitably weighted with a stone, into an inaccessible creek or lake and dragged back up to dry land.

These days the fire has been replaced with trusty Trangia and yet the billy survives but in a cleaner environ.

The billy with spout was my parents. I didn't take that bush.

I reckon there's many that can relate to this true blue Aussie icon and the memories they bring back.
Cold, frosty starry nights, flames sending eerie shadows across the landscape, sparks shooting into the night sky.

Conversations were limited for me - mainly had myself to talk to. Once our kids were old enough then that obviously changed and we had many a delightful yarn and of course it wasn't a campfire for them without billy tea or hot choc and marshmallows.

Another association with billies is the burning of different wood that would bring interesting aromas to the fore. The scent of King Billy is heavenly.

Then there's the smell that lingers. It’s an aroma that nothing matches. To me it’s a clean beautiful aroma intertwined with pleasant memories.
I was surprised my daughter remarked on that when I talked to her about 'bushwalking with children'.

Poems and ballads go before us

I've humped my bluey in all the states
With my old black billy the best of mates;
For years I've camped and toiled and tramped
Over roads that are rough and hilly;
with my highly sensible indispensable,
Old Black Billy

Chorus:
My old black billy, my old black billy;
whether the wind is warm or chilly,
I al-ways find when shadows fall,
My old black bill-y's the best mate of all!

I've carried my swag on the parched Paroo,
Where water is scarce and the houses few:
On many a track on the great outback,
Where the heat would drive you silly;
I've carried my sensible, indispensable,
Old Black billy.

When my tramping days are o'er.
And I drop my swag at the Golden Door,
Saint Peter will stare when he sees me there,
Then he'll say, "Poor wandering Willie,
Come in with your sensible, indispensable,
Old Black Billy."
Words: Edward Harrington.

[Tony]

Hi Taswegian,

Thanks for a great billy story, I enjoyed reading it.

I have many cooking pots, stainless steel, titanium, hard anodized aluminium and alunimium pots, but I still prefer my little old ally billy.

Tony

[Greenie]

Ah there is "pair" of those Spondonicals I recently read about http://www.david-noble.net/blog/?p=241. Too young to remember them though...

[flyfisher]

Great billy stories there Taswegian, thanks for sharing.

Many a campfire I've shared with my wife and children over the years and the billy was always a part of it.

When car camping at easter over many years the camp oven was another "black on the outside" recepticle that had lovely fare inside.

FF

[taswegian]

the camp oven

Ah yes - thats another device that brings much pleasure to the gut.
My brother and I found an old rusting one in the bush years ago and many a meal was enjoyed from that.

“spondonical”

I've never heard them called that - thanks for the interesting links.
I just knew them as billy lifters, and they sure are powerful.

[John Sheridan]

I had a billy ages ago that had a cup lid with the folding grips and the main billy had the folding grips plus it had a billy handle as well, No idea where it came from, had this a long time before I had any interest in camping, just was something that was out in the backyard I have not seen any like that lately.


It was only a small one maybe a litre capacity.

Just what I am looking for now

Cheers.

[baldhead]

Ejoyed your story Taswegian, it's a great bush tradition, the ritual of the billy

Can you still buy small ally billy's
The ones I've seen for sale are made of thin steel

Cheers
Carl

[Taurë-rana]

Thank you for that, Taswegian, made me feel quite nostalgic. Yes, we always had a black billy to use over the fire when I started walking, along with the trusty Trangia or not so trusty chuffer. And the fire lit and the billy hung was always the first thing done on making camp every day when travelling around Australia for a couple of years. It's something I miss about bushwalking now.
Spondonicals? I think whynotwalk may have been one of the first people I knew who used that term, do you know where it came from Peter?

[tas-man]

I had a billy ages ago that had a cup lid with the folding grips and the main billy had the folding grips plus it had a billy handle as well, No idea where it came from, had this a long time before I had any interest in camping, just was something that was out in the backyard I have not seen any like that lately.

It was only a small one maybe a litre capacity.

Just what I am looking for now

Cheers.

I think mine is one of those which I have had for decades, so can't remember where I got it from. Here's a photo without the lid from an old thread.
download/file.php?id=1325&mode=view
I will dig it out and add a photo of the cup/dish lid with folding handles so you can see if it is the one you were talking about.

[tas-man]

Here's some photos of the complete billy setup with cup/lid on and off. Unfortunately there are no manufacturing marks to identify the maker. My Kovea Titanium stove and gas cylinder fit neatly inside which is neat.

[gbedford]

Great article. Personally I only use two old billies and a small one I adapted myself. Modern Australia seems so caught up in pots etc that I don;t think many of them would know what a billy is.

All the best,
Godon

[John Sheridan]

That's the little Biach I had, well as close as i can remember

I looked far and wide and have not seen anything like that, I am pretty sure I can knock up one if I wanted too and might do so, but would be nice just to buy one some where.

Thanks for the memories

Cheers.

/PS I just found it on Ebay from the UK, all the sizes under the sun, just take your pick on size you think you will need for your trip. Have not added up how much it would cost to get to Australia plus postage.

At least i know i can get them If I want now

WOOO HOOOO.

[tas-man]

<snip>/PS I just found it on Ebay from the UK, all the sizes under the sun, just take your pick on size you think you will need for your trip. Have not added up how much it would cost to get to Australia plus postage.

At least i know i can get them If I want now

WOOO HOOOO.

John, can you let us know what brand name or item description they come under, so we can check them out, or post a link to the particular eBay UK seller's page.

[tas-man]

Found them here - http://sports.shop.ebay.co.uk:80/Sporti ... 20a6b085e8
However not many sellers will post to Australia. Looks like the one I've got is the smallest in the set. They are advertised as army issue equipment in some adverts, so looks like the design has been around for a long time. Mine must be over 20 years old.

Picture 4.png (144.29 KiB) Viewed 12812 times

[John Sheridan]

These things must be a UK invention as they are only available from the UK.

Thanks for the link I can see plenty now that will send to Australia sO I can take my pick, so I really have to decide who and when and if I buy me a set then I have to wait

Thanks all.

Cheers.

/PS Just noticed that was the UK ebay site, they would all be from the Uk then :p

[John Sheridan]

Even if I look on the Aussie Ebay store all I see is them available from the UK

http://shop.ebay.com.au/i.html?_nkw=bil ... m270.l1313

Must be a UK invention, would be nice if they had a handle on the billy as well

Cheers.

[bushwalker zane]

Ah, I have many a fond memory of being a young boy and my dad firing up the billy. Good times.

[davidmorr]

Found them here - http://sports.shop.ebay.co.uk:80/Sporti ... 20a6b085e8
However not many sellers will post to Australia. Looks like the one I've got is the smallest in the set. They are advertised as army issue equipment in some adverts, so looks like the design has been around for a long time. Mine must be over 20 years old.

I bought a set of these at Big W at the beginning of my bushwalking career over 20 years ago. They came nested in each other in a box and cost peanuts. Been looking for more for years as mine are getting a bit battered.

So thanks for the link.

[John Sheridan]

I just found my old billy it turns out my mum had it, not idea why, but she kind of kept every thing, can't wait to try it out again...


Cheers.

[jacko1956]

Where I can have a fire I take my billy as well as the pot/stove combo.
The billys in the Ebay link are all aluminium and I find that deterioates quickly on a fire. All our local camping "chain stores" (BCF, Rays Outdoors, Getaway Outdoors) sell plain and spouted billys that while they are in different packaging all come from the same (Chinese?) factory. I found BCF about 2/3rds the price of the others. I originally bought the spouted one in aluminium but when it started too look unsavoury I bought the stainless steel one (which I use with the aluminium lid to save weight ). I find the extra weight more than compensated by the reduction in fuel usage. While the spout is a nuisance packing I have mate a pot cozie for it that avoids the soot being an issue in the pack as well as serving normal cozie functionality.

Attachments

The billy!

[Rob A]

Here's some photos of the complete billy setup...Unfortunately there are no manufacturing marks

I believe they were sold by Woolworths or Coles early nineties just before Christmas with a Blinky Bill label and a "Billy Christmas Pud" inside . Havent seen em since, very convenient size.

E60.jpg (151.53 KiB) Viewed 12042 times

[MartyGwynne]

Ahhh great I am off to the UK in June I may have to hunt out an outdoors shop and purchase one as it looks just the ticket for my needs to hold the gas canister and kovea stove.

MMMmm just got growled at "we are not spending our time - nag nag nag bla blab blaaa blab"

I am sure it will still happen.

[John Sheridan]

I have no idea where mine came from and no recollection of a pud

Maybe my mum bought it for the PUD and the billy stayed around till now, who knows

All I know I never had any Pud, don't like em

Cheers.

[Rob A]

Lot of people have problems when it comes to the Pud. Deep rooted childhood memories I reckon ....

the_magic_pudding.jpg (12.25 KiB) Viewed 11974 times

Add Mr Blackboard to the mix and who needs the bogie man. Freddie Krugers got nothing.