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In 1895, Joe Bridge and his family along with 1,200 head of cattle leave the gulf country of Northern Queensland for the newly acclaimed Kimberley region of Western Australia.

A bold undertaking in itself, they are soon deserted by their four stockmen when deciding their goal as unachievable. By themselves and in the middle of nowhere, it was lucky for Joe his family were made of sterner stuff, with none more so than his 10-year-old daughter Mabel, now insisting she take control of their four in-hand wagon and gun, leaving her father free to try and manage their stock by himself.

Through extremes of weather and numerous other dangerous situations, this help being essential to the success of their near two-year journey, with her father naming their new holding ‘Mabel Downs’ in honour of her effort. Heart-warming accounts of this historical journey also reveal a common respect between this small family and indigenous inhabitants encountered along the way, crucial to their overall success.

"Drovers knew they tackled this route at their own peril,” wrote Mary Durack in her book Kings in Grass Castles.