Australia: Eidsvold QLD

Eidsvold is RM Williams country. The iconic Aussie bushman born in South Australia in 1908, but who called Eidsvold home is remembered and revered in this part of Australia. This is a man who left school early (just 13), swag in hand and rode into the bush to pursue his dream to become an accomplished stockman. Horses, the bush and the people became his passion and his life.

Along the way he fell into making boots for bushmen. His boots were strong and lasted a lifetime since they were made from just one piece of leather – no seams to act as weak points. When the well known Sir Sidney Kidman bought a pair of RM Williams boots, this bushman’s venture into the business world was assured.

Eidsvold is home to the RM Williams Australian Bush Learning Centre and here in all its raw storytelling, you can learn about the harshness and beauty of the Australian bush and the skills needed to survive. Stockmen who battled extreme heat, dust and drought to drove cattle long distances to water, women holding it together on the homefront fending off isolation and loneliness as well as deadly snakes provide a sharp contrast to life today.

Through it all runs a deep respect for our bushmen and women who had to create, fix, maintain and simply make do with the little they had.

Hail to RM Williams, a man guided by this belief: ‘If you’re good enough to work for me, you’re good enough to eat at my table’.