THE PEOPLE love it, and so do the horses. The good old-fashioned excitement of a gallop through the bush with coach and horses is something you would normally never hope to experience in this day and age. You could almost believe you’d been transported to an earlier era on this Cobb-and-Co-styled adventure.

It starts out from the back of The Station Store, where the changing station is situated. Trotting sedately through the streets doesn’t last long, then you’re out in the bush on roads that might have come straight out of the 1920s. And when the horses start to gallop, it’s a feeling like no other.

The gallop through the scrub has become the trademark of Kinnon and Co’s horse-drawn ride, which also includes a walk through the cemetery and a talk about the drovers and Cobb and Co drivers of days gone by.

Back at the changing station, you alight from the coach and find yourself in the courtyard, ready for your smoko. Even that could be straight out of Cobb and Co days - scones and a pot of real tea. There’s even a bit of entertainment laid on. Sometimes the blacksmith’s shop is working and visitors can see the almost lost art of hot shoeing of the coach horses.

Then relax in old time canvas chairs in the viewing room as you watch a classic Australian film on the big screen. It’s wonderfully nostalgic but has the advantage of being recently recoloured.

All in all, this is a half day out of time, and something you’ll talk about long after you’ve left Longreach to continue your trip. And if you feel you need a bit of retail therapy while you’re out west, you can get that at The Station Store too. It’s a fascinating place to browse through.

The Station Store is open to the public weekdays and Saturday mornings. It stocks good quality Australian made products including hats and country clothing lines. There are leather products including Harold Boots along with wallets, suitcases, overnight bags and even saddles from the famous Syd Hill and Sons who are fifth generation saddlers and one of the oldest saddlers in Australia.

Richard and Marisse Kinnon are a husband-and-wife team who combine their separate talents to make the whole experience something special. Marisse put the shop together, and Richard is the driver of the purpose-built coach. A local property owner who says he knows nothing else but horses and cattle, he’s in his element.

And if that’s not enough, two nights a week he takes guests down to Clancy’s Campout for a night spent under the stars. Just 15 people can go on each overnight trip, which entails Cobb-and-Co-style transport for 10km to the campsite at the Longreach Waterhole. You get to travel lightly - just bring your PJs! The swags and food follow in the drover’s wagonette. When you arrive, the horses are hobbled, the swags rolled out and the campoven meal is cooked. Sit around the campfire and listen to the stories told by retired drovers and ringers, listen to entertainment ranging from old bush songs to today’s country music. Then settle back in your swag and try to count the stars ...

The next morning the pans and billies start rattling around daybreak as breakfast is prepared, then you load back into the coach to head back to town ... and a reality check as you leave the past behind.