A Fabled Land: Mesopotamia Station

Synopsis

The historic Mesopotamia Station is located in mid-Canterbury at the headwaters of the magnificent Rangitata gorge. ‘Mesopotamia', named by Samuel Butler in 1860, means ‘the land between two rivers': it lies between the Rangitata and Forest Creek rivers. Author Bruce Ansley has brilliantly captured the spirit of this great sheep station: from the early pioneers who first braved its harsh winters and searing summers to the ingenuity and drive of the present-day owners, the Prouting family. His description of the landscape is at once poetic and immediate and magnificent, taking the reader right to the heart of the high country.

The Mesopotamia story gives an astonishing overview of the history of the area, while the imposing power of the rivers, the hills, and the weather are ever present. In this country the mountains have as much personality and character as the members of the station's longtime owners, the Prouting family. The Rangitata River flows like a rogue throughout.

We ride the ‘curious tide of extremes' that farming embodies: the heartache, the exhilaration, the grandiose, the bombastic, the gracious, the laconic humour. This is a man's country, where the women who wish to stay have to hold their own; a country where the past is repeated and echoed in the present.

Peter Bush's photographs, taken over a 50-year period, grace Ansley's story, capturing the great musters of days gone by, the dignity of the shearing teams, the majestic country and the characters who people Mesopotamia's story.