"When local Clunes resident Leslie Scott discovers two brumbies living on the rugged Mount Beckworth, she almost can't believe it. Brumbies don't live in Central Victoria, and the terrain is not suited to them, so how did they get there?"

Join Leslie Scott as she speaks about her discoveries of wild Brumby's living on Mt Beckworth in central Victoria and her personal campaign to keep these majestic horses safe.

Leslie Scott’s love for horses and the bush began when she got her first pony at age 6. Her father, an experienced bushman taught her to listen, appreciate and be able to read the bush.

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When Leslie can’t get to the high country, she immerses herself in the rugged terrain of Mt Beckworth, a nature reserve seven minutes from her front gate. Leslie lives on a small property with her husband in historical Clunes, rural Victoria. They have a menagerie of animals. In her spare time she’s either riding her horses in the bush or hiking through it with her dog. For Leslie the bush is not just a place to visit – it’s her home.

About the book

The horses are scared and unused to people, but the mountain is not a safe place for horses. With summer heat on its way, the waterholes are drying up and food is getting scarce - and local rumour has it that logging is soon to begin. Looking into the eyes of the young colt she names Milo, Leslie knows it's up to her to gain their trust and get them down to safety.

Every day for months Leslie makes the hike up the mountain, slowly but surely building a connection with Milo and his companion Lucy, but there are other mysterious things happening up there - bones being rearranged into different shapes - and always the question: who left the horses here in the first place?

Once Were Wild is a fascinating and heart-warming story about a woman and her resourcefulness and determination to do what's right for two beautiful brumbies.

This event takes place on Wadawurrung Country. Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute acknowledges the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we work, learn and create. Always Was, Always Will Be, Aboriginal Land.