Date: May 7th 2010

 

Westprint Friday Five May 7, 2010  

Included this week:

·         Ernest Henry

·         Rabbit Flat

·         Pestilence  

Have you missed any copies? Use this link for archives

To view the range of products from Westprint use this link

www.westprint.com.au  

Unless otherwise noted all special prices listed in the

Friday Five are valid for seven days.

Friday Five 7.5.2010

1. A Lifetime in the Bush. Mark Shephard has written an unashamedly eulogistic biography - anyone who has met Len Beadell will understand why. For the first time Len's life has been chronicled, from the early influences which spawned his love of the outback to the years as tour guide and unsurpassable bush camp yarn spinner. Len Beadell can lay claim to being the last of the great explorers of Australia : in the 1950's and 60's he undertook solo surveys which led to the building of roads through the most inaccessible tracts of the outback. But Len was more than just a surveyor - he was an author, cartoonist, raconteur and, above all, a great family man. This book is more than a biography. The detailed appendix is a gazetteer which will prove an invaluable guide to Lenny's greatest legacy to Australia , the 6000 km of outback highways. Soft Cover 246 Pages $32.95 plus post. Add to Cart

2.      Australia's Eremophilas - Norma Boschen, Maree Goods & Russell Wait -  Changing Gardens for a changing climate. Eremophilas are becoming an extremely popular plant in the garden due to the tremendous variety in foliage and their masses of stunning flowers, which come in all colours from white through to yellow, orange, red blue and purple. This book will help the gardener select suitable Eremophilas that will thrive in almost any situation. Describes over 215 species and where each is best suited. 270 pages with comprehensive index. $49.95 plus post.  Add to Cart

3. Do Not Yield to Despair. Frank Hann was one of the greatest bushman in Australia .  He travelled from Northern Queensland through the Territory to the Kimberley and finally to Laverton and the Eastern Goldfields where he spent his life exploring the desert.  These unique diaries record his travels and life and are essential reading for anyone travelling the Western Australian and Northern Territory deserts. Review by Kim Epton $88.00 plus post.  Add to Cart 

4. Spinifex & Sand. Carnegie gives a first hand account of the Coolgardie gold rush, the suffering of the prospectors, great gold discoveries, his own long march with typhoid fever, the desert tribes, the constant search for water, the death of one of his men and the vastness of the surrounding desert.  All are woven together in one of the most readable accounts of exploration in Australia . Review by Kim Epton $28.00 plus post.  Add to Cart 

5. Two Classic Tales of Australian Exploration. In this remarkable volume Tim Flannery brings together two classic Australian tales of travel and exploration: 1788 by Watkin Tench and Life and Adventures by John Nicol. Watkin Tench was a young marine captain with the First Fleet. With his natural curiosity and genius for storytelling he documented his first indelible impressions of this extraordinary land. John Nicol, experienced maritime globetrotter and steward on the Lady Juliana, arrived in Port Jackson two years later.  On board was Sarah Whitlam, his young convict lover, who had borne their son John during the voyage. Nicol’s record of the savagery and tenderness of a life lived on the high seas in the late eighteenth century is unrivalled. 196 pp. $32.00 plus post. Add to Cart

Books are allocated on a first-come first serve basis. To reserve your copy of any of the following books please email info@westprint.com.au with the title you are interested in. All emails will be answered during the following week, either with details of how to pay, or a ‘sorry, the item has already sold’ email. Where possible, postage on multiple items will be recalculated to offer you the best price.

Postage Rates. These items will usually not be found on our website. Orders will be supplied on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis. Westprint normal postage rates are now $8.50 for one book, $11.00 for two books, $13.00 for 3 or more books. Free post applies to orders of more than $150.00. Postage rates apply to Australia only. Airmail postage rates apply to overseas orders.

 

Friday Forum

Jo’s comments are in green.

Disclaimer.

Please note that the opinions and articles included in the Friday Five are not necessarily those of the Westprint mob. Nor do we endorse any products (other than our own), or tours listed in contributed articles.  

Flood Update  

·         Could you tell me if there is a web site which does a regular update of the water situation in Lake Eyre please?

Also do you have a map of Lake Eyre suitable to be used from a plane flying over? Friends are doing a flight soon but want to go when the lake has plenty of water in it.

Robin  

Westprint Maps show Lake Eyre but are primarily designed for 4WD travel rather than navigation by plane. Two of the best websites are the Lyndhurst Hotel - www.lyndhursthotel.com.au and Wrightsair - www.wrightsair.com.au  

·         We have just uploaded new photos onto our website. Photos are of Water flowing into Lake Blanche and surrounding areas. Adrian . Lyndhurst Hotel.  

·         I spent the last week boating from the washed away Strzelecki crossing about half way between Lyndhurst and Innamincka down the Strez Creek into Lake Blanche – brilliant trip don’t know if anyone has ever done it before or will be able to do it again. The water had dropped about 2m from its full height and was dropping at about 100mm plus each day. We had to get out of the boats and walk them through some sections to find the channel again. Took 3 days had 2 boats my mate Don and his son in one, me in mine and 2 support crew driving our two vehicles. Although we took 4 days supplies and sleeping cooking gear etc as well as sat phone and HF radio the crew were actually able to get in and meet up with us each night. The first day in particular was fantastic lots of trees in the creek line and heaps of birds, corellas, kites, ducks and budgies to name a few. Transport SA were starting to repair the crossing from the Adelaide side while we were there and Santos working on the other side should have it repaired in 1 to 3 weeks. We took one of the new OKA ’s as support vehicle and it surprised everyone with its capability in sand and also the old mining tracks on Mt Freeling on the way home. Peter Alltrac 4WD

To Give Away

·         I have a Nissan x-trail cargo barrier, as new, which I’m looking to give away. I’m in Sydney NSW. Don

If you are interested please send us an email with ‘cargo barrier’ in the subject line. We will forward your emails on. We don’t want to start a buy/sell section in the Friday Five, but this is to give away.

Information wanted – Ernest Henry

·         I'm writing a biography of Queensland cattle and mining pioneer Ernest Henry, after whom the Ernest Henry mine near Cloncurry is named. Twenty year-old Ernest arrived in Melbourne in 1857 from the UK after serving in the Crimean war. After working for a while in the Victorian western district he rode his horse to Sydney then on to Brisbane (maybe not the same horse!) and to Bowen where he joined the Dalrymple expedition looking for suitable grazing land in the headwaters of the Burdekin. To cut a very long story short he eventually turned to mining and had several small copper mines in the Cloncurry-Mt Isa area which he worked with the help of local Kalkadoon aborigines. I'm wondering if you or your readers have anything in your collections which may refer to Ernest Henry: eg, Hector Holthouse's 1974 book "Up Rode the Squatter."

This is a retirement-funded project (no government grants!) so I can't pay much for contributions although I'm sure everything is negotiable. I'm going back to Cloncurry and Bowen next month to work on material collected by local historical societies, but my email will remain operational (I hope). Ian  

If you can help Ian please email Westprint and we will forward your email on to Ian.

Rabbit Flat

·         We have just travelled from Alice via the Tanami Track, and stopped over at Rabbit Flat. Bruce gave me a notice to send to you (notice is pdf so cannot be included here), however the detail in the notice is that he is closing Rabbit Flat permanently on Friday 31st December this year. After that date, there will be no services or facilities available.

Until that time, his services are available as follows:

Until Monday 1st November 2010 , open every day from 7am to 9pm (sometimes 7pm if no one is around)

From 2nd November 2010 to 31st December 2010 , he will revert to the "partial closures" as before. (Open Fri to Mon only for both fuel & camping)

For info, Bruce has EFTPOS and Credit Card facilities.

After 41 years it will be the end of an era at Rabbit Flat, and sad to no longer be greeted by lovely people such as Bruce & Jacqueline. Geoff 

4WD Club 

·         Love the story on the 4WD Clubs coming to the rescue. What this story also shows us is that the Aussie Spirit is well and truly alive in the bush.  If only you could bottle the enthusiasm shown by the members of the club and get everyone in Australia to drink it we would be so much better off. Imagine breaking down on Parramatta Road and asking for the same help.  I know I asked someone in a sedan if they needed help when they broke down on Parramatta Road and that was in my sign written 4WD (after they had created a build up of 3km of traffic) and the response through a closed window was "They can wait.  I have called the NRMA.  I don’t need your help!  No wonder I spend more time out on the tracks than in Sydney town!  Alex. Great Divide Tours . 

·         If you check your wheel nut tension with any form of rattle gun you will inevitably end up with problems such as those experienced. If you use a decent rattle gun you will potentially over stress your studs and they will break rather than work loose. Check your tension with a tension wrench, or with the wheel brace that came with the vehicle which has generally been designed as a lever capable of tensioning the wheel nuts to approximately the right tension. Worth asking your tyre or service joint not to do your wheel nuts up with a rattle gun when they do anything involving removing the wheels. If you want to be non confrontational just tell them it's because the wife has a hard time getting the wheel nuts off if she gets a flat and they are over tightened. Dave  

·         Re the story about wheel nuts, what happened to the old trick of pirating a stud from the other three wheels (and one from your matching camper trailer wheels?) – As long as you’ve got the right tools! Tony

  Four Wheel Drive Victoria - E News  

·         The latest edition of E News is now available. Check it out at www.fwdvictoria.org.au  

Buntine Highway and Gibb River Road  

·         The following website has great information and suitable books. Warwick

www.kimberleyaustralia.com  

·         I do not have any direct information but use the Hema group of maps and info. That is 'Camps Australia', 'Around Australia Atlas and Guide' and 'Great Desert Tracks'.   I have found them to be fairly good as a general guide in travelling around central and northern Queensland last year.  The number of southerners thru the top end was prodigious.  I.e. FIVE 4-wheelers all from SA queuing up for fuel early one Sunday morning at Cooktown; we were the only vehicles in sight.   I have no doubt this will also be the case in top-end WA this year.

I intend to do pretty well the same thing myself this June and July, maybe we could arrange a convoy. There are definite advantages safety-wise in convoying. I will also be inquiring about the road conditions to Honeymoon beach at Kalumburu right up the top.  While in the region I intend to get to the Wolfe creek crater N/P. Bob. Naracoorte  

Does anyone have information about Honeymoon Beach ?  

Eyre Bird Observatory

·         Re the remarks about Eyre Bird Observatory. We worked at Eyre for 13 months; never did we feel like slaves. When we did it we had a lot more duties than what the present day caretakers have with up to 20 guests at a time. Also no internet or quite a few of the other facilities now there. Personally we did not feel it was hard work. Visitors are provided with meals to help provide income to keep the place running, as most fruit and vegies cannot be taken in or out of WA and not for sale at the road houses unless with prior arrangement, a good meal is welcomed by all. It is not nouvelle cuisine but good old home cooking. I suggest Kev that you pay a visit someday and you will see why some caretakers go back again. As one visitor said why go to heaven when you can come to Eyre. Rob and Alex

Pestilence

It is obvious that I am not the only person having trouble with mice, flies, mozzies etc. Read on for some good bush remedies (although they may not be politically correct).

·         I have had a life-long “friendship” with pestiferous mozzies. Recently a pharmacist put me onto Vitamin B1. All this summer I have been saved of not only the dreaded mozzie bites that inflame & itch madly but also the sandflies. I’m told Vitamin B1 sends out a nasty little odour that the mozzies etc. loathe & yet the human nose cannot detect. I am so pleased to say it is working wonderfully for me. Chris  

·         Question? If the mozzies are breeding with Cessnas, what happens when the grasshoppers start breeding with 747s? Bob E  

·         I Remember driving south through Wallabadah on the New England Hwy in the 1980s. The headlights showed a constant flow of meeces flowing across the road like a moving carpet.

A simple trap made from a 44 gal drum half full of water with a smooth 1/4 inch glass rod at a angle pointing down towards the centre from the edge with a bait such as peanut butter or chocolate or bacon fat.  Any smooth rod such as metal would do and possibly greased. The meece cannot get back up if the angle is right. Needs access to the rim of the drum also.

Google also produced the same idea with a cocoa tin drilled through the centre of the lid and bottom so it spins easily on a rod placed across the drum. Peanut butter is spread on the outside of the tin and much entertainment can be had watching the antics. Just don’t tell PETA. Doug. Gloucester  

·         A trap that is cheap and effective. Equipment: Bucket (or drum)  with straight sides, an empty tallie or wine bottle, an old bag or old clothing, some peanut paste, some bricks or timber.

Place the drum where you have seen mice. Next to the drum stack up some bricks so that they are nearly level to the top of the container. Place bottle on top of the bricks with the neck sticking out into the centre of the bucket. Place the bag over the base of the bottle and secure with a brick on either side - to stop bottle from rolling off. Put some peanut paste on the underside of the neck towards the end and half fill the drum with water. I sometimes put a dash of kero into the water. John  

·         Re: Fly Trap. I have tried the Fly Trap with European Wasps at Warburton Vic. Same idea, fruit Juice plastic bottle, cut flap in one side and "Pull Flap Out" just enough for the Wasp to enter. Unscrew top, Fill with water to one third approx and replace top. Add some meat and now maybe some Prawns and Cat food and sit back and watch. It is such a pleasure to see "Death" to Mongrels! Lael  

·         Here’s a good mouse trap. Lay a bottle on its side with the neck protruding over something to catch the mice, a bin or what ever that they can not climb out of. A bottle with a long neck is good, put a cork in the bottle and attach some bait (pumpkin is good) to this with wire etc, grease the bottle neck if you like with a little oil, you may need to steady the bottle and lay something over the bottom of of the bottle so they can climb upon it easy.  I have caught over fifty a night with one bottle. Angus.  

·         I lived through a mice plague north of Shepparton back in the mid 1980s.  At night they would run across the back of your pillow, and I watched them climb up the etched glass in the lounge doors!  There is no way to rid yourself of this pest but you can thin them out using a mix of milk powder and cement so that when they go for a drink, well, you can guess the rest !!  We put a line of the mix around the hay sheds and dairy and found lots of dead ones, assuming the cement had done its job.  An air rifle is fun until it becomes a chore.  Rats need something bigger.  Have fun...Peter  

·         Whilst I never saw it in practice, my dad who worked on a wheat property in the Mallee in the 1930s had horrendous stories about the quantity of mice during the plagues.

 He described the way he used to trap them. He set up a series of the old 4 gallon kerosene tins and half filled them with water. Then suspended above each kerosene tin, was a short plank of wood with cheese secured towards the end over the water. The plank was precariously balanced so that as the mice ran out along the plank it tipped up with their weight and tipped them into the water. The plank then fell back into “set” position ready for the next lot. It was a sort of self-setting trap. He told me he caught 100s every night and sometimes the effectiveness was defeated as so many mice fell into the tins that they filled the tin and they simply ran off the backs of their unfortunate mates.

My mother had a hook in the ceiling of the kitchen and each night she would bundle all food stuffs into the centre of the table cloth, tie cord onto each corner of the cloth and haul it up out of mice reach. They were pretty inventive in those days! Barry  

·         I have followed the fly trap debate with interest. Now, heres a new challenge. We are inundated with small moths. Having tried the commercial sticky sheets with limited success, I am wondering if readers have any more bush secrets.  Dave.

 

Friday Funnies

Doesn’t take long does it? Here are some volcano jokes…  

Volcano jokes from Max

·         Sorry for the flight delays, Europe . We were aiming for London , but it's hard to be accurate when firing a volcano.

·         There's no pleasing the English. The last time they got the Ashes they were over the moon.

·         Iceland goes bankrupt, and then manage to set their island on fire. Insurance scam written all over it.

·         I think it's too soon to make jokes about the Icelandic volcano…we should at least wait until the dust settles.

·         Time for the USA to attack Iceland for possessing weapons of mass disruption.

·         The last wish of the Icelandic economy was to have its ashes scattered over Europe .  

·         A nun, badly needing to use to the restroom, walked into a local Hooters. The place was hopping with music and loud conversation, and every once in a while the lights would 
turn off. Each time the lights would go out, the place would erupt into cheers. However, when the revellers saw the nun, the room went silent. She walked up to the bartender, and asked, 'May I please use the restroom?'  
The bartender replied, 'OK, but I should warn you that there is a statue of a naked man in there wearing only a fig leaf.' 
'Well, in that case I'll just look the other way,' said the nun. So the bartender showed the nun to the back of the restaurant. After a few minutes, she came back out, and the whole place stopped just long enough to give the nun a loud round of applause. She went to the bartender and said, 'Sir, I don't understand. Why did they applaud for me just because I went to the restroom?' 
'Well, now they know you're one of us,' said the bartender. 'Would you like a drink?' 
 'But, I still don't understand,' said the puzzled nun. 'You see,' laughed the bartender, 'every time someone lifts the fig leaf on that statue, the lights go out.'   

·         This guy goes to a Halloween party with a girl on his back. "What on earth are you?" asks the host.

"I'm a snail," says the guy.

"But...you have a girl on your back," replies the host.

"Yeah, he says.... "That’s Michelle!"

To all of our Faithful Friday Five readers.

Please be aware that there are numerous reasons why your email address may be deleted from our system. One of the main difficulties is that many spam companies also use the program we use for publishing and this means the Friday Five may be rejected as spam. If you do not regularly continue to get the Friday Five please check with Graeme at info@westprint.com.au Remember to include a phone number or other alternative contact.

New email addresses are constantly and automatically being added to our list. If you do not wish to be part of our Friday Five group then please unsubscribe from the link at the bottom of this newsletter. This takes effect immediately. Westprint apologises for any inconvenience.

Cheers for now,

Jo

 

 

The link below is to UNSUBSCRIBE from this Newsletter only.