Date: May 21st 2010

 

Westprint Friday Five May 21, 2010 

Included this week:

·    Disputed Country

·    Track Notes – Bomb Roads

·    Mozzie warning

 

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Friday Five 21.5.2010

 

1. The Adelie Blizzard. Limited Edition Book. A facsimile edition of the periodic newsletter produced by members of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition during the winter of 1913 at Cape Denison. A limited edition of 650 copies with full colour plates and maps. The first 199 are numbered and bound in half leather. Over 200 pages are reproduced. The harsh winter climate confined the expeditions to long periods in their hut. To keep boredom at bay a newspaper was produced. Each monthly issue was prepared on foolscap sheets using a manual typewriter. A single copy was made that was read aloud as it was passed around the men. Only five monthly issues were produced and none has been published before. This will not be a stock item. Orders will be taken until the end of May only. Standard edition $180.00 including registered post. Deluxe edition $340 including registered post. 

Some more books I have read while taking it easy.

2. South. The Endurance expedition to Antarctica. Sir Ernest Shackleton’s astonishing memoir of his 1914 Antarctic expedition explores human courage, tenacity and an unflagging hope in the face of adversity. South remains one of the greatest adventures of the twentieth century. I have read this book a few times now and each time I get out an atlas to see what an incredible story this is. $24.95 Add to Cart

3. Endurance. In 1914 Shackleton and a crew of 27 men set sail for the South Atlantic on board a ship called the Endurance. The object of the expedition was to cross the Antarctic overland. In October 1915, still half a continent away from their intended base, the ship was trapped, and then crushed in ice. For five months Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways on one of the most savage regions of the world. Although these books are similar, Endurance was written by Alfred Lansing and gives a more rounded view (i.e. includes Shackleton’s foibles). $29.95 plus post. Add to Cart

4. Down Under. Bill Bryson ‘It is the driest, flattest, hottest, most desiccated, infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents and still Australia teems with life – a large portion of it quite deadly. In fact Australia has more things that can kill you in a very nasty way than anywhere else’. I think this book is one of the funniest I have read but others have told me that it is not funny at all. I guess it depends on a wacky Australian sense of humour. $27.95 plus post. Add to Cart

5. Jackson's Track.  Daryl Tonkin & Carol Landon. In 1936, Daryl Tonkin and his brother, Harry, leave home in search of adventure. They set up a timber mill in western Gippsland at Jackson's Track; a dreamtime place, a place that was paradise. A bushman dedicated to his work, Daryl discovers happiness there - and unexpectedly falls in love. But Daryl is white and Euphie is black and neither of them is prepared for the conflict their forbidden love ignites. I enjoyed this book as it is one of the few books of this type based in Victoria. It’s a heart wrenching story. $26.95 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. 

Disputed Country 

·    I am writing in relation to the recent ABC TV "Landline" program on the history of the border dispute between Victoria and South Australia.

It is really gratifying to see renewed interest in finding Australia's "lost border" and in recognising the amazing history of Australia's first surveyed border. Overall the program did a superb job of summarising the issues, but there were a couple of minor errors which I would like to correct:

The program's commentary implied that the error which placed the border a few km west of the intended 141 degrees east longitude was caused by the surveyors - Henry Wade and Edward White.

But they merely started from a "known" survey point established by a previous surveyor - Tyers. And Tyers based his survey on the assumed longitude of the Sydney observatory, which became the source of the error way out on the Vic/SA border!

(The agreed position of Sydney Observatory was changed seven times in the years following the survey.)

Also, the program stated that White's survey failed to join the line from the north, but this was Australia's first border survey and there was no existing line at the Murray River!

It was 18 years after White completed his survey in 1850 that Charles Todd (South Australia) and George Smalley (New South Wales) started to survey north from the Murray.

By that time the error in the assumed longitude of the Sydney Observatory had been corrected, and Wade and White's line was found to be 3.35 km too far west. 

More detail on Australia's lost border and the story of White's near-death experiences in the Big Desert can be found in my book "The Disputed Country - Australia's Lost Border" which is available from Westprint. Best regards to all, Bob Dunn 

The) Disputed Country. Chronicles the story of the very first surveyed border in Australia. Between 1847 and 1850 saw an epic three year saga of dogged persistence through heavy rain and flooded swamps to harrowing escapes from the waterless mallee country. Then came the almost immediate destruction of huge sections of border makers by a devastating firestorm. The official nominated border was to have been on the 141st line of longitude, but it soon became clear that the border in practice was some kilometres west of this line. "The Disputed Country" being that thin slice of land between the intended border and the actual placement sparked a battle beginning in the courts and almost ended in civil war. More than a century and a half after our first surveyed border was meant to eliminate a lawless haven for criminals between two colonies, a "no-man's land" still exists between two states. This book also includes a guide to significant heritage sites along the border as well as detailed strip maps, prepared by Westprint. $32.50 Add to Cart

Order by May 31 and receive the Westprint Outback Victoria map free. Just add ‘free map offer’ to the notes section of your order. 

Fight the Bite - A health warning from SA Health 

·    The recent warm weather and rains in the Northern Territory and in Northern South Australia has seen an increase in mosquito numbers across central Australia.

Mosquitoes are not only a nuisance but some can spread serious disease such as Ross River virus (RRv) and Barmah Forest virus (BFv) when they bite (symptoms of RRv and BFv can include joint pains, rash, fever, fatigue or muscle pain).

There is NO CURE and NO VACCINE to protect against these mosquito borne diseases. The only known and effective way to reduce risk of mosquito borne disease is to prevent mosquito bites.

If you are a visitor, or if you live in northern South Australia, it is important that you protect yourself, your family and friends against mosquito borne disease by Fighting the Bite. Key strategies include:

·        Covering Up – wear long, light coloured, loose fitting clothing (mosquitoes can bite through tight clothes like jeans)

·        Apply personal insect repellent containing DEET or Picaridin (avoid using on babies and toddlers and ALWAYS read and follow instructions on the label first).

·        Ensure insect screens cover openings in holiday houses, boats, caravans or tents.

·        Cover sleeping areas or beds with mosquito nets if necessary.

For additional strategies and information about how to Fight the Bite and protect against mosquito borne disease visit www.health.sa.gov.au 

Trip Notes – Bomb Roads

·    My comrade Harry and I recently did a very nice 4WD trip over some of Len's bomb roads. Maybe the following report on the road conditions can be useful for other people who intend to travel that region.

We started in Perth and drove to Kalgoorlie, where we entered the Southern Railway Access Track to Rawlinna. At Rawlinna we encountered some difficulty in finding the correct entry to the Connie Sue Highway and ended up on a farm, but the farmer was very friendly and put us on the right farm track, which then joined the Connie Sue Highway.

The southern part of the Connie Sue Highway was in pretty good condition, a good dirt highway until the Aboriginal community turn off. The rest of the Connie Sue Highway was pretty good as well, the occasional wash out here and there, nothing serious.

From Warburton, where we fuelled up, we headed down the Great Central Road to the Hunt Oil Road turn off. We really enjoyed the Hunt Oil Road, as it was much more adventurous, parts of it rather difficult to negotiate. The Hunt Oil Road is becoming overgrown. Be aware of the fact that you'll definitely add some scratches to your vehicle (from bushes growing into the track). There are some stretches of major wash-outs, which required us to do some bush bashing to go around them. The scenery is awesome and we loved the loneliness, however I would recommend going there only in a convoy with at least two vehicles. Right in the middle of it we did not feel too comfortable being there with just one vehicle, in spite of the fact that the vehicle was well equipped.

There were stretches of strong spinifex growth on the track. We mounted a screen to protect the radiator from clogging with spinifex and regularly checked the vehicle bottom for spinifex build-up. We had to clear spinifex from the transfer case several times. It builds up under the protective metal plate of the transfer case and is a big fire risk. Therefore make sure to carry at least one garden spray set per vehicle as additional fire extinguisher when travelling this track and have some wire with you which you can use for cleaning spinifex from parts of the vehicle which you cannot reach with your hands (a coat-hanger made of wire is perfect for this job).

We hit the Gunbarrel after one and a half days and headed eastwards. The Gunbarrel must have seen some strong rainfalls since we last did it in May 2007, this time there were numerous new washouts, not all of them already had detours. That cost us some extra time, but all obstacles could be negotiated. We had a permit for the Abandoned Section; therefore we headed on towards Jackie Junction. The Abandoned Section of the Gunbarrel Highway up to Jackie Junction was very rough in places (deep wash-outs) and took lots of time to negotiate safely. We did some bush bashing again to go round the worst wash outs. From Jackie Junction onwards the Abandoned Section of the Gunbarrel Highway was just awesome, so beautiful the scenery that I can hardly describe it.

After a stretch of Great Central Road from Warrakurna we headed north on the Sandy Blight Junction Road. Road conditions were comparable to October 2008, when we travelled the Sandy Blight Junction Road the first time. The Gary Junction Road from Kintore to Tanami Road was mostly in good condition, parts of this stretch have recently been graded, a good dirt highway.

Due to bad weather, we headed towards the Big Stone (Uluru) via the bitumen of the Lasseter Highway. Afterwards it was down the Stuart Highway, as rain was predicted for the Great Central Road. The Southern Railway Access Track and Googs Track were closed due to rainfall; therefore we had to travel to Ceduna via bitumen. We then headed back to Perth via the Nullarbor Plain, part of it on the Old Eyre Highway, a very nice 4WD track, which is a good alternative to the monotonous bitumen.

From Cocklebiddy Motel we headed north to Haig. We were told that this is the best way to go up north towards the Southern Railway Access Track, as the direct track towards Rawlinna is in bad condition (that's what they told us) and hard to find in places as there are numerous farm tracks in that area. Haig to Kalgoorlie was just a perfect dirt highway. What a pity that the Southern Railway Access Track is closed east of Haig. If anybody needs further information please feel free to contact me on farmer112@arcor.de

Cheers from bl..dy boring and rainy Dortmund/Germany, Juergen  

Welcome to West Australia 

·    We travelled to West Australia last year and in most towns were made most welcome.

Unfortunately two towns, Broome and Exmouth, could not have been less interested in tourists.

We rang all the caravan parks in Broome about two weeks before we were due to arrive only to be told that they did not take bookings you just had to arrive and hope for the best.  We were in Derby and spoke to a couple that had just gotten of the phone to a caravan park in Broome, where they had a booking, and had changed their date of arrival to earlier than booked with no problems. We immediately rang the same park to be told in no uncertain terms “that we don’t take bookings”.  When we said that we had just spoken to someone who we had booked we were told once again “we don’t take bookings”.  When we arrived in Broome we rang the caravan parks again and advised that we were now in Broome only to be told that there were all full and that they did not take bookings.  We were advised to be at their gates by 8.00 am in the morning and hope that someone left and they had a vacancy. 

Speaking to others on the road we were not the only ones to have had this experience.

Luckily we were able to find a vacancy at the Pistol Club where we were made to feel most welcome.  This was not a cheap place to stay as it was $11.00 per person per night for an unpowered site and no water connection.  We only stayed three nights in Broome and then headed to Barn Hill Station where we stayed for 7 nights.  Barn Hill also has a population of nomads that come for the 3 months plus stay but they have enough space to cater for travellers as well.

Our next experience was at Exmouth where again they do not take bookings so we rang when we arrived and were told the same thing “be at the gates at 8.00 am and hope that someone leaves”. 

We went to the Exmouth Information Centre to see if they knew somewhere we could stay.  We stood at the counter and were ignored, the staff hid behind their computer screens.  We asked for help and if they knew where we could stay and listed of a couple of places and the National Park and were greeted with “they’re all full” and a piece of paper was shoved at us and told to go and wait there until 5.00 pm when the caretaker arrived to put us on a site (it was 11.00 am in the morning).  We read the paper and it was for the ‘overflow’ which was at the showground next to the Information Centre.  The cost was $37.00 per night and you could only stay for 3 nights with a list of rules a mile long and also a long hike to the amenities.  As you can image we left town.

We found a great Station Stay at Bullara Station.  This is a working sheep and cattle station and the family made us feel at home.  While there we were advised not to go to Coral Bay unless we had made a booking and if we went there to have a look not to take the caravan in as the town was full and there was nowhere to park with a van on.  Again this town is full of long termers.

These towns have enough people coming up from the south of West Australia and Victoria who stay there for 3 months plus and have the same site year in and year out.

We were greeted at the Top Tourist Park in Carnarvon like long lost family, we arrived with no booking, and when we told the reception staff there of our experiences they advised us that they had had many complaints from travellers of their treatment in Broome and Exmouth.

Overall we had a great stay and everywhere else we were greeted royally.  Most towns are glad of the travellers and the money that they leave behind. We spent 8 months in West Australia and there is so much that we did not see and do.  Hopefully we will get there again. On our trip home we visited Westprint Maps at Nhill. If you travel that way you must call in. They make a great cup of tea. Rhonda 

Fort Courage 

·    After we left Westprint we headed to Wentworth where we stayed at a great caravan park called Fort Courage. It is owned by the Wentworth Angling Club.  It is 22 kms out from town and is in Camps5 as site 1145.  We paid $14.00 per night, powered site when we were there, but on 1st April it went up to $17.00 for a powered site.  Water is not suitable for drinking but there are rain water tanks there which are.  Sites are mainly grassed.  Dogs are welcome.  Not 4 star if that's what you like.

At the moment they only have 2 male and 2 female showers and toilets but have plans in to extend the amenities and the park.  The laundry has 2 washing machines. The caretakers, Stephen and Rayma are great and nothing is too hard for them. 

There are a few permanents but they are away from the casual sites, 3 camp kitchens with everything that you could want, a lodge that caters for fishing groups, a boat ramp and a pontoon to fish from, it is being extended to be 3 metres wide and extend into the river by approx 16 metres, it is on the banks of the Murray.

It’s a great place to stay especially if you like fishing.  It is wise to give them a ring before you go to ensure they have sites as they have a lot of fishing clubs etc book in. 

We spoke to the Managers and they said that they were happy for the phone number to be included. 03 5027 3097. Rhonda 

 Nhill’s Aviation History

·    Last week we included an invitation to a community meeting. The meeting was a great success with about 100 people attending. The group is now working on a management plan.

Upcoming trips. Aussie Off Road 

·    Our next Bush Mechanics Course will be held 20 June 2010.

·    June long weekend - Not far off. We will be running our Bendethra Valley 3 day tour. This is a great short tour; the valley is absolutely beautiful even in winter, creek crossings, terrific camp fires and 3 days of fantastic driving. This tour is suitable for camper trailers.

·    3 State Adventure Tour. Start Broken Hill 10 July, finish Port Augusta 19 July. After all the rain in the Outback, this tour is promising to be spectacular. Aussie offRoad Experience www.aussieoffroad.com.au 

Friday Funnies

·        "The Census Bureau reported that Las Vegas is about to pass Washington, D.C. in population. Of course, there's a huge difference between Vegas and Washington. See, in Las Vegas, people gamble with their own money." --Jay Leno 

·    Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

·    The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

·    If you lined up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them, five or six at a time, on a hill, in the fog.

·    The things that come to those who wait will be the things left by those who got there first.

·    Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

·    Flashlight: A case for holding dead batteries.

·    The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.

·    A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well. 

·    A woman's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she stayed by his bedside every single day. When he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer.

As she sat by him, he said, "You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you gave me support. When my health started failing, you were still by my side... You know what?"

"What dear?" She asked gently.

"I think you bring me bad luck."

To all of our Faithful Friday Five readers.

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Cheers for now,

Jo

 

 

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