Date: June 11th 2010

Westprint Friday Five June 11, 2010

 

Included this week:

·    Gove

·    Trip Notes – Charleville and Roma

·    Your stories

 

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Friday Five 11.6.2010  

1. My God! It’s a Woman. Nancy Bird Walton. In 1933, when women were still expected to man the nation’s kitchens, nineteen-year-old Nancy Bird obtained her commercial pilots licence. It was an exciting period in aviation. Long distance flights in single engined aircraft captured the imagination of people all over the world, aero clubs flourished, and the exploits of legendary figures such as Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm filled the newspapers. Nancy Bird shares her memories of these days and her flying contemporaries, such as Jean Batten and Amy Johnson. 216 pp, photos.  $32.95 plus post. Add to Cart

2. Growing Australian Natives. John Mason. 2nd edition. The variety of Australian native plants is enormous. They are found in just about any situation, from deserts to rainforests to alpine regions. Many are tolerant of salt, some of arid conditions, others make excellent windbreaks, withstand polution or tolerate flooding or frost. S/cover. 252 pages  $32.95 plus post. Add to Cart

3. Dig 3ft NW. Younger Readers version. The legendary journey of Burke & Wills by Sarah Murgatroyd. This book is an abridged version of "The Dig Tree". "Sarah Murgatroyd deftly captures the foolishness, suffering and hapless heroism of one of the 19th century's least-known, but most epic undertakings...you will be biting your nails"  -  Bill Bryson. S/Cover 228 pages $22.95 plus post. Add to Cart

4. A Fortunate Life - Children's edition. Bert Facey’s childhood ended when he was eight years old in the vast, wild outback of WA. He lived till 87 and wrote his extraordinary story for his grand children. 152pp $17.95 plus post. Add to Cart

5. Across the Bight & Nullarbor. Ron and Viv Moon. This comprehensive guide with 30 maps, hundreds of GPS waypoints and details on campsites, fishing spots, access details to beaches and other points of interest, along with details on the parks and reserves and the major 4WD tracks in the area, give you the perfect no- nonsense, indispensable planner for an exciting visit to the region. Ron and Viv Moon have been travelling this southern coast of Australia  and the adjoining inland plains and deserts since the late 1960s. In recent years they have taken on the challenge of following the cliffs and beaches between Esperance and Port Lincoln. Well recognised outdoor adventure writers, Ron and Viv specialise in remote area travel, camping and four wheel driving. $24.95 plus post. Add to Cart  

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Friday Forum

Jo’s comments are in green.

By the time this is sent out on Friday the Ussing family should be arriving at Pomona for the 4x4 Gathering. For the next couple of weeks the Friday Fives are ‘ones I prepared earlier’. We will be back to ‘live Friday Fives’ at the end of June. Sonya, John and Bev will be manning the phones while we are away.  

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.  

Information Wanted - Gove

·    The website www.afwdc.asn.au/permit_information.php  details all permits on Aboriginal land required across Australia .  We travelled to Gove last year and a permit is required from the Northern Land Council, and if you are not staying with anyone you know, your 1st night MUST be in one of the two motels. There are a lot of additional fees when you get there and the place is not really well set up for vehicle travellers.   Access across the top to the Coburg Peninsula Road is no longer granted, you have to the long way round. Roy  

·    To travel anywhere in Arnhem Land a permit is required from the Northern Land Council. The NLC has a big office in Darwin and a small one in Gove. The NLC is good to deal with, but sometimes a bit slow due to a lack of resources. Best to organise permits in advance.  No permit is required for the Central Arnhem Rd to Gove IF you stay on the road and don't deviate. No permit is required for the gulf. Ben  

·    The route Gunbarrel Highway - Everard Junction - Gary Highway - Gary Junction - Gary Junction Road - Papunya - Alice Springs is just beautiful. If I remember it right, you will need two permits for this route, one from the Department of Indigenous Affairs in Perth and one from the Central Land Council in Alice Springs . Both can be applied for directly in the internet, however I would send them a fax and directly phone them afterwards and ask for fast issue of the permits to rush it a bit.

 Just some hints for Gary Highway and Gary Junction Road :

I would recommend not travelling the Gary Highway if there has been recent rain fall in the area and if it is muddy. This is a very remote area, and some people from our German Australia Forum who are experienced 4WDers got stuck there in the mud for several days. If it is dry, give it a go. It's just awesome scenery. However, due to the remoteness it would be a good idea to have safe long range communications with you, e.g. an Iridium satphone. At least let someone know of your travel plans and your planned itinerary. A beautiful camping spot is Whau Whau bore. Do not speed on the Gary Highway . There is at least one sudden edge in the second half of the track, which may cause severe trouble if you don't go round it (detour with a little bush bashing is possible - no worries), and there are occasional wash-outs here and there. I guess you don't like the idea of getting stranded out there with a broken suspension. I travelled the northern part of the Gary Highway in September 2008 (Talawana Track - Windy Corner - Gary Highway - Gary Junction Road) and again in June last year (Kunawarritji - Gary Highway - Windy Corner - Talawana Track). By then it was in good condition. You may phone Kunawarritji Community to ask for current road conditions, or try to give Astrid (Carnegie Station) a call. Carnegie Station shall also be phoned to ask for diesel availability. All phone numbers can be found on the excellent HEMA Great Desert Tracks Maps.

The Gary Junction Road is a big dirt highway, but again: Don't speed. There are plenty of animals, including camels. Make sure to call Kiwirrkurra Community in advance to ask if diesel is readily available. Maybe they could run short because plenty of people may travel there due to this year's Exploroz Gathering in Wiluna.

Jupiter Well on the Gary Junction Road is a perfect camping spot, as it has a water pump and shady trees, however make sure to collect fire wood well in advance, as there is absolutely none around Jupiter Well.

If you have some spare time left and if you can manage to get the permits in time, I would also travel the Sandy Blight Junction Road . I did this by beginning of April this year, and the scenery is just awesome.

About the gulf section of your trip, I regret that I cannot answer your questions, as I haven't been up there yet (still on the big "To-Do-List").  

Cheers from bl**dy boring Dortmund/Germany (it's NOT raining at the moment, so not too much to complain about...), Juergen  

Information wanted  

·    A few mates and I intend to travel on the old Gunbarrel Highway in July (using Westprint maps of course) and we are seeking some further information. I was wondering whether any other readers had any recent experience on the old Gunbarrel and consequently may have some good advice.  In particular the current condition of the 'road', the number of other travellers on the track they encountered and the time they spent on the old road. We are travelling in two well equipped Prados (upgraded tyres, suspension, 180lt fuel tanks, dual batteries, UHF radios, sat phone, good repair kits, tools etc). Peter  

Birdsville Track update

Re the crossing of the Birdsville Track by the flooding Cooper Creek . I have been following this event as it has been unfolding with friends that manage Etadunna Station, the station that is where the Cooper cuts the Birdsville Track. The Cooper crossed the Track sometime between Monday night the 31st May and the early hours of Tuesday the 1st June. Here are a couple of links to the post that I have put up on ExplorOz. Stephen. Clare SA

http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/78966/First_Official_Pictures_of_Cooper_over_the_Birdsville_Track.aspx?ky=&p=/Forum/Default.aspx%3fpn%3d1

http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/79007/More_Pictures_of_the_Cooper_Creek_Flooding.aspx?ky=&p=%2fForum%2fDefault.aspx%3fpn%3d1

 http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/79059/More_Pictures_of_the_Cooper_Flooding_by_Jade.aspx?ky=&p=%2fForum%2fDefault.aspx%3fpn%3d1

 

Camping near Broome

·    I just want to have a bit of a whinge about the camping in Broome subject. Having travelled on a couple of occasions to Broome and the Kimberley area, I know of the problems faced in the “no bookings” policy of the caravan parks, and I agree with Howard’s comments (FF 04/06) on this matter. However, I would like to point out a situation that arose several years ago in Derby whilst trying to book into the local CP. I was the lead party in a group of 3, and fronted up to the CP to book in for all; I wanted 3 sites for 3 nights. When queried if the other 2 parties were here, I replied “No, but I will pay for ALL sites now.” I was advised in no uncertain terms that they did not take bookings. How is this a booking? They can only let the sites once, and I was prepared to pay there and then, so they had nothing to lose. This type of attitude is what causes the grief between travellers and the CP hosts, and their communities. As for Broome, last time I stayed a night on the overflow, and managed to get an excellent site at Roebuck Bay CP which another camper, who had first choice, didn’t want.

Last year we had a similar situation in Exmouth, and again were chasing 3 sites. The community centre there that was the central booking office for the local CP’s couldn’t have been more helpful (negative comments noted in FF 28/05) One woman in front of us when we were enquiring typifies the type that gets the locals hostile. Although she was given all possible help in locations, phone numbers etc to contact, she wanted the centre to do it all for her, and for her to do nothing but front up to a booked site. WAKE UP to yourselves fellow travellers. Haven’t we seen enough free camps and remote access attractions shut down due to us, the tourist, treating these matters as our right, rather than our privilege? Rob

Just to add my 2 bob’s worth about the Broome Issue. I am currently in Broome. I am writing to recommend the Broome Bird Observatory (BBO) where we stayed when we first arrived a week ago. We had a really bad experience in Broome ten years ago and have a long memory. Our experience was all about overcrowded caravan parks pandering to the caravanners who stay in the same bay for around four months. We were a 4-person family travelling with tents so that we could get access to remote areas and were treated like dirt. Recent discussions around camps on the way to the Kimberly support this view. BBO is great, although the sites are a bit small the five staff are very friendly and knowledgeable about local wildlife, especially birds. The bathrooms are big and there is a great communal area where you can watch wallabies over breakfast. It is a bit of a drive to Broome town, and if you are after lots of people to socialise with you will be disappointed, as there are only 10 camping bays with no power or water to them. It cost us $14.00 per person.

After leaving Broome for four days in the Dampier Peninsular we have been stranded back in Broome for the long week end as we have done a starter motor. We needed to be closer to the town so tried Roebuck Bay C/P remembering a pleasant experience here 25 years ago. We have long memories. They have been very good to us, putting us in a spare group tours spot as they were full and don’t take bookings. They also offered a refund if we get the car fixed sooner. In general they have been very friendly and accommodating. The atmosphere here is great, and there is a maximum stay. So I would recommend them too, and just go with the punches on the booking issue, which is obviously all about catering to transient unreliable volumes.

Mark & Fiona (The Gypsy Grumpies)

Trip Notes – Western Queensland Flooding March 2010

The following story arrived while I was on holiday in Queensland (trying to stay away from the floods) and I didn’t find it until recently. I am including parts of the story now because it is such and incredible story. The story was sent to us with a large number of pictures. To keep the file size as low as possible we don’t normally publish photos in the Friday Five but we have included the full story on our website.

The last 2 weeks saw my wife and I travel into western QLD, into the Maranoa Shire, to a town called Roma.  It has a population of around 7000 people, mostly employed in the farming industry with cattle or grain, and mining focussing mainly on gas and oil exploration.  We were asked by the Shire to collect tourism images for their upcoming publications, and our project was going well.
Monday, March 1st. It was hot and humid.  Perfect storm weather.  A large halo appeared around the sun. Ice crystals in the upper atmosphere were refracting the sun's light in a strange manner.  The familiar shape of cloud anvils on the horizon meant storms were on the way for the afternoon.  By 5pm huge dark menacing clouds were making their way into town and the rain started. 

That night, Roma and the surrounding area received between 130 - 200mm of rain.  Wind gusts of up to 90km/h were also recorded.  The shire had already received lots of rain weeks before, and dams and creeks were already full.  With this latest deluge, the water simply had nowhere to go.
I woke at 5:40am on March 2, and looked out my motel window.  The rain was still bucketing down, and large pools of water had formed in the yard. Rivers were beginning to flood, and warnings had been sent out that the rivers were going to burst their banks and head into town.  I made some phone calls to the Shire and soon found myself on board a helicopter to assist with the rescue of families from rooftops outside of town where the flooding was already severe.
By the time we got into the air, the flooding of Roma was well underway.   We saw people rowing kayaks, riding jet skis and using boats to either evacuate or assist in the evacuation of residents who were unable to help themselves.  As we headed out of town, we passed over many creeks that had swollen to 20 times their original size, and farmland eroding away with the runoff.

We made our way to several farm houses that had been cut off and were now in very dangerous positions with the raging floodwaters.  One farm house had 1.5m of water gushing past and under it, and as it was just nearby our first rescue for the day took place. 

Pilot Dale was incredibly skilled and guided the helicopter to land on a house rooftop while I climbed out and helped the man, woman and child up onto the edge of the roof.
We loaded the woman and child first, and Dale flew them away out of the floodwaters to safety on a nearby riverbank.  I was left with the farmer who was busy getting a large bag of dog food ready for his 5 dogs left stranded on the verandah of the house.  The helicopter soon returned and we climbed aboard, very happy to leave the rooftop, picking up the others from the riverbank and then heading back into Roma to drop them off to stay with family in town.
Our next mission saw us fly far west, where we heard that another town called Charleville had also been hit badly by flooding and needed aerial assistance.  We followed the western road to Charleville, and came across some strange sights.  Water is an amazingly powerful force, and flash flooding from the night before lifted roads and broke them up.

Road Trains tried their best to make it through, but some were pushed off the road by the water and the wheels went into the soft mud.  The railway line also suffered extensive damage, with sections of line completely washed out and moved. 

After 2 hours of flying we made our way into Charleville, and were met with a terrifying sight.  Most of the town was under water, with floodwaters flowing very strongly through the centre of town. 

We flew to many places checking on residents that hadn't been heard from and checking the roads and flood levels of places unreachable out of town. The next day the floods had receded several metres.  Damage and debris were everywhere.   

Needless to say I was unable to finish my project with the Maranoa Shire, however we hope to return and work again in this area under better circumstances. More rain has been predicted, it seems the floods of 2010 may not be over yet. This is our world.
Rowan Bestmann  

More rain did arrive and another round of flooding occurred about a week later. John.  

Friday Funnies  

·    An "older" gentleman works for a Bunnings store, helping direct customers at the entrance. He's a great success with customers and staff and everyone loves him. He has an easy way with people, but has one fault. He is always late arriving for work in the morning. When it was time for the manager to call him in for a review of his work, he was full of praise, affirming the staff member, telling him about all the good reports he'd heard about him.

He gently tries to bring up the matter of his lack of punctuality. "You used to be in the Navy, I believe? What did they say to you when you arrived late then?"

"They would say: 'Good morning, Admiral, may I get you a coffee?' "  

·    Two cartons of yogurt walk into a bar. The bartender, who was a tub of cottage cheese, says to them, "We don't serve your kind in here."

One of the yogurt cartons says back to him, "Why not? We're cultured individuals."  

·    An artist asked the gallery owner if there had been any interest in her paintings that were on display.

"Well, I have good news and bad news," the owner responded. "The good news is that a gentleman noticed your work and wondered if it would appreciate in value after your death.

I told him it would and he bought all 10 of your paintings."

"That's wonderful," the artist exclaimed. "What's the bad news?"

"The gentleman was your doctor."  

·    A new study has found that having a cat makes you 40 percent less likely to die of a heart attack. Not that the cat could care less either way, really."

To all of our Faithful Friday Five readers.

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Cheers for now,

Jo

 

 

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