Date: July 30th 2010

Westprint Friday Five July 30, 2010  

Included this week:

·         Road from Meekatharra to Kalgoorlie

·         Lake Eyre South

·         Nissan Wheels

·         Duplicate copies  

 

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 30.07.2010

1.    Back O’ Cairns Back in Print. Ion Idriess went to North Queensland prospecting at a time when the fabulous country Back o’ Cairns was being opened up. It was a time when the great jungle scrubs were falling to the settler’s axe, new towns were springing up as mineral wealth was discovered and the new railway pushed inland. It was a time when the talk around the campfires was full of the exciting exploits of the great pathfinders - men like Mulligan, Doyle, Atherton and Palmerston - and of the search for a route from the coast to the hinterland. All the colour, excitement and hard, courageous struggle of the era have been captured by Ion Idriess in these pages. Idriess found more than gold; he found the true beauty and fascination of the North, and makes it come alive in his stories of the unforgettable men and women who were its pioneers.$24.95 plus post.  Add to Cart  

2.    Bush Detective  Max Jones. A collection of short stories about the author’s life at the helm of South Australia 's CIB in the Riverland area. $17.95 plus post. This is the last copy available. Add to Cart  

3.    Bicycle and the Bush  Jim Fitzpatrick. This book looks at the nature and widespread use of the bicycle in the outback by shearers, clergymen, boundary riders, cycle express messengers, Kalgoorlie pipeline and WA rabbit fence patrols, swagmen, kangaroo shooters, drovers, commercial travellers and dentists. The author recounts the major events and developments in Australian cycling history. $50.00 plus post. Add to Cart  

More from the Westprint library.  

4.    A Pictorial History of Bushrangers. Hardcover in good condition. Dust jacket fair condition, some tears. Covered in archival plastic. Numerous b/w photographs. Stories of the villains and heroes of romantic Australian folklore - what did they look like, and who were the men behind the masks and legends? $20.00 including post.  

5.    Where No Roads Go By. Myrtle Rose White. Hardback good condition, missing dust jacket. 1955 First edition. 230 pp. This is the sequel to "No Roads Go By". Continues the story of the White family, graziers, this time in new country at Morden and Wonnaminta stations in the lonely region of New South Wales that lies beyond the Darling River . The author gives a very real, friendly and entertaining picture of a family growing up in the remote outback. $35.00 including post.  

6.    Old Man Fire and other Australian Stories. William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd, Sydney , Australia , 1984. Hard Cover in good condition. A wonderfully illustrated children’s book with four Australian theme stories. $50.00 including post.  

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.  

Duplicate copies of the Friday Five  

·         Apologies from all the Westprint Crew to those people who have received duplicate copies of the Friday Five over the past couple of weeks. I had been secure in the knowledge that it was impossible for people to receive multiple copies at the same email address. But now I have achieved the impossible!!

There is a glitch in our list (a rogue character according to those that know about these things). When the Friday Five send program reaches the glitch it re-sets and starts all over again. We are hoping it is fixed but the only way to tell is by sending the Friday Five. Thanks to all those who said that getting two copies was better than getting none!  

Australian 4X4 Gathering

(a letter to Westprint)

www.australian4x4gathering.org.au

Dear Graeme and Jo

The 8th Australian 4x4 Gathering, combined with the Queensland Four Wheel Drive Association Annual Corroboree, has come and gone. The event was a tremendous success with 245 vehicles on site and 528 people present from all over Australia . We were fortunate to have clear skies and beautiful winter sunshine during the event ensuring ideal winter camping conditions.

Those attending were able to participate in a variety of tag along and scenic tours, four wheel drive related workshops and listen to first rate entertainment. New friendships were formed and trip notes exchanged. There were quite a number of people who had planned trips to other parts of Queensland , including Cape York , after the Gathering.

Everyone who attended realised the amount of support from our sponsors and we had many comments about the quality and quantity of prizes for our raffle. This would not have been possible without your generosity. The raffle draws and auction raised considerable funds that will be distributed to our chosen charities, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the VKS-737 4WD Radio Network. We were also able to make a sizeable donation to a local charity in Pomona to assist their work in the community.

We were also pleased that the local businesses in Pomona were able to benefit from the influx of visitors to their charming town.

Your participation as a gold sponsor and the provision of maps, books and CDs was really appreciated. The on-stage banners, covers of our comprehensive event guide and prize display were constant reminders of your participation. Your link will remain on the Gathering website and we are reminding our members to support Gathering sponsors wherever possible. Thanks also for putting together the very interesting presentation on the exploits of Len Beadell's grader driver.

As a Gathering Committee we are extremely grateful for your participation in the event. Thank you again for that support.  As a token of our appreciation, a Certificate of Acknowledgment is enclosed. To see more of the event, there are photos on the Gathering website.

Yours sincerely, Rodney Metcalfe. Chair 2010 Gathering Organising Committee

 

Western Australian Roads

·     Sandstone to Menzies. We have just last week travelled that road with a caravan and found it in great condition. Would recommend a stop over at Lake Ballard about 50 kms short of Menzies.

• Meekatharra to Sandstone. We understand that the Meeka end is fairly rough but the Sandstone end is good Bill & Althea

·     If Collyn is still looking for advice on roads from Meekatharra to Kalgoorlie , we went through that way last year, on our way back from Port Smith/Broome.

We were driving a LR Discovery, towing a Goldstream Off-Road Camper Van – about 1500kg loaded.

We travelled on the Meekatharra to Wiluna Road , about 185km of good graded gravel, without any problems – 80kph plus type driving. From Wiluna to Kalgoorlie there is a very good sealed road, with a good caravan park at Leonora. Graham

·         Having started in Broome, I travelled from Meekatharra via Sandstone to Southern Cross last week, in a family (8a+6c) convoy of three vehicles, two of which were towing camper trailers. There had been rain a week or two before. Fuel @ Meekatharra and Sandstone. The road from Meekatharra to Sandstone was generally very good, and could be comfortably – and safely - transited at speeds over 80 kph.

·         From Sandstone to Southern Cross the road surface was slightly less attractive, but shire grading was in progress and almost the entire road was in good condition. There was some sand near Lake Barlee but none caused any difficulty to the trailers. It took our convoy just under six hours from Sandstone to Southern Cross. Rob

Information Wanted – Lake Eyre South

·         Yes, you can see the water at Lake Eyre South, east of William Creek, but it’s ___ (insert your own word here – Tony’s was funny and original but it won’t pass the ‘appropriate language’ filter) ____ boring. A much better option is to go on to William Creek , enjoy the Hospitality of Bruce and Mim at the pub, and either take a flight from there or drive out to Halligan Bay (about 60km). When we were there in mid-June the water was only about 100m from the shore line – stacks of seagulls and you can see for miles. There is a reasonable camping spot with long drops. The road in is a bit corrugated in parts, but there are plenty of rat runs avoiding the worst of them. There was a camper trailer in there when we were there and we saw a couple of others on the track. Definitely not to be missed – and don’t forget to drive up from Marree to see the punt over the Cooper on the Birdsville Track diversion road (about 150km). Note that the punt has a 6m length limit and can’t take car/trailer combos. They won’t load trailers separately as they can’t get them on and off the punt. Tony

From Last Week - Hiring Satellite Phones

·         This link might be of interest to some of your listeners - http://www.dbcde.gov.au/mobile_services/the_satellite_phone_subsidy_scheme

Also – the National Broadband Network Company (NBN) is planning to roll out two geostationary telecommunications satellites to support universal access to broadband services in Australia ; this should be a vast improvement over current data channel limitations on Sat phones. If (2.) comes true – (1.) is near obsolete (story of IT really ....) Walter

Gary Junction Road

·         There have been some references to driving the Gary Junction Road after rain. Best to wait till it dries out! We came back from Kiwirrkurra in May and vehicles had used the road while it was very wet leaving deep ruts that were difficult to negotiate. The WA side of the border does not see a grader very often - last time it was graded was just on two years ago. Kiwirrkurra community phone number to check on road conditions is 08 8956 8612. David, Alice Springs.

·       An update: The two deaths mentioned recently were on the track from Sandy Blight Junction to Nyirripi Community, 120 km north of the Gary Junction road. The track is not shown on maps and its use is not encouraged.

News from the West  

·         Fitzgerald River National Park Improvement Project has begun. This includes sealing roads, creating camping facilities, signs and a walking trail linking Hamersley Inlet to Point Ann. For public safety, control of dieback disease, and to complete the works with minimal disruption, park users and local community members should expect road closures and other unavoidable disruptions during the construction period.

Hamersley Drive within the Fitzgerald River National Park at the eastern end between the ranger station and East Mount Barren car park will be closed until at least September 2010. Park users will not be able to drive between East Mount Barren and the ranger station during the road closure.

Roads closures into the Park will also occur following wet weather conditions to prevent the introduction of dieback. Signs displaying road closure information are located at the following places: Intersection at South Coast Highway / West River Road ; Intersection at South Coast Highway / Hopetoun Ravensthorpe Road ; and the intersection at Hamersley Drive / Hopetoun Ravensthorpe Road at the eastern end of the Park.

These notices are managed by Main Roads WA in agreement with DEC.

For up-to-date information on road closures, contact Main Roads on 138 138 or visit www.mainroads.wa.gov.au (under Alerts)  

Nissan Wheels

·         I have just returned from Cape York after an eventful trip. Eventful because between Capt Billy’s landing and Jardine river I parted company with the left rear wheel of my Nissan Patrol. The parting was somewhat spontaneous and surprising. Made roadworthy in Bamaga by fix anything staff in Bamaga. In discussion with people this occurrence in Patrol’s is more frequent than one would wish. Can you point me to any articles on the subject or share any similar tales. Colin. Brighton  

I know we have covered this topic in previous Friday Fives but it was a while ago. (If you search Nissan Wheels" in the FF archives going back to November 2007, there are quite a few references to this problem.)

For the benefit of new subscribers does anyone have a new tale to tell? This is not from any desire to criticize any particular breed of vehicle, but as a Nissan owner I would like to be aware of any foibles my 4WD may have. Jo

Friday Funnies

·         Two guys are at the bar staring into their drinks, when one says, "Hey Harry, have you ever suspected your wife of leading a double life?"

Harry says, "Yeah, all the time--her own and mine."  

·         A man was sitting reading his papers when his wife hit him on the head with a frying pan. 'What was that for?' the man asked. The wife replied 'That was for the piece of paper with the name Jenny on it that I found in your pants pocket'.

The man then said 'When I was at the races last week Jenny was the name of the horse I bet on'. The wife apologized and went on with the housework.

Three days later the man is watching TV when his wife bashes him on the head with an even bigger frying pan, knocking him unconscious. Upon re-gaining consciousness the man asked why she had hit again.

Wife replied. 'Your horse phoned'  

·         A Wee Scottish Tale.

A man is cupping his hand to scoop water from a Highland burn.

A Gamekeeper shouts,'Dinnae drink tha watter! Et's foo ae coo's sheet an pish!'

The man replies, 'My Good fellow, I'm from England . Could you repeat that in English for me?'

The keeper replies,'I said, use two hands - you spill less that way.  

·         Random thoughts from people aged 25-35yrs.

I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

How on earth are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I would rather try to carry 10 grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

 

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

 

 

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