I wonder What These Are For?

Hi Bow

Your not wrong there.....lol

They will be bolted to the original cement slabs that are in place.



Cheers



Stephen

Ahh, they'll get it welded up, no worries!

They'll truck it down to the shipyard, and finish welding it up with this new $20M generator "they" are going to set up.

Bob

I found a link re the "supplementary" generator.

According to This report by the ABC it will be built by the "we". It's not clear if the "we" is the Fed Government or the Department of Defence, although I suppose they really ar one and the same.

Cheers

Anthony

Hi Rusty

As you may know, the original memorial were constructed of timber and were unveiled as part of the 50th anniversary back in 1967.

These new ones made of steel should stand the elements of time and be there for a very long time.

I hope you have plans to be at the unveiling on the 17th October.

As they say, see you there, or be square.




Cheers




Stephen

I'll be there, or ded. ;-) Already have it marked on the wall planner and plans in hand. Yep I well knew they were made of timber and saw them fall into disrepair from when I took this pick in '90 to just a pile of firewood in 2012. These new ones will stand the test of time and a mark of a very important milestone in our history. I have a book called (I think) Road Across the Wilderness. It tells the story of the building of the line. Interesting book. Just cant find it at the moment.

Cheers Russ

Hi Rusty

That will be great and it should be great to catch up with a lot of members from ExplorOz.


See you there.


Stephen

Hi Lancie

I have been putting a few posts here on the forum for some time now and for me, it is an event that is of National significance.

Prior to the joining of the rails, the only way people and good could get into Western Australia was by foot, camel teams or ocean steamers, as motor vehicles could not get fuel on the goat track that crossed the Nullabor at that time.

Australian young men were being killed in their thousands on the Western Front in Europe, yet they were able to get large teams of men to undertake this enormous task of building the link to join the two states of South Australia and Western Australia for the very first time in living history.

I hope this has inspired you to make the trip this October.


Cheers

Stephen

" Prior to the joining of the rails, the only way people and good could get into Western Australia was by foot, camel teams or ocean steamers, as motor vehicles could not get fuel on the goat track that crossed the Nullabor at that time."

There was at least two cars that got through prior to 1917. One was driven by Francis Birtles in 1912. The car was an American Brush with a single cylinder 10 hp engine, coil spring suspension front and rear and a wood chassis. They had pre arranged fuel supplies to be waiting for them at regular intervals.

It took them 28 days to drive from Fremantle to Sydney.

In 1915 a Studebaker driven by Hugh Fraser, P.W. Armstrong and John Burton took only 9 days to do the same trip. They had fuel waiting for them in some places but they could not arrange for any at Balladonia so they carried an additional 100 litres from Kalgoorlie to take them from Baladiona to their next stop.

Some of the spares they carried were two rear axles, one front stub axle, one front spring, piston rings, magneto parts, an assortment of nuts, bolts, screws, split pins, and a piece of sheet copper and rivets to repair any holes in the engine crankcase.

The car weighed 1400 kg but when loaded for this trip it was 2500kg.

I can't help thinking life was a bit more exciting in those days.

This information came from the book titled "Australians On The Road " by Pedr Davis 1979.

Hi splits

I did they say how or who made the fuel drops?

One could only guess that it would have been by the teams of camels that carried important supplies all through the arid and remote places all around Australia at that time.

Once the rails were joined, it opened up Western Australia and all those small communities for the very first time, and this is why this is such an historic event.

Make sure you have the date marked on your calendar .



Cheers



Stephen

Hi Splits
Very interesting little peice of info. I find all that history of our early travel fascinating. I have travelled the Nullarbor many times, still 300 miles of dirt in the early 70s and always marvelled at people being out there before there was even a graded track and fuel supplies.
Thank you, will google that book.
Russ

-
My parents, with a another couple, drove from Adelaide to Perth and return in 1949 in a Vauxhall Velox. The entire road was of course unsealed.
How the hell they managed it is beyond my understanding, but they did!

Thank you, will google that book.
Russ

I saw one 18 months ago in a barber's shop and decided to see if I could find one on Ebay. There were three for sale..

I just checked Ebay again and there are .still some there.


Ebay books

Hi splits

I did they say how or who made the fuel drops?


No but I also thing camels would have had something to do with it.

As a kid, I did a trip from Adelaide to almost Mundrabilla and back with a group exploring caves in 1954.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

I know we have gone a bit off thread but I find all this stuff very interesting. A family I worked for in Esperence in the early 70s had moved over there from Tatura. They went with a car, an old ford truck loaded with lots a machinery and gear and a Chamblin 9G tractor towing a trailer also loaded with gear. The 9G had a top speed of about 20MPH. What an adventure.

Splits
Thanks very much,I have just ordered on on Ebay
Cheers
Rusty

Hi Pete

Like you, Fiona and I can not wait to be back there again.

From all accounts and from what Murray has been telling me, there should be a good crowd to witness this historic event.


See you there.


Cheers



Stephen and Fiona