Good Afternoon Everyone
There has been another update released for October's very special event. At this stage it looks like Dick Smith will be there as a special guest.
At this stage, over 100 people and 48 vehicles have registered to attend, so if you have not registered, can you please send an email to Bob Ramsay at the following email address....bob.ramsay@rdawep.org.au
Here is a copy of the latest newsletter to have a look at:
TRANS AUSTRALIAN RAILWAY CENTENARY 17 OCTOBER 2017
Project Update No. 2, March 2017
Welcome to the second project update about the Trans Australian Railway Centenary event. This update will hopefully answer most of the questions posed by people planning to come to the celebration.
Event Date and Site
The centenary celebration is being held at 1.45pm on Tuesday 17th October 2017. The event site is south of the Trans Australian Railway Line, approximately 4kms west of
Ooldea.
Attendee Numbers
At this stage 100 people and about 45 vehicles have registered to attend the centenary. This includes people from South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia. Five 4WD groups are attending from
Perth (2),
Melbourne, Horsham and Gosford. Many of the people attending are self-equipped travellers who will be bringing caravans and camper trailers for their accommodation.
Travel to
Ooldea
The turn off from the Eyre Highway to
Ooldea is 177kms west of
Ceduna.
Ooldea is 140kms north of the turn off.
With the kind permission of
Maralinga Tjarutja (the owners of
Maralinga Village) a
Maralinga Tours brochure is attached, which provides detailed instructions and photographs of the route between the Eyre Highway and
Ooldea.
The first 78kms from the Eyre Highway to the Iluka
mine is bitumen. The remaining 62kms to
Ooldea is dirt with some
limestone ridges, and is best travelled in a 4WD drive vehicle. Arrangements have been made for the dirt to be graded just prior to the event. This will make it easier for people travelling in conventional 2WD vehicles or towing trailers.
Travel from
Ooldea to the Rail Link Site
Access to the rail link site is only available on the southern side of the railway line. The land to the north of the
Ooldea rail crossing is Aboriginal land owned by
Maralinga Tjarutja, and access permits are required.
The 4km stretch south of the railway line and west from
Ooldea to the site is very rough and only accessible via 4WD. People travelling in 4WD vehicles – with or without trailers – will be directed to designated
parking areas adjacent to the link site. It would be appreciated if you could follow the instructions provided by the event volunteers.
People travelling to
Ooldea in conventional vehicles are asked to park their cars in designated areas provided at
Ooldea, and then use the shuttle 4WD service provided by volunteers to get to and from the link site.
2
Maralinga Village Accommodation
Ooldea is approximately 320kms from
Ceduna. Some people may prefer to stay overnight near
Ooldea, rather than complete the return journey from
Ceduna on the same day.
An opportunity exists for people to link the 100th anniversary of the railway line event with a visit to the historic
Maralinga Village.
Maralinga Village is only 50km from
Ooldea and has camping areas for people with caravans and camping trailers. There are no powered sites available, however the village provides ablution facilities with hot showers, laundry, 240 volt power outlets and clothes lines.
For people who are not equipped for camping, there is a limited number of self-contained donga style units available. These are equipped with a kitchen, fridge, stove, microwave, cooking and eating utensils – however, you will need to bring your own food. The donga accommodation is available on a first-come-first- served basis, so you will need to get in early if you want to secure a place to stay.
Accommodation at
Maralinga Village must be pre-booked. Don’t just turn up on the day and hope to get accommodation.
To book camping or donga accommodation, please contact the
Maralinga Village Manager on 8670 4089 – see the attached
Maralinga Tours brochure for more detail. More information is available on the
Maralinga website at www.maralingatours.com.au.
Maralinga accommodation bookings include the provision of permits to access the
Maralinga Tjarutja Lands.
Please note – neither the National Railway Museum nor Regional Development Australia
Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula is involved with the arrangements at
Maralinga Village. If you want to stay at
Maralinga Village you will need to make your booking direct with the Village Manager.
Maralinga Tours
Tours of the atomic
test sites are available at
Maralinga, but you will need to book. The tours are normally conducted on a Tuesday and Thursday. However, because the TAR Centenary is being held on Tuesday 17th October,
Maralinga has rescheduled the tours for that week to Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th October.
Maralinga Village –
Frequently Asked Questions
People planning to stay at
Maralinga Village should look at the
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the
Maralinga website to answer any queries about the village accommodation and regulations. The FAQ
provide
answers to:
? Booking Dates. When do we need to arrive?
? Can we bring alcohol into
Maralinga Village?
? Is there fuel available at
Maralinga Village?
? How do I get to
Maralinga?
? Can we travel between Emu and
Maralinga?
? Payment questions.
? I have a Lamborghini, can I take it to
Maralinga?
? I don’t have camping gear, can I get accommodation?
? Is there mobile phone access at the Village?
? What about the Internet?
? What do we need to bring on the tour?
? Do we need to pay permit fees?
? What is a fly-in tour?
?
Airstrip details?
? Is it safe? I mean these were nuclear bombs!
? What about my old dog?
What is Happening at the Centenary Event
The event will be held at 1.45pm on the 17th October, the exact time and place that the rails were linked in October 1917. The event will be relatively short and simple. A few short speeches will be made by special guests, invitees and key proponents of the event celebration.
The main activity will comprise the unveiling of monuments (replicas of the originals installed in 1967) which have been constructed in steel by the Australian Rail Track Corporation from the original plans. Photo opportunities with the monuments will be available after the speeches.
Visitor Amenity
Due to the remote location and complex logistics to supply the site, the
infrastructure provision will be kept to a minimum. Portable chemical
toilets will be provided.
Minimal seating will be provided for official guests. Attendees should therefore bring their own folding chairs.
The terrain is uneven and mainly comprised of
limestone. Attendees should wear robust footwear. Hats should be worn in case it is hot. Wet weather gear should be brought in case it rains. Wind-proof coats should be brought in case there are high winds.
Refreshments
Refreshments will be minimal. The intention is to provide tea, coffee, water and potentially some biscuits free of charge.
A sausage sizzle will also be provided. This will be a user pays arrangement provided by the Fowler’s Bay Progress Association to raise funds for the township development.
Sponsorship
The National Railway Museum and RDAWEP is pleased to announce that Dick Smith Foods is a major sponsor and has provided funding to ensure that event will proceed. This is a generous gesture to make sure that important events and landmarks in Australia’s cultural development are appropriately recognised and celebrated.
Dick Smith is planning to attend the event, and has been invited to be a guest speaker.
Registration to Attend
The logistics of holding the event near
Ooldea are complex. An indication of the number of people attending is essential to ensure that sufficient
infrastructure – such as chemical
toilets – is provided to cater for guest amenity.
RDAWEP is aware of numerous people who intend to come to the celebration, but have yet to register.
If any of your friends or associates are planning to come to the event, could you please remind them to
register their details via email to bob.ramsay@rdawep.org.au.
Further project updates will be provided as we get closer to the event.
The next update will include information about alternative accommodation options closer to
Ceduna.
Until the next update....
Cheers
Stephen