Have You seen this sign?
Submitted: Thursday, Apr 09, 2020 at 22:00
ThreadID:
139891
Views:
11140
Replies:
14
FollowUps:
16
This Thread has been Archived
Member - Michael P (QLD)
Looking at some of My travel pictures and was thinking how many different locations have I crossed this imaginary line. I have calculated 10, obviously some
places there have been numerous crossings.
How many different
places have You crossed the line?
Tropic of Capricorn
Reply By: lindsay - Thursday, Apr 09, 2020 at 22:12
Thursday, Apr 09, 2020 at 22:12
16 or 17. Work that out.
Lindsay.
AnswerID:
630991
Reply By: Genny - Thursday, Apr 09, 2020 at 22:18
Thursday, Apr 09, 2020 at 22:18
I reckon about five.
Bruce Highway near
Rockhampton.
Gracemere - Gavial Road Gracemere.
Aramac to
Ilfracombe.
Longreach.
Stuart Highway heading to
Alice Springs.
It amuses me to see tourists taking photographs at the spire at the Information Center at
Rockhampton, thinking it is on the tropic. The tropic is actually a couple of kilometres south.
The REAL tropic, Rockhampton.
AnswerID:
630992
Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 00:06
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 00:06
You will note that that article is headed "
Tropic of Capricorn Marker,
Rockhampton, c 1965." The problem with that is the Earth wobbles a bit as it revolves. As it wobbles the Tropic moves. It is currently moving north. The spire at the Rocky info centre was correctly positioned when it was erected.
Tropic of Capricorn
FollowupID:
906806
Follow Up By: Genny - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 10:18
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 10:18
True, it is moving, at about 15 metres per year. Google Earth actually indicates the tropic a good bit south of where the old spire used to be. In any case in sixty odd years it would make a difference of roughly one kilometre, not the two or three required to reach the current position of the spire.
After a bit of googling, the nearest definition I came up with is that the tropic is 23.43666° south of the Equator. This is north of where Google Earth indicates the tropic, but still south of the 1965 spire location. It seems the buggers were fooling us even back then!
Edit:- 23.43666° south looks to be a smidgen north of the old markers.
FollowupID:
906822
Reply By: Member - McLaren3030 - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 07:13
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 07:13
Working out how many times We have crossed the line, first time in 2004, when we crossed it twice. Since then we have crossed it at least 6 more times.
Macca.
AnswerID:
630995
Reply By: RMD - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 09:06
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 09:06
The picture appears to have been taken reasonably early in the morning. I would be careful about crossing there as the direction of the bullet holes indicate definite hostility and ability to repel intruders in that area. Likely the other side is North (it seems to be), so that may explain it. Roughnecks in Hot climates?
Maybe the other way around, late afternoon and they are angry down south.
AnswerID:
630998
Follow Up By: Genny - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 09:33
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 09:33
Lol! RMD lucky I'm not as sensitive as some! ;)
FollowupID:
906818
Follow Up By: Member - Michael P (QLD) - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 09:51
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 09:51
Taken 4:47:17 PM.
FollowupID:
906819
Follow Up By: RMD - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 14:02
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 14:02
There you go then! It must be the southerners carrying firearms, ie, as discussed a few threads back. The sign does look a bit bleached facing north!
FollowupID:
906830
Follow Up By: equinox - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 14:18
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 14:18
The photographer is standing north of the sign.
At the ToC the sun will never cross to the south side. The closest it will get is directly overhead on the December solstice.
FollowupID:
906831
Reply By: Member - rocco2010 - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 10:56
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 10:56
Quite a few times but generally the same place,
Capricorn roadhouse near
Newman.
I think the only time I took a photograph would the first, 1974 on the way to visit my brother in law who worked in
Newman. Good luck finding that slide.
And that was an adventure. What did we know about outback travel? Nothing. Just chucked some clothes in the HR Holden and off we went.
The bitumen ran out not far past
Meekatharra and as a city boy that was pretty much my first experience of corrugations. If I had known then what I know now ...
Stay safe people
AnswerID:
631001
Reply By: Member -Pinko (NSW) - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 15:00
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 15:00
And here is that very sign.Bullet holes incl
Tropic of Capricorn
Hay River Track 28th July 2008 2:27:29 PM
AnswerID:
631008
Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 18:16
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 18:16
Haven't seen that sign on the
Hay track.............yet.
In 2018, during a 10K km trip through SA, WA & NT, I crossed the Tropic at least 4 times. On our CSR jaunt last year, I only crossed it twice.
However, back in our previous life, living down the Diamantina River, the SE corner of the station was crossed by the Tropic, so would have crossed the line many times, over the 21 years we lived, and worked there.
Hema Maps
Bob
AnswerID:
631014
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Apr 11, 2020 at 10:16
Saturday, Apr 11, 2020 at 10:16
.
You mean this one Bob?
But the 'Sign Hostess' may not still be in attendance.
Hay River Track Capricorn Sign
FollowupID:
906873
Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Saturday, Apr 11, 2020 at 11:05
Saturday, Apr 11, 2020 at 11:05
No, would expect the “Sign Hostess” to be
well east of that point, and making sure you are washing your hands regularly? Anywhere between
Camp 15 & the Plenty is an unknown for me Allan, so what I’m saving on fuel & trip prepping at the moment, can go towards a
Hay River permit, sometime in the future.
Bob
FollowupID:
906876
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Apr 11, 2020 at 12:32
Saturday, Apr 11, 2020 at 12:32
.
Bob, your'e right, that sign hostess has morphed into the Hygiene Policeman and is monitoring me constantly.
The
Hay River track is a very attractive drive, even if a bit expensive for the permit. But don't get me started on that! I would be happy to do it again sometime even if it does take me to the Plenty.... not my favourite road.
FollowupID:
906878
Follow Up By: Member - Michael P (QLD) - Saturday, Apr 11, 2020 at 18:01
Saturday, Apr 11, 2020 at 18:01
Curious as to the cost of the permit nowadays? From memory was about $240 back then.
Must say tis one of My favourite trips.
FollowupID:
906899
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Saturday, Apr 11, 2020 at 23:38
Saturday, Apr 11, 2020 at 23:38
.
Hay River Track entry permit from NLC is free.
But then another "transit fee" is demanded by Direct 4WD (Jol Fleming) which was $220 in 2019 but as it rises regularly it could be $240 by now!
FollowupID:
906914
Follow Up By: Member - Michael P (QLD) - Sunday, Apr 12, 2020 at 09:57
Sunday, Apr 12, 2020 at 09:57
Thanks,
That rings a bell $180 plus $40 to goyder pillar.
When I arrived at Batton
Hill a group from SA had been waiting for 3 days to do the Bush Tucker side trip (paid in advance). A few days later met up with Lindsay Bookie at Urandangie where He had been for a week. That was a year or so before He passed away.
Regards Mike P.
FollowupID:
906919
Reply By: Member - Murray R (VIC) - Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 19:52
Friday, Apr 10, 2020 at 19:52
Hi Michael
Seven times for me in different spots when heading north
Murray
AnswerID:
631018
Reply By: Nomadic Navara - Sunday, Apr 12, 2020 at 15:56
Sunday, Apr 12, 2020 at 15:56
Most people who have spent a while sculling around Qls will have crossed it around 5 to 7 times. Then you can add north of the Alice and the two main roads going north to south in WA.
My list in Qld is at Rocky, nth of
Emerald, going into
Rubyvale, Barcy to
Aramac,
Longreach and the Diamantina Developmental Road south of
Boulia.
AnswerID:
631036
Reply By: Mick O - Sunday, Apr 12, 2020 at 16:04
Sunday, Apr 12, 2020 at 16:04
Always enjoy crossing the tropic because it usually means the days and nights are getting warmer. The most interesting spots have always been on off track journeys or on remote tracks. One of the most memorable for me was on the
Puntawarri Track because right at the location you touched the tropic, there was stand of grass trees (Xanthorrhoea), the only spot we ever saw them on that trip.
Cheers, Mick
ToC along the Puntawarri Track
ToC along the Puntawarri Track
Xanthorrhoea on the Puntawarri right at the ToC
Xanthorrhoea on the Puntawarri right at the ToC
AnswerID:
631037
Follow Up By: Member - Michael P (QLD) - Sunday, Apr 12, 2020 at 17:41
Sunday, Apr 12, 2020 at 17:41
That,s one location that I haven't crossed at. Tanks for sharing & the pictures.
FollowupID:
906932
Reply By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Sunday, Apr 12, 2020 at 16:07
Sunday, Apr 12, 2020 at 16:07
.
Blimey, we would have crossed the
Tropic of Capricorn at least 26 times but only at maybe 9 different
places.
Many of those crossings were because we travelled to visit rellies in Nth Queensland.
I would need to drag trip notes out to validate that....... Is there a prize? lol
AnswerID:
631038
Reply By: luxtourer - Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 10:03
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 10:03
Hi Michael
Like Bob, I lived as a youngster on the southern side near Rocky, but needed to go to Rocky often. For example, four years to high school, so two crossings per day every school day, so about 1600 crossings. I'd estimate all up somewhere around 3000 crossings.
But as for crossing at different points, there are many such crossing near Rocky and further west, so from the Thomson Point Rd to the road to
Exmouth (WA), maybe 30 crossings or so. I suspect most people underestimate crossings, since a lot are unmarked.
Here's a
pic of the spire near Rocky at its original position alongside what the locals call
the Woolwash.
Cheers
JohnSpire at Rocky at its original position
AnswerID:
631065
Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 10:21
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 10:21
Hi Michael
We have crossed that invisible line in many locations in every state of Australia.
Now here is a challenge for those that like to head remote......
How many, and I would say none have crossed that line at this remote location, away from any tracks?
This will now get people searching.....good luck.
Tropic of Capricorn - plaque by Andrew Harper when he crossed the full line on camels
Tropic of Capricorn - plaque by Andrew Harper when he crossed the full line on camels
AnswerID:
631066
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 12:18
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 12:18
.
I think that
plaque is also on the
Hay River Stephen.
FollowupID:
907016
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 13:26
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 13:26
Yes Allan that the one and is west of the sign on the
Hay River Track.
I had been in contact with Andrew and told his we would get a photo for him and took some finding, but in the end we were successful.
Keep Safe.
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
907018
Follow Up By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 14:56
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 14:56
.
Yes Stephen, west about 500m from the track, right on the River.
We picked it up from the
EOTopo map.
Really nice drive. Wouldn't mind doing that run again sometime.
FollowupID:
907021
Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 18:44
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2020 at 18:44
A couple of photos of the
Tropic of Capricorn on the Gary Highway.
For those who haven't been there, and those who have, and wish they were there, or in the general area, at this moment.
The Sign-Gary Highway WA
Crossing Tropic of Capricorn - Gary Highway WA
Bob
AnswerID:
631079