Goog's Track was named after
John (Goog) Denton who envisioned that a road heading from
Ceduna to
Tarcoola would be of considerable value to the region. Goog decided to undertake this enormous task in 1976 and with the help from his family, the track was finished in around three years.
Goog's Track is a single vehicle track that traverses through
Yumbarra Conservation Park and Yellabinna Regional Reserve. The trek covers in excess of 300 sand
hill crossings and it is recommended that the trek be negotiated from south to north. The journey starts at
Ceduna and heads due north until you meet the Transcontinental Railway Line at
Malbooma. The trek then heads east and follows the line towards
Tarcoola. Not suitable for offroad caravans of any type and generally towing trailers should be avoided, however small lightweight offroad trailers such as TVan or Ultimate Campers would be ok.
How to Use this Trek Note
- To download this information and the route file for offline use on a phone, tablet, headunit or laptop, go to the app store and purchase ExplorOz Traveller. This app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage and the EOTopo webpage.
Environment
The journey traverses through
Yumbarra Conservation Park and Yellabinna Regional Reserve. This area is a nature enthusiasts dream as there are plenty of great wildlife and birdlife to be seen. Mallee fowl and Sandhill Dunnarts are two rare species that are found in this area. Kangaroos, wombats, dingoes and a large variety of birds are also present. Dogs are not permitted.
History
It's a fascinating story how the
Goog's Track came about. It all started with the purchase of Lone Oak in the mid 1960s where
John (Goog) and Jenny Denton had cleared their property for farming. Additional children were born to the Denton's including Martin, Debbie and Jeffery and they all had nicknames with two being
well known.
John was nicknamed 'Goog' for his interest in eggs as a child and Martin was called 'Dinger' by many of his mates. Goog was very passionate about the area and strongly believed that a road heading through the scrub to the north of his
homestead would be extremely viable to the region. It was then in 1973 that he preceded from his
farm boundary with a Fordson tractor fitted with a blade to clear scrub and light timber as
well as levelling a rather rough track. As the going got tougher, Goog decided to use a bulldozer and with the help from Jenny's brother Denis and Martin (Dinger) they built a support 4WD out of wrecks lying around. The whole family were involved nearly every weekend for almost three years and one could only imagine how hard and dirty the work was for them. This included driving the bulldozer, bringing up fuel and equipment in the rebuilt 4WDs and
clearing stumps and loose sticks. After purchasing a
grader, Denis gave the track a more levelled surface making it more suitable for regular traffic. It wasn't until August 1976 when
Goog's Track had finally met up with another track to the north which was started in 1955 and finishing not far from
Mount Finke.Goog and Dinger and the rest of the family would have been extremely proud of their achievements. Although Goog would have appreciated some support from the government sharing his visions of a major road, his enthusiasm, perseverance and efforts will always be recognised. Today,
Goog's Track is a
well known trail for 4WD and adventure enthusiasts alike.
John (Goog) Denton and Martin (Dinger) Denton have now passed and there is a memorial dedicated to them just west of Goog's Lakes. When you are there, please think of them and the work they had undertaken as
well as their families. One day, this work may pay off when
Goog's Track is formally recognised as Goog's Road. Jenny Denton can be contacted on 0428257035 and is very open and willing to speak with people who want information about travelling the track. She also runs a Facebook page called Googs Track but requests that people call her on the number provided as she finds it easier.
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