Highway Quiz #2

I hope that the original quiz hasn't been forgotton, but the responses re Gunbarrel Hwy have been very interesting.

I had to hunt for what triggered my misrecollection.
Deluxe had the section in a 1980s timeble: but that was an air sector.
There was at one stage an air service between Perth and Ayers Rock or Alice Springs which refuelled at Wiluna. Perhaps now patronage justifies a larger aircraft with longer range.

I found the timetable which triggered my travel hopes.
It was an Ansett Mar.87 timetable, showing a Perth - Alice Springs route, 2185 km in 33 h.
Rockingham 8.45 Mon. & Fri., via Fremantle, Perth (10.00), Midland, Merredin, Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie, Leonora, Laverton, Cosmo (23.59), Warburton (5.30-45), Giles, Docker River, Lasseters Cave, Ayers Rock 16.30.
In reverse, Ayers Rock 15.00 Wed. & Sun.;...; Warburton 23.00-15; Cosmo 5.45;...; Perth 19.55;...;Rockingham.
This can't have been the Gunbarrel, but would still have been an adventure, and one which I never tried.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria

...i remember a fascinating account of the early explorers in the dead heart of australia whereby explorer stuart (or was that sturt?) discovered ayers rock looking from east to west, but never reaching it and apparently named it after the SA premier at the time.

ernest giles discovered the olga's in a similar expedition looking from west to east and named them after queen olga of spain...same thing..saw the outcrop but never reaching it...

the upshot is that neither knew of the other rock formation those few miles distant, and the situation stayed that way for quite a few years to come....cheers