Nullabor Adventures

Late 60's I took a load of galv angle iron (for power towers) from Sydney to Panawanica in a Flintstone Mack, I didn't mind the dirt on the Nullabor (apart from the bulldust holes that could hide a motor car) but found the corrogations north of Canarvon the worst I've ever encounted.
Loaded timber from Pemberton to Adelaide, then Oranges to Townsville .......called in home with a load of copper back to Sydney.

This was an interesting thread. When did the major relocation take place? Was it 1962, when a lot (but not all) was surfaced, anticipating a flood of private vehicles heading to Perth for Commonwealth Games. I have a clipping (buried) from Australasian Post, showing a Vespa motorscooter fitted with a sun canopy, ready to make the crossing.
The Port Pirie - Port Augusta - Kalgoorlie railway construction was an epic part of Australian railway history, and was home to the famous Tea & Sugar supply train. It was still an adventurous crossing into the 1960s and 70s. Now is more sterile and more expensive. The crossing was also adventurous for aircraft. Forrest became a refuelling stop for light aircraft, and for the front-line Vickers Viscounts.
In this thread, I admired Lang's contribution, as I had retoned the photos of one of his later WA adventures.
I never crossed on dirt. In 1983, I went westbound by Greyhound, but alighted at Kalgoorlie. I remember very little of that journey. In 1989 I came eastbound with Deluxe, a double-deck bus, and I was in the 'death seat', above the driver. That was fast, and only one night from Esperance (where I boarded at around 4.00) to Adelaide. Landmarks were Cocklebiddy roadhouse (I felt that I really was out on the Nullarbor), and a brief stop at the limestone cliffs (an appreciated move even though it was an express service, not a tourist one).
When Weagles played in a Melbourne grand final, Qantas had two B747s leaving Perth at dawn. The cheapskates left Perth after work on Thursday by bus, had Friday has a sickie, and headed like zombies into MCG on Saturday at lunchtime. They then slept through the whole match for which they had paid the money.
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

...waddya mean ''This was an interesting thread'' Rodders? ....she's still chuggin' along pretty nicely i reckon ol' mate..

My post has been edited to present tense. The thread was heading towards the Newell and a few others (I'll save my Landsborough Hwy memories for later). Now for everyone to get Nullarbor right, and for someone to provide a rough date for the major relocation.
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Slightly off topic but we get there in the end
LOL
What my mother told me

When WWII ended a Dutch East Indies submarine ran aground in the fremantle harbour W.A.
It was decided to scrap the sub

It was reported in the Melbourne newspaper that a truck from Melbourne had travelled across
the Nullabor plain to the West in record time
In the next few days my mother had a
knock on the front door the Govt wanting to find info on how and where did he get the petrol
from for this long journey
Mother said "He had saved up his petrol ration coupons"
to be able to travel to the West
= No more hassles from the Govt

The Sub was beached and needed to be moved to a wharf where it could be dismantled,
he organised a few local boats to hook onto sub at high tide and move it to the wharf
where it was dismantled and scrapped



cya

The Newell is very much the Victorian highway to Queensland. My first drive was in 1972, and I was warned: not surfaced throughout, use the New England. Climbing Moonbi Range, the insulation in the engine compartment of my VW Beetle came loose, clogged the air cooling, and I cooked the motor. As I discovered later, the Newell is almost level (to the point of boredom); lack of surface was irrelevant. I have used the Newell every time since. Here is a photo copied across from the 'Wooden caravan' thread. It is from a friend, and shows his MGY and wooden caravan at the summit of the Moonbi Range climb.
The owner and his wife pause in the refuge to enjoy a triumphant cup of tea.

Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[/quote]

Rod

I would have thought the last Newell dirt section (Pilliga Scrub) was sealed by 1972 but I may be wrong.

Back in 66 the Newell past Coonabarabran was specifically banned to any Hartridge truck carrying white goods or car parts which were 80% of all single axle
loads. When the Moree to Goondiwindi bit was sealed they required Newell trucks to do the sealed dogleg from Coonabarabran, Gunnedah, Narrabri. They ignored the 20 odd miles off gravel remaining before Boggabilla and allowed that.

As the Pilliga road was sandy it was usually pretty good for an unsealed surface so most blokes just did it and said nothing (and swept up all the washing machine and fridge nuts and bolts from the trailer deck before delivery)

Here is all you ever wanted to know of the Newell Highway history:

www.ozroads.com.au/NSW/Highways/Newell/history.htm

Lang

Great material, and my mistake: my New England Drive was 1971, not 1972.
My next big adventure was Landsborough Hwy: Longreach - Cloncurry. It was dirt, deep rutted and dried. My Holden HK was bottoming. I had to leave the 'main' road, and drive via the telephone pole maintenance track. IIRC that was the same holiday when I tried a direct road across central Qld. It was blacksoil, and I had the confidence to use it only because there were clearly tracks of two vehicles ahead of me. When the tracks revealed a three-point turn and retreat, I did the same.
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

Great stories all! To round out this topic, we need some topless photos of the "Nullabor Nymph"......anone got some?....or can anybody flesh out this urban myth?

Whilst not exactly driving the old highway before it was sealed. I did get to drive a chunk of the rail line maintenance road in the early 90

Ozfury

Here is the "Nullarbor Nymph" story. Much more involved than I thought.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nullarbor_Nymph

Lang