GREAT AUSTRALIAN DESERT.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17072, 17 February 1921, Page 8

GREAT AUSTRALIAN DESERT.

PLAN TO CROSS IN MOTOR-CARS. (FBOII OTJB OWN CORRESPONDENT.) SYDNEY, February 8. I It is proposed that the Public Works I Committee of the Federal Parliament j shall cross the great desert of the interior, from north to south, and return again by a slightly different rout-e, in 80 days. The expedition is to settle certain points of difference in connexion with the building of the north-south railway. That gigantic undertaking, the linking of the Eastern States with West Australia, by means of the East-West railway, is and now the Federal Government is giving attention to the complementary undertaking. When South Australia agreed to come into the Federation, the D'oderal Government agreed to build _ a north-south railway, which would link South Australia with the Northern Territory. The Commonwealth is not trying to shirk that obligation—but there jb a marked divergence of views in regard to route. The taouth Australians want the railway to drive straight north across the interior from Oodnadatta until it joins up with the Northern Territory line. Other people suggest that the line, after leaving the main South Australian system, should bend eastwards, so as to "tap tne north-west of Now South Wales and the western part of Queensland. Then it might run north-west across the Barclay Tableland to }oin up with the Northern Territory line. This, they say, would fulfil both the letter and the spirit of tho Federal agreement, and it would also make the line of service' over its whole length. There are great areas of fertile, wellwatered ' territory at the back of Queensland, barely scratched by the present narrow lines' stretching in from the coastal region, and capable of supporting a large population. Tho Barclay Tableland and tho other country south of tho 'Gulf of Carpentaria comprises some of the best of the undeveloped land in Australia. It lies useless now, because of the difficulty of communication. It cannot be reached t(y water, because tho Gulf is navigable only by very small craft, and it takes a camel train weeks to get there from civilisation. t Tho central desert between South Australia and the Northern Territorv, on the other hand, is comparatively useless. It is the home of the central sea, which formerly occupied the middle of Australia, and the remaining salt is there in abundance. It is not exactly a Sahara—for a sparse herbage appears over it after the infrequent rams —but it is not capable of development. There is a limited area within the wider desert known as the Macdonnell Ranges, said to be capable of development, and these are put forward Bternly by the South Australians in urging the straight north-south route. . i The Public Works Committee proposes to go over. these rival routes in motor-cars, starting in June. Camel trains are already leaving the out back stations to establish petrol depots the unoccupied regions that have to be visited.