ACROSS AUSTRALIA.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18266, 27 December 1924, Page 8

ACROSS AUSTRALIA.

YOVNG AUSTRALIAN'S ARDUOUS ' TRIP. Travel stained and weary, but with the smile of success on their faces, two young motor-cyclists—Gilbert Ford (22) and Charles Watson (21) —arrived i # Perth on November '27 th after hjiriag crossed Australia, east to west,' by I motorcycle and sidecar. Leaving Svj. 1 ney at ti a.m. on Thursday. November 1 20th. Ford and Watson fnit up the very 1 excellent time of 7 days 9 honrs 33 j minutes for the journey to Terth, brcrt, | ing the previous record, held by Clark 1 and "Webster, by over 2 days 6 honrs. i The two young men are garage emplovers of Messrs Armstrong's Cycle and Motor Agency. Perth, and rode their ow« Indian Supcrchief putht. The idea if trving to establish n record originate! with the boys themselves, and they car. ricd out the preliminary depot supply work and arrangements on their o*lU initiative. A largo crowd w '*»«■« ( their arrival at the G.P.0., Perth,»a#4 gave them :i hearty welcome. The machine and sido-car used by tho bovs is their own property.. Form«y months pnst they had prepared for th« attempt, and to those who have art crossed tho continent b\ motor-cycle, much less made an attempt on , % record, let. it be known that prepm. j tious have fo be thorough to a degree. Leaving Perth with the machine, which, prior fo the attempt, had done 14,M0 miles, Ford and Watson travelled easily, going cast, and made a close obscrva* tion of tho route they would follow; oj the wav back. Arrangements were mado for petrol rind oil supplies at various depots, and everything possible was done to ensure that there. shoul4 - bo no hitch in this regard. The Run Begins. After leaving Sydney the riders met with bad weather, which caused them considerable delay, and might, havebeea expected to dishearten young fellows who had planned out a schedulo whiefc they found it impossible to, maintaj* | in the initial stages. However, it. taktt | a great deal to stop overlnudmg ro©t6N» cve.lists. • * There were incidents of tno tr» , which will always livo in tho minds of tho vouiig motor-cyclist*. About J3» . miles west of Eucla they Teachcd tba cliffs at Madura, where .thcr.o climb of approximately. 200 feet in yards. There is a big "gorge" & Madura, and it was here that the orgs, landers turned north on to tho tabw lands, afterwards swinging west og«| to Balladonia ana Frazer's Htogfc j Shortly after leaving Adelaide rain «oß* J mence'd to fall steadily, and for hOQM J the riders pushed through tho waw and mud. A start, was mado from Adj. ; laido at 2 a.m., aud it was not uqtQ About 9 a.m. that the rain stopwi " The boys had been led to expect trooblf on the long stretch over the Yard<w * sands, a distance of about 2? miles,. J J were agreeably surprised at the , made over this stretch of the jonraen ~ In tho adjacent Gawlor Ranges the , going was very rough, and it was h«t« : that the cyclists decided to obtain sott# ; sleep. Unfortunately they and the sun was up when they awojw j and rose from their hard bed# beam 3 the cycle and side : car. , Some dqra i earlier they had been fortunate in nicw; irig with a fairly easy run across thj * dreaded Coorong Desert, which is weO ! f| known to motorists. This dose.Tt, whips. lies betweon Kingston and Minirgis South Australia, is- partly lake and bog,'and is-not-a desert- jp.. the true sense of tho word. ■ ® - . Millions of Babbits. . Tho youthful motor-cyclists sawSjfip-l', bers of wombats—they ran over lsffc** '* foxes, dingoes, and "millions , bits" during their trip. ThemotgH|i. cycle carried thrco spotlights in.«iffl»*" tion to the ordinary a , etattSKfja equipment, 1 and at sight' '.MI tracks were rendered almoft. MegS light .as day. The outfit was. fsjmm with Dunlop tyres., A spare ,covOT.. ; 3fi|||M carried, but there was no occaaiott ,it on the east-west trip. Between gardie and Southern. Cross .on day night the boys wore, as thsy titiKßM very tired and dazed, and'two stops were made while thef.,snatwß3H brief periods of sleep. HQweVMyJnHH achievement , of breaking the OWjH|B record by over two days six well worth tho hardships endured, JH|H young men aro. unassuming, andvllHH light of the difficulties of the while each was eager to pay the good work done by the othef£|||^H