WANDERLUST

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 62, 10 September 1924, Page 5

WANDERLUST

ROMANTIC JOURNEYS

UNDERTAKEN BY GOVERNORS.

VROU ODR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

SYDNEY, 4th September. Wanderlust S e em 3 to have seized hold' TO^US^ alia' S Vice-Kegal personages. Whila Admiral Sir Dudley de Chair still contents himself with penetrating the tar west of his domains in New South Wales and turning up in remote townships where a Governor has never been seen before, longer residence has encouraged Victoria's Governor, Lord Stradbrokc, to go further afield, and he has ju§t completed an.overland journey with the Countess of Stradbroke and a few others throjigh the' heart of the SSVfti fl nm Adelaide t0 Darwin, whilst the Governor-General, with the spirit, oi adventure born o£ still loni>er residence ' here, h as gone otf , to £ w guinea. A picturesque description oi too Overland trip, and the experience with blacks and others en route was given by the Countess of Stradbroko on the arrival of the party at Darwin. (i We have,' sho told the interviewer very much enjoyed our trip through your land of eternal sunshine. We have indeed enjoyed a glorious sunbath alter Uib cold weather experienced in the bouth. I know of lots of- women who would enjoy this experience. . It is the sort of hie I love, and then your won-' derful country is overflowing with real hospitality. -We roughed it a bit. slept on the ground every night, and rose beore six every morning, sometimes earlier, lhere were lovely moonlight nights, and w e sab at water-hoies lor hours at.night watching for dingoes and wild horses. The stillness of the nights was profound, and we could hear the footsteps of horses more than a mile distant, but the horses instinctively avoided us. Not so the dingoes, which1 frequently came right up to our camp, and one big fierce animal came up within a yard of us, but he did not attack. "I would recommend this journey to the most delicate woman. We had no cook, but the pleasure of the journey made up for this and other little deficiencies. We stayed at Alice Springs a week .waiting for the Earl. . Despite the. absence or telegraph communication, the people everywhere were quite conversant with our movements by means of aboriginal smoke signals. Earl Stradbroke was not surprised at that, for during the late war he was in East Africa and the natives told him long before he was advised by telegram of the defeat ol the Germans in West Africa, probably a, thousand miles away. From Alice Springs-north the smoke signals followed regularly, and occasionally , aboriginals assembled in'force along the route, gaily decked with corroboree war paint. Evidently the smoke man. had given us «, good character to his brothers ahead. One native said he had received' a message that the 'big feller Gubmeut come along.' The corroboree at Alice Springs was a gorgeous spectacular .affair, in which a real right took place between two'natives. The hospital at Alice Springs is only half-erected. I think this building should be completed and equipped with a nursing staff and medicines immediately. '

"I was astounded to learn that between Alice Springs and Oodnadatta, a distance of hundreds of miles, there is no such thing as medical aid, and no means of getting Jt. There are a, lot of women and children in that vast region. They are thoroughly happy and enjoy the best of health, but picture the misery of a woman seriously ill being compelled to travel 500 miles on the back of a camel to get medical assistance. People there get their supplies once a year. 'They are happy people, and said they would like to see a railway or some quicker means of communication, but there was never a grumble heard. I sincerely hope that such fine will, immediately receive some substantial encouragement to continue their pioneering work. I would like to see a motor service "run to Alice Springs once a month, with preference to women desiring medical aid."

The Wellington Centre of the N.Z. A.A.A. has been advised that Mr. ,1. Burnett has resigned his position us honorary secretary ,of the Paraparanmu .\..\. Spun* Club, JJ.r, tfarnvtl, is