THROUGH AUSTRALIA

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 32, 7 August 1934, Page 4

THROUGH AUSTRALIA

MEMORABLE MOTOR TRIP

NEW ZEALANDERS RETURN

I A trip seldom undertaken but tcwarding the traveller with littleknown aspects oi: Australia's vast back country -\vas made by .Mr. W. Tate, of Grcytown, who returned by the Maungauui from Sydney. "With Mrs. Tato and Sir. and Mrs. G. Speedy, of Ahianihe, Wairarapa, who also retuniod yesterday, lie travelled 7.100 miles by motor-car from Sydney to jSlclbounie, thence to Adelaide, ancLthrougli. Central " Australia ".to..'Dyrwi.n, afjterwnrds motoring througli Queensiand to Brisbane, and back to Sydney.The story of the trip, as told by ilr. Tatc to a "Post" reporter, was v, narrative of unusual sights and impres- j sions. Accompanying the New Zealanders was a Melbourne lady,'and'.ill live passengers were accommodated ill one ear, another ear carrying several expert mechanic-drivers, /a cook, and the baggage and stores. From Sydney the party motored on the Prince's Highway to Melbourne, then on to Adelaide, via Mount Gnmbier, and struck north' to Port Augusta, Alice Springs, Hermansburg, and Darwin. "Wo camped for six weeks in Central Australia • and did not have one day's rain, nor did we see a cloud in the sky for four,weeks," said Mr. Tate. "It was a revelation to us, after having been told 'that Central Australia was a desert, to see the type of country and to note the wonderful possibilities of the soil. Tho rainfall is only about live inches a. year, and it is impossible to bring water to it. There is a great boom in mining of various types in Central Australia, and also in the Northern, Territory and around Mount Isa in Queensland. Between Hermansburg and Darwin we passed a new gold rush at Tonuant's Creeks, where 367 claims had been pegged out. It is said to bo one or! the biggest 'strikes' in Australia at the present time, and wo were told the possibilities were greater than afc any other place." From Darwin the party proceeded to the Daly Biver, where they* enjoyed fishing and shooting. - Tho next stage was by way of Newcastle Waters and Alexandria Downs, tho second largest cattle station in the world, thence through Western Queensland to Winton, Long Beach, and Brisbane. The return,- trip to- Sydney was made through the northern river districts, the most fertile and prosperous country in tho whole of Australia. "We travelled through, the scenes of great fires and sometimes had to burn the high grass to find the track," Mr. Tato continued. "On occasions we had to put down coconut matting in order to cross dried-Tip river beds. Hundreds of blacks were sighted during tho trip, but we had no trouble of any kind with them. We learnt, however, that tho manager of one of tho stations wo passed had been speared, although not fatally, some days before our arrival. Ono remarkable thing we found out was that in many parts of the country tho sheep havo to be herded at night to protect them from the dingoes. The sheep arc put into bush corrals,. and in some districts dingoproof fpnees have been erected at a cost of between £75 and £100 a mile. That is the only way the sheep farmers can save their stock from the dingoes, which in certain parts are a greator menace than ever before." On the Daly Biver tho party saw kangaroos and wallabies being hunted by naked aboriginals armed with spears. They also saw three blacks handcuffed and chained to a tree beforo being sent to Darwin for trial on charges of cattle stealing. Most of the station managers were Justices of the Peace, Mr. Tate said, and they had power to conduct preliminary hearings in such cases.