INVETERATE EXPLORER

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 176, 25 June 1935, Page 10

INVETERATE EXPLORER

OFF AGAIN TO THE DESERT. Air Donald Alackay, a retired New South Wales grazier, is a man who deserves well of his country, writes a Sydney correspondent. He has made a hobby of mapping vast unknown and unexplored areas of Central and North Australia. Pressing into service aircraft and wireless, he made expeditions in 1930 and 1933 which resulted in blanks on the map of Australia being filled in and earlier observations being corrected. The name of Alackay must loom large in modern exploration of this huge continent. His ventures are purely private, financed solely by himself and done, as he himself explained recently, as a fad he loves to indulge in ior the sake of his country. On his last expedition he found a hitherto unknown salt lake in north-west Australia, 70 miles long and 35 miles wide. Lt now hears his name on maps. Air Alackay has set off on his third expedition of aerial exploration, with the intention of examining a large area, mostly desert, north of tlie eastwest railway line between Ooldea and Laverton, as far north as the Petermnnn Ranges. This work will join up with that of the 1930 and 1933 expeditions, the map on completion of the work being drawn up on the same scale. Tlie total area of the work done by these three expeditions will then he 'S6O,(XX) square miles. The aircraft to he used on this expedition will be the latest type of British manufacture, a fitted with two Gipsy Major engines. This machine has boon chartered for the job from New England Airways. Captain Frank Neale, pilot on the earlier expeditions, will lie the pilot of the survey machine, while Air B. G. Shepherd wiil have his Puss Moth available in case of a forced landing of the survey plane at the liases to be used—namely, Cook, Forrest, Rawlinna, and Laverton. The flying range of the Momispiir will be more than 800 miles, and that of the Puss Moth more than 1000 miles. A flight will also he made from Laverton to Roy Hill in the north-west, lroin which place three flights will lie made to the eastward to examine a small area missed in 1933. Captain A. L. W'ilkinson, of Patrick Steamships, will he in charge of tlie wireless installation at the bases. Commander H. T. Bennett, formerly of the Royal Australian Navy will serve as navigator, surveyor, and photographer. At present six camels are plodding across country from Farina to Forrest —they have a distance of 550 miles to travel. These animals will he stationed permanently at Forrest for the duration of the expedition, ,and he available to go out at any time to the survey ’plane if it is forced down.

Air Mackay’s ventures include riding a bicycle around Australia, a camel “buggy ride” with the late Dr Herbert Basedow from Oodnndatta to the Petermann Ranges, and back via Charlotte AA’aters, in 1926, a pack-horse expedition to Arnhem* Land in 1928, and then the two areial expeditions referred to above.