HEART OF AUSTRALIA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19202, 19 June 1924, Page 8

HEART OF AUSTRALIA.

A GLORIOUS WINTER, VIGOROUS DEFENCE. GREAT MOTORING RESORT. (From 0d« Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY. June 12. After two months’ motoring in Centra! Australia, with the object particularly of investigating the country to the west and north of Barrow Creek, Mr Harry Manderson and Mr J. T. Beckett, ex-chief inspector of aborigines in the Northern Territory, have returned to Adelaide with a most glowing account of the country, and sharp condemnation of those who describe as desert the vast urea that they traversed. Mr Manderson, who has travelled in many parts of the world, said he knew of no country which possessed a more delightful winter season than Central Australia. The South of France and Palm Beach .Florida, U.S.A:) were only “makebelieve” winter resorts in comparison. The contention that the north was not a white man’s country was utterly groundless. One of the chief troubles abojit the Northern Territory was that most of ita malingers had either never visited it or possessed only half-baked experience of limited areas of its widespread expanse. “ One thing, perhaps, more than any other,” Mr Manderson stated, “continues to keep the mass of Australians in almost complete ignorance about the centre of the continent, and that is the alleged difficulty in getting there. Any trip to Central Australia, especially bv motor car, is almost invariably dubbed an ‘ expedition.’ which is going to ‘ penetrate ' the miscalled dead heart ’ of the country. The programme customarily calls for ‘ stripped cars, petrol supplies sent out along the track l>y camels weeks head, and other inspiring touches to an overlanding hazard into the supposed savage and sandy ‘ wastes ’ of the interior. This is all wrong and unjust, and harmful to a magnificent zone, which would assuredly bo better understood and appreciated if more f'req'Uentfly visited bv southern dwellers who at present are prevented from even contemplating the trip by reason ot the eupposed rigours of the road.” “ The 300 miles or so to Alice Springs from Odnadatta (688 miles north of Adelaide) are. of course, by no means a motor speedway,” Mr Manderson added. "The definite obstacles to be surmounted are the six or seven crossings of Finke River. With sandgrips, however, these crossings are made with comparative eae, and on the long stretches of more or less level sand along the overland telegraph line any motor car will travel without undue strain, if grips are used. With no knowledge of the track into the north other than it was said to be, ‘ rather tough,”, and without Handgrips, or special contrivances of that sort, my party experienced little or no trouble in reaching, first, fUice Springs, in ordinary motoring time, then Barrow Creek, 180 miles further north, and later considerable distances to the north, 'oast, ana west of Barrow Creek. And our outfit consisted merely of a Ford one-ton rruck, which, instead of being ‘ stripped.’ was loaded down with a ton and a half or petrol and other paraphernalia. We carried our own petrol throughout the trip. Being without sandgrips, there were times, of course, when we had to ‘ get out and push.’ But with the new deviation to the east of the Depot Sandhills, the route to Central Australia, while not exactly ideal for cars, is not such as to debar any experienced motorist from reaching there in comparative comfort, and enjoying a holiday of fascinating interest and variety.”