ACROSS AUSTRALIA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12748, 27 April 1912, Page 3 (Supplement)

ACROSS AUSTRALIA.

PERTH TO SYDNEY IN 28 DAYS. REMARKABLE PIONEER .MOTOR DRIVE. Fur tho first time Australia has been "crossed m a motor .car. from west to east. For years tho overland route from Perth to Adelaide, or, more correctly speaking, between Norseman's and £ucla, lias been considered i.mprae.-, ticable for motor, car travelling, j Francis Birtles and S., Ferguson, on. a 10-h.p.. single cylinder Brush . runabout, , have made the. trip look . so easy and simple that one wonders whether . the . reported difficulties of the southern .transcontinental ■ roiite # have been : greatly- . magnified or that. it is all. due to Birtles'. wonderful bushcraft arid intimate knoAyledge of the sandy and wild waste. of ..country that -lies Inorth of -the great Australian Bight. When this pioneer .trip, was first rriootedv. BirtleS wag asked. "If ..it. was possible.": Birtles'. reply /was,,. ("I Avill- guarantee! to bring a gar. . across, apart from, mechanical ( troubles." /He has kept his word. /.. Birtles and FergUr son left. Perth at . 1 p.m. . on Saturday, March. 16th, aboard .their little Brush car, heavily laden . with camp • kit, etQ.,, and Avere given a splend- sgnd-off ,-.-, .as they pulled out for their .plucky attempt to motor .acrosß the continent. r J?Q,iv time .Avas made through . to Coolgardie (351 miles), Avhich.. Avas -reached .m. c seur. days.. . ;The overland ers turned south ■; arid travelled , . via Norseman/;)! across tb .the IBalladonia'Overland'.,Telegraph Depot. ,;.On this run . considerable difficulty was encountered OAvihg to, the car sinking. doAvn to . the axles m the boggy dried-up beds of lagoons and l?.k_s that... had „to be crossed." fortunately; a . iAvindlass, i which . formed . part of the outfit, enabled the car to be extricated. Y. Thei.heaVy. stretch of sandy country, adross' the head oi the , great AustraUari . Bight . ihad to, be next negotiated, .and . it : was anticipated that, this section of the route would prove a tough proposition for, the plucky motorists, but on Mareh;2B,a naessage flashed through from .the JEucla Overland telegraph Repeating Station stating, that Birtles and Ferguson were safely through,. Theyliad .done, wonders,, fo* hp. twelve days; they had covered, ohe -thousand .miles, of heavy Country, -a great., deal . of; which had never seen a motor, car. before.,, The. success of :. the ...undertaking . was now ; practidally assured, for -once, the; MO \ odd : miles of ;/brdkeri;' sand-hills .and scrubby' 'country .stretching , aAvay to.- , wards ,'Port; August^, was ..orossed the. rest of jthe. route, ,Avas through compara-. tively settled 'cduntiy... ,- Good progress , Ayas made! across, to 'Port" Augusta. -. At this pdjn.t, instead of striking, south forAdelaide,, a course .due east to Broken Hill.. tvas taken, .and at 3.30 p.m. -on Saturday,. April 6th: (tjiree weeks from date of Starting), the heavily Jaden little t runabout/ rolled, into Broken Hill, a dis- , tance of about' 'lßoo .miles from Pertn: . Birtles.. and .liis cbmpanion ' received a great reception, and nfeedless to. say the i car, Avhich -AA^as covered .trith . red dust ' and grease, -was the .centre of a big and curious croAVd. „-Ph'e J'Brush" Avas air most hidden under' about. Bcav.. of outfit, including, tent, sand mats, shovels, tucker-boxes, water-bags, guns, a cine-, matograph camera,, and ©ir'tles' old I friend, : ; his Universal, .bicycle, on which* he has accomplished his -wonderful cycle ' rides. On top of the lot AA-as tethered a dog, a pet of Birtles, and over all was a heavy mantle of fine red- dust. After, a , day's -'spell -the. overl^nders left early on Monday ; mbriiing ;for 'Sydney, which was duly, reached at Saturdiay afternoon, , 2Lpril^ ■ 'A3th"i" ov^exactly ' four weeks from the day of " starting. The actual time for the trip, about 2600 miles, was 28 days I'hoiii* .52.mih., an average ..of :!ovjer .0% mile-'.a /day. ! Throughout the whole trip the only car trouble wets a; loose- wheel bearing and a bent. axle,, whilst" the «an.e.;s§t of Oiinlop, tyres* came right tlirough Avith a. total of only tAVo punctures. This feat of '•'Birtle^and/Fergusbn is, without a doubt./' One'otV the niost . : rerqa'fkaDle motor car : perforrnances yet, achieved m Australia. . - ". v

Fraii-i-' Birtles has noAv crossed Australia s|x times. On- five occasions he did so on -a- bicycle. •. Ho could . not ■ say Avhich niachirie he preferred for Such a trip on Ueing seen by a iepresen,tatiA'e of the Sydney Daily Telegraph. "The ; bicycle,"- lie stated,' '"has decided b*d va rit-jg-s . oyer the cdr,. : A ' : path can ahviiys oe pibked/ 'whereas ' 'with a car one has-'very'-pf-fen to be; . clteai'ed ; befOrtf pro&ress can, be! made." _, \ . . '* ; The oVerlanders' .had "varied weather,and'/'accbrdirig to Birtles, their worst' experience's /were after leaving Southerly Cross; 1 "in the Salt Lake country.' Oye.' these 'lakes th etc is, a crust Of a sandy natuf e, , thfough' Afrhich the wheels, broke repeatedly/ and ori^seVeral 'occasions 'the car' 'A\a;s; buried' right 'up tio the 'axles, and the two '''motorists had hutch difficultY in' l_xtrica!tihg' the little .bar from its -_If-made grave. The <jar'gbt a very severe testing m this country, which is covered' Avith'- low* scrub, and 'it was forced J ! to ! lite.Wly plough its way through' it, 'apd /received some ' ria.ty jolt-, fron. the hTddpn boblders md stuhlps.. '"' i ' 1 /' ■' V *■■ ' . ',/ -/ •"'Of the'26CO hiiles covered,*' stateBh'tles', ''fully thr^--quart-rs Avere oVer •urirnane 'roads. '/Where lib roads" existed' Aye Avere/ forded fo/iria_-e Oiir OAVn by cutting oiu* : way through the thick scrub/ 'We aV^rajjed 26 miles to' the gallon/ of benaine 1 / We carried 40 gallon's'W the '^^ ''■;', /''".' *-di* Pergu&n'nau' plenty of work to do'on, tlie^tfipV /'He <Jt*o,Ve the car right throughout 'the^'-jburriey; and was the me'c-uinic as 'well. ' 'Birtles. was on the ca.r,;^s 'pilot, "and it • may be, said without 'fear of ibntradi-tioh that, he kriows more ''about, tlm interibr of Australia than ariv r other' Avni,te man. '"' J ,Tm tired, of i|t,''/stati-d Mr Pergu^' son,' ar. he "waj. receiving the congratulations : of friends 'at', the conclusion -of tKe> -ttriA-e!!^/'l'v^' haoV'the AA'heel aii the Avay ''from : I?rema!htlfe ib Sydney: , It seems to me tliat the trip Avas. thifou^h fana lribstly. 'There-were ocearis of it.. We. gpt '■"it.ucW ; in"it once, arid it""t6ok us' hi,?. f. 1 a day 'to .coyer half ;a/ ''mile; Tit order tq get along' 'we 'cut do\vn trees" ■arid -"scrub iind^laid them doA\oi in 'frorit of the ;;ca"r .'and to ligh!ten. f^e' .fear wife' took cy«pry thin^ qff .. " And ' the f heat' "\Va^ irit'enso ! Several 'times the,, car ' buried' itself ! up ',to' .tlie.faxlfs, and to extridato it/frorii its temporary 'grave .Aye . were f 6rce4 v to ! secure t a rope to a telegi*a-ph . post, attacl. ' the other end to the -car;. aiid 'riir.l-e 'it* v sloWlv. ' piill -itself .out 'of lli,o. hole." 'We 1 suffered frbm shortage of „Avater at bne'^tage. , Collisions,. -with s{amvps ; hidd-h^inr'thg, thi% scrub knqck-' ed ''i-ie ,j\xle of' Tl t]^S '•&_• *aboiit . ; gopd deal. .It'^Ava^^bent 'seVertil tiriies/ arid, thi's meant \thas' w&hafiyio'i&ke iti offrpake..;K'Y'tve,\a|nd •.'trsh'ghten! -it, 'Other parts', iii connection with ' the , Avh'eois Av^re' torp o_f, ,: and w!e were forced to repair Yf^n'S. repl'a!_e 'them. , ai best we cotiUl.'.. A! 'f'pw r ni|rhts agO'V'.'as we • ! Avere approaching a/rai-VA'-ay 'station, Aye Avere ,ahp9 f st jyjto 'an exqaA'ation /d§fep enough, to,, bui-V tVe^oif m, r and T just swerved m tjnje./, We',. Smashed «l*ote lamps, and lost .orie generator, s 'Hoavcver.. Ava'; g bt tlivough^and I must say the! little! caj*. van, 'splendidly right throughout, ... /Flic eiigine gave us -not t\ift ali^rte^tji^etyV^^ y^ .