If you dream it, we'll make it!
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1906 Trentham Road
KYNETON 3444 VIC AUSTRALIA |
THE GREAT TRIP NORTH
BY IAN LEE
In 1961 after two trips to Adelaide in the one week late December a chance of a load to Darwin was on offer, an adventure not to be missed. After travelling to Quorn near Port Augusta on the Friday night I loaded bags of material for oil drilling early Saturday.
At that time Darwin seemed like the other end of the earth, but what a temptation! So Darwin here we come! With a 13 tonne pay load on a truck with a maximum legal payload of 11 tonne plus 1½ tonne in fuel on 900x20 bald rag tyres with a 4 speed gearbox and a small diesel six cylinder engine.
After leaving Port Augusta we were out in the never never, there was a formed gravel road to Woomera Rocket Base, then just two wheel tracks, in those days the road went further west through Kingoonya, today it would be considered four wheel drive vehicles only.
Road conditions were so bad that high second was top speed, the heat was incredible, if you spat on the steel engine cover it sizzled, and you would have been able to fry an egg and the temperature gauge was almost into the red, and the radiator needed constant filling.
Sections of the track were very sandy, however the Thames seemed to find the bottom and we struggled through. We also came to some small creeks that were very sharp and the rope rails on the trailer came down on the truck’s chassis and bent, but again we got through, if I had stopped in the sand or the creeks with only a 4 speed gear box, there is no way it would have taken off again. I also was very concerned that if I broke an axle or a spring so far from any help, I would be in big trouble.
We took tinned food and 200 litres of water. The water ran out of your skin and down your body and dropped onto the plastic seat and it was necessary to drink constantly. The canned fruit made you sick if you drank the juice.
When we got to Coober Pedy, which consisted of 3 tin buildings we went into the store and asked for a midday meal, the lady said I am closed for 1½ hours for my midday rest but if you can wait I will make you something. We sat under the trailer for shade, it would have been 45 degrees plus,
We could see a native out on a small clay pan working away and we wondered what he might be doing. Later he walked over to us and began waving a big carved stick (Nulla Nulla) and called out in his native language, we had no idea of what his motive was and began to be concerned for our safety.
Fortunately the lady came out and was able to tell us the native was trying to sell us a souvenir, I now regret not buying it from him. We went inside the tin building and the lady gave us boiled mutton and potatoes, I gulped mine down with vigour. She made it quite clear not to ask for drinking water as she only had one drum to last a week.
Drinking water was delivered by road from Kingoonya and I assume came by rail from Port Augusta.
As it was only wheel tracks there were no signposts and a number of times we came to sections with two roads, both with about the same amount of wheel marks, we fortunately made the correct turns or maybe they joined later down the track. We met only one car between Woomera and Alice.
The drive tyres were nearly bald and on the stony ground I blew a drive tyre about 100 miles from Alice Springs, and finished off my water bag changing the tyre.
The truck I was travelling with was in front and I assumed he would wait for me to catch up, but he didn’t.
After travelling about 3/4 an hour in 45 plus deg heat I needed water and he had the 200 litre drum, I had tried drinking water out of a dirty 4 gall tin I had picked up on the road side for filling the radiator, however the oil and whatever else was in the tin made me sick, I began to panic, then I found the other truck at a bore with the driver sitting in the bore drain.
I gulped down his whole water bag and noticed he had pulled off the fuel lines from the second tank and was syphoning fuel from the 44 gallon drums on his trailer with 3/8 plastic pipe, and he had intended to continue without me, my salvation was that I had the fuel pump.
It was so hot I didn’t put up much of a protest, first he said he was trying to speed things up by syphoning petrol, then he admitted he had intended to go on without me, he was a Leech from my home town and his actions spoke for themselves, however I was smart enough to know I still might need him.
When we reached Alice Springs I was very tired and hungry and the first call was for a great big meal. The lady in the Café must have thought I had not eaten in a week, and that was closer to the truth than she could have imagined.
After eating I went to a transport company to get a new tyre, one of the drivers looked at my rig and said only a fool from the east would be silly enough to travel up from Adelaide at this time of the year in a delivery truck (the fool did get back to the east).
Then on to Darwin, no sleep, I thought it would be easy on the sealed road, we were getting short on time for our delivery. I soon realised that travelling in the midday heat, the tyres built up heat so I had to reduce speed. This meant more time lost and no possibility of sleep, even at 4am in the morning the heat was unbearable.
We noticed the natives just sitting by the roadside in make shift shelters made from the end of tar drums. There didn’t seem to be any water close by.
When were getting closer to Darwin, suddenly there was a big heap of gravel in the middle of the road and I realised the road had been relined, I had followed the wrong black strip, a strong sign of a lack of sleep
Finally late Wednesday arvo we arrived in Darwin and down to the wharf as our load had to go to Timor on a small boat. The first man we met was a chap Nelson from North Harcourt. When the wharfies called it a day we booked into a hotel and had our first nights rest in 5 days. The hotel had big beds with big insect nets and a breeze which came in from the ocean.
At that time Darwin seemed like the other end of the earth, but what a temptation! So Darwin here we come! With a 13 tonne pay load on a truck with a maximum legal payload of 11 tonne plus 1½ tonne in fuel on 900x20 bald rag tyres with a 4 speed gearbox and a small diesel six cylinder engine.
After leaving Port Augusta we were out in the never never, there was a formed gravel road to Woomera Rocket Base, then just two wheel tracks, in those days the road went further west through Kingoonya, today it would be considered four wheel drive vehicles only.
Road conditions were so bad that high second was top speed, the heat was incredible, if you spat on the steel engine cover it sizzled, and you would have been able to fry an egg and the temperature gauge was almost into the red, and the radiator needed constant filling.
Sections of the track were very sandy, however the Thames seemed to find the bottom and we struggled through. We also came to some small creeks that were very sharp and the rope rails on the trailer came down on the truck’s chassis and bent, but again we got through, if I had stopped in the sand or the creeks with only a 4 speed gear box, there is no way it would have taken off again. I also was very concerned that if I broke an axle or a spring so far from any help, I would be in big trouble.
We took tinned food and 200 litres of water. The water ran out of your skin and down your body and dropped onto the plastic seat and it was necessary to drink constantly. The canned fruit made you sick if you drank the juice.
When we got to Coober Pedy, which consisted of 3 tin buildings we went into the store and asked for a midday meal, the lady said I am closed for 1½ hours for my midday rest but if you can wait I will make you something. We sat under the trailer for shade, it would have been 45 degrees plus,
We could see a native out on a small clay pan working away and we wondered what he might be doing. Later he walked over to us and began waving a big carved stick (Nulla Nulla) and called out in his native language, we had no idea of what his motive was and began to be concerned for our safety.
Fortunately the lady came out and was able to tell us the native was trying to sell us a souvenir, I now regret not buying it from him. We went inside the tin building and the lady gave us boiled mutton and potatoes, I gulped mine down with vigour. She made it quite clear not to ask for drinking water as she only had one drum to last a week.
Drinking water was delivered by road from Kingoonya and I assume came by rail from Port Augusta.
As it was only wheel tracks there were no signposts and a number of times we came to sections with two roads, both with about the same amount of wheel marks, we fortunately made the correct turns or maybe they joined later down the track. We met only one car between Woomera and Alice.
The drive tyres were nearly bald and on the stony ground I blew a drive tyre about 100 miles from Alice Springs, and finished off my water bag changing the tyre.
The truck I was travelling with was in front and I assumed he would wait for me to catch up, but he didn’t.
After travelling about 3/4 an hour in 45 plus deg heat I needed water and he had the 200 litre drum, I had tried drinking water out of a dirty 4 gall tin I had picked up on the road side for filling the radiator, however the oil and whatever else was in the tin made me sick, I began to panic, then I found the other truck at a bore with the driver sitting in the bore drain.
I gulped down his whole water bag and noticed he had pulled off the fuel lines from the second tank and was syphoning fuel from the 44 gallon drums on his trailer with 3/8 plastic pipe, and he had intended to continue without me, my salvation was that I had the fuel pump.
It was so hot I didn’t put up much of a protest, first he said he was trying to speed things up by syphoning petrol, then he admitted he had intended to go on without me, he was a Leech from my home town and his actions spoke for themselves, however I was smart enough to know I still might need him.
When we reached Alice Springs I was very tired and hungry and the first call was for a great big meal. The lady in the Café must have thought I had not eaten in a week, and that was closer to the truth than she could have imagined.
After eating I went to a transport company to get a new tyre, one of the drivers looked at my rig and said only a fool from the east would be silly enough to travel up from Adelaide at this time of the year in a delivery truck (the fool did get back to the east).
Then on to Darwin, no sleep, I thought it would be easy on the sealed road, we were getting short on time for our delivery. I soon realised that travelling in the midday heat, the tyres built up heat so I had to reduce speed. This meant more time lost and no possibility of sleep, even at 4am in the morning the heat was unbearable.
We noticed the natives just sitting by the roadside in make shift shelters made from the end of tar drums. There didn’t seem to be any water close by.
When were getting closer to Darwin, suddenly there was a big heap of gravel in the middle of the road and I realised the road had been relined, I had followed the wrong black strip, a strong sign of a lack of sleep
Finally late Wednesday arvo we arrived in Darwin and down to the wharf as our load had to go to Timor on a small boat. The first man we met was a chap Nelson from North Harcourt. When the wharfies called it a day we booked into a hotel and had our first nights rest in 5 days. The hotel had big beds with big insect nets and a breeze which came in from the ocean.
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Example of the light green model Ford Thames Trader. They were a very basic truck with the engine half in the cabin, which was very hot in summer and cold in winter. For that period they travelled along as well as most small trucks. Like all British trucks, the brakes were terrible, although they did have the advantage of a cabin wide enough to sleep in comfort and if there were two it was an extra nice, plus. |
At the completion of unloading the next morning it was time to head for home and we decided to catch the train from Alice Springs to Marree, we had 24 hours to travel 1000 miles (1600kms), I was still quite fatigued but the desire to be home for Christmas was very strong.
My truck travelled at 50 mph and the other truck 48mph, less than 80kms per hour for 20 hours non-stop travel, the thought of driving all that way just seemed too much.
Darwin at that time did not seem to be as big as Castlemaine, most of the buildings were corrugated iron and most areas were quite messy with old car wrecks and bits of army equipment and old drums.
One had to wonder what it looked like before it was extensively bombed during the war?
Down at the wharf area there were war time rejects everywhere in the sea at low tide, with Japanese recovery crews cutting up the ships their own air force had sunk 18 years earlier.
However my wisdom on continuing to travel with Mr Leech was now paying off, he also saw the difficulties on top of what we had completed and he talked me into putting my truck on top of his trailer.
This left the rear section of the trailer hanging well out the back so he drove his truck forward until the trailer wheels dropped off the loading ramp leaving the wheels just off the ground, sticking out about 6 to 7 feet.
We had no time for sight seeing. It would be 34 years before I was to get back to complete this.
So Alice here we come, the steering in Mr Leech’s International R 190 had a lot of free travel and although I seemed to keep it straight he did not like my driving so he did the lions share himself, we made it to the Alice stopping only for fuel.
We loaded both trucks onto big long flat top rail trucks. While they were trying down the trucks and going through their ritual of what train operators do, we flew into town and purchased some steak, bread and canned fruit.
The train was a goods train so we were given a guards van to travel in, we also received an arm full of wood and a block of ice.
The train took off at a blistering speed, the track was in very poor condition and our carriage rocked like a boat in a storm and in most places you could count the limbs on the trees we were going so slow, however it was better than travelling the track back to Woomera Rocket Base in the truck.
We had Christmas dinner on the old Ghan train, I lit up the wood stove, it seemed to be about 60 degrees and I threw on the steak, it might have been better if we had not bothered to light the stove as the steak burnt and went all black around the edges almost instantly.
I’d mucked up the dinner and it was turned down by Mr Leech so I got to eat the lot. We then opened the icebox, it had kept the fruit off the boil so that went down well, and then it was back to counting tree limbs.
The train stopped at Oodnadatta for maybe an hour so we made the best of the time in at the Transcontinental Hotel it had the best warm South Australian. beer I have ever tasted.
Along the track there were rail workers huts with not a tree to be seen. What a life, at least one had a wife and children. The passing of the train every few days would have been a major event in their lives.
My truck travelled at 50 mph and the other truck 48mph, less than 80kms per hour for 20 hours non-stop travel, the thought of driving all that way just seemed too much.
Darwin at that time did not seem to be as big as Castlemaine, most of the buildings were corrugated iron and most areas were quite messy with old car wrecks and bits of army equipment and old drums.
One had to wonder what it looked like before it was extensively bombed during the war?
Down at the wharf area there were war time rejects everywhere in the sea at low tide, with Japanese recovery crews cutting up the ships their own air force had sunk 18 years earlier.
However my wisdom on continuing to travel with Mr Leech was now paying off, he also saw the difficulties on top of what we had completed and he talked me into putting my truck on top of his trailer.
This left the rear section of the trailer hanging well out the back so he drove his truck forward until the trailer wheels dropped off the loading ramp leaving the wheels just off the ground, sticking out about 6 to 7 feet.
We had no time for sight seeing. It would be 34 years before I was to get back to complete this.
So Alice here we come, the steering in Mr Leech’s International R 190 had a lot of free travel and although I seemed to keep it straight he did not like my driving so he did the lions share himself, we made it to the Alice stopping only for fuel.
We loaded both trucks onto big long flat top rail trucks. While they were trying down the trucks and going through their ritual of what train operators do, we flew into town and purchased some steak, bread and canned fruit.
The train was a goods train so we were given a guards van to travel in, we also received an arm full of wood and a block of ice.
The train took off at a blistering speed, the track was in very poor condition and our carriage rocked like a boat in a storm and in most places you could count the limbs on the trees we were going so slow, however it was better than travelling the track back to Woomera Rocket Base in the truck.
We had Christmas dinner on the old Ghan train, I lit up the wood stove, it seemed to be about 60 degrees and I threw on the steak, it might have been better if we had not bothered to light the stove as the steak burnt and went all black around the edges almost instantly.
I’d mucked up the dinner and it was turned down by Mr Leech so I got to eat the lot. We then opened the icebox, it had kept the fruit off the boil so that went down well, and then it was back to counting tree limbs.
The train stopped at Oodnadatta for maybe an hour so we made the best of the time in at the Transcontinental Hotel it had the best warm South Australian. beer I have ever tasted.
Along the track there were rail workers huts with not a tree to be seen. What a life, at least one had a wife and children. The passing of the train every few days would have been a major event in their lives.
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Lee No.3 Pty Ltd
Trading since 1961 ACN: 005 204 599 ABN: 40 005 204 599 |
For more information please contact Ian Lee on 0428 507 408 [email protected] |
PO Box 614
KYNETON 3444 VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA |
