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BY CREEPER-TRACK THROUGH THE BUSH.

8th June 1926, Page 13
8th June 1926
Page 13
Page 14
Page 13, 8th June 1926 — BY CREEPER-TRACK THROUGH THE BUSH.
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A 2,000-mile Journey Across North-western Australia to Test ihe Practicability of the Creeper-track Over Very Rough Country.

VAST spaces in Northern and )1.,;estern Australia are still, for • all practical purposes, unknown. Pioneers have penetrated into various areas and isolated observations have been made, many of them, unfortunately, not having been. recorded because men 7 have gone out into the wilds and have not returned.

The coming of the 'motor vehicle has provided a readier Means of transport than the horse because of the possibility of carrying .supplies for a long period, and amongst those who have prospected through wild and uninhabited parts of Australia by motor vehicle is Mr. Michael Terry, who in 1923 took an expedition from Winton, in West Queensland, to Broome, on the Western 'Australian coast, utilizing a Ford chassis specifically strengthened for the task. This was the first vehicle ever to cross the North of Australia, and the experiences that he .gained on that trip led to the desire to ascertain whether greater penetrative powers were possessed by the creeper-track type of vehicle. lie knew the limitations a wheels, and on his return to England after the 1923 expedition be-looked very closely into the question of the newer type of -loCounotion, because transport is the chief problem that has to be faced in developing Northern Australia. and the creeper-track being new and untried in Australia, he plotted out a coursewhich, roughly, should cross the north-western corner Of the continent, an area which he thought would benefit from an effort to stir up interest in its development.

There are two routes which cut across the north of the continent, one following a zigzag course from coast to coast and the other which travels from the northern . coast to Adelaide, South Australia. These tracks are made by means of the fire-plough, which can be drawn over a course from whichtrees, tree-trunks and boulders have been removed, and which then finish off the top thus roughly prepared. The fire-plough is so called because -it cuts a swathe through grass to

act as a check on forest fires.

Various considerations led him to a choice of route; and, that having been decided upon, the next matters to he arranged were the choice of vehicle and the formation of the expeditionary party.

After examining a number of makes and obtaining demonstrations, Mr. Terry felt that the Guy-Roadless vehicle, in which the Roadless Traction unit was employed, had the greatest chance of success. Two of these vehicles were prepared, and for each of them a two-wheeled trailer was designed. These were shipped out to Australia, together with an A.J.S. motor cycle and sidecar.

The party consisted of seven men, the leader, Mr: Michael Terry ; the surveyor, Mr. R. A, Prescott the photographer, Mr, M. Redknap ; Mr. E. E. Jolly and Mr. C. F. Syme; Mr. A. K Smitheran, who was the prospector; and last; but not least, Lord Apsley. Throughout the expedition the driving was shared in the case of the ofae vehicle by Mr. Terry and Mr. Jolly, and in the case of the other by Mr. Prescott and Mr. Synae.

The party and its equipment assembled at Darwin, in Arnheim's land, and the vehicles were sent by train to the railhead at Katherine. Two of the party took the opportunity, while the vehicles were thus on the way to Katherine, to break off into the buffalo cowl* for some shooting and cinematography.

From Katherine, which is in the low coastal area, the vehicles climbed up on to the black-soil plateaux, and then over the stony country dividing the blacksoil country from the sandy interior, which is traversed by high sandy ridges. It is known as the Great Sandy. Desert and is of considerably larger area than the Sahara, and, whilst the sand in the Sahara is of a fine, loose nature, that in the Great Sandy Desert is strewn with scrub and trees. An attempt had been made to penetrate the Great Sandy Desert with a lorry equipped with rubber creeper-tracks, but these were not able to withstand the rough surfaces that had to he traversed, and it was knowledge of this fact that had helped Mr. Terry in his choice of the all-steel RoadIess Traction unit.

The zigzag track, to which we have referred as cutting diagonally across the north-western corner of Australia, naturally goes a more roundabout way in order to secure the easiest possible course. It was decided to avoid this route until towards the end of the journey in order that the test of the vehicle should be as thorough as possible, and it was, therefore, decided to cut straight through the bush, following for • a part of the way the Dry-River stock route, which is a route taken by the cattle drovers with their herds,' following the bed of a river which for the greater part of its course is dry.

The result of this decision was that the first stage from Katherine to Wave Hill was considerably shorter. than the general route in use. That route goes by way of Delamere and Victoria River Downs. Local graziers, in particular, desired this route to be followed, in order that it could be seen to what extent motor vehicles could be employed in the district, which, of course, is invariably traversed only on horseback. A good many route signs were found, the work of erecting them having been done by the Northern Agency, Ltd., which is the local branch of the Union Cold Storage Co., generally referred to locally as Vesteys, From Wave Hill, however, Mr. Terry's expedition followed his 1923 route to Gordon Downs, and from Gordon Downs onwards all 'roads and any tracks of any sort were left behind, and a course was struck down Sturt Creek to Gregory's Inland Sea, where they found the last cattle station, for cattle rearing is the chief industry in the whole of the north.

The Mysterious Inland Sea.

Gregory's Inland Sea is usually full of water, which flows into it from Sturt Creek, but it was found on this occasion to be quite dry, the natives telling them that there had been no water there for " bigmob " time, which, on interrogation, was found to mean at least ten years. A special trip was made in order to view this sea, and itis certain that the first vehicles to approach this spot and even to run on its dry bed were the Guy-Roadless lorries. The bed of the sea is a dry salt bog, and the water, when it is low, is always blackish. The distance from Port Darwin to the sea is 950 miles.

After the Inland Sea had been passed the region of the sandhills was entered, and considerable endeavour was made to overcome innumerable difficulties before South Esk Tableland, about 100 miles to the west, was reached. The chief difficulty arose from the fact that sand ridges run in parallel lines right across the course to be taken by the vehicles, the ridges being about 300 ft. apart. It was too trying to go straight across the ridges from trough to peak and clown to trough again, so a course was made diagonally across them, and wherever a gap in the hills appeared advantage was taken of it. On this tableland the prospectors found they were 300 ft. above the plains, and on reaching the end of it some considerable time was lost in finding the way down. Eventually a point was reached which, however, left• a sheer drop of 20 ft. or more to the plain• below, and here pick and shovel had to be brought to work to cut and prepare a slope down which the vehicles could be driven. On the tableland, after a good deal of searching, Godfrey's Tank, discovered by the Hon. David Carnegie in 1898, was sought and eventually located. According to reports there should, in a normal year, be about 4(),000 gallons of water in the hollow, but the condition of Gregory's Inland Sea, pointing to a_ long ,spell of dry seasons, had been an ominous indication, and when Godfrey's Tank was reached it was found to be perfectly dry. The party were able to walk about amongst the rocks at the bottom of the hollow and to chalk inscriptions upon the rocks. From natives it was found that all but the hardiest old diehards had left with their horses for better-watered regions.

Mount Cornish, which was the next point of outstanding interest on the route, was reached, and the party were probably the first white men ever to 'climb it.

They were now far into the dry country, which it had been intended to investigate thoroughly, but owing to the indication already received of the absence of water it was decided to depart from B30

the original route and to skirt the edge, eventually Hall's Creek being passed on the north through the Cummins range, and after, a. short distance the main road to the coast was reached. Here the creeper-tracks were removed and springs and wheels fitted in their place, in order--that advantage should be taken of the excellent roads which were known to be ahead.

The party had assembled at Darwin on July 13th last year, and Broome was reached on November 22nd, the distance travelled in four and a half months being about 2,000 miles. • The vehicles throughout behaved magnificently, no spare parts Whatever were used, and, except to the valve tappets and the brake connections, no adjustments were called for.

The Behaviour of the Creeper-tracks.

With regard to the Roadless Traction equipment, the conclusion reached was that, without it, certain parts of the route could not possibly have been covered, and that, as for strength, it was, if anything, stronger than was necessary for the load carried, and that a lighter type of track could have been employed without sacrificing efficiency.

Fuel was obtained along the course from dumps which had been laid down by the British Imperial Oil Co., of Au,stralia• (who handle Shell spirit), the

Northern Agency, Ltd., having helped in this matter. In every case the dump was at a homestead, and any

surplus fuel or oil not required by the party was then taken into stock by the homestead. Water supplies were carried in 40-gallon water tanks on each vehicle, these tanks being replenished at every water hole. A large supplyof food was also carried, and supplies Were increased in the sandy districts to the equivalent of three months' requirements.

The motorcycle and sidecar was used as a scout and an auxiliary. It often went ahead to give warn ing of the approach of the party, and sometimes re mained behind at a camping place in order to clear up. On the plains turkeys run wild, and the motorcycle was often used for hunting the birds, which made a welcome

change in the food supply. Eventually tile motorcycle -combinationwas sold to the owner of a station at Billi

luna, who, they afterwards heard, resold it, and within three weeks it had been sold twice more. This machine covered 1,300 miles under the most severe conditions and gave excellent service.

The material benefits from the expedition are largely scientific, whilst the acquisition of information concern

ing the country will be of interest to financiers. To them propositions are often put up, and they are asked to give -financial backing to schemes promoted by settlers, and a knowledge of the-conditions is therefore of iniportance to them.

Mechanical transport will play an in3portant part in the building up of the country, because, owing to the exclusion of coloured labour, the Northern States must be developed by white men, and the greatest use must be made of any factor tending towards economy because of the close proximity of countries peopled by the coloured races, which can produce cheaply.

Sheep rearing will no doubt follow as the country becomes opened up, and the exploitation of the country for minerals and its use for growing cotton are con

templated. ---

The interior generally is elevated from a height ranging from 700 ft. to 1,600 ft. above sea-level, the climate being fresh and dry, and therefore, whilst the temperature is hot, the conditions are not enervating. In many parts of the coastal areas tropical products can be grown.


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