An amazing overland journey from Adelaide to Darwin in 1926! - (film)

The State Library of SA has recently posted an extract of a film taken by Clarence Judd in 1926. It gives an amazing insight to the route and the early South Australian towns along the way including Spalding, Jamestown, Marree and Oodnadatta.


Judd was a passenger on the inaugural journey of Captain E.D.A. Bagot's motor service between Adelaide to Darwin, 18 May - 25 June 1926. The convoy comprised two Studebaker cars and two trucks, a Thornycroft and a Graham. Captain Bagot's assistants were S.R. Wallage, the driver of the second car; E.I. Webster and J. Bristowe, the drivers of the trucks; H. Reade, who acted as road engineer; and D. Stoneman, the cook. In addition to Clarence Judd, the passengers were C. Cawthorne, E.H. Hannaford, Hon. H. Homburg, R. Homburg, W.W. Killen, M.H.R. (Sydney), Misses G. and N. Cumming, Mrs. E. McKellar, N. Stevens, and Mr. and Mrs. T.R Canning (England). There are descriptive titles in the film, including a map of Australia used to indicate the progress of the trip and location of places shown. Clarence Judd was the son of Thomas Judd, founder of T. Judd & Son, The Star Boot Manufactury, Rundle Street. (Words; SALibrary)

Oh and for those who are a bit deaf, you'll really enjoy this Silent movie ;-)





''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
Richard Maurice - 1903

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Reply By: Warren B - Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 18:48

Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 18:48
WOW, I knew there was a reason that I restored Studebakers and Grahams. love these type of films we don't have a long history in Australia and should enjoy what we have.
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Follow Up By: Mick O - Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 22:21

Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 22:21
As long as we have a long history Warren, we'll be happy. A great country to explore for sure. Glad I'm doing it in a diesel V8 with an Engel, fast glass and air ;-)

Cheers

Mick
''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
Richard Maurice - 1903

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Reply By: Les PK Ranger - Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 20:11

Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 20:11
Awesome Mick, thanks for posting.
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Follow Up By: Mick O - Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 22:19

Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 22:19
Cheers Les. A golden find that.

Mick
''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
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Follow Up By: Les PK Ranger - Wednesday, Oct 01, 2014 at 06:57

Wednesday, Oct 01, 2014 at 06:57
Yeah, totally gold footage alright . . . only had 325 views yesterday when I looked, now at 405 views (on YouTube) . . . late last night I posted that link to 4x4 Earth too, and did acknowledge I pinched it from ExploreOz :)
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 20:47

Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 20:47
Mick, that's Magic! Thanks for sharing a great find.
Shows how far you can go with tall skinny tyres and good clearance. Don't know whether the tyres were solid or pneumatic?
Adelaide has changed a little since then (we got those trams back on North Terrace!)
The waterhole near Hamilton Station looks like Eringa.
I guess back then you had the security of following the Ghan Line to Alice Springs, so could get fuel and water pretty easily.
The Diamantina Crossing is the original one you can visit just out of town and south of the main road. Would loved to see more footage of the Birdsville Track in the days before Tom Cruse.
Cheers, Phil
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Follow Up By: Mick O - Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 22:18

Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 22:18
It was certainly a hell of an adventure Phil. I note it took them over 6 weeks to complete. Loved the air conditioning on those old vehicles as well! Would have been hard to keep the flies and dust out!

Cheers

Mick
''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
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Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 20:59

Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 20:59
Hi Mick

Thanks for sharing the great journey, where men were men and no four wheel drive vehicles. It would have been a fantastic experience indeed.


I hope you also noticed one of the towns that they past through on their way North.......Clare......lol



Cheers


Stephen
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Follow Up By: Mick O - Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 22:16

Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 22:16
Ahhh Clare....a paradise even back then Stephen ;-)

Mate it was a great piece of old film wasn't it. I nearly dropped of my stool seeing all those old SA towns I passed through just a few short weeks ago.

Regards to Fiona.

Cheers

Mick
''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
Richard Maurice - 1903

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Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 23:38

Tuesday, Sep 30, 2014 at 23:38
Great film.
Margaret and I first drove Adelaide to Darwin and return in a Mini in 3 weeks in 1967, but there was a "road" by then and it was easy, by comparison.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome
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Follow Up By: Mick O - Wednesday, Oct 01, 2014 at 17:40

Wednesday, Oct 01, 2014 at 17:40
In fact I think there was a thin ribbon of bitumen from Alice to Darwin back then. Single lane and you had to get off for trucks or risk losing a windscreen. Dirt from Port Augusta to just after Erldunda or even further along towards Alice.

Times have changed.

Cheers Mick
''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
Richard Maurice - 1903

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Follow Up By: Member - allan t (NT) - Thursday, Oct 02, 2014 at 14:06

Thursday, Oct 02, 2014 at 14:06
Mick there was a thin ribbon between Alice and Darwin then,the south road was dirt. Towed a caravan to Alice in 71 was wet and greasy in places and bloody corrugations.
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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Thursday, Oct 02, 2014 at 15:19

Thursday, Oct 02, 2014 at 15:19
The bitumen strip from Darwin to Alice was put down by the Yanks during WW2.
By 1967, about 25% of it was gravel again.
Some of that original road is still visible in spots.

Margaret was driving when a tyre blew and she lost it (or the other wat around...). We finished up bogged off the side of the road and a semi pulled us out.







South of Alice was a different proposition and varied like all earth formed roads do still........







Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome
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Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Thursday, Oct 02, 2014 at 16:18

Thursday, Oct 02, 2014 at 16:18
I thought the Stuart highway wasn't too bad back then. Far superior to the Landsborough H'way in Qld.



The Barkly H'way wasn't too bad either.



Overtaking road trains was an exhilirating experience too. Usually executed from within the table drain!

Bob

Seen it all, Done it all.
Can't remember most of it.

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Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Thursday, Oct 02, 2014 at 16:29

Thursday, Oct 02, 2014 at 16:29
This post has been read by the moderation team and has been moderated due to a breach of The Post Removed by Request Rule .

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Reply By: The Landy - Wednesday, Oct 01, 2014 at 10:37

Wednesday, Oct 01, 2014 at 10:37
I can only echo other comments and thank you for posting Mick.

This is a fantastic bit of history that is especially relevant to many who visit ExplorOZ, and perhaps essential viewing for those (me included!) that ask will our modern day vehicles be suitable for a particular trip.

The film demonstrates that anything is possible and can be achieved if you start with an idea and a good plan.

And it lays tribute to my most favourite quote “Those that can’t think it can be done shouldn’t bother the person doing it”.

Once again thanks for sharing…

Baz
AnswerID: 539751

Reply By: Member - Andrew & Jen - Wednesday, Oct 01, 2014 at 11:04

Wednesday, Oct 01, 2014 at 11:04
Hullo Mick
What a find!
Thanks for posting the link
Barrow Creek would seem to be much the same today
Cheers
Andrew
AnswerID: 539752

Reply By: pop2jocem - Wednesday, Oct 01, 2014 at 15:58

Wednesday, Oct 01, 2014 at 15:58
Horseless carriages HAH. You wait 'till the novelty wears off. They'll never replace the horse and cart you know. Where you gonna find feed for one of them out bush.

BAH HUMBUG I say.

(;-))

Cheers
Pop
AnswerID: 539763

Reply By: Ron N - Thursday, Oct 02, 2014 at 20:37

Thursday, Oct 02, 2014 at 20:37
Mick, that's a great find. Thanks for posting the link.
Viewing that film sure makes you appreciate the roads we have today.

Cheers, Ron.
AnswerID: 539816

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