Comment: Peter Muir Track
Submitted: Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 10:44
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equinox
Hi there,
When Peter Muir tried to find
Empress Spring in 1971 (with Peter
Hill) he came across from the
Lake Wells direction (extension of Blaxland Range/
Lake Wells Road. He used his route a few times, enough to make it into a loosely defined track. I went to travel the track recently. It is a good alternate route to
Empress Spring and the
David Carnegie Road.
I had expected it to be tough going and presumed it would be hard to follow. However, someone had done the hard work for me. Someone has been along there recently with a quad bike and vehicle and put flagging tape along the route so I just followed their route. Even so, in some spots the track was hard to follow. Although (I started from west) the west side of the track is definitely in the right position I think the track comes out on the
David Carnegie Road a little too far south (by a few kilometres). Give it a go and remember to get permission from
Lake Wells Station if you intend going through the lease.
Cheers
Alan
Reply By: equinox - Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 10:51
Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 10:51

Plaque on tree western terminus

Eastern Terminus

Western Terminus
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539421
Follow Up By: equinox - Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 10:57
Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 10:57
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824047
Reply By: Phil B (WA) - Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 12:25
Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 12:25
Awesome find Alan,
Peter Muir's Track - I like the name.
Looks like I've got another track to tackle.
AnswerID:
539424
Follow Up By: equinox - Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 12:47
Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 12:47
It's a nice drive, western half is more scenic than the east.
Thank you Phil, for letting me know of the turnoff. After a few kms, after I passed the "prominent red bluff" I knew it was the right track.
Cheers
Alan
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Phil B (WA) - Wednesday, Sep 24, 2014 at 09:24
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2014 at 09:24
No worries Alan
I wasn't much help, you did all of the work -
well done buddy.
FollowupID:
824097
Reply By: Member - graeme W (WA) - Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 22:21
Tuesday, Sep 23, 2014 at 22:21
Hi Alan.
Read all the Peter Muir books, rare books most of them. From memory he was beaten to empress springs though only by a few days i think. We visited the spring a few years ago and spent a night there on a cloudless night. How close it was for David
Carnegie no water there and i guess they would have perished. It was dry when we were there.
Must have been a great drive.
He certainly got around, cant imagine how difficult it must have been to be the first vehicle to get to the
carnarvon ranges, some of the tracks were bad enough this year when we were there.
Cheers Graeme.
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539466
Follow Up By: Phil B (WA) - Wednesday, Sep 24, 2014 at 09:23
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2014 at 09:23
Hi Graeme
Good to hear someone else finds Muir a amazing character. he sure did open up some country for us to follow.
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Reply By: Member - graeme W (WA) - Wednesday, Sep 24, 2014 at 22:03
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2014 at 22:03
Hi Alan and Phil.
You guys probibly already know but Peter Muir wrote 35 books right through from his early days with the Apb till he started prospecting with a metal detector one of the first. His aboriginal wife Dooly was able to spot nuggets by eye, specking they called it. Most of the books are a sort of diary form but riveting reading and hard to put down once started. Unfortunately most are rare books and only avalible from Batte libary. There are a few in print however. The
Empress spring book is very interesting and i think he had a few goes and actually got beaten to the target by a few days if my memory serves me right. How he managed to write all those books is beyond me thats for sure but they are an acurrate record of life in those times. All his travels and exploration were in the old short wheel base landrover with its limitations and short range.
I believe he is still alive and living in
Leonora.
Cheers Graeme.
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539498
Follow Up By: equinox - Thursday, Sep 25, 2014 at 10:19
Thursday, Sep 25, 2014 at 10:19
Hi Graeme,
I have only read a few of the books however they are very interesting reading. He was beaten to Empress by a few years, though he didn't find out until a subsequent visit when he when inside and found a written note. Both he and Stan Gratte were not aware of Rowlings visit. - I popped in and saw him last Sunday in
Leonora - He is 85 now.
Cheers
Alan
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