Joining of the Rails Update.

Submitted: Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 13:29
ThreadID: 134603 Views:3988 Replies:3 FollowUps:6
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Good Afternoon Everyone

There has been another update released for October's very special event. At this stage it looks like Dick Smith will be there as a special guest.

At this stage, over 100 people and 48 vehicles have registered to attend, so if you have not registered, can you please send an email to Bob Ramsay at the following email address....bob.ramsay@rdawep.org.au

Here is a copy of the latest newsletter to have a look at:

TRANS AUSTRALIAN RAILWAY CENTENARY 17 OCTOBER 2017
Project Update No. 2, March 2017

Welcome to the second project update about the Trans Australian Railway Centenary event. This update will hopefully answer most of the questions posed by people planning to come to the celebration.

Event Date and Site

The centenary celebration is being held at 1.45pm on Tuesday 17th October 2017. The event site is south of the Trans Australian Railway Line, approximately 4kms west of Ooldea.

Attendee Numbers

At this stage 100 people and about 45 vehicles have registered to attend the centenary. This includes people from South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia. Five 4WD groups are attending from Perth (2), Melbourne, Horsham and Gosford. Many of the people attending are self-equipped travellers who will be bringing caravans and camper trailers for their accommodation.

Travel to Ooldea

The turn off from the Eyre Highway to Ooldea is 177kms west of Ceduna. Ooldea is 140kms north of the turn off.

With the kind permission of Maralinga Tjarutja (the owners of Maralinga Village) a Maralinga Tours brochure is attached, which provides detailed instructions and photographs of the route between the Eyre Highway and Ooldea.

The first 78kms from the Eyre Highway to the Iluka mine is bitumen. The remaining 62kms to Ooldea is dirt with some limestone ridges, and is best travelled in a 4WD drive vehicle. Arrangements have been made for the dirt to be graded just prior to the event. This will make it easier for people travelling in conventional 2WD vehicles or towing trailers.

Travel from Ooldea to the Rail Link Site

Access to the rail link site is only available on the southern side of the railway line. The land to the north of the Ooldea rail crossing is Aboriginal land owned by Maralinga Tjarutja, and access permits are required.

The 4km stretch south of the railway line and west from Ooldea to the site is very rough and only accessible via 4WD. People travelling in 4WD vehicles – with or without trailers – will be directed to designated parking areas adjacent to the link site. It would be appreciated if you could follow the instructions provided by the event volunteers.

People travelling to Ooldea in conventional vehicles are asked to park their cars in designated areas provided at Ooldea, and then use the shuttle 4WD service provided by volunteers to get to and from the link site.

2
Maralinga Village Accommodation

Ooldea is approximately 320kms from Ceduna. Some people may prefer to stay overnight near Ooldea, rather than complete the return journey from Ceduna on the same day.

An opportunity exists for people to link the 100th anniversary of the railway line event with a visit to the historic Maralinga Village. Maralinga Village is only 50km from Ooldea and has camping areas for people with caravans and camping trailers. There are no powered sites available, however the village provides ablution facilities with hot showers, laundry, 240 volt power outlets and clothes lines.

For people who are not equipped for camping, there is a limited number of self-contained donga style units available. These are equipped with a kitchen, fridge, stove, microwave, cooking and eating utensils – however, you will need to bring your own food. The donga accommodation is available on a first-come-first- served basis, so you will need to get in early if you want to secure a place to stay.
Accommodation at Maralinga Village must be pre-booked. Don’t just turn up on the day and hope to get accommodation.

To book camping or donga accommodation, please contact the Maralinga Village Manager on 8670 4089 – see the attached Maralinga Tours brochure for more detail. More information is available on the Maralinga website at www.maralingatours.com.au. Maralinga accommodation bookings include the provision of permits to access the Maralinga Tjarutja Lands.

Please note – neither the National Railway Museum nor Regional Development Australia Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula is involved with the arrangements at Maralinga Village. If you want to stay at Maralinga Village you will need to make your booking direct with the Village Manager.

Maralinga Tours
Tours of the atomic test sites are available at Maralinga, but you will need to book. The tours are normally conducted on a Tuesday and Thursday. However, because the TAR Centenary is being held on Tuesday 17th October, Maralinga has rescheduled the tours for that week to Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th October.

Maralinga Village – Frequently Asked Questions
People planning to stay at Maralinga Village should look at the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of the Maralinga website to answer any queries about the village accommodation and regulations. The FAQ
provide
answers to:

? Booking Dates. When do we need to arrive?
? Can we bring alcohol into Maralinga Village?
? Is there fuel available at Maralinga Village?
? How do I get to Maralinga?
? Can we travel between Emu and Maralinga?
? Payment questions.
? I have a Lamborghini, can I take it to Maralinga?
? I don’t have camping gear, can I get accommodation?
? Is there mobile phone access at the Village?
? What about the Internet?
? What do we need to bring on the tour?
? Do we need to pay permit fees?
? What is a fly-in tour?
? Airstrip details?
? Is it safe? I mean these were nuclear bombs!
? What about my old dog?

What is Happening at the Centenary Event

The event will be held at 1.45pm on the 17th October, the exact time and place that the rails were linked in October 1917. The event will be relatively short and simple. A few short speeches will be made by special guests, invitees and key proponents of the event celebration.

The main activity will comprise the unveiling of monuments (replicas of the originals installed in 1967) which have been constructed in steel by the Australian Rail Track Corporation from the original plans. Photo opportunities with the monuments will be available after the speeches.

Visitor Amenity

Due to the remote location and complex logistics to supply the site, the infrastructure provision will be kept to a minimum. Portable chemical toilets will be provided.

Minimal seating will be provided for official guests. Attendees should therefore bring their own folding chairs.

The terrain is uneven and mainly comprised of limestone. Attendees should wear robust footwear. Hats should be worn in case it is hot. Wet weather gear should be brought in case it rains. Wind-proof coats should be brought in case there are high winds.

Refreshments
Refreshments will be minimal. The intention is to provide tea, coffee, water and potentially some biscuits free of charge.

A sausage sizzle will also be provided. This will be a user pays arrangement provided by the Fowler’s Bay Progress Association to raise funds for the township development.

Sponsorship

The National Railway Museum and RDAWEP is pleased to announce that Dick Smith Foods is a major sponsor and has provided funding to ensure that event will proceed. This is a generous gesture to make sure that important events and landmarks in Australia’s cultural development are appropriately recognised and celebrated.

Dick Smith is planning to attend the event, and has been invited to be a guest speaker.

Registration to Attend

The logistics of holding the event near Ooldea are complex. An indication of the number of people attending is essential to ensure that sufficient infrastructure – such as chemical toilets – is provided to cater for guest amenity.
RDAWEP is aware of numerous people who intend to come to the celebration, but have yet to register.

If any of your friends or associates are planning to come to the event, could you please remind them to
register their details via email to bob.ramsay@rdawep.org.au.
Further project updates will be provided as we get closer to the event.
The next update will include information about alternative accommodation options closer to Ceduna.


Until the next update....




Cheers



Stephen

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Reply By: Baz - The Landy - Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 14:34

Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 14:34
Hi Stephen

Thanks for the update and with my recent "graduation from work" I am thinking it would be good to attend...!

Cheers, Baz
AnswerID: 609940

Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 19:24

Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 19:24
Hi Baz

It will be great to see as many EO Members there for this very special event.

By the time the 150th Anniversary comes along, I will be well and truely 6 foot under......lol


Cheers




Stephen
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Follow Up By: Baz - The Landy - Thursday, Apr 06, 2017 at 08:09

Thursday, Apr 06, 2017 at 08:09
I've registered my interest and will be attending...

It will be good to see some EO faces out from behind the keyboard.

Cheers, Baz
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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Thursday, Apr 06, 2017 at 18:07

Thursday, Apr 06, 2017 at 18:07
Hi Baz

It will be great to meet you in person and it should be a great bit of history.


Cheers


Stephen
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Reply By: Mikee5 - Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 17:56

Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 17:56
Thanks Stephen
I have just registered our interest.
Looking forward to it.

Mike
AnswerID: 609946

Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 19:26

Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 19:26
Hi Mike

It is a very special event and if you have not ventured into that area before, it will be a real eye opener for you.

Just bring some firewood along, as there is not one piece of timber at the site.



Cheers



Stephen
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Reply By: Idler Chris - Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 19:01

Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 19:01
It looks like it will also be a bit of an EO gathering. I am looking forward to it.
Chris
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AnswerID: 609949

Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 19:30

Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 19:30
Hi Chris

Same here, we can not wait to be up there. Let's hope that many EO members turn up and it will be great to meet many new faces.

Caught up with Ivan and Gwen today and were talking about his time out in bush and his times building the Nippon Highway.


Cheers



Stephen
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Follow Up By: Idler Chris - Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 20:40

Wednesday, Apr 05, 2017 at 20:40
Hi Stephen,
I have spent many hours with Ivan and Gwenda hearing about his time in the bush and its always interesting, and hopefully there will be many more.
Hopefully there will be a few EO members there so we can put faces to names.
Cheers,
Chris.
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