Adelaide – Perth via Eyre Highway in 1949 Hillman Minx

Thanks for posting that Doug..great read...brought back memories of my only ever crossing...Dec 1968 in a mini minor, west to east, to take up a new posting with the Navy.
Merry Xmas...Fred.

Tops story Doug, great website too.

Cheers,
Dave

A great yarn.
In the Birdwood Mill National Motor Museum in SA (worth a visit), there's a beautifully restored 1926 (I think) Rolls Royce, along with a pictorial of its' rebirth. When rescued from a remote area farm it was merely a chassis with a drivers' seat, no bodywork. Seems the cocky found that it was stronger and more reliable than the tractors being offered at the time.

Doug

Thanks for that story. Made a very interesting and great read. Just shows you what can be done with limited resourses and some knowledge and common sense, not to mention a great sense of adventure :)

Marry Christmas mate.

G'day Doug,

Your Hillman story sure brought back many memories. Back in 1949/50, not quite sure of date, when we lived at Cook on the Nullarbor, the old man was an engine driver, we travelled to Adelaide by train, where the old man bought a Dodge Fargo ute. Travelling home, Dad, Mum, little brother and baby sister, travelled in the front while I sat in the back amongst the luggage and a couple of 44 gall. drums of petrol, (I was 7 or 8 at the time). After Ceduna, we stopped at all the stations along the way, for a G'day and a cup of tea, and checked on road conditions. At night, we camped out or stayed at a station if close by. At Nullarbor station we turned right and headed up to Cook, following station tracks. I can't recall the condition of the road.

Later in life when I moved to Perth on leaving the Navy in 1969, I used to travel to Port Augusta every second year to visit family for Christmas. The road on the SA side was still dirt and some of the sights I saw will forever remain with me. One was near Nullarbor station, could see dust up ahead but it was moving very slowly. As I got closer I was confused as I could not make out what was ahead. It looked bigger than a car but smaller than a truck. What it turned out to be was two women in a covered wagon being pulled by two horses with two spare horses tied to the back, I felt I was in a western movie and looked around for the Indians. I stopped and had a word with them, they were bored with life and decided to travel from Adelaide to Perth with the only transport they had. Another time I kept coming across the large pot holes with no indication of them, truckies put drums, tyres and anything else that warned them of the pot hole. Just to the side of the road was the object the truckies had put in, so I replaced it. Around Yalata, I come across an old couple travelling in an old Pommie car (can't recall what type and no I don't think it was the couple in your story) who were rolling out an old tyre from the pot hole. When I stopped, they complained about the idiots who kept putting rubbish in the middle of the road. I pointed out that the truckies put them in pot holes to warn them of the hazard. They were upset at what they had done and offered to go back and put them back, and were most thankful when I told them I had already done so.

They are only some of the memories that come to mind, if I kept on I would fill this site. Thanks for stirring up the memories.

Regards,

Peter (1)

Unbelievable to read the story about Bill Waites trips. I travelled to Perth with him in the Hillman in December 1964 when I was 17.