Great Central Road Feedback

Submitted: Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 15:33

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Great Central Road

Part of the "Outback Way", the Great Central Road is the main thoroughfare through Central Australia and links WA to NT. It is widely used by buses, trucks, 4WD and occasionally 2WD vehicles.

Great Central Road

Section: Treks

The Great Central Road is the main thoroughfare through Central Australia and links WA to NT. It is mostly unsealed but is widely used by buses, trucks, 4WD and occasionally 2WD vehicles.

equinox

From what I can gather Len Beadell had only a minor part in the construction of the Great Central Road.

A total of only 122kms (Hema maps) out of 1100kms or so. That is 16 kms west of Giles to where the abandoned section of the Gunbarrel starts, 29 kms easterly of Giles to the old southern termination of the Sandy Blight Junction Road, and the first 77kms of the old Sandy Blight Junction Road.

Even Beadell himself says the track to Warburton was already there. I'm not sure who put that in. Perhaps is was the Missionaries, or maybe sandalwood cutters.

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Reply By: equinox - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 15:46

Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 15:46

Sorry make that a total of 93 kms. 16 + 29 + 48

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Reply By: Member - Toyocrusa (NSW) - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 16:38

Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 16:38

Hi equinox. Just watched Pat Callinan's show on the CSR. It has been said many times how tough those early explorers were and when you see the old photos it makes you shiver to see what they achieved. The building of the wells is unbelievable and along with Len Beadell's work on the GCR it is awe inspiring to learn about. 90 odd K's in those days, whew. Bob.

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Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 18:29

Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 18:29

Hi Alan
What Len built was the original Gunbarrel Highway as you know. From Jackie Junction the road head west to Carnegie Homestead that was capable of carrying large and heavy vehicles. South from Jackie Junction, Len constructed a road to the Warburton Mission. Even well before Beadell was wondering out that way, there was an old goat track from Cosmo Newberry to the Mission of Warburton. It was a goat track as such, as it was mainly used by teams of camels bringing in supplies to the Warburton Mission. When William Grayden went through that way in 1953, Warburton was the end of the line and he made the first vehicle drive from Warburton up to the Rawlinson Ranges, with an Aboriginal that was only in from the bush a few months and had no contact with white people.

I was going to try and get copies of the book "A Nomad was our Guide" for you and Mick on our last trip, but it was not available. We tried Laverton, Tyukayirla, Warburton and Warakurna with no luck. It was a great read on another piece of little known outback exploration.

Cheers

Stephen

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Follow Up By: equinox - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 22:17

Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 22:17

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for the info. Does the goat track follow the "old" Warburton Road (from Laverton to Warburton? That is, the one that went from waterhole to waterhole.

I'll have to look up William Grayden.

Cheers
Alan

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Follow Up By: equinox - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 22:42

Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 22:42

I was just mm'd an online site (Westprint) where you can get the book, and I have just ordered one.

http://www.westprint.com.au/Product%20Pages/modern_explorers2.htm

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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 23:04

Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 23:04

Hi Alan
I could not say for sure, but when you read the book, they reached Warburton via the below picture. You will enjoy the book and it would be good if it was available at the EO shop, after all it is WA History and by a WA MLC.

Regards

Stephen

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Follow Up By: Ray - Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 23:30

Sunday, Jan 31, 2010 at 23:30

Those couple of pics bring back some memories! I have had many smoko's at that grave. Its right next to Rutters Soak on Cosmo.The Old Warburton Road as I understand it,on Cosmo goes through Shenton Well,Rutters Soak and Thatchers Soak. In the early Eighty's it was almost completely washed out and it was hard going for our FJ45.There was a windmill out past Thatchers that I did some work on. The old road was used by steel wheeled tractors towing trailers taking stores to Warburton. There is still a steel wheel laying against a tree near Shenton Windmill. The newer road is the existing one which I think was put through in the 50's and was the famous mission Foden and later Atkinson.
I worked on Cosmo Newbery from 79 to 81.

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Follow Up By: Member - Phil B (WA) - Monday, Feb 01, 2010 at 07:26

Monday, Feb 01, 2010 at 07:26

Hi Alan,

I concurr with Stephen, Grayden's book is a great read.

cheers
Phil

PS just got back from 10 days on the 'otherside'!!!

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Follow Up By: Member - Phil B (WA) - Monday, Feb 01, 2010 at 07:31

Monday, Feb 01, 2010 at 07:31

Hi Ray,

With regard to Rutters Soak and his nearby grave, there is an inscription ‘Luck’ on a nearby rock. Was it there in your early travels?

In all the info I have read on Luck, he never mentioned chiselling it or for that matter any other inscriptions anywhere? I suspect it was done by a well meaning traveller at a later date.

Cheers

Phil

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Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Monday, Feb 01, 2010 at 07:58

Monday, Feb 01, 2010 at 07:58

Hi Ray
The water in both Rutters soak and Thatchers soak was as green as grass. Then again if you were dying of thirst, it would save your life, as many a camellias , explorer and aboriginal would testify in years gone by.

Cheers

Stephen

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Follow Up By: Ray - Monday, Feb 01, 2010 at 09:52

Monday, Feb 01, 2010 at 09:52

No there was never any Luck markings on nearby rocks in my time and I knew that area pretty well.The only other markings close by was between the two hills the road passed through. They were by Peter Muir,the local dogger who broke down there a few years previous. There was another genuine marking off the old Warburton road towards Browns Camp by John Forest at a rockhole. I have a photo of that. Its a plain JF 94 lightly chiseled into the rock.
I never drank water at Thatchers but stopped to have a look a few times. Our further windmill,Victoria Bore was out further on. I camped there one night with a team of blokes and we dismantled the mill as the bore had filled with sand. Had the nicest Roo cooked in the coals that I have eaten.
Rutters Soak was always nice sweet water,seepage from the sandy hill above.I imagine with the covers not put back on properly it went green.

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