1967 Outback Road Trip

Submitted: Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 11:14
ThreadID: 77515 Views:4580 Replies:7 FollowUps:8
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Not my footage but I found it interesting all the same. Wow, how things have changed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Auwv_ERch4
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Reply By: cycadcenter - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 11:30

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 11:30
That was great...............

Things have really changed especially at Ayres Rock.

Guess things happen with a top heavy load and notice you didn't see another 4wd in the whole show.

Bruce
AnswerID: 411933

Follow Up By: Fab72 - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 11:56

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 11:56
Yeah... this was around the time the Leyland Brothers did their West/East transcontinental journey when 4X4 travel was still in its infancy.
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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 15:43

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 15:43
Not the Leyland Bros Fab72. It was Evan Green and Gellignite Jack Murray in a Mini and an Austin 1800.
Evan Green's son recently drove a (BMW) Mini to repeat that trip for the Mini's 50th birthday.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome
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Reply By: Member - mazcan - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 12:18

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 12:18
hi fab72
thanks for the walk down memory lane
wasnt many vehicles on the road in those days
it seems they had a habbit of tipping it over to get the dirt out of it rahter than use a brush and shovel
cheers
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Reply By: Member - Alan H (QLD) - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 12:27

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 12:27
Brought back many memories.

Did a similar trip in 1966 but we were in a VW beetle. The flat bottom helped us skate through bulldust a couple of times. Ayers Rock was all so natural without the today's "improvements" and it was great.

We climbed up the rock from the waterhole and came down via the dotted line.

Lots of loose sand on the Ayer's Rock road and the road down to Port Augusta wasn't much better.

But we had no trouble with the VW and lived out of our bushwalking packs.

They also hadn't invented aircon yet. (how did we survive?)

Alan
AnswerID: 411938

Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 15:40

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 15:40
No aircon???
No fridge.....
No esky (no ice).....
No cold drink.........
2 burner gas stove.
Tent on the pack rack for sleeping.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA109 Motorhome
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Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 14:51

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 14:51
Good year 1967.
We drove a Mini 850 from Adelaide to Darwin and bacj via Ayres Rock in August of that year for our honeymoon.
Gelignite Jack Murray and Evan Green were our heros.
I remember seeing a Landy or 2 at Coober Pedy, and a couple of others in Alice, but I reckon they were about the only 4x4s we saw. There was a VW Beetle north of Spuds, but almost everything else was Holdens.


Refuelling at Bulls Garage at Coober Pedy. My sister and her husband were in the sav. There was 100 litres of fuel in the drums on the roof rack.


Stuart Highway.


Sight seeing around Alice.


Entrance to the Rock.


Bull dust on the Stuart Highway north of Coober Pedy on the way south.
We were back at the Rock again in 1970 in a Mini and again 1974 in a Kombi (in the wet) . Never get sick of it.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome
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Follow Up By: Fab72 - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 15:04

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 15:04
Who needs a lift kit and big tyres hey?
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Follow Up By: Chipsy - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 15:31

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 15:31
wow those photos are fantastic. makes me wonder what things will look like in another 40 years, and gives me hope for where we can still get to in our 2wd!

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Reply By: Motherhen - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 17:03

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 17:03
Thanks for the link Fab, and Peter for more of your early photos.

How it all has changed. I note there was a climbing chain on the Rock in the video - does anyone know when the chain was first placed there?

It would have been during the 1950s that our neighbour sold his farm, purchased a Landrover 4wd and small caravan, so he and his dog could become 'nomads'. He went through Alice Springs each lap, and would leave the caravan behind to take a very rough track out to Ayres Rock, where he would camp for a week or two taking slides of the rock in many colours. There was no mention of anyone climbing the rock, nor did he see anyone while camped there. He also sometimes made the further trip to the Olgas. Every couple of years or so he called in to show us his latest slides and tell us of his adventrues.

It took me till 2008 to get to see The Rock.

Motherhen
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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 20:56

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 20:56
My father went to the Rock in 1954 (I think), Motherhen.
I am not sure if the chain was there then or not. I will have to search his old pics. He did actually climb the Rock and was at the summit before dawn and took a pic towards the west as the sun rose in the east. The shadow of the Rock could be seen stretching across to the horizon and actually showed above the horizon.
There were pools of water at the top that contained small fish about 30mm long.
I think Bill (H)arney was the Ranger.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome
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Reply By: Member - Michael John T (VIC) - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 22:23

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 22:23
Gooday all,

Some great footage shown here. In 1962 and again in 1964 my father and mother inlaws drove arround Australia in a holden station wagon and small tent by themselves.. Across the gulf to Darwin and down through the Pilbara using two wheeled tracks and not seeing other people for days. We have the diary but can't find the many slides that would have been taken, unfortunately. In those days it was a real adventure.

Regards

Mike.
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Follow Up By: Member - Michael John T (VIC) - Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 22:26

Wednesday, Apr 07, 2010 at 22:26
Forgot to mention re " how things have changed......".


In 1967 we were married........ things have changed..
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Reply By: Outbacktourer - Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 at 15:24

Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 at 15:24
Great stuff.

It puts into perspective the posts we get from time to time where people are told that thier soft roader is not tuff enough to go around OZ!

I grew up out around Julia Creek/Kynuna in the 60's and I swear the roads were better back then. There was nowhere near as much traffic, road trains were still rare (Drovers moved most of the stock until the late 60's) and 4WD's were uncommon. Station transport was mainly 2WD utes or a wagon for the family. Sure there were a few old landys around (that were generally considered too much trouble to warrant the benefit of 4WD) and maybe a Blitz or two for the wet season emergency run.

The councils had to maintain the road to suit 2WD access and did so. Now some of the roads have not seen a grader in years and you need 300mm clearance to get over the centre hump because you are 'expected' to have a 4WD.

OBT
AnswerID: 412129

Follow Up By: Fab72 - Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 at 17:23

Thursday, Apr 08, 2010 at 17:23
OBT... my sentiments precisely.
I have NEVER owned a 4x4 (not through lack of want). I have had a couple as company cars in recent years, been on many trips with mates who have one and we are getting an AWD Captiva in 5 more sleeps.

I however believe I have been to places many 4X4ers haven't even been to.

The best car I owned for off road journeys was....wait for it..... a 1977 Toyota Corolla Wagon. I fitted a 5 speed and raised the suspension marginally. It had ample carrying capacity, great fuel economy, super reliable, pretty good articulation, and had a REALLY low first gear. Sure it wasn't fast. Best of all, getting scrapes, scratches and dings didn't bother me and if it rained too much, I'd sleep in the car..

There are few places a 2WD driven sensibly won't get you that a 4X4 will. Lets face it, there's nothing stopping you from traversing the Simpson in a 2WD if you were prepared to winch yourself across every dune. I guess it boils down to how easy a person wants the trip to be. Have we lost our sense of adventure?

It seems most people these days take to the road to get somewhere, in stark contrast to days gone by when the trip was the holiday and not the destination.

Life is a journey, death is the destination, so why rush?
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