Trek The Trak 4 = Ground Zero.
TTT4, October 2013. What a trek. We planned to go again into South Australia, whipping across to Port Augusta and up to Woomera for a look, before continuing on to Coober Pedy, then to the British atomic bomb tests at Emu Field and Maralinga. From Maralinga we then planned to go to the coast, coming out at the Nullabor Roadhouse, then east, skirting the coast through Ceduna and Smoky Bay, before crossing inland to Lake Gillies and back to Port Augusta.
Well, it didn't quite work out that way. From the start we had trailer troubles, meaning Woomera got the chop due to lack of time. We got out onto the Anne Beadell Highway and major dramas struck; a disabled trailer. We made a mercy dash back into Coober Pedy for parts, then left the trailer on the side of the highway so we could keep our date in Maralinga. Good thing we did because it was sensational. Robin Mathews at Maralinga helped us out no end, with good accommodation, a tour of a lifetime and then even gave us an easier road back to where we had left the trailer. We ditched to coast plan, went back to the Anne Beadell to get the trailer, and then went home through Coober Pedy, William Creek, Parachilna and Mildura.
The pages below have some details on what we did, and then photos of each day's efforts, For descriptions of what we did check out the Trek-Blog.
TTT4, October 2013. What a trek. We planned to go again into South Australia, whipping across to Port Augusta and up to Woomera for a look, before continuing on to Coober Pedy, then to the British atomic bomb tests at Emu Field and Maralinga. From Maralinga we then planned to go to the coast, coming out at the Nullabor Roadhouse, then east, skirting the coast through Ceduna and Smoky Bay, before crossing inland to Lake Gillies and back to Port Augusta.
Well, it didn't quite work out that way. From the start we had trailer troubles, meaning Woomera got the chop due to lack of time. We got out onto the Anne Beadell Highway and major dramas struck; a disabled trailer. We made a mercy dash back into Coober Pedy for parts, then left the trailer on the side of the highway so we could keep our date in Maralinga. Good thing we did because it was sensational. Robin Mathews at Maralinga helped us out no end, with good accommodation, a tour of a lifetime and then even gave us an easier road back to where we had left the trailer. We ditched to coast plan, went back to the Anne Beadell to get the trailer, and then went home through Coober Pedy, William Creek, Parachilna and Mildura.
The pages below have some details on what we did, and then photos of each day's efforts, For descriptions of what we did check out the Trek-Blog.
Day 1. Gathering together at Ned's Corner.
Day 2. A lot of work to get to a lookout!
Len Beadell
Dubbed by some as Australia's last explorer, Len Beadell was a surveyor, roadbuilder (over 6000 km), bushman, artist and author, responsible for opening up the last remaining isolated desert areas (some 2.5 million square kilometres) of central Australia from 1947 to 1963. Beadell served in the army from 1941 to 1946, learning surveying skills. In 1946 he was asked to work as a surveyor in a project in the Northern Territory, before accepting another challenge, setting out the Woomera rocket range for the Australian and British Governements. He continued with this work, accepting further challenges of identifying sites for nuclear weapons tests, again for the British government.
For more information check out Wikipedia or the Beadell Family website where books and tapes are available (the tapes are rippers!)
For more information check out Wikipedia or the Beadell Family website where books and tapes are available (the tapes are rippers!)
Nuclear Testing in Australia
One of the more stupid things the Poms have done here in Australia (for stupid stuff Poms have done, think introduction of foxes and rabbits), was test atomic weapons. Of course as Australia in the 1940s and 50s was still a lapdog of the mother country, licking its you-know-what, we did our best to invite them in to do it. And it was all for the Poms to try to keep up with the Yanks and the Ruskies, who where way ahead after WW2 and didn't give a stuff about the Poms.
Anyway, after it was all said and done, we were left with a fair mess in the middle of the country, in the home of the Maralinga Tjarutja people. A few goes have been attempted at cleaning up, and we have even had a Royal Commission, but there are still issues out in the bush. Two-headed snake anyone?
Check it out on these links:
Wikipedia Maralinga Tjarutja A Toxic Legacy
Anyway, after it was all said and done, we were left with a fair mess in the middle of the country, in the home of the Maralinga Tjarutja people. A few goes have been attempted at cleaning up, and we have even had a Royal Commission, but there are still issues out in the bush. Two-headed snake anyone?
Check it out on these links:
Wikipedia Maralinga Tjarutja A Toxic Legacy